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This Vegan Pot Pie combines a flaky pie crust, heart-healthy chickpeas, and a creamy vegetable and potato filling for a mouth-watering main dish everyone will go back for seconds of. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free option.
Hearty and cozy, this Vegan Pot Pie is simple enough to serve on weeknights, yet impressive enough to replace a meaty main for a special occasion like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s made with a simple pie crust that’s filled with protein-rich chickpeas, classic veggies, and a homemade cream sauce that’s thick and creamy. Fair warning – your house will smell absolutely amazing while this bakes in the oven. 😉
Table of Contents
A Healthier, Cozy Pot Pie
Is it just me, or is Pot Pie pretty much the ultimate comfort food? It’s pretty hard to beat a buttery, flaky crust filled with a creamy, hearty, and flavorful filling. It’s a perfect cozy day food to snuggle up with or share with your loved ones during the holiday season.Now, most pot pies are not vegan. But with just a few simple swaps, we can make a vegetable pot pie that’s made entirely from plants! Not only that, but it’s just as yummy and cozy as the ones I remember eating in my childhood. I can’t wait for you to indulge for yourself!
What You Need for Vegan Pot Pie
There are just 4 main components when it comes to making a great pot pie:
- Pie crust: I opted to use my Vegan Pie Crust Recipe, but feel free to use another homemade pie crust or your favorite store-bought brand. If making my homemade recipe, make sure to double the recipe – one crust for the bottom, and one for the top.
- Creamy sauce: Traditional pot pies are typically made with heavy cream or canned soups. Instead, we’re making a healthy, homemade sauce from non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, and chickpea flour.
- Fresh veggies: I like to keep things classic and use celery, peas, carrots, and gold potatoes for a nice and hearty bite. If you’re short on time or prefer to make things even easier, use a frozen blend of mixed vegetables with green beans.
- Seasonings: Most of the nostalgic flavor and aroma in a classic pot pie can be attributed to the spices and seasoning. All that’s required for this mouth-watering effect is freshly chopped thyme, smoked paprika, and freshly cracked black pepper.
How to Make Vegan Pot Pie
- Par-bake the bottom crust in a pie dish (or follow the instructions of the store-bought version you are using!)
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan, then simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened. Set aside.
- Melt the butter or olive oil in a large sauté pan, then sauté the filling ingredients until fragrant and tender.
- Stir in the thickened sauce until evenly distributed.
- Fill the par-baked crust with the pot pie filling, then lay the top crust over the filling. Crimp the two pie edges together and cut an “X” in the center of the pie dough.
- Bake, lightly tented with foil, until the crust is golden brown.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve warm, as desired.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Use a rich and creamy plant-based milk. Not all plant-based milks are made equal. As much as I love the convenience of store-bought non-dairy milk, they are often thin and lacking in flavor. For the best creamy filling, use a rich and creamy homemade milk or a store-bought soy milk or canned coconut milk.
- Thaw your pie crust in advance. If you are using a store-bought, frozen pie crust, make sure to thaw it in the refrigerator until soft and easy to roll out. It is easiest to do this the night before, but typically can thaw in 4-6 hours.
- The longer it cools, the easier it is to slice. You can slice after just 5 minutes, but if you wait longer (15-20 minutes), the filling will continue to thicken and make it easier to cut nice slices for serving. This can be ideal when hosting or serving this pot pie for special occasions.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving thick, warm slices of this vegan pot pie as a hearty main dish. It’s the perfect weeknight dish to complete simpler sides such as Kale & Cranberry Salad, Winter Kale Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette, or a Fall Roasted Vegetable Casserole.
Or, when serving this vegan pot pie as a holiday main, browse my 60+ Vegan & Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Guide and make a complete meal the whole family will love.
If you’re looking for more cozy vegan recipes, you’ll also love this One Pot Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff, this Easy Vegan Chili, and this Marvelous Mushroom Pot Pie.
How to Store Vegan Pot Pie
Leftover pot pie will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. When storing, tightly cover the pot pie with a layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or transfer slices to an airtight container. Leftovers reheat best in the toaster oven or oven, covered with foil, but can be reheated in a pinch.
Freezing vegetarian pot pie is also possible, but is difficult to do without the crust becoming soggy and/or taking forever to bake from frozen. Instead, I would recommend freezing the pot pie filling and crust separately for up to 3 months. Then, thaw the two components separately in the refrigerator, assemble, and bake.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-free option: Make this vegetable pot pie using my 3 Ingredient Pie Crust recipe. It’s naturally vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free.
- Oil-free option: Replace the melted butter with water or vegetable broth and use an oil-free pie crust. Again, 3-Ingredient Pie Crust would work well!
- Chickpea flour substitution: Replace the chickpea flour with all-purpose flour or brown rice flour, if gluten-free.
Yoast FAQs
It can be tricky to know which store-bought pie crusts are made without animal products, but thankfully, most of the widely available options are vegan friendly. Marie Callender’s pie crusts are one of the most popular, widely available options.
While pot pie is traditionally baked in a flaky pie crust, it can be enjoyed without crust with a side of vegan mashed potatoes (very similar to Vegan Shepherd’s Pie), flaky biscuits, or a store-bought puff pastry crust (use my Marvelous Mushroom Pot Pie for Inspiration!). Or, make my quick and easy No-Boil Chickpea Noodle Casserole for a fun twist on the classic recipe.
In this particular recipe, the classic chicken is replaced with wholesome, plant-based chickpeas. They’re a great source of protein and have just the right hearty texture. Some readers have also shared success making this pot pie using hydrated soy curls. If you’re an experienced home-cook, feel free to experiment and find your favorite vegan protein alternative.
Both the pie crust and chickpea pot pie filling can be prepared up to one day in advance, but should be refrigerated separately until ready to assemble. Then, when ready to serve, fill the pie crust with the easy pot pie filling, top with the top layer of pie crust, and bake as
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Vegan Pot Pie with Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 layers pie crust homemade or store-bought; see notes
For the Sauce:
- 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour*
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
For the Chickpea Filling:
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil
- 1/2 yellow onion fine dice
- 2 sticks celery fine dice
- 1/2 cup carrots fine dice
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 2/3 cup gold potatoes peeled and diced
- 2/3 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1 1/2 cup chickpeas drain and rinse if using canned
Instructions
- Prep: Prepare your pie crust according to recipe or package instructions. Grease or line a 9” pie pan and par-bake the bottom crust. Keep the top crust chilled until just before baking in step 6. Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Make the Sauce: Whisk the flour, nutritional yeast, salt, and milk together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened. Set aside; the sauce will thicken further.
- Aromatics: Melt the butter in a large sauté pan with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and sauté for 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the thyme, smoked paprika, and black pepper; sauté for an additional 2 minutes, to toast the spices.
- Cook the Potatoes: Add the potatoes to the pan and mix well, then add 1/4 cup (60 ml) water to the pan and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, to steam the potatoes.
- Make it Saucy: Uncover the pan and add the chickpeas and peas. Mix well, then turn off the heat. Add in the prepared sauce and mix until evenly distributed to complete the pie filling.
- Assemble: Roll out the top pie crust according to recipe instructions. Transfer the chickpea filling to the par-baked crust, then top with the remaining crust. Use a fork to crimp the two pie edges together, then use a knife to cut a “X” in the center of the pie dough to allow for ventilation. Lightly tent the pie crust in foil.
- Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes. Check on the pie; if if the crust is already golden, loosely tent with foil to prevent burning. Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, checking for doneness every 5 minutes or so, until the crust is golden brown.
- Serve: Let the pie sit for 5 minutes, then slice and serve warm. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- Pie Crust: I like to make this all-butter pie crust (just use vegan butter!), or you can make my 3-Ingredient Pie Crust if you are gluten-free. The GF pie crust burns more easily, so you may need to tent the top of the pie with foil if it starts to get too brown. You can also use your preferred store-bought crust!
- Chickpea Flour: Chickpea flour can be replaced with all-purpose flour or brown rice flour.
- Make-Ahead: Both the pie crust and chickpea filling can be prepared up to one day in advance; store in the fridge until ready to use.
Hello!
I am making this pie for a party but I only have time to make this the day before the party. Am I able to just make the whole pie in advance, let it cool, refrigerate it till the next day and then reheat it? If so, how long and what temp should I reheat this at? Thank you!!!
That should be fine, though I haven’t tried reheating it like that. I would cover the pie in foil and try to reheat at 300F for 25-30 or so minutes
Could I skip the crust and make this recipe on the stove? Thanks
You could just make the filling, yes!
Do you think this would work if I made it tonight for dinner tomorrow night?
Yes, that would be fine! I would suggest reheating in the oven or air fryer, if you have one
I have just made this today – the mini pie version. I ran out of almond flour and sub it with 1/2 cup of Bob’s Mill Gluten free flour. Turns out well!! It is so yummy….
Yay! 🙂
Looks great! Do you think this might freeze unbaked?
Hmm…I think that should be fine, but you would still need to pre-bake the bottom pie crust! And it might take a little longer when you do bake it, as it’s coming straight from the freezer
Hi! Very excited to make this pie this week. Grew up on chicken pot pies but haven’t had anything like it since going vegan! Do you know if leftovers would keep in the freezer?
Yes, they would! I would pre-slice the pie though
My girlfriend and I were talking the other day about how she used to love chicken pot pie as a kid and then I saw your YouTube video making this. So I surprised her and made it and its AMAZING. I was never a pot pie fan but this is delicious. Instead of the cup and a half of chickpeas I used 2/3 cup and then 2/3 cup of navy beans. I also added fresh garlic and broccoli to the filling. Also for the sauce I seasoned it with black pepper and a dash of seasoning salt just cuz I like to layer flavors. Anyway thank you for this recipe this is definitely a keeper!!
Yum!!!
Love your pie! Delicious!!
I don’t love cooking with foil is it ok to skip it here?
The crust will probably burn without it!
I think I have seen a silicone version of pie crust protectors at a kitchen store a few times. If you enjoy baking pies it might be a great alternative.
This was the BEST vegan pot pie I have ever made! Taste just like what my mom makes! This will definitely be a winter staple for me.
Yay!!! 🙂
I just made mine it’s still in the oven I didn’t have any chickpea flour so I used puff pastry to just cover the top. The filling tastes amazing I could just eat it on it’s own. Thank you so much for sharing❤
You’re very welcome! Puff pastry sounds like a great idea
Just made this recipe and it was fantastic! I am vegan, but my family is not and they enjoyed it too! Last night I made your baked mac n cheese and that was also really great! Everytime I make something from your blog I am so pleased! Caitlyn, You’re fantastic! Thank you! Tomorrow night I am making your curried lentil soup and I am so excited!
Just finished this! I stayed up late just to finish. It tastes AMAZING!!!!! I was worried I didn’t get enough almond flour for the crust but I made it stretch. It tastes just like a normal pot pie and I have just found my new favorite “cheat” meal!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
You’re so welcome 🙂 enjoy!
I was going to make this tonight but just realized that I got too much chickpea flour and not enough almond flour for the crust. I know you haven’t tested the crust against any other flours but based on your infinite vegan wisdom (lol, I know nothing) do you think chickpea flour could work?I only got enough almond flour for one crust.
Hi Liliana! Unfortunately I dont think this would be a good substitution
You say to used cooked chickpeas. How do you cook them?
You can either cook them from dry, or used canned ones! If you use canned, all you have to do is rinse and drain them 🙂
This looks amazing, and like I can’t screw it up! Should you freeze the second pie crust that you don’t pre-bake first?
No, no need to freeze!
My husband and I are trying to eat more vegan-inspired food. This pot pie and the associated pie crust are fantastic! Thank you for sharing these recipes!
You’re very welcome, Lynne! I’m glad you both enjoyed it 🙂
Wow, what a delicious-looking pie! I am astounded that the crust is just made from chickpea flour–I never realized how versatile and how well it holds together on the surface! The filling looks so phenomenal that I could eat it on its own too. Might have to test this out, but I wonder if whole wheat flour would work for the crust if you needed to substitute!
In her recipe notes, she says you can replace it with whole wheat all purpose flower 🙂
I just made this and was not feeling the pie part so I served that amazing sauce and veggies over mashed potatoes. It was fabulous, thank you. I love your recipes!!
Thank you so much, Susan!
The crust is made with almond flour.
what kind of plant milk do you normally use? 🙂
I usually rotate, to be honest! I think this would be great with Cashew, Soy, or Almond Milk 🙂
Wow, this looks amazing! I’m so inspired to make this, thanks Caitlin!
You’re very welcome, Tori!
Thanks so much for dinner, Caitlin! Made this with store bought crust and quorn meatless pieces. So yummy and such a cozy dish. Easy enough for a first time pie maker!
Aw you’re welcome, Sam! Glad you had a lovely dinner. ♥