Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
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.
This recipe is a keeper. I will definitely be making it again and again. I added garlic powder and turmeric to the cream sauce, and chopped up mushrooms to the pot pie filling, and it turned out SO GOOD. My family finished it in one sitting. Thank you for making a perfect comfort food dish that both the vegans and gluten-free people in my life could enjoy.
You’re so very welcome, Hannah! Glad you loved it!♥
So amazing! I’m not sure how this crust is so buttery without adding any butter or oil – but it’s delish. I’ve made this recipe several times and it is always a winner! I got my family hooked on it and they have never used almond flour for anything before. Also the saucy filling is perfect and a good thickness/creaminess. 10/10.
It really is amazing. So happy you and your family love it, Morgan!
Made this for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. It’s a crowd pleaser for vegan and omnivores!
Cool! Thank you, Rachel 🙂
I lOVE this recipe! I make it for most holiday meals or if I just feel like something cozy! I typically make the dough ahead of time and pre-bake the pie crust which makes day of cooking so easy!
Thanks, Amanda! That’s a great make-ahead tip too 🙂
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit, even with the omnivores.
So glad you (and the whole family) enjoyed it! 🙂
This was so delicious! After a bite my 6 year old was already asking when we could have it again! It is rare to find a meal that the whole family loves but this one checked all the boxes. This will definitely be in regular rotation and will be the star at our Thanksgiving table. It was also pretty easy and fast. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Sara! It makes me happy to know it’ll be part of your Thanksgiving dinner. ❤️
Hello! How do I make this a day ahead of time? Do I precook the bottom crust then just cook like normal the next day?
Hi Bri! Yes, you can pre-bake the bottom crust.
Perfect recipe for those of us who used to love chicken pot pie! This was my first time ever making a pie (though I used a different recipe for the vegan pie crust) and the filling was so nostalgic and comforting. For anyone using all-purpose flour instead of chickpea flour for the sauce, 2-3 tablespoons is probably enough.
Appreciate the feedback and suggestion, May! Glad you liked the recipe. ♥
Flawless! The BEST recipe. We make it every couple weeks (also with asian style slaw!) and our teenage sons DEVOUR it.
Has anyone tried to make it and freeze it before cooking? I’d love to take a couple with us on ski vacation!
tastes delicious but took me a while… 🙁
Just made this recipe!! It came out so good! I couldn’t find chickpea flour when shopping so I just used whole wheat flour that I had on hand and it came out great!! I substituted the fresh veggies for 1 can of mixed veggies and 1 can of peas and carrots and it came out great! Saved so much time, plus I have a hard time digesting fresh veggies so it was much easier on the stomach! I still cut up onion to include though and I threw it in the mix. Should’ve sauteed them ahead of time and I need to do that next time. Otherwise, it was so good! My mom kept asking “Why does this taste like chicken?” We’re not vegans or even vegetarian but we are always trying to eat healthier and I dislike cooking with meat. Thank you so much! Highly recommend!!
So much of the flavor we relate to meat can be attributed to the spices and seasoning! Glad you were able to make it work with what you had!
Such a great recipe! It’s in our regular rotation of meals now- we serve it with an asian type slaw. Unbelievably delicious! Thank you so much!
That’s great to hear, thank you! It’s becoming the perfect season for some more pot pie!
Just so others know, homemade oat flour works great with this recipe!
Thanks for sharing!
made this yesterday and wow, it’s terrific!! very reminiscent of chicken pot pie. if i could go back in time, i’d tell my non-vegan self that i’d be fine without chicken and animal products in general.
The important part is that you know now! Glad you’ve made the switch and you’re enjoying it!
Absolutely LOVED this recipe! Definitely a new favorite in our house. My omnivore boyfriend even asked me to make it for his birthday dinner next week!!
That’s so great! I hope he has a good birthday!
I have made this recipe 3 different times. The first time was with a store bought whole wheat crust, which was pricey and didn’t seem worth it, especially as the rest of the recipe is such a pantry staples that you don’t have to buy anything special. The second time was with the almond crust from the recipe, it wasn’t worth the extra work as we weren’t a fan of the consistency. The third time was the easiest and most convenient: crustless! We just threw it all in a pan and ate it like a curry and it was great. I will say regardless of the crust method we like our “pies” to be saucy, when you bake this it will dry out (quite possibly as none of the times we had a top) we solved this by doubling the sauce and putting the second half on the side to pour over each serving.
Crustless is an awesome way to go! Glad you are able to find a way to make it your own!
Delicious! So reminiscent of childhood favorite pot pie- though I never cared for the chicken- I just liked the creamy veggie filling and the crust! For this recipe I used pre – made gluten free crust, so just had the bottom crust, with no top. Probably better since I ate most of the pie myself! My husband ate most of the second pie the next day. Used a combo of frozen peas- carrots, yellow potato and white sweet potato. Definitely a keeper recipe- perfect for mother’s day brunch!
So glad you guys liked it! It’s such a comfort recipe for us!
The pie was so delicious! I came here from Ashley Wicka’s youtube channel. I haven’t had pot pie since I went vegetarian (almost two years). I used o love it so much! I recently went vegan and I have been experimenting with different recipes. This one is delicious! I used store-bought pie crust instead and used coconut milk for the sauce. I would recommend waiting at least 20 minutes for your pie to cool if you don’t want it too soupy!
It’s funny how easily a pot pie can become vegan, although initially it may not seem like it. Waiting on the pot pie to cool is a good idea in general. I’ve burnt my mouth countless times being too eager to eat!
This was so delicious! I made it for Easter dinner and my entire family loved it!
That’s awesome! Hope you guys had a nice Easter Sunday!
I just made this recipe (without the crust) and it comes out AMAZING! I used almond milk and AP flour for the sauce and added a little vegan chicken seasoning! Served the filling with crackers because I didn’t have time to make the crust and the whole family loved it! Super creamy and filling without weighing you down 🙂
With crackers – that’s awesome! Glad you guys enjoyed it!