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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.
I have made this twice now and it is a crowd favorite! Second time we made this for Thanksgiving and it was devoured. So so good and flavorful.
Thank you, Michaela!
Really enjoyed this recipe. I’ve been wanting to make a pot pie recipe and saw this recipe so made it for Thanksgiving. Because i was lazy I used frozen mixed vegetable bag with carrots, peas, corn, green beans and store bought pie crust and put puff pastry on top. Would make it again!
We love a time-saving hack! So glad you enjoyed, Anh
Cozy, healthy and delicious. Measurements were perfect.
Thank you, Mariya!
This recipe sure hit the spot!!! I’ve been craving so many fall/winter comfort foods from my childhood, and this recipe definitely didn’t disappoint! Even my 3 kids loved it!!! Caitlin, thank you for so many delicious vegan creations. We haven’t come across one that we haven’t absolutely fallen in love with yet! 🥰
That’s amazing Tabitha! Thank you so much 🙂
I will say, as I was making this, I had my concerns. Didn’t like the smell of the sauce, which usually means you’re not going to like the taste. My nose was wrong. This was pretty dang delicious. I found myself wolfing it down, like I was in a race, which was strange, but a great testament to the flavor. Tasty, warming, and filling. Perfect for these colder months.
Thanks, Jay!
DELISH! I made this for Friendsgiving this year and it was a hit! I loved the chickpea flower and nutritional yeast sauce to add in with the veggies. I grew up eating pot pies so this recipe was amazing! I love all of frommybowl recipes.
So glad everyone enjoyed it and thank you for the review!
This is one of my go to recipes for groups. It’s an absolute hit every single time for vegans and non vegans alike. Hint- make two! You’ll want to be eating this for every meal until it’s gone.
Love to hear that Eliza! Thank you!
Highly recommend this recipe. Easy, cozy, delicious. Good for making ahead! I made twice the first time I didn’t put enough salt. Second time I made with a Chickn’ broth bullion cube (at the milk step) and it was perfectly seasoned. A new winter staple!
So glad you enjoyed it Danielle!
Super yummy recipe! I added some mushrooms since I needed to use them up which was a great addition, and I used Trader Joe’s brand pie crusts. My sauce seemed a bit runny after mixing with the filling so I let it simmer for longer to thicken. It was a delicious and hearty meal for a cold fall night 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it, Lauren!
Wow! I’ve never made a pot pie, let alone any kind of pie before. My husband loves chicken pot pie so I had to try making us the vegan version. I had so much fun making this and it turned out absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making time and time again!
Glad you found it delicious, easy and fun to make, Gina! To more pot pies in the future!
This was the first pot pie I’ve ever made, and it was delicious and easy! Will for sure make it it again, and try to make my own crust next time
Glad you found it easy to make, Sarah! To more pot pies in the future!
I made a few substitutions–I used puff pastry for the pie crust, and I used rehydrated soy curls in place of the chickpeas so that the dish had more of a traditional feel to it. Regardless, this dish was great, and relatively easy to make! I cook for several meat eaters, and even they enjoyed this meal and said it tasted like the real thing. This is a perfect, cozy dinner for the winter season. I would definitely make this again, and this is going to be a regular in my dinner recipe rotation for sure.
Happy to hear it turned out great, Jenna! Thank you so much for leaving a review.
Delicious and way easier to make than expected!
Thank you, Linda!
This chickpea pot pie was so delicious. Definitely the best filling recipe for a vegan pot pie that I have made. I made it with the flaky crust recipe linked and that was great too! This is a comforting dish that will make its appearance again in my kitchen!
Thank you, Kimberly!
The pie was yummy and truly did remind me of chicken pot pie that I would have when I was little. We made the crust ourselves ahead of time, which was okay but if you want this to be a super quick recipe I’d definitely buy your own crust.
Thanks for the time-saving tips, Sophia!
We made this using your gluten free crust recipe. The filling is definitely a 5/5, so creamy and tasty!! The crust was a bit hard to roll thin and as a result, is a little thicker than we would have liked, but this is on par with any gluten-free crust so we’re very happy with it. The crust was so so easy to make and much cheaper and healthier than a store-bought one. The flavor of the crust is great too. This pot pie is easy to make and a great fall staple! We will definitely be making it again!
So happy you loved it, Lily! Thank you so much for the review!
Hi!
My family and I absolutely love this recipe. It’s comfort food and delicious to us.
Am I able to make everything, assemble it but not bake it right away? I’m hoping I can bake it tomorrow for dinner instead of today. Or will that wreck it?
So happy to hear you and your family love it!
You can assemble the Vegan Pot Pie with Chickpeas ahead of time by preparing the components separately. Make the pie crust and chickpea filling in advance, then assemble the pot pie just before baking. Cover and refrigerate the assembled pie, and when ready to bake, preheat the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is heated through. Adjust the baking time as needed. This make-ahead approach allows for convenient preparation without compromising the final dish’s flavor and texture. Enjoy!
Really enjoyed cooking and sharing this with my partner. I liked it because it is light (could have two pieces), healthy, yet a complete meal that makes you feel good after having it. Also, because it is gluten-free, it is easily digested. Made it in a rectangular pan. Next time I could make more dough to cover the whole surface easier. Next on the list is the mushroom pot pie 🙂
We’re happy to know you enjoyed it, Demetra!
I’m making this again for thanksgiving!! I haven’t been able to eat homemade pot pie in years because of being vegan. When I tasted this, I transported me back to being a kid and asking my mom to make pot pie for dinner. This recipe made it seem way less daunting. I used wholly wholesomes vegan pie crust, but because it’s expensive, I’m definitely going to try Caitlin’s homemade pie crust when I make it again next week.
That would be perfect, Angela. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
This was delicious! I was worried I would make a mess of things because baked foods are not my forte but it turned out great. The filling was easy to make and the perfect consistency for a filling that wasn’t too funny but also not dry. I used a store bought puff pastry for the crust. My husband used to eat pot pies all the time years ago when he wasn’t vegan and he really enjoyed this nostalgic meal.
Glad to know you and your husband enjoyed it, Colette!
I’ve made this recipe a few times and it always turns out great! The filling ratios are perfect and it’s so nostalgic.
So happy to hear that, Rachel!