Vegan Pot Pie That Tastes Like the Classic

Not feeling like chicken? That's no reason to give up on one of winter's best-loved dishes. This vegan riff on chicken pot pie is a dream come true for comfort food lovers who want to eat more (or only) plant-based meals. This recipe has all the elements of the creamy traditional dish, but no meat or dairy—and it is so delicious that you won't miss them!

From the flaky crust to the savory vegetable-and-tofu pie filling, this vegan pot pie tastes just like the classic. Your ingredient choices can make this a healthier dish as well, with plant-based vitamins and minerals, protein and fiber. And with a store-bought vegan pie crust, this recipe is easy to whip up in about an hour. We'll show you how!

What is pot pie?

A pot pie is a savory pie made with meat and vegetables in a thick, delicious gravy topped with a flaky crust. It's the perfect recipe for a cold day, bringing warm, creamy comfort food to your table.

The traditional filling for this meat pie is usually chicken combined with vegetables like carrots, peas, potatoes and occasionally mushrooms.

Pot pie gets baked with a puff pastry crust that can be store-bought or homemade. Some pot pies are made in a skillet and then topped with puff pastry or biscuits and baked. Other pies have crust on both the bottom and top, like this vegan pot pie recipe.

What are the best vegetables for a vegan pot pie?

The best veggies for a pot pie recipe are humble vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, potatoes and peas. These are the same vegetables that make great soup bases and flavor bombs for sauces and gravy—and provide the vitamins and minerals that support good health.  

You can add other vegetables that suit your taste, but I recommend staying away from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower as they will change the flavor profile too much. Stick with white button mushrooms and neutral vegetables like nutrient-dense sweet potatoes, butternut squash and parsnips, as those pair well with the vibe of this vegan pot pie.

How to Make a Vegan Pot Pie

Making a pot pie is slightly more of a cooking project than making a soup or pasta recipe. But it is surprisingly easy, especially with store-bought pie crust. This is the perfect winter weekend recipe to make on a day when you can take your time and enjoy the process.

This recipe makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

• 2 vegan pie crusts (or 1 for a pot pie with a top crust only)
• ½ yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 3 baby potatoes, cubed
• 4 oz. firm tofu, cubed
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 low-sodium vegan chicken flavor or vegetable bouillon cube
• ¼ tsp rosemary leaves, chopped small
• ¼ tsp thyme leaves, chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. To a large deep skillet over medium heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
3. Next, add the tofu and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Once the tofu has some color, add the carrots, celery and potatoes, and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir often to prevent sticking.
5. Make the roux: Add vegan butter to the veggie mixture and let it melt. Then sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir it in to avoid clumps.
6. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, then add the veggie broth, peas, bouillon, herbs and water and bring to a boil.
7. Once boiling, turn it down to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often as it thickens and turns into a gravy.
8. Add the pie filling to the bottom pie crust (if using) or to the oven-safe pie pan.
9. Top with the upper crust. Fork around the edges to seal it, and trim off any extra pastry.
10. Vent the top crust with 4 slits in a cross pattern to prevent excess puffing or leakage of the gravy.
11. Place the pie on top of a sheet pan or cookie sheet, in case it drips, and bake for 40 minutes until the pie crust is golden brown.
12. Let it sit for 10 minutes and serve hot.

Nutritional values per serving*

• Calories: 441
• Carbohydrates: 54 g
• Protein: 9 g
• Fat: 21 g
• Trans Fat: 0.02 g
• Sodium: 596 mg
• Potassium: 622 mg
• Fiber: 6 g
• Sugar: 3 g
• Vitamin A: 3704 IU
• Vitamin C: 28 mg
• Calcium: 61 mg
• Iron: 3 mg

*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes.

Tips for Success

You can take steps before baking to make sure your vegan pie tastes as delicious as it looks.

• Cut the veggies into small pieces for even cooking, especially the potatoes, as they will be undercooked if you do not cut them small enough.
• For less sodium, be sure to choose low or no-sodium-added broth and bouillon. Or skip the bouillon entirely and just cook the filling a bit longer before baking to intensify the savory flavors.
• For lower fat and fewer calories, make your pot pie with the upper crust only.
• Be sure to remove the woody stems from the rosemary and thyme. The leaves are tender and pleasant to eat, but the stems are not.
• If you want a more realistic chicken pot pie, try a store-bought vegan chicken instead of tofu. There are some good vegan chicken products on the market that mimic chicken so closely that you would never know.
• This pot pie can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or frozen for up to three months.

Does vegan pot pie get you enough plant-based vitamins?

The tofu and veggies in this pie are a good source of vitamins and minerals, and you can increase this recipe's nutritional value by adding additional healthy ingredients, such as beans for more protein or sweet potatoes for vitamin A. That being said, whipping up a fresh pot pie every week isn't practical for everyone, and for some, this dish might be a little too rich for an everyday dinner.

On the other hand, supplementing with a whole-food multivitamin is a great way to get the nutrients you need on a daily basis. Even with a healthy and varied diet, you may have gaps in nutrition that a multivitamin supplement can help fill, especially as you age. And if you stick to a specialized diet, such as a vegan, low-FODMAP or carnivore diet, supplementing to get the recommended daily levels of vitamins, minerals and fiber becomes even more important.

For those on a vegan diet, a quality plant-based multivitamin provides vitamins and minerals that you might be lacking. They use vegan forms of vitamins, such as vitamin D and B12, that can be difficult to obtain in sufficient amounts from diet alone.

References

• "Multivitamin/mineral Supplements." National Institutes of Health. February 2024. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/MVMS-Consumer/
• "Nutrient Recommendations and Databases." National Institutes of Health. https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/nutrientrecommendations.aspx
• "Nutrition as We Age: Healthy Eating with the Dietary Guidelines." Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. July 2021. https://odphp.health.gov/our-work/national-health-initiatives/healthy-aging/healthy-aging-resources#OA-DGA
• "Sweet potato, raw, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)." U.S. Department of Agriculture. April 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168482/nutrients