Reasons You’ll Love this Vegan Pot Pie with Puff Pastry Recipe:

There are many, but here are just a few:

• • Comfort food – Whoever said vegans don’t eat comfort food never met my family or has never heard of a good-ole junk food vegan. This meatless pot pie is so satisfying that everyone will eat now- ask questions later.
  • Easy to make – I often have my own vegan puff pastry, but sometimes I use the store-bought version. Once you have the crust, making the filling is a no-brainer. Storebought reduces the prep time exponentially and is much more feasible for a low-effort Sunday dinner.
  • I love mini Dutch ovens! I adore them. I often serve family-style, with large plates and bowls, to encourage group eating. However, sometimes we feel like having our own personal pot pie filled to the brim with veggie and crust goodness!
  • Visually appealing – These individual vegan pot pies look so darn good and put together when, in reality, you may have only taken 20 minutes to throw together the filling. They smell great, too… but be careful; they may draw a crowd from all corners of the house!
  • These little babies store and freeze perfectly. You can make them in advance! I freeze the puff pastry AND the filling separately and ahead of time. Then all you have to do is assemble and put them in the oven.

Vegan Pot Pie Ingredients and Equipment:

The ingredients are straightforward, and you probably have most of them in your pantry.

• • Potatoes – Yukon yellow potatoes are a family favorite. They bring hardiness to your vegan pot pie and serve as the base for the other veggies. Red potatoes work great, too!
  • Carrots – The often overlooked carrot adds more heartiness to your filling. Carrots are also sweet and hold up well under heat.
  • Corn – When in season, I use kernels from corn on the cob I’ve either grown in my garden or bought at the farm stand. In the off months, I’ll use frozen corn.
  • Peas – Same with the corn. I prefer to use fresh peas from my garden when in season, but in the winter in New England, I use frozen.
  • Chickpeas – I add chickpeas to my vegan pot pie recipe for additional texture and body. Also, chickpeas are full of protein and, as such, replaces the traditional protein you’d get from chicken.
  • Vegetable broth – You can use my homemade veggie broth or store-buy it. I make my broth with mushrooms for a slight (but not overpowering) umami flavor. This adds a depth of flavor to your vegan pot pies.
  • Herbs- I like to use herbs from my garden – either fresh or dried. I use sage, thyme, and rosemary. However, store-bought is fine.
  • Homemade Puff Pastry – My daughter Riann is the resident vegan baker, and she always has homemade puff pastry made up and chilling in the fridge or freezer at the ready. You can find her recipe here. However, you can also use store-bought if you are in a pinch. For this recipe, your puff pastry must be cooled at least two hours.
  • Equipment:
    • Mini Dutch oven – You can use any small oven-safe dish. I prefer LaCreuset ceramic and other cute dishes, such as my mini copper dishes.

How To Make Vegan Pot Pie Filling:

The key here is to cook the vegan pot pie filling el dente. It will finish cooking in the oven.

• • Begin with the potatoes. Peel and cube the potatoes. Add the peeled potatoes with olive oil to a pot and sauté for about seven minutes until browned and fragrant.
  • Carrots and herbs. Add the diced carrots and fresh herbs to the pot. I use sage, rosemary, and thyme. Sauté for another 5-7 minutes.
  • Corn and chickpeas. Add the corn and chickpeas. The chickpeas should be well-rinsed and thoroughly drained. When fresh corn on the cob is in season, I’ll use that; otherwise, I use frozen. The chickpeas should be well-rinsed and thoroughly drained.
  • Thicken with flour. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the cooked vegetables. Ensure the veggies are completely coated and the flour is broken down. Stir for at least a minute. The flour will eventually become a thickener when you add the veggie stock later.
  • Veggie Stock. Add the veggie stock. We make our own which is super easy to make. I always have some on hand. But store-bought is good, too, if you’re in a pinch.
  • Boil. Bring to a rolling boil over medium to high heat. The pie filling will start relatively thin but thicken perfectly in 5-7 minutes.

A quick heads up: The potatoes and carrots, in particular, should be cooked el dente. They will finish cooking in the oven. If you thoroughly cooked them before putting the assembled pot pie in the oven, they could get mushy. It’s best to give them some room to finish cooking upon baking.

How to Assemble Your Vegan Pot Pie with Puff Pastry

So, you’ve made your pot pie filling and cooled your puff pastry dough for at least two hours. Now’s the fun part!

• • Roll out your cooled puff pastry dough! If you’ve made your vegan puff pastry ahead of time, that’s great! I store it in my fridge folded, as seen in my homemade vegan puff pastry recipe. Take it from the refrigerator and roll it out to about 1/4” thick. Put it back in the fridge for about 30 to chill again.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. This will protect the bottom of your oven from burning should the pot pie boil over.
  • Scoop in the filling – Butter the bottoms and sides of the mini Dutch ovens. I use my own homemade vegan cultured butter for this. Then scoop in your pot pie filling. Level it off about 1/8” from the top of the mini Dutch oven.
  • Cooled puff pastry – Go back to the fridge and get your rolled-out and chilled puff pastry. Lay it out on a flat, even surface.
  • Cut into a circle and place on top of the filling – Cut the vegan puff pastry into a circle to fit the mini Dutch oven. Don’t go over, but fit it as perfectly to the mini Dutch oven as you can. Your vegan puff pastry is supposed to rise up, not out.
  • Bake at 425° for 25-35 minutes or until the puff pastry is brown and flaky. It should also have risen 1/2 inch.

Vegan Pot Pies with Puff Pasty Tips:

These tips will yield a layered, flaky puff pastry every time! Honest!

• • Be sure the puff pastry is cold – You don’t want the butter in your puff pastry to melt before it goes into the oven. It should melt AFTER going in the oven, not before. This creates a puff pastry that rises and shows off her flaky layers.
  • Make vegan puff pastry ahead of time – I almost always have homemade vegan puff pastry in the freezer or refrigerator. I store it folded so I can roll it out when needed. Because of the vegan butter, vegan puff pastry is better handled when it’s cold so that the butter won’t melt!
  • Bake the vegan pot pies pie on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Your pot pie might boil over a bit, drizzle down onto your stove’s bottom, and burn. Suppose one or more boil over the juices will land on the baking sheet and the bottom of your stove. Place your mini Dutch ovens on a baking sheet to prevent this.
  • Tent the pot pie – Use tinfoil to create a tent over your pot pie if the crust is getting too brown BEFORE the filling starts to boil. You want your filling to boil for 3-7 minutes before your puff pastry is completely browned and flaky.

These tips are some of my best ideas from my experience making vegan pot pie recipes many times. If you follow them closely, you should have a delicious pot pie with wonderfully flaky vegan puff pastry.

Vegan Pot Pie Frequently Asked Questions:

• • My puff pastry didn’t rise; why? It’s probably because you’ve let the puff pastry dough get too warm. The key is to keep it as cool as possible for as long as possible BEFORE the assembled pot pie goes in the oven.
  • Do I have to use puff pastry? No, you can use a regular pie crust, either store-bought or homemade.
  • Can I add other veggies? Yes! Although, I wouldn’t use a tomato or additional root veggies. You could add squash, but if you do, I suggest taking out the potatoes.
  • Can I use tofu? Yes! Just cook the tofu separately and then add it after it’s been sautéed.

How to Serve Your Vegan Pot Pie with Puff Pastry:

So many things work with this recipe. Here are a few of my favorites.

• • Fresh bread – Vegan Pot Pie with Puff Pastry is a natural for some fresh vegan bread, such as my 5-ingredient vegan bread. You can dip the bread in the filling – which many of my family members do.
  • With a salad – Vegan Pot Pie with Puff Pastry also works well with fresh tossed greens like my baby beet greens salad. The salad adds a tart freshness to the meal.
  • With a hot toddy or mulled wine! Think about it! Your Vegan Pot Pie with Puff Pastry pairs well with a hot toddy or even mulled wine.

I LOVE this vegan pot pie recipe, and I make it often. The mini Dutch ovens are a nice touch, and my family – especially the kids- love having their own little dish from which to eat.

If you decide to make this Vegan Pot Pie with Puff Pastry, let me know in the comments below.