Vegan Pot Pie with Chickpeas

by Caitlin Shoemaker

updated on November 24, 2023

GFGluten FreeGRGrain FreeOFOil FreeVVegan

4.97 from 95 votes

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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
What You Need for Vegan Pot Pie
How to Make Vegan Pot Pie
Serving Suggestions
How to Store Vegan Pot Pie
Substitutions and Variations
Yoast FAQs
Vegan Pot Pie with Chickpeas Recipe

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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:

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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

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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.

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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 , Winter Kale Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette, or a Fall Roasted Vegetable Casserole.

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.

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Yoast FAQs

Which store-bought pie crusts are vegan?

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.

Can I make this pot pie without a pie crust?

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.

What replaces chicken in vegan pot pie?

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.

I am preparing this vegan pot pie for a holiday. Can I make it in advance?

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 😊

4.97 from 95 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 Servings

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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.

Nutrition

Calories: 27kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 30mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 232IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 0.3mg

Course: Main

Method: Oven, Stovetop

Cuisine: American

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