Vegan Tourtiere (vegan meat pie) (2024)

5 from 73 votes

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If you're looking for a savoury vegan pie recipe, you've come to the right place! Tourtiere is a traditional French Canadian meat pie, and I made it all sorts of untraditional by making it vegan. Woohoo! This vegan tourtiere has a drool-worthy chewy juicy meaty filling wrapped in a flaky pie crust. My veganized version of this French Canadian classic is a perfect dish to serve on the holidays or as a hearty, warming dinner during the coldest days.

I've seen several vegan tourtiere recipes using lentils as the base, but since I've already used lentils in my Shepherd's pie, and puff pastry wrapped lentil loaf recipes I wanted to try something different... and I'm SO glad I did - wow, this is delicious!

It was really important to me that I figure out how to get both the chewy texture and the juicy texture for the filling in this pie.

So for the chewy part, I made my tofu crumbles. If you've been hanging out on my blog for a while you will know I'm obsessed with making tofu crumbles. I've used them in my chili, bolognese, chorizo, lasagna soup, and tacos. Basically anywhere that I wanted a chewy ground beef texture. This simple technique makes the best chewy meaty texture ever!

For the juicy part, I used mushrooms. Instead of slicing them I chopped them for more of a ground meat texture. Then I sauté them so they become juicy and tender. The combo of the tofu crumbles with the mushrooms in this vegan tourtiere is total perfection.

This vegan savoury pie is the perfect centrepiece for a holiday feast such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it can also be enjoyed year-round! This vegan tourtiere can be made ahead of time and baked fresh. I've also included options in the recipe notes to make this recipe gluten-free or oil-free.

To make vegan tourtiere:

First, make the tofu crumbles.

Mix nutritional yeast, melted vegan butter, and soy sauce together in a large bowl. Open and drain the tofu (no need to press it), then use your fingers to break and crumble the tofu into the bowl. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in the seasoning mix.

Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the pan. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's ok because it will provide a variety of texture.

Make-ahead tip: you can prepare, bake, and allow the tofu crumbles to cool, then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 - 3 days until ready to use.

In the meantime, you can make the rest of the filling. Melt the vegan butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms reduce in size, darken in colour, and begin to get juicy. Turn off the heat, another 5 - 10 minutes.

Whisk ¾ cup of the cold vegetable broth and cornstarch together in a cup or bowl. Pour the vegetable broth mixture over the mushrooms and stir in the baked tofu crumbles, breadcrumbs, and all of the spices. If the mixture looks a bit dry add ¼ cup more vegetable broth as needed.

Now you can assemble the pie. Divide the pie dough into two and roll out both halves on a floured surface. You can see more tips on how to do this in this post. Line a 9" pie plate with one half of the rolled dough. Spoon the mushroom tofu filling into the pie crust and then pack it down firmly.

Common Questions:

Can tourtiere be frozen?

If wrapped tightly or stored in an air-tight container, tourtiere can be frozen for up to 4 months.

What do you serve with tourtiere?

It's traditional to serve vegan tourtiere with HP sauce or ketchup. I also like adding a side salad.

Can tourtiere be made ahead?

Yes, the entire pie can be made the day ahead of time and then baked fresh. To do this, allow the filling to cool completely before assembling the pie. Once assembled, cover with foil and chill in fridge for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, follow the baking instructions in the recipe, bake from chilled.

*See my recipe notes below for answers to more commonly asked questions such as gluten-free or oil-free!

Bon appetegan!

Sam Turnbull

5 from 73 votes

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Vegan Tourtiere (vegan meat pie)

This savoury pie is made with tofu and mushrooms for the best chewy, juicy, meaty texture. A fantastic centrepiece for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Make ahead. Gluten-free and oil-free options.

Prep: 20 minutes mins
Cook: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
See Also
911 Vegan Gravy - Easy, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free
Total: 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings (makes 1 pie)

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Ingredients

For the tofu crumbles:

▢ 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
▢ 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter or oil
▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
▢ 1 block (12 oz/ 350 g) extra-firm tofu, drained (no need to press it)

For the rest of the filling:

▢ 1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil
▢ 1 yellow onion,, chopped
▢ 3 cloves garlic,, minced
▢ 16 oz mushroom,, chopped
▢ ¾ - 1 cup vegetable broth
▢ 3 tablespoons cornstarch
▢ ½ cup breadcrumbs
▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
▢ ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
▢ ¼ teaspoon ground sage
▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, (optional, see notes)

For the pie crust:

▢ 2 times the recipe for Easy Vegan Pie Crust, (or store-bought vegan pie crust)
▢ aquafaba or plant-based milk, for brushing the pastry

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To prepare the tofu:

Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease the pan.
Mix nutritional yeast, melted vegan butter, and soy sauce together in a large bowl. Break the tofu into a few large chunks and add them to the bowl, then us a potato masher to mash the tofu into crumbles. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in the seasoning mix.
Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the pan. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's ok because it will provide a variety of texture.

To prepare the rest of the filling:

In the meantime, melt the vegan butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then add the onion and garlic, about 5 minutes. Sauté until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms reduce in size, darken in colour, and begin to get juicy, another 5 - 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Whisk ¾ cup of the cold vegetable broth and cornstarch together in a cup or bowl. Pour the vegetable broth mixture over the mushrooms and stir in the baked tofu crumbles, breadcrumbs, and all of the spices. If the mixture looks a bit dry add ¼ cup more vegetable broth as needed.

To assemble the pie:

Turn your oven up to 400F (200C).
Divide the pie dough into two, then roll out half of the pie dough on a floured surface. You can see more tips on how to do this in this post. Line a 9" pie plate with the rolled dough. Spoon the mushroom tofu filling into the pie crust and then pack it down firmly.
Roll the remaining half of the dough and place ontop of the pie. Pinch the edges together to seal the pie then cut slits on top to allow steam to release. You can optionally use leftover pie dough to cut leaves or other shapes and decorate the pie. Brush the top of the pie with aquafaba or non-dairy milk.
Bake for about 40 minutes until the crust is golden, keeping an eye on it near the end so that it doesn't burn. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

For gluten-free: use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari, sub the breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs, and use a gluten-free pie crust.

For oil-free: for the tofu crumbles sub the oil for aquafaba or vegetable broth. When cooking the onions, do a water or broth sauté. Use an oil-free pie crust alternative.

Aquafaba: is the liquid in a can of chickpeas or white beans and I find that brushing this on your pie crust gets the best golden colour, but if you don't have that on hand you can sub plant-based milk.

Ground cloves: are traditional in tourtiere. That said, I generally prefer to make my pie without them so it is up to you if you want the traditional flavour or not.

Make ahead: the entire pie can be made the day ahead of time and then baked fresh. To do this, allow the filling to cool completely before assembling the pie. Once assembled, cover with foil and chill in fridge for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, follow the baking instructions in the recipe, bake from chilled.

Nutrition

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