Vegan Chicken Pot Pie
Step into a world where carnivores and herbivores unite in culinary harmony with our irresistible Vegan Pot Pie recipe! Crafting a dish that satisfies the most discerning meat-lovers is no small feat, but fear not—we’ve cracked the code.
Sink your teeth into tender “chicken”-like tofu, perfectly complemented by a symphony of savory mushrooms, all embraced by a luxuriously rich cashew béchamel sauce. With each bite, the decadent flavors and hearty textures will transport you to comfort food bliss, erasing any doubts about plant-based fare.
Butteriness that rivals the classics? Check. Mouthwatering mushroom magic? Double-check. Prepare to be amazed as this vegan masterpiece defies expectations, proving that indulgence knows no bounds. Whether you’re a die-hard carnivore or a plant-based enthusiast, our vegan chicken pot pie is a culinary triumph that’s sure to earn a place in your recipe repertoire.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Chicken Pot Pie
- Hearty Comfort Food: This vegan pot pie is the epitome of comfort food, offering all the warmth and satisfaction of a classic without the use of animal products.
- Flavorful Plant-Based “Chicken”: We’ve crafted a mouthwatering “chicken” substitute that’s not only delicious but cruelty-free, making this recipe a compassionate choice for vegans and vegetarians.
- Wholesome Veggies: Packed with a medley of vibrant vegetables, this pot pie is a delightful way to sneak in those essential nutrients while relishing every bite.
- Creamy Dairy-Free Sauce: Our luscious, dairy-free sauce is the heart and soul of this dish, creating a velvety texture and rich flavor that will have you coming back for seconds.
- Family-Friendly and Crowd-Pleasing: Whether you’re serving a family dinner or hosting guests, this vegan chicken pot pie is sure to please everyone around the table, proving that plant-based meals can be both satisfying and delicious.
Key Ingredients
Tofu: There are many types of tofu to choose from—but super-firm or extra-firm tofu works best for the “chicken” substitute in this recipe. Super-firm tofu comes already pressed, so you can just chop it and add it to the recipe. If you use extra-firm tofu, you can first press it well to remove excess moisture—and then cut it into tiny cubes to resemble the texture of diced chicken.
Yellow Potatoes: Steam the yellow potatoes until they are soft but not mushy. This will ensure they maintain their shape and texture in the pot pie.
Mushrooms, Carrots, and Green Peas: These delicious veggies create the bulk of the filling. Button mushrooms are the most budget-friendly, and widely available, but you can use any variety you’d like! If you love oyster mushroom recipes, they would work perfectly in this. Feel free to use fresh or frozen carrots, and fresh, frozen, or canned green peas. A bag of frozen mixed diced veggies will also work.
Raw Cashews: Soak the cashews in hot water for about 30 minutes to soften them before blending. This step ensures a smooth and creamy sauce.
Vegan Butter and Flour: The roux, a mixture of vegan butter and flour, serves as the thickening agent in the sauce. Make sure it’s well combined and smooth before adding other ingredients. If making your own crust, butter is also used to create those flaky layers. Make sure your vegan butter is kept cold.
Ground Nutmeg: A touch of ground nutmeg adds depth to the sauce, but it’s a strong spice, so use it sparingly.
For exact measurements, check out the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Vegan Chicken Pot Pie
1. Make The Crust
For the crust, blend the flour, salt, and vegan butter in a food processor until it resembles a coarse meal. Add 1⁄4 cup of ice water and pulse until the dough clumps together, ensuring not to overmix.
When you can press the mixture together to form a pliable (but not moist or sticky) dough, it’s ready. If necessary, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time to reach this consistency. Roll the dough into a 10 × 10-inch shape (about 1⁄4 inch thick) between two parchment paper sheets on a baking sheet. Chill it in the refrigerator (keeping it on the baking sheet for easy handling) for at least 15 minutes.
2. Prepare The Filling
For the vegetable filling, sauté onions in vegetable oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add mushrooms, carrots, garlic, salt, basil, marjoram, and pepper, and sauté for another 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and gently fold in the tofu, peas, and potatoes. Set aside.
3. Make The Béchamel Sauce
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. To prepare the béchamel sauce, blend water, cashews, mustard, salt, and nutmeg until smooth. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the vegan butter, add the flour, and whisk for 2 minutes until it forms a roux.
Gradually whisk in the cashew cream mixture. Increase the heat to medium and cook, whisking often, for approximately 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.
4. Assemble the Pot Pie
Combine the sauce with the sautéed vegetables, creating a stew. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch pie pan. A 9 × 13-inch baking dish can also be used.
Retrieve the chilled crust from the refrigerator, peel off the top parchment sheet, and invert the dough onto the stew using the bottom parchment. Create 8 to 10 decorative 2-inch slits in the crust for venting.
5. Bake Until Golden Brown
Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for about 5 minutes until the top lightly browns. Serve while hot.
Tips for Perfect Pot Pie Crust
- Short on time? Use a ready-made puff pastry. It’s easy to use and you can always have it available for you in your freezer and cook these pies spontaneously when you’re out of ideas.
- If you are making your own dough, don’t skip the chilling step. Chilling the crust dough in the refrigerator is essential to prevent it from becoming too sticky and difficult to work with. It also helps create a flakier texture.
- With either crust, make sure you slit it with decorative vents to allow steam to escape during baking. This prevents the filling from becoming too watery.
- To achieve a beautifully browned top crust, turn on the broiler for the last few minutes of baking. Keep a close eye to prevent burning.
How to Store Leftover Pot Pie
- Refrigerator: If you have leftovers, allow the pot pie to cool to room temperature, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Alternatively, you can transfer it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: To store the pot pie for an extended period, it’s a good idea to freeze it. Allow the pot pie to cool completely, then wrap it in several layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Place it in an airtight, freezer-safe container or a resealable freezer bag. Label it with the date and contents. A well-frozen vegan chicken pot pie can stay good for 2-3 months in the freezer.
- Reheating: When you’re ready to enjoy the leftovers, you can reheat individual servings in the microwave or reheat the whole pot pie in the oven. For the microwave, cover with a microwave-safe lid or a microwave-safe plate, and heat in short increments until heated through. For the oven, preheat it to 350°F (175°C), place the pot pie in an oven-safe dish, and reheat for about 20-30 minutes, or until it’s hot all the way through. You can cover the top with foil to prevent excessive browning.
Serving Suggestions
This vegan chicken pot pie is perfect served on its own, but in case you’d like some side dishes—these recipes would go great!
- Balance the heartiness of the pot pie with a light and refreshing salad like this Delicata squash harvest salad.
- For a touch of sweetness and tartness, serve your pot pie with a dollop of cranberry sauce. Its fruity flavors complement the savory pot pie beautifully.
- Potatoes and pot pie go hand in hand. Consider serving a side of creamy vegan mashed potatoes for a comforting and classic pairing.
- Roasted or steamed vegetables can also round out the meal. Try sheet pan roasted asparagus, roasted potatoes and broccoli, or roasted root vegetables for extra fiber and flavor.
More Vegan Casserole Recipes To Try
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie/Vegan Cottage Pie
- Noodle Kugel
- Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese Casserole
- Vegan Breakfast Casserole
Vegan Chicken Pot Pie
Equipment
- High Speed Blender
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- ¼ cup ice water, plus up to 5 additional tablespoons as needed to form a dough
Vegetable Filling:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cups yellow onions, diced
- 2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 ⅓ cups carrots, diced
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, (half a 16-ounce block) drained and sliced into tiny cubes
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 2 ½ cups yellow potatoes, cubed, steamed until soft
Béchamel Sauce:
- 3 cups water
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- To prepare the crust, combine the flour, salt, and vegan butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like a coarse meal. Add 1⁄4 cup of ice water and pulse until the dough clumps together, but do not overmix. When you squeeze the clumps with your hand, the mixture should come together to form a pliable (but not moist or sticky) dough. If needed, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach that consistency. Between two sheets of parchment paper on a baking sheet, roll the dough to a 10 × 12-inch rectangle (about 1⁄4 inch thick). Chill the rolled-out dough in the refrigerator (keep it on the baking sheet to make it easy to transfer) for at least 15 minutes.
- To make the vegetable filling, heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms, carrots, garlic, salt, basil, marjoram, and pepper and sauté for another 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the tofu, peas, and potatoes. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- To make the béchamel sauce, in a high-powered blender, combine the water, cashews, mustard, salt, and nutmeg and blend until completely smooth. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the vegan butter and add the flour. Whisk for 2 minutes until the mixture begins to clump and toast up into a roux. Whisk in the cashew cream mixture. Increase the heat to medium and cook, whisking frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Pour the sauce over the sautéed vegetables and stir to combine into a stew. Transfer to a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
- Remove the chilled crust from the refrigerator and peel off the top sheet of parchment. Lift the bottom sheet of parchment along with the dough and invert the dough onto the top of the stew. Slice 8 to 10 decorative 2-inch slits into the crust as vent holes.
- Place the baking dish onto a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for about 5 minutes to lightly brown the top. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
This vegan chicken pot pie recipe was adapted from a pot pie made by Allison Rivers Samson and is published in The Friendly Vegan Cookbook by Michelle Cehn and Toni Okamoto. Photos by Amanda McGillicuddy. This recipe was published with permission from BenBella Books, 2020, all rights reserved.
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Leave a Comment
Looks so delicious!
I think we can all agreee pot pies are the greatest of all time! I just always loved digging into the flavour filled middle is the best part 😀
Pot pies are always such a comfort food for me. This one in particular really tastes like the one I used to eat growing up. You’ll never miss the meat. Even my omnivore husband loves this dish and we both aren’t huge fans of mushrooms. It’s got a lovely savory flavor and it’s super simple to make. Highly recommended!
I looooooove pot pie, and this one is fabulous!
I love pot pies so much!!!! This recipe looks super easy and so delicious! Can’t wait to whip this up!
I wasn’t very aware of the savory pie crazy until I move to England. Here, savory pies are a credo 😀 These super-simple mini pot pies are so good! My favorite way to eat them is with a simple green side salad.
I was in my 20s before I had pot pie for the first time, but ever since then I’ve been a die-hard fan! It’s worth all the effort to make, but I love that this recipe is relatively simple. You’ve gotta try it!
Pot pies are in my list of Top Ten Favorite Foods so you’d best believe ramekins are going on my holiday shopping list so I can get right to making these!! I’m so excited and can already taste the fluffy, flaky crust.