Sorta Classic Pot Pie

Pot pie is a little bit of a show: a golden crust, the first crack of your fork, and a puff of steam from the creamy filling underneath. This vegan pot pie has all the classic, comforting flavors that make me think “pot pie is my therapy”: tender carrots, celery and onion, sweet peas, and savory seitan tucked beneath the pastry. Thyme and sage season the filling, and the sauce is silky and spoonable, just thick enough to cling to every bite.

The technique is classic, too. Brown the seitan first, then soften the vegetables in olive oil with the herbs. Stir flour right into the pan and let it toast until it smells nutty. That’s the start of a simple béchamel. Pour in broth and vegan milk, and the sauce thickens around the vegetables. I always sneak a spoonful (or two) before it ever gets near the crust.

So why only sorta classic? Because the chicken is seitan, the butter is olive oil, and the cream is vegan milk. Everything else is straight out of the pot pie playbook.

This is from The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook and has been one of the site’s most loved recipes for years. Readers make it for holiday dinners, bring it to friends, and request it for birthdays. The filling takes about 20 minutes to make, then the pie spends about 35 minutes in the oven while you set the table. And if there’s a slice left for breakfast, well, you’re an adult.

Vegan Pot Pie Ingredients

Pie crust. Homemade, store-bought, frozen, even puff pastry or biscuits. There’s a whole section on crust options below.

Seitan. Sliced thin and browned in cast iron so it gets nice and savory before it’s tucked under the creamy filling. Homemade or store-bought, and if you don’t have any, there are lots of other options below.

Peas, carrots, onion and celery. The classic pot pie lineup. The peas go in straight from the freezer, no thawing.

Thyme and sage. Dried, not fresh, for this one. However, if you want to use fresh, do it! I would triple the amount.

Flour, broth and vegan milk. This is the béchamel for the filling. I like unsweetened soy milk, but any unsweetened vegan milk works. Oat, almond, cashew, what have you.

Seitan Pot Pie With Or Without Seitan

If you’re making your own seitan, here are my favorites for this pot pie.

Everyday Pull-Apart Chick’n Seitan. Tender and flaky, and it pulls apart into chicken-y pieces that are perfect in a creamy filling. This is the one I’d make.

Easy Chicken-Style Seitan. The classic simmered seitan. Slice it thin and brown it like the recipe says. This is the easiest one.

Simple Seitan & Bean Italian Sausages. These dice up really nicely and brown perfectly, too. This is a solid choice that will bring a little more flavor, and you will have leftovers to use however you want.

And if seitan isn’t happening, readers have made this with all of these:

Chickpeas. A drained can. If you’re cooking them from scratch you can get away with 2 cups. This was always my go-to swap. People have used other beans as well, like white beans. Sounds good to me!

Tofu. Extra firm, diced and browned. One longtime reader tried it with tofu and said it was just as delicious.

Tempeh. I really love tempeh. If you don’t, then don’t do this. But I dice it up real small, brown it in oil and give a splash of tamari. I think it’s great in pot pie! But be careful to serve it to tempeh lovers only. I don’t know why people are so weird about tempeh.

Store-bought vegan chicken. Use what you like! Brown it first, according to the package directions, then chop it. One commenter said they used chick’n nuggets. Okay!

No protein at all. Ya know, not everything needs protein. Would I personally make a pot pie with no protein? No. But even though I am judging, I’m not here to judge.

Pot Pie Crusts For Everyone From Ambitious To Lazy

Which crust to use? The answer is clear: whichever one gets pot pie on the table. Here are some of your options.

Buttery Double Crust. My all-purpose roll-out crust, flaky and buttery, and it makes exactly the top and bottom you need. The recipe is in my Classic Vegan Apple Pie.

Olive Oil Crust. A few readers have made this pot pie with the olive oil crust from my Appleberry Pie and loved it. It’s a little savory and great with the filling.

Store-bought crust. There’s nothing truly scary about pie dough, but I can’t make you not scared of it. So if you’d rather buy frozen crusts, go for it. Lots of them are vegan, but some use butter (or lard!), so check the label. Here’s the trick to making them look homemade. Let two crusts thaw, then press one into your own pie plate, flattening the edges along the rim. After filling it, tuck the second crust over the top, pinch the edges together and seal the rim with a fork. Cut some slits in the top and brush with vegan milk. NO ONE WILL KNOW.

Puff pastry. Feeling even lazier? Skip the bottom crust, pour the filling into the pie plate and drape a sheet of thawed vegan puff pastry over the top. Trim the edges, cut a few slits, brush with vegan milk and bake until it’s puffed and golden brown.

Biscuits. Another no-bottom-crust option. Pour the filling into a baking dish and top it with my biscuits or store-bought ones, then bake until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through.

How to Make Pie Crust Cut-Outs

This is the easiest way to make a pot pie look fancy. You need small cookie cutters, about 1 inch across. Leaves are perfect for fall, but hearts, stars and moons are all cute.

Roll out the top crust and cut shapes right into it, scattered around the center with an inch or so of space around the edge. Work quickly so the dough stays cold and the shapes stay sharp. Lift out the little shapes and set them aside, then pop the crust back in the fridge until the filling is ready.

Lay the top crust over the filling and seal the edges. The cut-outs let the steam out, so you can skip the slits. Brush the crust with a little vegan milk, then place the reserved shapes on top, around the holes or in a ring along the edge. The milk helps them stick. Bake as usual.

Tips for The Best Vegan Pot Pie

Keep the top crust cold. Roll it out first and stash it in the fridge while you make the filling. Cold dough is easier to handle and bakes up flakier.

Brush the top. A little vegan milk brushed over the top crust before baking gives you a golden, shiny finish.

Bake it on a sheet pan. Set the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet before it goes in the oven. It catches any bubbling filling and makes the pie easier to move.

Cover the edges if needed. If the crust is browning before the filling is bubbling, loosely cover the rim with strips of foil or a crust protector if you have one.

Let it rest. Give it a full 30 minutes out of the oven. The filling sets as it cools, so you get neat-ish slices instead of an oozing puddle.

Vegan Pot Pie FAQ

Can I make vegan pot pie without seitan? Absolutely yes. Chickpeas, white beans, tofu and store-bought vegan chicken all work, and there’s a whole list above.

Can I freeze pot pie? Yup. Assemble it but don’t bake it, wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake it straight from frozen at 400°F until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, about an hour or so. If the edges brown too fast, cover them with foil. Use a metal or freezer-to-oven safe pie plate if you’re baking it straight from frozen. Don’t put frozen glass in the oven!

Can I make it ahead? Oui, mademoiselle. Make the filling up to a day ahead and keep it in the fridge, then fill, top and bake when you’re ready. Cold filling might need a few extra minutes in the oven.

How did I end up here? You typed “pot pie” into a search bar on a cold night. You found this vegan one. Now you’re vegan. Amazing!

More Holiday Casseroles to Try

Super Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

Super creamy, super peppery, and welcome at any holiday spread

Recipe

Mushroom Stout Pie With Potato Biscuits

A cozy, pub-style one pot mushroom stew baked under quick potato biscuits

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Cauliflower Tikka Masala

Baked casserole-style for a dish that’s creamy, tangy, a little spicy, and very, very saucy

Recipe

Sorta Classic Pot Pie

Isa Chandra

A classic vegan pot pie with flaky pastry, a creamy béchamel filling, peas, carrots and browned seitan. A holiday centerpiece that’s just as good for breakfast the next day.

5 from 8 votes

Notes

~ For a homemade crust, try the Buttery Double Crust from my Classic Vegan Apple Pie. Using frozen crusts? See the post for how to make them look homemade.

~ No seitan? Use a drained can of chickpeas (or 2 cups cooked).

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Resting Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course entree

Servings 6 to 8

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• Double pastry crust storebought or homemade (see notes in post)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups seitan thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion diced medium
• 1 cup small-diced peeled carrots
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt plus a pinch
• 1 cup frozen green peas no need to thaw
• 3 celery ribs thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
• 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the bottom crust. Roll out the top crust and put in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
• Preheat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil, then sauté the seitan until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the seitan to a plate
• In the same pan, heat another 1 tablespoon oil and sauté the onion and carrot with a pinch of salt until the onion is translucent and the carrot is slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, celery, thyme, sage, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and a few grinds of black pepper and sauté until the celery is softened, about 2 minutes.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and, using a slanted wooden spatula, stir constantly as you sprinkle in the flour. Keep stirring to toast the flour, adding up to another tablespoon of oil if necessary. Toast just until the flour is a shade darker, about 3 minutes.
• Stream in the vegetable broth and mix until there are no clumps, then add the vegan milk. Let cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the seitan back to the filling.
• Pour in the filling mixture into the bottom pie crust. Place the top crust over the filling and seal the edges. Make a few slits in the top crust to let steam escape (skip this if you cut shapes into the crust).
• Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Keyword seitan pot pie, vegan chicken pot pie, vegan holiday main, vegan pot pie

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