Easy Vegan Pot Pie is a delicious, plant-based version of the classic, but made with tofu instead of chicken or turkey!
So, this hearty vegetable pot pie is made with no milk, no butter, and no eggs. Just a savory and creamy filling and a flakey vegan pastry dough.
So, it’s actually a tofu pot pie casserole!
It’s the perfect comfort food and makes a healthy weeknight dinner for vegans and vegetarians alike!
And it’s great for get-togethers, meals with family or friends, and potluck dinners.
Although there are quite a few steps in the instructions, you will soon see that Easy Vegan Pot Pie is a very simple recipe.
Easy Vegan Pot Pie is delicious and hearty. Great for lunch or dinner. Leftovers are good too! Just heat it up in the oven and…instant meal!
And check out the health benefits of peas and carrots!
What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?
When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking though).
The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it.
Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.
Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.
What does it mean when a recipe says that an ingredient is “optional”?
If an ingredient is “optional,” it means that you can add it in or not based on your own preference. An optional ingredient can be flavor related (i.e., salty, sweet, spicy, etc.), appearance related (garnish), or even something like nuts or chocolate chips in baking.
What does “savory” mean?
“Savory” refers to foods that are not sweet, such as foods that taste salty, spicy, or herbal.
What is a slurry?
A slurry is a mixture of liquid and dry starch, such as cornstarch or potato starch, into a paste that is used to thicken sauces and soups. One can use flour to make a slurry as well.
A little about tofu
Tofu (also known as bean curd) is made of curds of coagulated soy milk that have been pressed into solid blocks with varying firmness (silken, soft, firm, extra firm, and super firm).
Tofu has only a very subtle flavor, so it can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. It absorbs well and is often used as a meat or chicken substitute in various dishes.
Tofu has nutrients and protein, but is low in calories.
A little about Pot Pie
It seems that the first version of the pot pie began with the Greeks, who made a dish with different meats and other ingredients cooked in open pastry shells called “artocreas.” The pastry was made of a flour and oil mixture and the dish was served at banquets
When the dish spread to the Romans, they served the dish with various meats, fowl, and seafood and added pastry on top.
The Crusaders spread meat pies across medieval Europe.
The English of the 16th century used meat such as pork, lamb, birds, and game, such as venison, in their pies. While the basic version was eaten by the lower class, the wealthy would serve them at banquets in which the chefs would show their talent by crafting and decorating them with flowers, designs, and heraldic devices.
The pies were brought to America by the settlers, who made chicken pot pie, beef pot pie, and sea pie, which was apparently developed on the ships across the ocean and used turkey, veal, and mutton, whichever was available.
While many things are called pies (take Eskimo Pie, for example, which is an ice cream), anything that does not include dough and is not baked is not truly a “pie.”
Then there is Pennsylvania Dutch chicken pot pie, made by the Pennsylvania Dutch (of course). It is most commonly made with chicken, noodles, potatoes, and sometimes vegetables, and is eaten out of a bowl. So, it is not really a pie at all, as there is no dough and no baking involved.
Tips for Easy Vegan Pot Pie:
- You can pour it into a ready-made vegan pie crust and cover it with a second pie crust—just pinch the edges and make slits on the top for air to escape.
- If you use canned or frozen vegetables, the cook time will be reduced compared to fresh.
- Cornstarch works better as a thickener for slurry and makes gravy more glossy. However, in a pinch, you can use flour, but you must double the amount needed for cornstarch.
- You might find it easier to put the cornstarch in a bowl and then slowly add the liquid while mixing to make a slurry rather than vice versa.
Mini Vegan Pot Pies
If you would like to make individual portions of this recipe, just pour the filling into smaller, single-serve baking dishes, cover with a suitable size piece of pastry dough, and bake until the top becomes a godlen brown.
Easy Vegan Pot Pie
Delicious plant-based pot pie with a creamy and savory vegetable and tofu filling.
Ingredients
- 2 cups tofu, cubed
- 2 cups peas and carrots (precooked frozen or canned)*
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 - 2 tablespoons vegetarian chicken consommé powder
- 1 1/2 cup water or milk substitute, such as oat milk
- vegan puff pastry dough, enough to cover the top of your baking dish
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat a little oil in the bottom of a medium-sized sauce pan.
- Lightly fry diced onions on medium heat.
- Add tofu and fry lightly with onions.
- Add peas and carrots, and water (or milk substitute). Then mix in vegetarian chicken consommé powder, a little at a time to taste.
- Cook on medium heat for around 10 minutes, mixing occasionally.
- Lower heat to medium-low and remove a cup of liquid from the mixture.
- Pour the liquid into a bowl and add flour or cornstarch.
- Mix until smooth or make a slurry, pour back into the pot, and mix well.
- Cook on medium-low heat until thick (approximately 3–5 minutes).
- Pour into a 9" pie dish, pie shell, or similar-size baking dish.
- Cover with a suitable-sized piece of puff pastry dough.
- Either leave the dough cover loose or make small slits in the top layer of dough for air to escape.
- Bake in an oven that has been pre-heated to 425°F for approximately 30 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown.
Notes
*Or any 2-cup mixture of vegetables; peas, carrots, diced celery, corn, diced potatoes. If you use celery or raw potatoes, fry them with the onions so they will get soft..
** Cornstarch is a better thickener and makes the sauce more glossy.
*** Or you can use 1 ½ cups vegetarian chicken broth instead of the consomme powder and water.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 529Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 358mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 6gSugar: 10gProtein: 20g