Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
This easy vegan shepherd’s pie recipe is perfect for meal prepping. It creates a savory, saucy casserole featuring plant-based veggie crumbles in a thick vegetable stew, topped with vegan mashed potatoes,
If you’re into great vegan main dish recipes, check out our Vegan Beefless Stew recipe or our Vegan Cheeseburger Soup.
I first attempted a shepherd’s pie when I was young, in my late teens. I remember feeling a little nervous and overwhelmed but pleased with the results. Of course, I wasn’t vegetarian or vegan in those days.
I was curious if I could make a shepherd pie vegan. What I discovered is it’s actually easier than a meat-based recipe. Want to know why?
Because you get to skip a step (no cooking the meat), that means this meatless shepherd’s pie is easier.
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- Lots of mashed potato topping makes this the best shepherd’s pie ever
- Using veggie crumbles keeps this recipe easy to make and infused with plant-based protein
- Adding vegetable broth creates a savory sauce for the thick stew, making this an irresistible main meal dish!
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- Potatoes — You can use either Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes for creamy mashed potatoes, or even red potatoes if you prefer a bit more texture in the mashed potatoes.
- Vegan butter — You can use any storebought vegan butter (even tubbed butter) or make your own vegan butter.
- Plant-based milk — I prefer plain soy milk (not vanilla), but I have used others, like almond milk.
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Carrots
- Garlic — You’ll need a few cloves of fresh garlic, or you can use the tender garlic confit.
- Tomato paste
- White wine
- Vegetable broth — I recommend Better than Bouillon Vegetarian Base because it’s a high-quality broth with great flavor.
- Bay leaves
- Cornstarch
- Veggie crumbles
- Corn — You can use fresh, frozen, or even canned corn.
- Frozen Peas.
This recipe calls for vegan bouillon. You can find this in the aisle with other bouillons, in health food stores, or even online.
How to Make Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
As I said above, this vegan shepherd’s pie is actually easier to make than a meat-based version, because you don’t have to cook the meat. I use veggie crumbles instead and they come pre-cooked.
Here’s a summary of the steps involved:
- Make the potato topping — Cook the potatoes in water and then drain them. Then add the plant-based milk and vegan butter and use a potato masher to create the mashed potato topping.
- Make the savory filling — The filling is a veggie stew, that begins by cooking onions and carrots with some oil. Add the remaining ingredients, including the vegetable broth. Then add the thickener (cornstarch) and cook until the stew has thickened.
- Add to a casserole dish and bake — Pour the stew into a casserole dish and top with the mashed potatoes. Then place in a preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Cool and serve — Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to cool for several minutes before serving.
Frequently-Asked Questions
What is a good side dish to serve with shepherd's pie?
You can serve a variety of vegetable-themed side dishes with shepherd’s pie, such as salads, roasted carrots, steamed broccoli, and more. Obviously, it’s nice to have some rustic bread to serve as well.
Can you freeze shepherds pie?
You can freeze shepherd’s pie. Simply allow it to cool and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. It can be frozen for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to eat it, transfer it to the fridge to thaw overnight. Then heat up individual servings or the entire dish in an oven at 350°F for up to an hour, or until heated through.
How long can shepherd's pie stay in the fridge?
Once your shepherd’s pie cools completely, cover and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This vegan Shepherd’s Pie is a savory, filling dish that will help you realize how tasty vegan recipes can be!
Marly’s Tips
Use these tips and tricks to make this vegan shepherd’s pie delicious:
- Use a bag (or two) of frozen chopped vegetables (like frozen carrots) to skip some chopping
- Add garlic to the mashed potatoes, as this Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe calls for
- Adding some small cauliflower florets would be a nice touch for this vegan shepherd pie
- You could add some chopped mushrooms in with the sauce
- Replace veggie crumbles with two cups of cooked lentils to create a lentil shepherd’s pie recipe. There’s nothing like a lentil pie main dish!
- If you don’t want to use cornstarch, use another thickener like arrowroot powder. You can even add a bit of the mashed potatoes to the stew to help create a thicker sauce.
- You can place a baking sheet under your dish in the oven just in case the casserole bubbles up over the edge of the pan and creates a mess in the oven.
See why this vegan shepherds pie is part of our favorite amazing vegan recipes? It’s so good!
Reader Reviews
★★★★★
Earlene
Making this a second time, which is the biggest compliment, as I rarely make the same thing twice – too many new ones to try!
★★★★★
Jennifer
I was looking for a good veggie shepherds pie recipe and I’m really glad that I chose this one! I omitted the wine (didn’t have any) and added some shredded vegan cheddar to the mashed potatoes. Super tasty and good consistency.
More Vegan Main Meal Recipes
Here are some more vegan main meal recipes for your meal prepping enjoyment:
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Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
For the Potato Topping
- 5 pounds russet potatoes washed and unpeeled
- ½ cup vegan butter sliced
- 1½ cups plant-based milk
- Sea salt to taste
For the Veggie Filling:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 2 cups chopped carrots*
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup white wine
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon No Beef Bouillon*
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 package veggie crumbles
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
Potato Topping
- Chop potatoes (with skins) into small cubes (the smaller the cubes, the faster the cooking time). Place in a large pot and cover with water.
- Place this pot on a burner and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Drain the potatoes into a strainer, being careful not to burn yourself with the steam.
- Place the cooked potatoes into a mixing bowl. Add the vegan butter slices and use a mashing tool to mash the potatoes. Slowly add the plant-based milk. Continue mashing until a desired consistency is reach. Add salt to taste and stir to combine.
Veggie Filling
- Heat your oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and chopped carrots. Cook until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Then add the minced garlic, and cook for another minute or so.
- Add the tomato paste, wine, vegetable broth, and no beef bouillon. Stir to combine. Add bay leaves to the top and bring this to a simmer. Continue cooking about 10 minutes. The liquid should reduce a little during this time.
- Add cornstarch and water in a bowl. Stir to dissolve the cornstarch. Add this into the pot and continue on simmer until a thick sauce forms, about 5 minutes.
- Add the veggie crumbles, frozen corn, and frozen peas. Stir to combine.
- Pour the veggie filling mixture into the bottom of a large casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes. You can either spoon the potatoes over the top or place them in a piping bag with a large star tip and create some lovely patterns on the top of your shepherd pie. Either way, be sure to create some peaks in the potato that will brown nicely while baking.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake around 30 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown and the edges are bubbly. It helps to place a sheet pan underneath your dish in case it bubbles over.
- When done, remove from the oven and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
That’s it for this vegan cottage pie recipe! But you know what, whatever vegan dinner you’re biting into, enjoy!
Love this recipe! I was looking for mushroom-free and lentil-free, and this one is really tasty – I didn’t have white wine so used 1/2 cup of red wine, worked brilliantly.
I was looking for a good veggie shepherds pie recipe and I’m really glad that I chose this one! I omitted the wine (didn’t have any) and added some shredded vegan cheddar to the mashed potatoes. Super tasty and good consistency. Thanks so much,
Hi, your recipe looks amazing. What type of white wine did you use? We drink red here, so I’m not sure what to pick. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Hi Laura! So glad you like this tasty vegan recipe! I typically use Sauvignon Blanc because it’s not as sweet as some wines. It’s my go-to favorite! Thanks for this question, I will add this to the recipe notes too!
I made this a day ahead as written and it was amazing. Seriously delicious! I put it in right from the refrigerator and just adjusted by adding more cooking time. It is keeper!
So I could make this up a day ahead and it would be okay? Would it need more time in the oven, or maybe I should let it sit out a bit?
This looks amazing, the ultimate comfort food! How many days can you make in advance? Can you make ahead and freeze?
Hi Shannon! We are kindred spirits because I think shepherd’s pie is pure comfort in a casserole dish! This should keep up to 5 days in the fridge. You can freeze it as well. I put it in freezer friendly containers. It should keep in the freezer up to a month.
Were the veggie crumbles the frozen or refrigerator kind?
We only buy frozen veggie crumbles and I like to find ones that are both vegan and gluten-free, such as Beyond Meat and/or Gardein.
I made my own veggie crumbles. Now I have 3 hats in the freezer for next cooking adventure,
Wow, that’s great, Ann! I bet it will taste great in this shepherd’s pie!
This came out so good! Thanks you so much
I’m so glad to hear that Cecilia! We love lots of potatoes so I was sure to include a generous amount for this shepherd’s pie!
Delicious! Substituted Italian dressing for the wine and omitted the no beef bouillon because I didn’t have those on hand. Also added a couple drops of liquid smoke and some thyme. Soooooo good, will definitely make again:)
Hi Danna! Thanks for your comment and for especially telling me about your adaptations! Sounds SO good! Now I want to make it again with smoke sauce! Also, love the idea of using Italian Dressing. OK. And one more thing. Don’t you love mashed potatoes!! ❤️
I love Shepherd’s Pie! Most of the recipes I see use lentils. I like how you used veggie crumbles. This is going on my list of recipes to make!
Thanks, Amy! You know, we love lentils too, but sometimes I just like keeping things easy. Veggie crumbles are ready to use right out of the bag! 🙂