I have been craving pot pie since the beginning of quarantine, and while I have this vegan pot pie with potato crust I also wanted a more “traditional” pot pie crust. My mom made an absolutely delicious one for a main vegetarian course over thanksgiving (with mushrooms as the main filling) – I am taking her crust recipe and combining it with a more traditional filling.

I adapted from this recipe, lightening it up by using only a crust on top (and in turn cutting down baking time as well). I didn’t take a great pic this time around because it was the first time making it and I expected there to be several tweaks — however, it was essentially perfect and now one of our favorite comfort food dishes so I couldn’t wait to share! In fact, it has already been making its rounds amongst my friends — with a minor mishap of my bestie accidentally using vanilla almond milk instead of unsweetened almond milk so a friendly reminder to DOUBLE check your milk so you do not end up with in inedible dish…

Otherwise, the recipe is pretty foolproof. I am sure we will be making it again soon, and in turn there will be updated (more beautiful) pics here soon. In the meantime, I hope your vegan pot pie is as ugly delicious as ours!

vegan pot pie with chickpeas
Ingredients
Serves 4 - 6

For the sauce:

  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup gf all-purpose flour with a xanthan gum (like Cup4Cup or King Arthur)
  • 1 t salt, plus more to taste

For the filling:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 16 ounce can chickpeas (or about 1.5 cups) 
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 small stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1/2 cup carrots, diced
  • 2/3 cup yellow potatoes, diced small
  • 2/3 cup frozen peas
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, to taste

For the crust:

  • 1.5 cups gf all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold (can sub vegan earth balance here)
  • 4 – 6 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk, cold (can sub cold water)
Method

For the crust:

Combine flour and salt, then cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. You can do this with your hands. Sprinkle cold milk, one tablespoon at a time, while blending until all ingredients are moist. Using wax paper, place dough onto one sheet, flatten with palm, place another sheet on top and roll out to the size of your baking dish.

For the sauce:

Combine all ingredients in a small pot and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Set the sauce aside while you prep the filling; it will thicken slightly.

For the filling:

Preheat the oven to 425F while you prep filling. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to skillet until shimmering. Then add the onion, celery, carrots and cook for 5 – 7 minutes. Add the thyme and cook for another 1 – 2 minutes. Add the potatoes along with 1/4 cup of water, cover and let steam for 5 minutes. Then, stir in the chickpeas, peas, and sauce until well combined.

Assemble the pie: 

Add the chickpea filling to a 9 in pie dish, or a 12 inch baking dish (this is the one I use)! Cover with the pie crust. Use a fork or your fingers to “pinch” the top crust layer to the dish then cover with tin foil. Cut or tear a whole in the middle of the tin foil so heat can escape, and cut a small X in the middle of the pie. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes before serving, and enjoy!