This vegan shepherd’s pie is delicious and comforting – it’s loaded with lentils, mushrooms, and other veggies. Perfect for a healthy dinner option!
What kind of comfort food do you love? Is it a cozy casserole? A creamy pasta dish? Something that’s rich and delicious?
When you eliminate dairy from your diet, you might think that comfort food has to fall by the wayside. But that’s not true! There are so many dairy substitutes out there – and you can use them to make creamy, buttery recipes.
This vegan shepherd’s pie is comforting and flavorful, but it doesn’t leave you feeling like you overdid it. It’s loaded with lentils, carrots, mushrooms, and more vegetables, and then topped with creamy, buttery, dairy free mashed potatoes. (It’s hard to decide what the best part is – all the veggies, or the fluffy potato topping).
When you can make a meal that’s homey and comforting, but also healthy, that’s a win for everyone. This easy vegan shepherd’s pie is that kind of dish. The whole family will enjoy it, and you can enjoy the fact that you’re serving something that’s healthy and that everyone loves.
What is shepherd’s pie?
A traditional shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, vegetables, and a potato topping.
What is vegan shepherd’s pie?
Vegan shepherd’s pie uses beans or lentils, or some other type of vegetable in place of the lamb. The vegan version of this recipe is meat and dairy free.
What should you use instead of meat in this vegetarian shepherd’s pie recipe?
Green lentils are a great choice for this dish as they hold their shape well and don’t turn to mush. You could also use garbanzo beans, white beans, pinto beans, or really any type of bean that you enjoy.
If you aren’t into lentils, or vegan shepherd’s pie, then maybe this turkey shepherd’s pie would be a good choice for you.
If you aren’t dairy free, you can go ahead and use regular butter and dairy milk. You can use any type of potato that you like, and you can even make the mashed potatoes the night before to save on prep time before dinner.
Can you freeze vegan shepherd’s pie?
You can try freezing it, but the texture may change a bit. This is best made fresh and eaten within five days. If you do freeze it, it may be best to freeze individual portions wrapped well and stored in a freezer safe container.
This hearty vegan shepherd’s pie is:
- loaded with veggies
- packed with protein from the lentils
- topped with buttery Yukon Gold potatoes
- perfect for a Sunday dinner
- free of the top 8 allergens
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie.
Ingredients
For the vegetable base:
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread
- 1 ¼ cups green lentils picked over and rinsed
- 4 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 10 white button mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup frozen carrots
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For the mashed potatoes:
- 6-7 large Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- â…“ cup non-dairy milk
- 3 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread
- ½ teaspoon salt
- fresh parsley
Instructions
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In a large soup pot, cook the onion and garlic in the vegan buttery spread over medium heat until soft, about 6 minutes.
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Add the lentils, mushrooms, and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
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While the lentils cook, put the potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, and boil until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and add the vegan buttery spread, non-dairy milk, and salt to the pot. Use a potato masher or mixer to mash the potatoes. Set aside.
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Check the liquid level on the lentil mixture - the liquid should be mostly absorbed, but there should still be some in the pot - the lentils should not be dried out.
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Once the lentils are tender, add the ketchup, frozen carrots, frozen peas, salt, pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Cook over medium heat, adding a bit more water if needed.
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Once everything is heated through, spread the lentil mixture into a casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, and use a spatula to spread them out evenly.
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Turn on the broiler. Broil the shepherd's pie for just a few minutes, until the potatoes turn lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and top with fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Store leftovers in the refrigerator - they should keep for up to five days.
If you want to freeze this pie, I recommend freezing individual portions. Make sure they are wrapped well and place in a freezer safe container.
If you don't want to use white potatoes, you can use sweet potatoes.
If you aren't vegan, feel free to use regular dairy milk and butter.
If you’re looking for more vegan dinner options, you may want to try this lentil soup, this vegan creamy mushroom soup, or these vegan sloppy joes.
This post was originally published in March 2017. It has been updated with more information.
Laura
I am undertaking an Elimination Diet, which seemed to get rid of almost all of my regular recipes along with the red meat, pork, corn, soy, gluten, dairy, wine, coffee, etc. I tried this dish my first week of the diet and it has been requested every week since! This from a former meat and potatoes kind of family (well, fish and rice as well). I swapped sweet potatoes in for the regular ones as my husband LOVES sweet potatoes and I thought the sweet might be a nice contrast to the savory. OMG – delicious! My 4 year old eats it up! Thank for your sharing this recipe and having an entire site dedicated to allergen avoidance. I’m very grateful! And I never leave comments on any site, so you know how much I mean it! :)
Kelly Roenicke
Thta’s wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Brenda
I know chickpeas would be mushier but lentils upset tummy. would chickpeas work?
Ann Hewitt
Kathy,
I have all of those allergies plus some more. I substitute cilantro for garlic and chives for onions, using a heavy hand for seasoning. The result will not be the same as using garlic and onion, but the taste is a new, acceptable one. Google low FODMAP recipes for ideas.
Kelly Roenicke
Thank you for your reply, Ann! This is helpful!
Kathy
Thank you Ann. I will look up your suggested site and will start adding spices to see which ones work for me. I’ve not been a good cook with seasonings, so need to just experiment more. I appreciate you writing back.
Kathy
PS forgot to click box to notify me by email of any follow up. :)
Kelly Roenicke
Hi Kathy, That is difficult! I like Ann’s reply, I think she has some good ideas. I was wondering about chives, and from what I have read, they are an herb, and not the same as an onion. So if you can have chives, that would be a suggestion. If you could use some other spices that you enjoy, that may also help! More Italian seasoning, or if you like fresh rosemary or basil, those might also be nice in this dish!
Kathy
Thank you Kelly. I was always thinking chives was in the onion family so avoided them. I get really bad migraines from onions so wouldn’t know about chives. As for Italian seasoning, I will have to check but think most have garlic or onion salt or powder in them. Thanks for writing back. I will reply to Ann and thank her too for her suggestions. I don’t like cilantro, so won’t be able to try that.
Kathy
Kelly….Do you have any ideas what seasoning or flavoring that can take the place of onion and garlic. I am allergic to it and so makes it very difficult to make recipes, especially the allergy friendly ones. When my grown kids come home, my daughters are allergic to soy, gluten, dairy and with me onion and garlic, its so hard to cook, especially to be able to make a big dish/casserole to feed everyone without having just a piece of meat, potato, and veggie. I’m getting so bored with food and frustrated. They don’t come home often, but I feel I need to practice recipes for when they do. Plus holiday meals like Thanksgiving, really need practice. My daughter finally found a chicken broth without onion. I was so happy. I was using the Better than Bouillon, but she just told me she googled one of the ingred. in it and it contains wheat. So, no wonder they didn’t feel good after last Thankgiving. I used it in my stuffing. :( I’m trying gluten free also, only been doing it for 1 month now to see if it will help my migraines. I’m really frustrated as its sooooo hard now for me to eat out. The onion and garlic allergy for eating out is almost impossible. :( As you see, I need help. Ha Ha I would love to make the recipe above, but too much of the seasonings I can’t have and without, I think it would be bland right? PS I made your choc./ toffee for Christmas and the girls were happy.