This vegan shepherd’s pie is like wearing a fuzzy sweater while drinking mulled cider: cozy comfort food to the max! Imagine: a creamy gravy filled with tender vegetables, lentils and scented with fennel and sage. It’s topped with a fluffy layer of Yukon gold potatoes and fresh rosemary, then layered in a baking dish and baked until golden. “Wow” is all we can say about this one! It’s perfect for impressing guests…or just yourself.
Why it’s the best vegan shepherd’s pie
Vegan shepherd’s is cozy, slow-cooked comfort food, so you’ll need 1 hour to make this recipe. We think you’ll agree with us that this is 1 hour very well spent! Pull this one out when you’re looking to impress…it’s perfect for a Sunday dinner or warming winter meal. If you’re well organized, you can serve it on a weeknight, too! Here’s why we think this recipe stands out:
The filling is thick, meaty and savory. It’s hard to make vegan recipes taste as satisfying as meaty dishes. Here, fennel seed tricks your brain into thinking there’s meat (it’s an ingredient used in sausage). The gravy is ultra thick, and the tender French cut-onions are vaguely reminiscent of a meaty texture.It’s full of plant-based protein. This shepherd’s pie is filled with plant-based protein: lentils and peas help it to have sticking power. It can be made in about 1 hour. A shepherd’s pie recipe can often take multiple hours to make. But we’ve created this one to be as easy as possible (and even faster than our vegetarian shepherd’s pie!).
Make sure to use Yukon gold potatoes!
Some people claim the best shepherd’s pie is made with Russet potatoes. But we beg to differ! Maybe you can pull it off if you load them with dairy. But for a vegan shepherd’s pie: use Yukon gold potatoes. They have a naturally buttery flavor and creamy texture that can withstand the lack of dairy. It also makes for a beautiful bright yellow color!
Time saver: canned lentils vs cooked
Here’s a little time saver: you can use canned lentils instead of cooked for this vegan shepherd’s pie recipe! This speeds up the recipe so you don’t have to get out yet another pot. Here are a few notes:
Look for canned lentils near the canned beans in the grocery store. Use any type of canned lentils you can find. Make sure to drain before adding them to the filling. Or, cook your own lentils! Add 1 ½ cups cooked lentils to the filling, following this brown and green lentils recipe or black lentils recipe. Cook them in water and omit the seasoning listed in the recipe. Do use the kosher salt listed in the recipe, but don’t add extra salt after cooking since the filling will be seasoned. If possible, do this step in advance and refrigerate until making the filling.
Some meal prep tips: make it even faster!
The canned lentils are a little trick to make this vegan shepherd’s pie quicker to prepare. Here are a few more things you can do to make your life easier the day of baking:
Make the mashed potatoes in advance. This will actually work to your advantage since it also helps the texture set. Refrigerate the Vegan Mashed Potatoes until serving, then reheat them to make it easier to spread onto the filling. Make the filling in advance (if you’re really motivated!). You can make the filling in advance too, then refrigerate until serving. Reheat it before baking to keep the same bake time in the recipe (20 minutes). Or, you can bake it from cold: just add a few minutes to the bake time. Let us know if you try that out!
Step up vegan shepherd’s pie: add truffle oil!
Serving this vegan shepherd’s pie to impress? Stir a little truffle oil into the potatoes layer! Truffles are a luxury flavor of mushroom that’s used in Italian cooking. The exotic flavor is often paired with potatoes, like in these Truffle Fries. Stirring in a little truffle oil to taste would add a layer of magic to this dish. Here’s more about truffle oil: how to use & where to buy it.
More vegan comfort food recipes
Want a few more dinner ideas? These vegan comfort food recipes are fan favorites:
Vegan Pot Pie It’s next level: hearty vegetables, a gooey sauce, and a flaky, sage crust!Favorite Vegan Lasagna Full of flavor, this vegan lasagna is a winner with everyone. Best Vegan Pizza A total crowd pleaser! The veggie pizza toppings are so full of flavor no one notices it’s cheeseless.Vegan Tacos These tasty tacos star a flavor-bursting taco meat with classic toppings like pico and lettuce.
This vegan shepherd’s pie recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free (with cornstarch). 4.6 from 25 reviews **Want to impress? Stir in a little truffle oil to the mashed potatoes to taste. Here’s our favorite All Natural White Truffle Oil.
