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All I want to do is eat this warm, plant-based, comfort in a casserole dish, shepherd’s pie. A traditional British shepherd’s pie is usually the complete opposite of what you’d think a vegan or plant-based dish should be, good thing I like a challenge! This hearty Vegan Shepherd’s Pie is super easy to whip up any night of the week and is packed with nutrients and bursting with flavor.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Why You’ll Love Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- Short Prep Time: Prep this Vegan Shepherd’s Pie up in 20-minutes then let your oven do the rest of the work.
- Comforting: I don’t know if it gets any more comforting than a Shepherd’s Pie. It will warm you up on even the coldest of nights.
- Family-Friendly: This recipe can feed a crowd and your whole family will love it. You can even pre-make this and have it on hand in your freezer for an easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Lentils: I have some serious love for lentils! They come in red, brown, and green, and are such a great addition to casseroles, soups, or anything you want to add some texture to. For this recipe, I used red lentils from Bob’s Red Mill, my go-to brand for pantry staples, but you can use whatever color them you have on hand.
A lentil is a legume from the bean family and is a fiber powerhouse. Because of this, I recommend soaking them for at least 4 hours to remove the outer covering of anti-nutrients. It’s these compounds that have given beans a bad reputation of causing gas and bloating. By soaking them you are mimicking their natural germination process and not only removing the hard-to-digest compounds but activating the good compounds and increasing the nutritional value. Soaking will also cut down on cook time, but it is totally optional. If you’ve got a belly full of lentils and a gut full of gas don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Potatoes: I used white potatoes for this recipe but don’t be afraid to try different potatoes. Even sweet potatoes can add a unique and delicious flavor.
Yve’s Ground Round: For added protein and delicious addition to this recipe, I like to use Yve’s Ground Round in this pie. It’s one of my go-to’s as a vegan.
How to Make Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. While your “meat” sauce is simmering prepare your mashed potatoes by boiling water in a large stockpot. Season your water and cook your potatoes till very tender, could take 15 minutes or so. Strain your potatoes but absolutely do not rinse and return to pot. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mash till extremely rich and creamy! Remember, when adding your liquid that you must have a more solid mash to add on top of the first layer! Set aside.
Enjoy with fresh thyme garnish and your choice of steamed greens or veg!
Tips and Tricks
- Vegetable Stock: If you don’t have vegetable stock paste then use 2-3 cups of your own vegetable stock! Just make sure it’s strong, good quality stuff!
- Lentils: Brown or green lentils are generally preferred as they hold their shape well. Avoid red lentils, which tend to become mushy.
- Veggies: Add whatever veggies you prefer – celery, carrots, onions, mushrooms, etc.
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes are excellent for mashing. Yukon golds produce a creamy texture, and russets produce a fluffy texture.
Variations
If you like this Vegan Shepherd’s Pie, you can try one of these alternative recipes:
Best served with
How to Store Leftovers
This Shepherd’s Pie is GREAT leftover. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This recipe is also freezer friendly, lasts up to 2-3 months. Make sure it’s tightly covered and completely cooled before freezing.
Common Questions
For this recipe I used lentils but people also use chopped mushrooms, or a plant-based meat substitute.
Yukon Gold potatoes are known for their creamy texture, while Russet potatoes create a fluffy topping.
Tamari, or soy sauce, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste are great ways to bring umami flavor to the dish.
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium sweet white onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. dried basil
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cloves
- season to taste – this may be best to do at the end!
- ¾ cup tomato puree
- 2 heaped tsp. tomato paste
- 1-2 tbsp. vegetable stock paste – use as much as you like depending on your preference and tolerance to salt
- 1 ½ cups cooked lentils – I used Bob’s Red Mill
- 1 packet Yves Ground Round
- 2-3 cups hot water
- season to taste
- 5 large white potatoes, peeled and cubed
- season to taste
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ – ½ cup almond milk
- 1 heaped tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- garnish with 2 tbsp. fresh thyme
Instructions
Start Cooking- Into a large pot add olive oil and heat for 30 seconds on medium-high heat. Add your onions and cook for around 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add in your garlic, basil, oregano, cumin, cinnamon and cloves. Stir until onion is well coated and turn heat to low to cook and marry for around 3 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning.
- Into the pot add your tomato puree, tomato paste and vegetable stock paste. Give this all a good stir and then increase heat to high before adding your lentils and Yves Ground Round. Let them sautéed in the pan for two minutes before adding your water. Stir, stir, stir, bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes until thick and luscious like a traditional meat sauce. Set aside once done.
- Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- While your “meat” sauce is simmering prepare your mashed potatoes by boiling water in a large stockpot. Season your water and cook your potatoes till very tender, could take 15 minutes or so. Strain your potatoes but absolutely do not rinse and return to pot. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mash till extremely rich and creamy! Remember, when adding your liquid that you must have a more solid mash to add on top of the first layer! Set aside.
- Transfer your “meat mixture” into a 13″L x 7.75″W x 2.25″H baking dish and lay it flat using a spatula. Begin dolloping your mashed potato onto the mixture and using a flat tool flatten it all out. I like using a fork to carve marks vertically and horizontally across the pie. This adds fun texture and when it cooks gets nice and golden brown! Before cooking spray the mashed potatoes with an oil of your choice for that added golden colour (you will thank me later if you do this).
- Cook for 25 minutes before setting the oven to broil for 5 minutes. Watch closely so nothing burns but this is an amazing adding touch to the recipe!
- Enjoy with fresh thyme garnish and your choice of steamed greens or veg!
104 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
Really love this kind of comfort food, so great recipe!
Thank you so much!!
This was amazing!! I’m a meat eater transitioning to a more plant based diet and this Shepards Pie left me 100% satisfied. Didn’t miss the meat at all!
Thank you for sharing your talents!
I would like to try this, but I am allergic to soy. What can I substitute for the Yves Ground Round?
I would just double the lentils! That will still work 🙂
Yes, this is incredible to hear!!! So glad I can help you transition beauty!!!
This pie looks like it would taste so delicious! You probably had the most amazing dinner for DAYS. I wouldn’t ever want anything else aside from this shepherd’s pie for a loooooong time if I made this at home, which I totally should do. I did make a sweet potato green lentil shepherd’s pie and it was freaking amazing. I do want to experiment with red lentils to see what the filling texture is like though!
so delicious and so easy! thank you!
Thank you so much, we love this dish too!
Its amazing!! YOu would love this dish!
This dish was delicious to eat and easy to make. I made it yesterday, and I alone have eaten about a quarter of it! The blend of spices are perfect, and my husband and toddlers love it as well! There’s something so satisfying about cooking healthy meals for your family.. Thank you so much Maria! I will be making this often
Hello Amber!! Thanks so much for this amazing review. Glad your family enjoyed this amazing recipe! Please let me know if you make anymore recipes 🙂
This was so so easy and delicious. My husband, who is not veg, had multiple servings, so I deem this recipe a success. 10/10 will make again. 🙂
YESSSSS! thank you so much Kayla! this is great, so glad your hubby loved and that youll be making it again!
This recipe is amazing – and perfect for the plant-based food scared hah! The flavours are fantastic and the textures are bang on. This will easily be a staple in our household. Also, it’s heavily toddler approved. So many wins.
Yes!! Kasia, this is amazing! So glad even your little ones loved this!!! BIG FOODBYMARIA WIN!
This was my first time ever making a shepherds pie and it was worth the wait!! The spices in this recipe really make it so delicious! I did happen to overlook that I was supposed to add cooked lentils so that added a few extra minutes in the middle of preparation but it ended up turning out amazing!
Hey Meaghan!! Thanks so much for the love!!!!!! So glad you loved this!
Delicious dinner. One of my new soulfood recipes. Wanted to safe the leftover for tomorrow but it’s nothing left 😂
First time making a Shepherd’s pie and was delicious! Easy to make and the lentil sauce had a great flavour. Gonna repeat it for sure!
Thank you so much for the love on this! So glad you loved it!
hahahahah I am so sorry there were no leftovers! haha but I feel like that’s a good thing so I won’t complain! xx
Made this for dinner and it was a huge hit, literally vanished so fast. Very flavorful and fragrant. You have so many wonderful recipes!
Thank you so much beauty! I love cooking food with amazing flavour. Healthy food doesn’t have to taste like shit should really be my motto haha.
This was so delicious! The recipe was easy to follow and I loved the addition of lentils. Was lovely to have the leftovers for lunch, tasted just as good the next time. Also approved by my husband! Thanks so much for the recipe, excited to try your moussaka next!
Hey beauty! Thanks so much for the love! I love this recipe as well, I quite like how simple it is too! The moussaka is amazing! Please let me know what you think of the recipe!!!