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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
Cannot wait for winter in Australia so I can eat this every week. Such a great vegan recipe alternative.
Thank you so much love, it’s one of our favourites!
This recipe was the cat’s Pajamas — So hearty and delicious!!
YES AMBER! This makes me so happy, thanks so much for the love!
I’ve always been hesitant to try “fake” meat…but this shepherd’s pie was so tasty, savoury, serious comfort food, I’ve made it twice in the last two weeks. I guess it’s all about how you transform the “meat” and this recipe definitely elevated the Yves Ground Round. A bonus, it keeps very well in the fridge and is perfect for dinner meal preps. This shepherd’s pie will stay in our winter round-up.
YESSSS!! Thanks for the love Adrienne, this is seriously one of my favourites ever.
SO delicious! My mom and I made this together tonight and we both loved it. Can’t wait to make it again for my hubby when he’s back in town and probably again for our thanksgiving meal! We didn’t have the ground round so we just increased the lentils and added a handful of chopped carrots as well. SO good. Realized I’ve followed you for a long time and had yet to make a single recipe (shame I know!!) – just usually drooled over gorgeous photos on insta – but tonight changed all that and I can’t wait to make so much more of your stuff!! Easy but DELISH – thanks!!
Yes, Ellie! This is amazing, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. It’s so easy and adaptable, right?! Well done on your first FoodByMaria recipe, please let us know what you make next!
This was so so good!! The only thing my husband and I found was that it was really salty even without adding any extra. I’m guessing from the vegetable stock paste? Would it be possible to use low sodium veggie stock with similar results? Or to just cut down on the amount of paste with the same amount of water? Thanks!
Hey beauty,
You’re the first to say that but honestly, it could be so many reasons. The type of stock paste, what measuring tool yuo used etc. You can sub it out for low sodium, easily or just use less next time. This is why it’s important to season to taste and know your salt preferences and then create the recipe based on that!
I’m writing this moments after my husband said “Jessica, dinner was so good” for the 30th time. I’ve been following you for a while, but tonight was the first time I tried your recipes- I am so happy I did. An easy way to incorporate plant based meals into the routine and the Recipe was Easy to follow and make! I’ve already sent this recipe to a bunch of pals so they try it too!!
Yes!!! This makes me so happy, Jess. Thanks so much for the support and love!!! Let us know what you make next xx
looooove this recipe! much much love Maria and thank you!
thank you so much for the love, Virginia! It’s one of my favourites!
I’ve made this recipe twice now as a ‘make ahead’ for the work week. We are a household of 2, so it was great for several nights. I think it actually tastes better the next day, as the flavors soak in and deepen. I plan to add corn the next time I make it. It was the first time I used Yves and the texture would make non vegetarians happy too. Thank you- it is now a favorite go to recipe!!!
HELLO JANICE!thank you so much for the kind words. so glad you love this recipe, it’s honestly amazing!!
Such an easy and yummy recipe. Comfort food at its best. Took the leftovers to works for lunch and it was even better next day. All my colleagues were jelly AF!
Hell ya! this makes me so happy! Thanks for the love hun xx
Just made this… and holy was it AHH-MAZ-ING. Seriously one of the most flavourful dishes, and my toddler devoured it! It might be the only time i’ve gotten him to enjoy lentils other than in burgers. I will be making this a staple for sure!
YES BRITTANY!!! I AM HERE FOR THIS! So happy to hear! Thanks so much beauty!