This best easy vegan shepherd’s pie with lentils is the perfect comfort food recipe everyone will love! It’s a hearty casserole dish made with protein-rich lentils and healthy vegetables that are cooked in a flavorful gravy sauce, then topped with mashed potatoes and baked! The perfect main course for holiday dinners and weeknight meals alike!
When you’re in the mood for a savory comfort-food classic but want it healthier without meat, try this vegan Shepherd’s Pie!
What is Shepherd’s Pie?
Shepherd’s pie or Cottage Pie is a British casserole dish that’s traditionally made of ground meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked in the oven until the top is golden-browned. The difference between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie lies in the choice of the meat. While Cottage Pie uses ground beef, classic Shepherd’s Pie uses ground lamb.
Anyway, since this casserole is a vegan version made with lentils and mushrooms instead of meat, I could even call it Shepherdless Pie or Lentil Pie or whatever pie. But I think Shepherd’s pie is the most common term so I went for that one.
Easy to customize!
While the mushroom and lentil sauce is full of hearty flavors from the sautéed vegetables, seasonings, and red wine, the mashed potatoes make a creamy and crisp topping. If you have already tried my mushroom and lentil ragu, you will notice that the sauce from this recipe is very similar. It’s a popular classic recipe and all-rounder at the same time!
The recipe has many variations, so it can be customized according to the ingredients which are easily available for you or you already have in your pantry.
The perfect Thanksgiving and Christmas dish
This Vegan Shepherd’s Pie is perfect for feeding the whole family or guests, so it’s an ideal dish to serve on Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner menu. You can even make it ahead and reheat it another day, so it’s also great for busy weeknights. Find more details on how to store, freeze, and reheat this casserole below.
How to make vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Making the best vegan Shepherd’s Pie with lentils is not difficult but there are a few things to prepare. You can just check out this step-by-step instruction but I recommend watching the recipe video for better understanding too. The full recipe with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Make the Mashed Potatoes.
Start by cooking the potatoes until fork-tender. Then drain, return to the pot and allow them to steam dry with the lid off. Add dairy-free milk and vegan butter to the pot and mash until creamy. Cover and set aside.
Step 2: Make the Shepherd’s Pie filling.
While the potatoes are cooking, make the lentil mushroom sauce. Sauté onions, carrots, and celery for about 3-5 minutes, until they start to turn golden brown. Next, add the mushrooms and continue cooking for further 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté for a further minute until fragrant.
Now add tomato paste, paprika powder, dried herbs, lentils, and flour and stir well to combine. Pour in soy sauce and red wine, followed by the tomatoes and vegetable broth, and stir again. Cook covered for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender and the sauce has thickened. Lastly, stir in peas and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3: Assemble your Shepherd’s Pie.
Spoon the lentil sauce into a 10×7-inch (26x18cm) casserole dish (or similar sized oven-safe dish). Then layer the mashed potatoes over it, and smooth out the top evenly with the back of a spoon. Now use a fork to rough the top up, creating your favorite pattern. Finally, brush it with a little oil or sprinkle with vegan parmesan for even more crispiness.
Step 4: Bake and enjoy!
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the top starts to turn golden-brown. Let cool slightly before serving. The longer it cools, the more it will thicken. Then serve and enjoy it!
This Best Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils is:
- Meatless
- Dairy-free (lactose-free)
- Can be made ahead
- Easy to customize
- Healthy
- Hearty
- Flavorful
- Protein-rich
- Satisfying
- Comforting
- Perfect for lunch or dinner!
Tips and recipe variations
- Lentils: I recommend using green (puy French lentils) or brown lentils as they hold their shape well. If using other lentils be sure to adjust the cooking time according to package instructions.
- Potatoes: Feel free to replace the classic potato mash with sweet potato mash.
- Vegetables: You can swap out the veggies to your liking.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can assemble the casserole ahead of time. Then keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, uncover your easy vegan Shepherd’s Pie and bake as instructed.
How long do leftovers keep?
Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days stored in a covered container. When ready to serve reheat in a hot 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until warm. Smaller portions can also be gently reheated in a microwave.
For longer storage, freeze for 2-3 months.
More Vegan Holiday Recipes to try
Looking for more vegan comfort food dinner recipes to serve for Christmas dinner or during the holidays? Here are a few suggestions:
- Vegan Meatloaf
- Easy Vegan Gravy
- Mushroom Wellington
- German Bread Dumplings
- Mashed Potatoes
- Vegan Gnocchi
- Vegan No-Meat Balls
- Crispy Hasselback Potatoes
- Vegan Potato Bake
- Vegan Swedish Meatballs
- Mushroom and Lentil Ragu
If you try this best vegan Shepherd’s Pie with lentils, please leave a comment and rating on how you liked this easy recipe! And if you take a photo of your hearty dish and share it on Instagram, please make sure to tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love to see your remakes! Enjoy! 🙂
The Best Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Author:Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes
- 2 lbs (900 g) Yukon gold potatoes peeled and chopped
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) non-dairy milk unsweetened
- 2 tbsp vegan butter or oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Shepherd's Pie filling
- 2 tbsp olive or canola oil
- 1 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 17.6 oz (500 g) mushrooms chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 2 tbsp dried herbs I used a mix of thyme, rosemary & parsley
- ¾ cup (150 g) dry green or brown lentils rinsed & drained
- 2 tbsp flour or arrowroot or cornstarch
- 3 tbsp soy sauce or GF tamari sauce
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) red wine optional
- 1 cup (250 g) tomato passata or crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup (360 ml) vegetable broth or more as needed
- 1 cup (150 g) frozen peas
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
*Note: Be sure to check out the recipe video + step-by-step photos above!
Mashed Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes (or leave the peel on and wash if you prefer). Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender (check with a knife).
- Once cooked, drain, then return to the pot and allow them to steam dry with the lid off. Add dairy-free milk and vegan butter to the pot and mash until creamy. Cover and set aside.
Shepherd's Pie filling
- While the potatoes are cooking, make the filling. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté onions, carrots, and celery for about 3-5 minutes, until they start to turn golden brown. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have released most of their water. Then add the garlic and sauté for a further minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Now add tomato paste, paprika powder, dried herbs, lentils, and flour and stir well to combine. Pour in soy sauce, and red wine, followed by the tomatoes and vegetable broth, and stir again. Cook covered for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (check package instructions) and the sauce has thickened. Lastly, stir in peas and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble Shepherd's Pie
- Preheat oven to 392 °F (200 °C).
- Spoon the lentil sauce into a 10x7-inch (26x18cm) casserole dish (or similar sized oven-safe dish). Then layer the mashed potatoes over it, and smooth out the top evenly with the back of a spoon. Now use a fork to rough the top up, creating your favorite pattern. Finally, brush it with a little oil or sprinkle with vegan parmesan for even more crispiness.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the top starts to turn golden-brown.
- Let cool slightly before serving. (The longer it cools, the more it will thicken). Enjoy!
Notes
- Storing: Leftovers can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days. For longer storage, freeze for 2-3 months.
- Make ahead: You can assemble the casserole up to 2 days ahead. Then keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- Lentils: I recommend using green (puy French lentils) or brown lentils. If using other lentils be sure to adjust the cooking time according to package instructions.
- Potatoes: Feel free to replace the classic potato mash with sweet potato mash.
- Vegetables: You can swap out the veggies to your liking.
- Please read my blog post for further tips and information.
IF YOU HAVE PINTEREST, YOU CAN FIND ME HERE AND PIN THE FOLLOWING PICTURE, IF YOU LIKE! 🙂
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This recipe was sooo good, i am not vegan but i dont like to eat meat every single day so i like trying vegan recipes every other day and my husband loved it. The only thing i changed is to add less soy sauce.
Glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you 🙂
Hi Bianca,
I’m planning to make this recipe next week. I was just wondering if I could replace the lentils with a meat substitute such as the vegan minced meat of IKEA for example (VÄRLDSKLOK). How much would I need to add to substitute the cooked lentils? And what about the vegetable broth, I suppose I need less of it?
Same question: if I use already cooked lentils, how much grams would I need? And again: should I reduce the amount of vegetable broth?
I hope this question reaches you in time!
Kind regards,
Linda
Hi Linda,
¾ cup dry lentils cooked in veggie broth or water is about 1 ½ cup cooked lentils (approx. 300 g). So you can substitute the lentils with 300-400 g vegan minced meat. Reduce the cooking time and skip the veggie broth. Instructions are quite similar to my vegan lasagna sauce.
Greetings,
Bianca
I found this great
I ended up caramelising all the veggies before adding minced mushroom, tvp, and brown lentils.
I found this would be better slow cooked, as i believe the cooking time suggested leaves the lentils still a bit firm – i wanted it to feel like minced meat. I ended up slow cooking for 1.5-2 hour to get this consistency.
I ended up adding garlic powder, onion powder, double all the stated herbs and spices, and i used Worcestershire instead of soy sauce.
I used a food mill to make the mashed potatoes super creamy – didn’t end up using any milk at all, just nuttelex. I used nutritional yeast on the top of the potatoes.
I haven’t eaten sheps pie in so long i forgot what the meat version tastes like but this did satisfy my sheps pie craving – so the recipe+ my tweaking must be pretty close on the flavor profile.
I recommend you feed your non bean eating friends some alpha galactosidase digestive enzymes so they don’t fart the house down afterwards though.
I really had to laugh because of your recommendation! It’s true, your friends might fart your house down after eating some of this. I’m happy that you liked this recipe though! Thanks for your feedback, Tristan!