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Mini vegetable pot pie: Perfect for the holidays

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Mini vegetable pot pie is the perfect entree option for your holiday gathering. These adorable little pies are packed with vegetables, beans, and a creamy cashew sauce. Vegan.

Mini vegetable pot pies on table with red napkin & gold fork.

It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas. Although we still can’t have a tree for the third year in a row, because a certain cat can’t be trusted with almost anything he could fit in his mouth, it’s showing in other ways.

(Sorry, dangly ornaments and strings of brightly colored lights. Maybe next year. But let’s be honest, probably not next year.)

David and I drive through our neighborhood with festive tunes playing on the radio and pass flashing houses in white, red, and green.

There’s an ugly sweater folded at the top of my dresser drawers. And right on cue, this past weekend we even shoveled.

It wasn’t a ton of snow, just a couple of inches. But it was wet enough that by afternoon, my Facebook feed was filled with pictures of kids and snowmen.

After we put our shovels away, I was in the mood for something cozy and warming.

Vegetable pot pie

Overhead mini vegetable pot pies in Le Creuset cocottes.

These elegant vegetable pot pies are a far cry from the 40 cents apiece version I had lined up in my freezer as a young 20-something just out of college.

I’ve made the pot pies multiple times for testing. And I’d gladly eat another one all over again right this minute. They are ridiculously good.

They are filled with veggies aplenty – onions, carrots, celery, green peas, and potatoes. Plus, beans for satiety.

The creamy sauce is made from cashews and savory spices. (Yep, this velvety filling doesn’t include a drop of dairy.)

And on top? A home crust that’s buttery and flaky.

How to make vegetable pot pies

Dough for top crust of vegetable pot pies cut into circles with rolling pin on marble board.

Potatoes, celery, peas, onions, garlic, and carrots on cutting board for mini vegetable pot pies.

Mini vegetable pot pie filling in Le Creuset cocottes.

Raw dough on mini pot pies before baking.

Start by making your pie crust and cutting it into circles. Put it into the refrigerator to cool while you make the filling.

Pour the prepared filling into mini cocottes or 8 ounce ramekins. Top each one with a circle of dough. Then bake for thirty minutes.

Mini vegetable pot pies on table.

There’s something about individual vegetable pot pies that feels like a present.

“You made this just for me?”

They are impressive but unassuming. I mean, who doesn’t like pot pies?

Even dinner guests who are wary of “vegan food” could hardly turn down the temptation of a luscious sauce dotted with vegetables and a nutty pastry crust.

So put on your favorite crackling Christmas record. You know, the one where you have all of the skips and scratches memorized after years of play?

Pull out the ugly Christmas sweater from the top drawer, and invite over a few friends to celebrate the season.

Then serve each one a mini vegetable pot pie and feel the season hug you from the inside out.

Mini vegetable pot pie in Le Creuset cocottes. Ceramic houses and lights in background.

Mini vegetable pot pies

These mini vegetable pot pies are a perfect entree option for your holiday gathering. They are packed with vegetables, beans, and a creamy cashew sauce. Serve them with roasted Brussels sprouts, sauteed greens, or a kale salad.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: American, Vegan
Keyword: baked, christmas, comfort food, holidays, kid friendly
Prep Time: 17 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 17 minutes
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 522kcal
Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

For pot pie crust

For pot pie filling

Instructions

To make pot pie crust

  • In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to combine all purpose flour with salt and dried rosemary. Add non-dairy butter. Using your fingers, fully combine the flour with the non-dairy butter until it has the texture of small pebbles.
  • In a small separate bowl, combine ice water and white wine vinegar.
  • Add the water/vinegar mixture to the mixing bowl with flour. Use your hands to combine the wet and dry mixtures until one ball of dough has formed. It should be smooth and not sticky.
  • For easiest rolling, wrap the dough in plastic and cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour. If you don't have time, it's okay to skip this step, but the dough won't roll quite as easily.**
  • Once you are ready to make the pot pies, roll out the dough with a rolling pin. It should be thin enough that you can get 5 mini tops for each pot pie. (You may need to gather the scraps and roll out again for the fifth pot pie lid. That's fine.) You can use either a biscuit cutter to cut out the tops or use a knife and a cocotte lid or extra ramekin as a guide to trace. If you use the cocotte lids/ramekins as a guide, you may need to roll each one out a little bit further to fully cover the pot pie. Put the dough circles into the refrigerator to keep cool while you make the pot pie filling.

To make the pot pie filling

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Put the raw cashews into a blender with 1/2 cup of water. Blend until it is completely smooth, a thick cashew cream. Set aside.
  • Bring a soup pot to a medium heat with extra virgin olive oil. Saute onion in oil for about 5 minutes, until it has softened slightly and is fragrant. Add garlic, celery, dried rosemary, dried basil, and saute for a minute more. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups water, vegetable bouillon cube, carrots, potato, green peas, salt, and drained chickpeas or Great Northern beans. Bring to a simmer. Then lower heat, cover, and cook for 7 minutes, until the potato has softened slightly.
  • Add cashew cream from blender and cook for 5 minutes more over a low medium heat, so that the cashew cream can reduce slightly and flavors can combine. Stir occasionally.
  • Use a ladle to put even amounts of the pot pie filling into each 8 ounce cocotte or ramekin. Using a fingers or pastry brush, spread a thin layer of the saved bean liquid onto the top edge of the cocottes.
  • Put an individual crust onto each cocotte and pinch around the edges to seal. Use a sharp knife to put a few vent holes into the top of each pot pie. Use fingers or pastry brush again to lightly spread bean liquid across the top of each crust for better browning.
  • Put the cocottes/ramekins on a baking sheet, so that if the pot pie filling bubbles over, it will fall onto the baking sheet and not the oven.
  • Bake for 30 minutes. When they are ready, the tops will be a nutty brown color. Remove from oven and allow the pot pies to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. (The filling will be quite hot.)

Notes

*If you aren't using a high speed blender, you'll need to soak the raw cashews in additional water for several hours to soften and then drain before continuing with the recipe. If you're using a high speed blender, you can skip this step.
**Keep in mind, the pot pie dough rolls a bit better if it has chilled for at least an hour or overnight. If you want to make the dough ahead of time, it also freezes beautifully in one ball. You’ll just need to move it to the refrigerator to thaw for at least 24 hours before you plan on making your pot pies.

Nutrition

Calories: 522kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 746mg | Potassium: 718mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 46.4% | Vitamin C: 15.9% | Calcium: 8.4% | Iron: 31%
Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

Prefer to make a full-sized pot pie? Check out this chicken-style vegan pot pie. It’s made with frozen, store-bought pie crusts!

Slice of vegan pot pie on white plate. Full-sized pot pie in background.

Disclosure: Post contains Amazon affiliate link.

Mini vegetable pot pie: The perfect vegan main course for your holiday gathering or dinner party. They are made with chickpeas, vegetables aplenty, and cashew cream. On top, a flaky pie crust using @Bob’s Red Mill flour #BobsHolidayCheer | cadryskitchen.com

About Cadry

Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured in Mashable, Reader's Digest, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

Comments

  1. Dianne's Vegan Kitchen says

    This little potpies are so cute!! They look far better than those frozen ones I grew up on. I have yet to try to make potpies myself, but you make it look so easy, so I’m going to need to try your recipe.

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      Thanks, Dianne! Yes, you should definitely give these pot pies a whirl. There are a few steps involved, but nothing you couldn’t handle.

      Reply

  2. Shell says

    The potpies are adorable! They are the perfect meal for the weather we are having this week. Lots of yummy stuff in one cute dish.

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      Thanks, Shell! Yes, this cold weather calls for something cozy and warming. Just add a simple salad or sauteed greens, and you’ve got a whole meal!

      Reply

  6. The Vegan 8 says

    These are just beautiful Cadry! I absolutely love veggie pot pies and I can almost smell and taste yours. They look incredibly delicious! What a fantastic recipe, I’d really like some in front of me right now!

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      You’re absolutely right, Dreena! Pot pies feel so homey. You’ll have to get on finding the perfect ugly sweater! There are lots of good ones available now.

      Reply

  12. Sarah says

    So once upon a time I told Irving (on the phone) that I was making pot pie for dinner and he heard “pad Thai.” Ha! He was very confused when he came home and saw what we were really having! Pot Pie is a total favorite comfort food of mine—love this! And I agree, I love Bob’s Red Mill products—my pantry is completely full of their packages!

    Reply

  13. Janis Ware says

    I made this tonight, and it is SO GOOD! I do not have little dishes so made it in a regular pie tin. It turned out really well. My husband mentioned how good it was at least three times! I grew up eating Swanson’s Chicken Pot Pies, and I am thrilled to have this delicious recipe to enjoy that is cruelty free and contains fresh ingredients. Thanks, Cadry!

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      I’m so thrilled to hear this, Janis! I’m glad that you and your husband enjoyed it. It’s amazing how much “chicken” flavor is really all about the seasonings. I grew up eating pot pies too, and I love this cruelty-free version so much more for every reason. Thanks for letting me know, Janis!

      Reply

    • Cadry says

      Thanks, Jenn! I’ve been meaning to make a recipe that would utilize my Le Creuset mini cocotte collection for a long while now. They are just too cute!

      Reply

    • Cadry says

      Absolutely, Magdalen! If you don’t want to make pastry, you can just eat it as soup after incorporating the cashew cream. Just skip steps 10 to 13. Or you can use pre-made vegan pie dough to simplify. One of my other readers did that and said it was great. 😀

      Reply

      • Magdalen says


        Next time I’ll put a crust on it. I served this for a late lunch for my husband, grown up children and myself today. It was a big hit and I’ll make it again soon . I did use fresh rosemary but the dried would have been fine. Thank you for this tasty and filling recipe.

        Reply

  18. Kelly Taylor says


    This was AMAZING!!! It was one of the best recipes I have ever made – like ever. So delicious!!
    My husband is from England, so he is very specific about his pot pie, and was not expecting to like this very much, and even he was raving (in a very English way of course 😉 ) — I don’t have small pots so I just added all to one larger pot and left in the over for 15 minutes extra and it was perfect!!

    Reply

  19. Sandy says

    do you have yo use Bob’s red mill flower? And can I skip some ingredients? example I don’t like green peas or celery so I would skip them

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      Any all purpose flour will be fine. And you can skip green peas and celery. However, I’d recommend putting in a cup of vegetables you do like to replace them. If you leave them out entirely, it will be saucier because those vegetables add some bulk.

      Reply

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