This creamy vegan pot pie tastes like something your grandmother would have made if she'd known this was possible

There's something about pot pie that hits different on a cold evening.

Maybe it's the flaky crust that shatters when you press your fork through it. Maybe it's that moment when steam rises up and you catch the scent of herbs and gravy.

This version nails that cozy, someone-loves-you feeling without any dairy or eggs.

The secret is in the gravy. We're using cashew cream and nutritional yeast to build that rich, savory base your taste buds remember from childhood. The vegetables get roasted first, which concentrates their flavor instead of leaving them sad and waterlogged.

And the crust? Vegan butter makes it just as flaky as the original.

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup cashew cream (1/2 cup raw cashews blended with 1 cup water)
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the crust:

• 2 sheets vegan puff pastry, thawed
• 2 tablespoons plant milk for brushing

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Toss the carrots, celery, and potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for 20 minutes until they start to get golden. This step is key for flavor.
2. While vegetables roast, heat vegan butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms, cooking until mushrooms release their liquid and it evaporates.
3. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes. This cooks out the raw flour taste and creates the base for your gravy.
4. Slowly pour in vegetable broth while whisking to prevent lumps. Add cashew cream, nutritional yeast, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer.
5. Add roasted vegetables and frozen peas to the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes until the gravy thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. The filling should be well-seasoned and rich.
6. Pour filling into a 9x13 inch baking dish or large pie dish. Let it cool for 10 minutes so the pastry doesn't get soggy.
7. Lay puff pastry over the top, trimming excess and crimping edges to seal. Cut a few slits in the top for steam to escape. Brush with plant milk.
8. Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and puffed. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving so the gravy can set up a bit.

Tips and Variations

If you want to make your own crust instead of using store-bought puff pastry, a simple pie dough works great. Just use cold vegan butter and ice water, same technique as traditional pastry.

The cashew cream can be swapped for full-fat coconut milk if you have a nut allergy. You'll get a slightly different flavor profile but it still works beautifully.

Add a splash of white wine to the gravy after cooking the mushrooms for extra depth. Let it reduce before adding the flour.

Leftover filling freezes well for up to three months. Just make fresh pastry when you're ready to bake it again.