Vegan Broccoli Cheese Pot Pie 🥦 Broccoli, potatoes and carrots baked with a rich & creamy vegan cheddar cheese sauce nestled in a buttery flaky crust. Comfort food just got cozier!
Earlier this week I had a craving for veggie pot pie, so I indulged myself and made a batch. They were so incredibly good that I was inspired to try out a new recipe I've been pondering on for awhile - a vegan copycat version of the popular frozen Amy's Broccoli Pot Pie with cheddar cheese sauce and the Marie Callender Broccoli Cheddar Potato Pot Pie.
I wanted to see if I could recreate their recipes with all plant-based ingredients. Guess what? Nailed it! Even better than the originals since it's 100% vegan!
Look at that rich cheddary cheese sauce. Made with cashews, potatoes, carrot, lemon juice and nutritional yeast aka "nooch", this sauce is what elevates this vegan easy cheesy broccoli pot pie from yummy to oh wow! If you haven't tasted nutritional yeast before, it has a nutty cheesy taste to it and is why you'll find it as a key ingredient in many vegan cheese recipes.
I baked the pot pies in mini oven-proof pots and then popped one out to see what I had. A scrumptious medley of tender, fresh organic veggies combined with our zesty, rich vegan cheese sauce inside a flaky pie pastry. Oh my vegan tastebuds! It was so incredibly delish and so satisfying!
Table of Contents
Why you'll love making this
- 100% vegan
- It's scrumptious & satisfying
- Loaded with veggies - the main ingredients are broccoli, potatoes & carrots
- Can be prepared in advance and reheated
- Each step is easy to do
- Leftover cheese sauce can be used for nachos, mac & cheese and more!
🥕Ingredients
This recipe is prepared in three stages:
🧀 Cheese Sauce
🥧 Pie Crust
🥦 Filling
See the printable recipe below for quantities and details.
🧀 Cheese Sauce
Cashews - raw
Carrots - fresh
Potato - I use russets, but you can also use Yukon gold
Non-dairy milk - I prefer rice milk, almond or cashew based milk
Nutritional yeast - we love this brand
Lemon juice - fresh preferred, bottled is fine too
Salt & pepper
🥧 Pie Crust
Homemade (recommended) or store-bought
Flour - all purpose
Vegetable shortening
Non-dairy butter - use your favorite
Salt
Water
🥦 Filling
Broccoli - fresh or frozen florets (thawed)
Potatoes - Yukon gold (preferred as they don't get too soft as easily as russets)
Carrots - fresh
Vegan cheese sauce
Salt & pepper
Instructions
🧀 Cheese Sauce
First, you will need to make a batch of our scrumptious Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce. You can find the recipe for it here.
🥕NOTE: The cheese sauce recipe requires that you soak cashews for at least 2 hours prior to using, so be sure to plan ahead!
🥧 Pie Crust
While the cashews are soaking, you can prepare the dough for your pie crust. It's a good idea to let the dough refrigerate for awhile before rolling it out. You can find our recipe for Easy Vegan Pie Crust. Be sure to watch my video for more tips on creating your own vegan pie crust.
🥕NOTE: If you prefer not to make your own crust, no problem! You can use store bought pie dough or puff pastry too. Be sure to check the label for all vegan ingredients.
🥦 Filling
In addition to your pie crust & cheese sauce, you'll need just a few more basic ingredients for this vegan broccoli cheese pot pie: Diced broccoli, potatoes, carrots, and salt & pepper. That's it! Here is how to prepare the filling:
- Dice broccoli, potatoes, and carrots.
2. Steam broccoli and carrots. Simmer potatoes until just tender.
3. Combine cooked veggies, vegan cheese sauce, salt and pepper.
4. Press pie dough into individual ramekins or oven-proof dishes. The dough can be thin, but avoid tearing it. Spoon filling into each. Add a little extra cheese sauce if you want!
5. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut slits in top of each.
6. Place onto parchment or foil lined baking sheet.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 425℉ for approximately 35 minutes or until pie crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes. When ready to serve, carefully remove pot pies or, you can eat them right out of the baking dishes. Enjoy!
🥕 Serving Suggestions
These vegan broccoli cheese pot pies are so deliciously satisfying, you can make a meal of them all on their own. If you want to serve them with a little something extra, I would suggest a light side dish, such as a cup of this quick and easy 1-pot minestrone soup or balsamic roasted root veggies served on a bed of fresh salad greens drizzled with this creamy oil-free avocado basil dressing.
Another fun way to prepare these is by making mini-pot pies using muffin tins! Simply line the inside of each muffin cup with pie dough, spoon in a small amount of filling and add a top crust of pie dough. Bake per instructions, but reduce the baking time to about 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. We make these during the holidays to serve as a Thanksgiving side dish or appetizers.
🥕Equipment
Here are the helpful kitchen tools I used in preparing this recipe:
- High speed blender (for cheese sauce)
- 5 qt or larger stovetop pot with lid
- 4 qt stovetop pot with lid
- Steamer basket
- Mixing bowl – large
- Strainer or colander
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Vegetable peeler
- Citrus juicer
- kitchen knife
- Cutting board
- Pastry cutter or fork
- Silicone pastry mat or clean flat surface (for rolling pie dough)
- Rolling Pin
- Long handled spoon or spatula
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or foil
- 4 oven-proof 8 oz (1 cup) ramekins or mini dutch ovens
🥕 FAQ's
Can I use store-bought pie dough?
Yes, absolutely. While I think a homemade vegan pie crust made from scratch is as good as it gets (and it's fun to make), you can save time by using packaged pie dough or puff pastry. Be sure to check the labels, as not all pre-made pie doughs are vegan.
How do I store vegan broccoli cheese pot pies?
You can store them (baked) covered in a refrigerator for up to three days. They can be reheated in a microwave, or as I prefer, in a preheated oven at 350℉ for about 15-20 minutes or until hot in the middle. I have not attempted to freeze these pot pies, but would love to know if you do.
What can I do with the extra cheese sauce I have leftover?
Our easy vegan cheese sauce is a staple at my house. We always try to keep a batch on hand. It’s a great dip for veggies, chips, vegan buffalo cauliflower, asparagus, veggie nuggets, meatballs. It’s perfect for mac & cheese. Serve it on top of baked potatoes with fresh chives and vegan bacon bits or on sweet potato fries with a dash of chile lime salt. For nachos, add diced jalapeño or red pepper flakes to make a spicy queso dip. The cheese sauce be served hot or cold. Store refrigerated up to 4 days in an airtight container.
If you love this recipe ★★★★★ please be sure to rate it below! Sharing your experience lets me know that you enjoyed it and will help other readers decide if they should give the recipe a try too. Thanks a bunch!🥕
Recipe
Vegan Broccoli Cheese Pot Pie
Equipment
- High speed blender or food processor (for cheese sauce)
- 5 qt or larger stovetop pot with lid
- 4 qt stovetop pot with lid
- Steamer basket
- Mixing bowl - large
- large strainer or colander
- Vegetable peeler
- Pastry cutter or fork
- Silicone pastry mat or clean flat surface (for rolling pie dough)
- Rolling Pin
- Long handled spoon or spatula
- baking sheet
- Parchment paper or foil
- 4 oven-proof 8 oz (1 cup) ramekins
Ingredients
Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce
- 1 ½ cups easy vegan cheese sauce see the recipe here
Easy Vegan Pie Crust
- 1 cup flour all-purpose
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening chilled
- ¼ cup vegan butter chilled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 - 3 teaspoon cold water
Broccoli Potato Carrot Filling
- 1 lb broccoli florets fresh or frozen - cut into small pieces
- 1 lb potatoes Yukon Gold - peeled & diced in small cubes
- 1 cup carrots peeled & diced into small cubes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Prepare cheese sauce following this recipe. Refrigerate until ready to use
Easy Vegan Pie Crust
- Prepare pie crust following this recipe (unless store-bought) and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Divide pie dough in four equal pieces, then divide each piece into approx. ⅓ and ⅔ pieces, creating enough pieces to create 4 bottom crusts (⅔) and 4 top crusts (⅓).
- Roll out each of the 4 bottom crusts making sure they are large enough to line the inside of your ramekins. It's fine if the dough is quite thin or transparent. Use your fingers to press the dough in place all the way around. Use a knife to trim off the top edge around the rim of the ramekins.
- Once the ramekins are filled with veggies and cheese sauce, roll out the top crusts and place gently over the top of the filling. Press the edges of the top and bottom crusts together to seal and trim away excess dough. Use the point of a knife to pierce three or four small slits in the top crust.
Filling
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Chop broccoli florets into small pieces
- Peel and dice carrots into small cubes
- Peel and dice potatoes into small cubes
- Place broccoli and carrots in steamer basket. Place in 4 qt pan with a few inches of water in the bottom. Cover with lid. Place on stove over medium heat. Allow veggies to steam approx 7 minutes until just tender, not mushy. Remove from heat and drain water.
- Place potatoes is 5 qt or larger pan. Cover with water at least 2 inches above potatoes. Cover with lid and place on stove over med-high heat. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes until just tender, not mushy. Remove from heat and drain in colander.
- Place broccoli, carrots and potatoes in large mixing bowl. Pour about 1-½ cups of the cheese sauce over the veggies (add more sauce if you want your pot pies extra-cheesy). Using a large spoon or spatula, gently toss the veggies in the cheese sauce, thoroughly combining.
- Spoon filling into prepared ramekins and cover with top pie crust. (See instructions for pie crust above).
- Place ramekins on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet and bake at 425° for approx. 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. I suggest keeping an eye on them after about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool on baking rack. Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Lisa
I made this last night and it was a total winner! I added garlic and onion powders and extra nutritional yeast to the cheese sauce for a slightly sharper flavour. I also forgot to double the pie dough quantity to allow for the pie lid and so put filo pastry on the top. It was simply delicious and we will definitely make this again. Thanks for the share!
Connie Edwards McGaughy
Lisa - So glad you loved the Vegan Broccoli Cheese Pot Pie! Adding garlic, onion powder & extra nooch must have given it a really nice boost. Thanks a bunch for sharing!💚🥕
Connie Edwards McGaughy
Such a scrumptiously satisfying dish. Perfect as an entree or side.
robin
Could I ask where you purchased your cast iron pots?
Connie Edwards McGaughy
Hi Robin! I love those little pots, I use all the time. They even have matching cast iron lids. I buy them at Bed Bath & Beyond. I have several links to them in the recipe post.