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Easy vegan shepherd's pie made with vegan ground beef and corn with fluffy mashed potatoes on top. Dinner ready in just 1 hour.
Growing up, my mom and stepdad made shepherd's pie all the time. It was by far one of my favorite meals.
But they made it a little differently than most (though I never realized it at the time.) Instead of the typical carrots and peas, they used corn. It also wasn't super soupy or "sloppy" like some.
And I have to say - my parents were onto something because it is definitely the best shepherd's pie I've ever had. Of course, you know I had to veganize it.
This vegan shepherd's pie calls for a super flavorful mixture of vegan beef and corn, topped with fluffy mashed potatoes. Perfect for you meat-and-potato lovers!
Ingredients
- Mashed potatoes: One batch calling for about 1.5-2 pounds of potatoes will work for this recipe. You can make stovetop vegan mashed potatoes or Instant Pot!
- Oil: For cooking the "beef" in. You can leave this out if you want to go oil-free.
- Vegan ground beef: There are tons of great options for vegan ground meat on the market now. Impossible Burger, Beyond Burger, Gardein Beefless Crumbles, Morningstar Crumbles, Trader Joe's Beef-less Ground Beef...and this homemade vegan ground beef using TVP. Just use your favorite! Personally, we usually reach for Gardein.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt
- Flour and vegetable broth: For a light "gravy" to add some moisture to the meat and corn. You can use gluten-free flour (a 1-to-1 version) if needed.
- Corn: You can use either frozen corn or canned corn (make sure to drain it if using canned.)
- Optional - Shredded vegan cheese: My parents always used to add cheese on top of our shepherd's pie. It adds another element of deliciousness! There are lots of great dairy-free options on the market these days: VioLife, Follow Your Heart, Daiya, and more. Use your favorite or just leave it off. I usually like it without the cheese.
How to Make Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Step 1: Make the mashed potatoes. See the Ingredients section above or the recipe card below for the links to two recipes I use for vegan mashed potatoes.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 425°F.
Step 3: Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add vegan beef to the pan along with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt. Sauté until browned.
Step 4: Mix in the flour and cook for a minute. Cooking the flour for a bit helps remove that flour taste. You know what I mean, right?
Step 5: Stir in the vegetable broth and corn. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the corn is warmed through and the mixture has thickened.
Step 6: Add beef mixture evenly to a casserole dish. I use a 3-quart size dish. Dollop the mashed potatoes on top and spread evenly.
Step 7: Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Top with about a cup of vegan cheese about halfway through if desired.
Adaptations
- Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie: See this recipe using sweet potatoes and lentils for a different variation!
- Different vegetables: Don't like corn? Use whatever veggies you want. Carrots, peas, cauliflower, and green beans will work great for this recipe.
- More Gravy: If you like your shepherd's pie to have more of a thick soupy texture, simply double the flour and vegetable broth.
- Lentils: To use lentils instead of beef, simply cook 1 cup of lentils according to the package instructions before proceeding with the instructions in the recipe card
Make-Ahead
To make this recipe ahead of time, you have two options.
- Make the two components (beef mixture + mashed potatoes) ahead of time and store separately in the fridge.
- Completely assemble the shepherd's pie and store in the fridge (don't bake yet).
You can make this recipe up to 2 days ahead of time.
When you're ready to bake it, put together the shepherd's pie if needed, then bake as instructed - but add about 15 minutes to the cooking time since it's going straight from the fridge to the oven. You may need to cover the dish with foil to prevent over-browning.
Storage
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Freezer: Frozen-then-thawed mashed potatoes have a totally different texture so I don't recommend freezing this recipe. However, you can absolutely make the beef mixture and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Enjoy this vegan shepherd's pie for an easy dinner during the week, or a special occasion meal for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Serve with some vegan cheddar biscuits.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Please leave a comment and a ⭐ star review below!
Recipe
Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- 1 batch mashed potatoes see notes
- 2 teaspoons oil
- ¾-lb to 1-lb vegan beef see notes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon flour
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup corn frozen or canned
- optional: 1 cup shredded vegan cheese
Instructions
- Prep work: Make the mashed potatoes. Use your preferred recipe or see the notes for my two favorite recipes.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add vegan beef to the pan along with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt. Cook until browned.
- Mix in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the vegetable broth and corn. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the corn is warmed and the mixture has thickened.
- Add beef mixture evenly to a casserole dish (3-quart size works well.) Spread mashed potatoes evenly on top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is browned. Top with vegan cheese about halfway through if desired.
Notes
- Mashed potatoes recipe: Make this stovetop version or Instant Pot version.
- Ground Beef: Vegan ground beef comes in many different sizes, hence the measurement variation. One package of Impossible Burger is ¾-lb, one package of Gardein Beefless Ground is about .85-lb. This homemade vegan ground beef is 1.5-lb. Just use about a pound (a little less and a little more is fine!)
