Chickpea Pot Pie

A vegan twist on a classic pot pie! This recipe is a crowd pleaser for both vegans and meat-eaters alike, relying on familiar flavors and a super flaky pie crust.

The Origin

For years, Sally’s Baking Addiction has been one of my favorite baking blogs. When I found her recipe for Turkey Skillet Pot Pie, it looked like a wonderful pot pie with classic, nostalgic flavors. Although I didn’t eat meat growing up, my parents would often make these Amy’s pot pies for an easy dinner and so I was familiar with the comforting aura of pot pie. I decided to try out this recipe but with my husband’s favorite food – chickpeas! Although I started out following her recipe more closely, I made a few tweaks to make it my own and to really accentuate the chickpeas.

This dish is now one of our favorites to make for guests – most of my friends who have come over in the past 2 years for dinner have had it at least once, if not more. It’s the perfect meal for 6, or if you have more people, just increase or even double the filling ingredients and make sure your crust is big enough to cover the whole pan. Not to mention it makes great leftovers!!

The Ingredients

It might deceptively seem like the star here is the chickpeas, but really, it’s the pie crust. If you haven’t made it before, I promise you, you can do it. Read this recipe at least once (yes, including the description) and then try it out. It makes 2 crusts and you only need 1 for this recipe, but you can save the other in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you’re vegan, just use Miyoko’s (my favorite vegan butter) or any other brand available to you as a substitute for the butter, otherwise following the recipe as is. I’ve made it like this many times and it turns out even better than the dairy version in my opinion!

Okay but of course we also have to make a great filling to hold up to that perfect crust. Our filling here is made up of:

• Vegetables: I stick to the absolute classics of pot pie – garlic, onion, carrot, peas, corn and potato. If you don’t like my choices, feel free to sub out with your favorite pot pie veggies!
• Chickpeas: These add protein and fiber to our pot pie and let us pretend that it’s a very healthy meal😉They are also delicious – they get super soft from the cooking and really absorb the flavor of the sauce.
• Thyme: The absolute key to that nostalgic pot pie flavor. Don’t skip it!!
• Flour, milk, broth, salt and pepper: Together, these combine to make our creamy and thick base that makes pot pie that memorable comfort food. I haven’t tried this with any flour types other than all-purpose but let me know in the comments if you do! I’ve tried all of dairy, oat and almond milk and it turned out great every time. For the broth, I always use Better than Bouillon but any variety works!

The Method

I always assumed that pot pie would be so difficult to make, but this recipe is actually fairly simple. A few potential stumbling blocks that I’ll point out before you get started:

1. If you include potatoes, make sure they are fully cooked (easily stabbed with a fork – or just taste one!) before you put on the crust and put it in the oven. I made this fatal error myself once and ended up having to pick out half the potato pieces as I ate it because they were still hard. The potato will not cook substantially in the oven.
2. Once you add the milk and broth, don’t let the mixture dry out. If you notice the liquid getting thick, that’s okay, but if it dips too far below the filling ingredients, don’t be afraid to keep adding water (or broth if it’s not too salty) as long as it’s still on the stove. The filling liquid will cook off a bit more in the oven, so it’s better to err on the side of slightly too wet vs too dry while it’s cooking.

This pot pie has brought me and my family a lot of joy and comfort, so I really hope you enjoy trying out this nostalgic classic for yourself.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Chickpea Pot Pie

Author: Campbell Recipe Keys: Vegan

Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 1 hr Total Time 1 hr 15 mins

Servings: 6

Description

A vegan twist on a classic pot pie! This recipe is a crowd pleaser for both vegans and meat-eaters alike, relying on familiar flavors and a super flaky pie crust.

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 tbsp oil or butter
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 2 carrots (peeled and diced)
• 2-3 clove garlic (peeled and diced)
• ¹⁄₂ russet potato (peeled and 1/2 inch dice)
• ¹⁄₂ cup frozen peas
• ¹⁄₂ cup frozen corn
• 15 oz chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• ¹⁄₄ cup flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ¹⁄₂ cup milk (I prefer oat)
• ³⁄₄ tsp dried thyme
• ¹⁄₂ tsp salt
• ¹⁄₈ tsp black pepper
• 1 pie crust (homemade or storebought)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit.

2. Heat a cast iron skillet or other oven-safe pan over medium heat. Add oil or butter, onion, and carrot and cook over medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

3. Add garlic, potato, frozen corn and peas, and cook until peas and corn are defrosted and warm, about 3 minutes.

4. Add flour, dried thyme, salt, pepper and chickpeas and cook 3 more minutes.

   

5. Add veggie broth and milk and bring to a summer. Allow to simmer for 10-20 minutes, adding water as needed.

6. Taste teste for salt/pepper. Once potatoes are soft, remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

   
   It is critical that the potatoes are soft and enjoyable before you stop cooking. They will only get slightly more soft in the oven. You can pre-cook your potato to reduce the cook time.

7. If your pan is not oven-safe, transfer the filling to a casserole or pie dish.

8. Roll out your pie crust to match the size of your pan (or slightly larger) and place the pie crust over the filling. Brush the pie crust with milk and cut 4 slits to allow for air to escape during baking.

   

9. Bake 35-40 minutes or until crust is golden-brown and filling is bubbling. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving!

Note

• This recipe was inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction Easy Skillet Pot Pie.
• You have a few options for the pie crust. I HIGHLY recommend making your own crust and following this recipe. I have made it with both regular butter and vegan butter and I find it turns out best with Miyoko's vegan butter. If you're not up for that much effort, you can use store-bought pie crust or even store-bought puff pastry. Both are usually vegan but check the label to be sure.
• I always use Better than Bouillon mixed with water for my vegetable broth. It's so flavorful and it last forever. They have a Vegetarian "No Chicken" flavor that works perfectly with this dish, but the Seasoned Vegetable Base is also very good.
• The quality of your chickpeas matters!! We prefer Goya or Bush's, but if those aren't easily available for you, try a few different brands and see which ones taste best straight out of the can.

Keywords: savory, chickpea, vegetarian, vegan