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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Dinners

    Vegan Shepherds Pie

    Published: Feb 12, 2018 · Modified: Jan 24, 2019 by Kate Hackworthy · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe
    This vegan shepherds pie is easy to make in just 30 minutes and is full of nourishing ingredients. This healthy hearty comfort food brings mushrooms and lentils together under a blanket of crushed potatoes.  #veganrecipes #glutenfreevegan #shepherdspie #vegandinner

    Vegan Shepherds Pie is easy to make in just 30 minutes and is full of nourishing ingredients. This tasty hearty comfort food brings mushrooms and lentils together under a blanket of crushed potatoes. Vegan and gluten-free.

    Vegan shepherd's pie with crushed new potatoes on a plate with parsley. Gluten free and full of lentils and mushrooms.

     

    Easy Vegan Shepherds Pie

    In this 30 minute vegan shepherd's pie, earthy mushrooms and lentils mingle in a sumptuous broth beneath a crown of crushed potatoes.

    The potatoes get beautifully crispy on all the exposed edges and make this shepherd's pie extra special.

    Plus, it's easier than making mash and you can keep the skin on the spuds. And only 313 calories per serving!

    This vegan take on the classic family comfort food is packed with veggies with a herb-infused crushed potato topping. It's perfect for family meals.

    Baking dish of shepherd\'s pie.

    Commissioned by Tesco

    Family meals

    It's very important to me that we all eat together at the dinner table.

    My kids are still in primary school and although they often want plain pasta (why do kids love that so much! Bleurgh!!), I want them to have nourishing home-cooked foods, and for us all to eat together.

    This vegan shepherd's pie is perfect family food - it's quick, easy and the whole family are guaranteed to tuck in. It's now a regular on my meal plan along with other tasty vegan dishes like lentil dahl, Spanish beans and lentil soup.

     

    A casserole dish full of vegan shepherd's pie recipe ready to go into the oven.

    How to Make Vegan Shepherds Pie

    Step 1: Cook the baby potatoes until tender, then drain and lightly crush them. 
    Step 2: Saute the onions until soft, then add the mushrooms and cook until softened. 
    Step 3: Stir in the water, garlic, dried crushed chillies, lentils, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée, then reduce the heat and simmer.
    Step 4: Heat the grill/broiler. Add the lentil mixture to a casserole dish then cover with the potatoes. Cook under the grill/broiler for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy. 

     

    A casserole dish of cooked vegan shepherd's pie with crushed new potatoes instead of mashed potato.

    Veganized Shepherd's Pie

    Typical shepherds pie is made from ground meat topped with mashed potato. But there's no reason you can't veganize it!

    It's easy to swap the meat for chopped mushrooms and those luscious legumes: lentils. They give it a great flavour and texture that will even appeal to meat eaters.

    The other changeup in this recipe is that instead of mash, it's topped with crushed new potatoes.

    Crushing them allows lots of edges to get nice and crispy while it's baking, while the insides of the spuds stay soft. It's a wonderful contrast of texture that works beautifully against the earthy lentil and mushroom filling.

    Fresh parsley sprinkled over the potatoes lifts the dish and gives it a fragrant finish.

     

    A plate of shepherd\'s pie next to a baking dish of it.

    Get the Vegan Shepherd's Pie Recipe

    Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how this vegan shepherds pie recipe turned out for you! Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #veggiedesserts and tag @tescofood.

    Vegan shepherd's pie with crushed new potatoes on a plate with parsley. Gluten free and full of lentils and mushrooms.

    Vegan Shepherds Pie

    Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts
    Ready in just 30 minutes, this vegan shepherd's pie is hearty and tasty. The classic comfort food is elevated to extra-special with crushed new potatoes that get beautifully crispy. 
    4.82 from 16 votes
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    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine British, gluten-free, International, Vegan
    Servings 4
    Calories 313 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 500 g (3 cups) new potatoes
    • 2 tbsp parsley , finely chopped
    • 3 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 onion , finely chopped
    • 625 g (6 cups) mushrooms , halved and thinly sliced
    • 250 ml (1 cup) water
    • 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
    • ¼ teaspoon dried crushed chillies (optional)
    • 250 g (1 cup) ready-to-eat puy lentils (pre-cooked packet)
    • 1 can chopped tomatoes (400g/15oz can)
    • 2 tablespoon tomato purée
    • sea salt and black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 12 mins or until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Season, then lightly crush with a potato masher or fork. Stir in half the parsley.
    • Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoon of the oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 mins. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the mushrooms and fry for 7-8 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened.
    • Add the mushrooms and fry for 7 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened and they've released their juices.
    • Stir in the water, garlic, dried crushed chillies, lentils, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 mins or until the sauce has thickened, then add the remaining parsley and season with the salt and pepper. Preheat the grill to high.
    • Pour the lentil mixture into a large baking dish, then spoon the crushed potatoes over the top. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and grill for 8-10 mins or until the potatoes are golden and begin to turn crispy.
    • Enjoy!

    Notes

    Freezer-friendly. We would recommend cooling your leftovers as quickly as possible, ideally within two hours before freezing and then eating within 24 hours of fully defrosting.
    Adapted with permission from Tesco

    Nutrition

    Calories: 313kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 8gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 167mgPotassium: 1302mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 320IUVitamin C: 43.3mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 3.1mg

    The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.

    Vegan Recipes

    I adapted this recipe from Tesco.com. They have an ever-growing range of vegan recipes from breakfast and main meals to vegan desserts. Check out Tesco's vegan recipes. You'll find inspiration from mushroom carbonara and oat chickpea dumplings to lemon scones and salted caramel cupcakes. Tesco Read Food's Vegan Hub.

     

    This vegan shepherds pie recipe was commissioned by Tesco. Thanks for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to be a UK food blogger and write Veggie Desserts, about vegetable cakes, desserts and meals. 

    More Vegan Dinner Recipes

    • Vegan Pad Thai
    • Red Bean Stew
    • Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
    • Mushroom Ragu
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Debby

      March 04, 2021 at 1:27 am

      4 stars
      Liked this a lot. I added a few tablespoons of red wine and it really intensified the flavors. I'll be making it again.

      Reply
    2. Natalie

      January 10, 2019 at 2:03 pm

      5 stars
      WOW this Shepard's pie was so delicious and comforting! Hearty and perfect. We eat meat but are trying to cut down and this is perfect.

      Reply
      • Kate Hackworthy

        February 24, 2018 at 8:41 am

        That's another great thing about vegan food - it's faster to prepare!

        Reply
    3. Sarah

      October 03, 2018 at 9:29 pm

      5 stars
      The crushed potatoes on top were amazing! Much better than mashed potatoes. My kids even loved it and that's saying somethign (picky eaters).

      Reply
    4. Katrina

      June 12, 2018 at 7:47 pm

      5 stars
      Wow, just wow. I don’t like traditional Shepard’s pie because of the mash, but we LOVED this one. I chopped the mushrooms really finely so they were more like mince.

      Reply
    5. Nicky

      March 28, 2018 at 12:40 pm

      5 stars
      Looks so delicious! Mushrooms, garlic and crushed potatoes - WANT!!!!!

      Reply
    6. Yeah Lifestyle

      February 25, 2018 at 10:05 am

      This looks totally delicious and the potatoes are cooked so well, cant believe you have used lentils. I am trying to get my kids to eat more of it.

      Reply
    7. Becca Talbot

      February 24, 2018 at 5:30 pm

      I don't usually like shepherds pie or cottage pie, because I don't like the crusty mash on top. But I like the way of doing it with crushed potatoes on top instead - I may have to try this! x

      Reply
    8. Sarah

      February 24, 2018 at 5:10 pm

      5 stars
      Got it in the oven now! I saw the video on instagram and had everything except mushrooms.
      Got some and can't wait for dinner now.
      Smells good.
      Sarah

      Reply
    9. Julia

      February 24, 2018 at 2:05 pm

      5 stars
      What a great meatless alternative to this classic recipe! Love the photos!

      Reply
    10. Charla

      February 24, 2018 at 12:41 pm

      I do enjoy some good old British Shepherd's pie. Love that you made it vegan too!!

      Reply
    11. Tanya Brannan

      February 24, 2018 at 12:25 pm

      Absolutely fabulous recipe and one I will be trying out. My daughter went Vegetarian 18 months ago and even now I can still struggle for new ideas for dinner for her. This looks like something the whole family would love, not just her. so thank you!

      Reply
    12. Mairi

      February 24, 2018 at 12:13 pm

      5 stars
      This looks so tasty! I have got to try making this at home - yum. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.

      Reply
    13. Bethany Naismith

      February 24, 2018 at 11:39 am

      5 stars
      This looks so delicious! I'm not vegan, but I do have loads of vegan friends that I am going to try making this for!

      Reply
    14. Kaz | Ickle Pickles Life and Travels

      February 24, 2018 at 11:23 am

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for sharing this - I love the idea of a vegan shepherds pie. Kaz

      Reply
    15. Elizabeth

      February 24, 2018 at 11:01 am

      5 stars
      Even as a meat-eater this recipe sounds incredible! I am a big fan of lentils though, and that potato topping sounds divine!

      Reply
    16. Suzie

      February 24, 2018 at 10:45 am

      5 stars
      This looks so good! I'll take a look at Tesco's vegan recipes. There's a metro near me so I pop in often.

      Reply
    17. Veena Azmanov

      February 24, 2018 at 8:15 am

      5 stars
      I love Shepard's Pie and over the years made the meat version - now in an attempt eat more veggies I've made a few vegetarian options. This sounds so incredibly delicious. Saving for later.

      Reply
      • Kate Hackworthy

        February 24, 2018 at 8:41 am

        I hope you enjoy this version!

        Reply
      • Sharon Kaluau-Ingram

        May 18, 2021 at 2:35 am

        Do you think this would work with with Yukon gold potatoes? I don't have new potatoes on hand. I also only have dried parsley not fresh. Do you think these subs will still work?

        Reply
        • Kate Hackworthy

          July 20, 2021 at 1:13 pm

          Yes, those subs should work!

          Reply

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    Popular recipes

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    Easter Recipes

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    • Nut Roast

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    Check out my Veggie Desserts Cookbook, full of tasty desserts with vegetables!

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