Traditional shepherd’s pie is a meaty classic dish that most wouldn’t think could be easily replicated in a vegan way. Many vegan shepherd’s pie recipes use lentils instead of meat, which is of course tasty, but we wanted to try and make something that matched the flavor and texture of the original and would leave nothing missing for lovers of the dish. With so many meat alternatives available these days (seriously – there’s SO many!!) we made several versions of this meal until we found the perfect substitution.
We started with simply using vegan beef crumbles, which worked fine. The next time we went to make the meal, we had run out of plain crumbles, but did have some vegan meatballs in the freezer. We thought “why not just break these up to make our own crumbles?” It worked great texture-wise, and the flavor was delicious, too! But since they had a bit of an Italian spice to them, it wasn’t quite right. The next time we made these pies, we decided we wanted to use the the meatballs again, but in order to cut into that pre-packed Italian flavor, we tossed in some plain vegan steak tips. Voila! This is the magic mix that we stand by as the perfect mock shepherd’s pie.
If you are making your shopping list and want to know exactly which products to try to match our preferred combination of meat substitutes: we use Beyond steak tips and Gardein classic meatballs (not Ultimate, because those contain coconut oil, which we avoid). Just mince both to almost the size of crumbles. If you try another brand or combination of alternatives, please leave a comment to tell us what you like best!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds russet potatoes (approx. 4 medium-sized)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 10 oz. vegan meat (minced steak tips, meatballs, and/or crumbles)
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp mustard powder (optional)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¾ tsp dried thyme
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- ¾ cup frozen corn
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (Kroger brand is accidentally vegan!)
- 4 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
- 2-3 Tbsp vegan butter
- 2-3 Tbsp plant-based milk
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 Tbsp plant-based ranch dressing
- Vegan bacon bits for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Step 1. Peel and cube potatoes and boil for ~15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside. (see note 1)
- Step 2. Heat oil in a skillet and sauté carrots for 2-3 minutes, then add onion and vegan meat. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the mixture and sauté until onions are softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Step 3. Mix salt, garlic powder, mustard powder, black pepper, and thyme together and add spice mix to the skillet. Sauté approx. 1 minute more.
- Step 4. Add peas and corn (from frozen) and sauté to heat through, about 2 minutes.
- Step 5. Stir in water, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste to the filling mixture and remove from heat.
- Step 6. Mash the potatoes, and mix in butter and plant-based milk to your preferred consistency. (We like to make them more “smashed” than whipped.) Optionally, add garlic paste and vegan ranch dressing.
- Step 7. Next, broil the filling and top with potatoes for 5-10 minutes, checking constantly to make sure the potatoes don’t burn. You can either do this in one large pan to serve from, or in individual ramekins on a baking sheet.
- Step 8. Serve and add vegan bacon bits to garnish (optional).
Notes
- Alternatively, you may cook the potatoes ahead of time in the instant pot. Wash, but do not peel, the potatoes if using this preparation method. Pierce each potato a few times, add 1 cup of water to the instant pot, and place potatoes on insert or in a basket so they’re not in the water. Then cook on high pressure for 16 minutes and allow natural release, approx. 10 minutes. Peel them after they cool, and then mash.
All content © 2026 by The Mockingbird Kitchen
