Easy, one pan Chickpea Pot Pie is a fantastic vegetarian-friendly rendition on classic chicken pot pie. It’s creamy and veggie-filled with a buttery, flaky crust that’s sure to satisfy cravings. It’s the perfect warm and hearty dish!

Since moving to the Netherlands, I’ve had to rethink how I cook a lot of things. Items that we’d consider “pantry staples” in the states aren’t common here (looking at you, condensed milk and cream of mushroom soup)! Because of this, I’ve learned how to make a lot of things from scratch, to include pot pie!
This deliciously creamy and savory chickpea pot pie recipe is one of my favorites. I’m a huge fan of chickpeas as a healthy meat substitute, but I didn’t realize how much I’d love them in a creamy vegetable pot pie dish! This rich and creamy meal is a wonderful way to sneak in a few servings of vegetables.
One of my favorite parts about this vegetarian pot pie is the fact that it’s made in one pan. Any meal that doesn’t leave me with a bunch of dirty dishes is a winner in my book!
Ingredients for vegetarian pot pie
Chickpea pot pie has two parts: The vegetable filling…and everything else (i.e. sauce + crust)! Both parts of this dish are absolutely delectable and are made from a variety of ingredients. Here’s everything you’ll need:
Veggie Filling – Classic veggies sautéed in olive oil, onion, and garlic to soften them some before baking. The star players are:
- Carrots: We’ll need 1 cup of chopped carrots, which will be about 1 large carrot.
- Corn: ½ a cup of corn should be perfect. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned.
- Celery: We’ll use ½ cup of chopped celery, which will equal about 1 stalk.
- Peas: We will need one cup of peas. You can use fresh or frozen.
- Chickpeas: Lastly, we’ll be using 2 14-oz cans cans of chickpeas in this filling. Be sure to drain before adding!
Sauce and Crust – It wouldn’t be a vegetable pot pie without a bechamel sauce and buttery, flaky crust!
- Butter: We’ll be using ¼ cup (½ of a stick) of butter to make our bechamel sauce.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is perfect here, as it thickens the bechamel to hold all of our veggies.
- Salt: ½ tsp of salt seems to be the perfect amount for bringing out the veggies flavors while keeping sodium levels in check.
- Black Pepper: I like to use ¼ tsp of black pepper. You can add more or less to taste if you’d like.
- Vegetable Broth: Two cups of vegetable broth will help the sauce form a thick consistency.
- Heavy Cream: ½ cup of heavy cream helps to add texture to the sauce while also providing a bit of flavor.
- Dough: For the dough, we’ll be using 1 puff pastry dough (store bought or homemade pie dough).
- Egg: We will brush one whisked egg onto the top of the pie.
Let’s cook!
It’s very easy to make vegetarian pot pie in a cast iron. In total, prep should only require 15 minutes! How’s that for an easy dinner?
Step 1: Cook the veggies
To begin making this pot pie, preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add the onion, garlic, carrots, corn, and celery. Cook until the vegetables are tender and brightly colored, about 10 minutes. Next, transfer the veggies to a bowl and wipe the pan clean.
Step 2: Prepare the sauce
Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper, cooking until the flour loses its raw floury smell. This should take about 2 minutes. Next, gradually whisk in the broth to form a thick sauce. Remove from the heat and whisk to cool slightly, then slowly whisk in the cream. Finally, stir the cooked veggies, fresh or frozen peas, and drained chickpeas into the sauce.
Step 3: Assemble the dish
Top the cast iron with the puff pastry crust. You can weave it into strips (tutorial for lattice pie crust here), or you can place the entire dough on top of the pie. If you go with the latter, cut slits into the dough to vent the hot air. Trim the edges and tuck the dough inside the pan. Brush with the egg and set it in the oven (put a large baking sheet on a rack below to protect against leaks). Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Tips for making pot pie
Here is some helpful information to make your vegetarian pot pie experience a bit simpler!
How to veganize this recipe
There are three non-vegan items in this recipe that will need to be substituted in order to achieve a vegan pot pie. These include the egg, butter, and heavy cream.
- Egg: Since the egg is used to brush onto the top of the pie, you can simply omit this step. If you’d still like to give the pot pie a glaze, you can brush it with the vegan butter of your choice.
- Butter: Butter is one of the easiest ingredients to veganize. Simply swap it out and replace it with the plant-based butter of your choice.
- Heavy Cream: For a heavy cream substitute, you use coconut or soy milk.
What if I don’t have all of the listed vegetables?
Don’t worry! Vegetables are the most versatile part of this recipe. Omitting one or two (or even three) of them won’t hurt! Simply use what you have on hand, and your healthy pot pie will be delicious.
Vegetable add-ons
If you’re looking to load your pot pie with extra vegetables, consider adding golden or red potatoes and asparagus! Both ingredients taste wonderful when mixed with the rest of the pot pie.
How to store chickpea pot pie
Leftover chickpea pie can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To reheat, microwave in 15 second increments or place in the oven until warm.
Sides that go with pot pie
Consider making any of these easy dishes to eat alongside your veggie pot pie:
- Fresh Tomato Soup with Basil
- Healthier Deviled Eggs
- Tzatziki Cucumber Salad
- Roasted Asparagus with Smoky Romesco Sauce
Ingredients
Veggie Filling
- 1 Tbsp olive oil 15 mL
- ¼ cup chopped white onion ½ small onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup chopped carrots about 1 large carrot
- ½ cup corn 90 g
- ½ cup chopped celery about 1 stalk
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas 180 g
- 2 14-oz cans chickpeas drained, 425 g each,
Sauce and Crust
- ¼ cup unsalted butter 70 g
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 70 g
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth 473 mL
- ½ cup heavy cream room temperature, 120 mL
- 1 puff pastry dough (best ever homemade version here) thawed
- 1 large egg whisked
Instructions
- Veggies: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, corn, and celery. Cook until veggies are tender and brightly colored, about 10 minutes. Transfer veggies to a bowl and wipe pan clean.
- Sauce: Melt butter in the cast iron over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper, cooking until flour loses its raw floury smell, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in broth to form a thick sauce. Remove from heat and whisk to cool slightly, then slowly whisk in cream. Stir cooked veggies, fresh or frozen peas, and drained chickpeas into the sauce.
- Assemble: Top cast iron with puff pastry crust (either woven into strips or the entire dough covering the pie with slits cut in it to vent hot air). Trim the edges and tuck dough inside the pan. Brush with egg and set in the oven (put a large baking sheet on a rack below to protect against leaks.) Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
Tips & Tricks
- Egg: Since the egg is used to brush onto the top of the pie, you can simply omit this step. If you’d still like to give the pot pie a glaze, you can brush it with the vegan butter of your choice.
- Butter: Butter is one of the easiest ingredients to veganize. Simply swap it out and replace it with the plant-based butter of your choice.
- Heavy Cream: For a heavy cream substitute, you use coconut or soy milk.
Katie says
Made this for dinner tonight- delicious. I added an extra garlic clove and stock cube but it probably didn’t need it. Very yummy, thank you! Will be making this again in future!
Sarah says
So happy to hear, Katie! 😀
Elle says
We made this last night for the first time. It’s seriously delicious. Unprompted, my honey – a carnivore – rated it 5/5.
Sarah says
YAY! So happy to hear it, Elle! 😀
Kristin says
My 11 year old daughter has decided to be a vegetarian, so we’ve been trying out some recipes for her that we can all enjoy. Just made this tonight, and it was a huge hit! Everyone enjoyed it, including the toddler!
We’ll definitely be adding this to our repertoire!!
Sarah says
Yay! So happy to hear it, Kristin! 😀
Joan Goodman says
This was so delicious and easy to make…..then sauce was creamy and flavorful..wish I could share a picture as it was so pretty also!…..only change I made was to use only 1 can of chickpeas (not a fan) and added a cup of mix frozen veggies to make up for it.
Sarah says
So happy to hear you liked it, Joan! 😀 Enjoy!
Mary says
This recipe and the pastry recipe didn’t work for me. The sauce was way too thick. 1/4 of flour probably would have been plenty. The pastry dough had way too much liquid. Even after adding extra flour and even after freezing the dough for a few minutes after rolling it out, it completely fell apart. I’m a really skilled chef, so I’m not sure what happened here.
Sarah says
So sorry to hear it, Mary! While this recipe has been pretty heavily tested in our kitchen, I’ll keep your comment in mind for future retesting. Thanks so much!
Liberty Abigail says
I’m the only Vegetarian in my family, so I made this for myself and it tasted great!
Sarah says
So happy to hear it, Liberty! 😀
Lily says
I never leave comments on recipes but this was so good I had to give it a shout out!! I substituted a bell pepper for the corn (my partner doesn’t like corn), added red pepper flakes and paprika (we like all our meals to be a little spicy) but followed everything else to a “t”! The chick peas were a really great surprise as they mimicked what a potato would be in a traditional pot pie. Definitely sharing this one with my family. Thanks for the great recipe!
Sarah says
Yay! So happy to hear it, Lily! Love the spicy additions, I’ll have to try that next time 😀
Rebecca Chen says
Super yummy and got me thinking about some variations, like including mushrooms, for the many other times I’ll make this!
Sarah says
Oooh that would be delish! So happy you liked it! 😀
Emil says
Very tasty, loved it! Didn’t have veggie broth so substituted it with chicken broth, still tasted amazing.
Sarah says
So happy to hear it! Enjoy! 😀
Reanna says
I’m making this for my lunches and I made a homemade sourdough crust, I hope it’s okay it’s not puff pastry
Sarah says
Yep that should be fine! 😀
Katy says
This recipe was recommended and it looks amazing! I’m curious if you’ve ever tried making it with coconut cream? I’d love to try it for my fam but my brother’s vegan, so a heavy cream substitute wd be key. Thanks!
Sarah says
I haven’t tried it with coconut cream so I can’t be sure. I think the coconut might have a noticeable flavor though. You could try a vegan heavy whipping cream, like soy?
Jenn says
I make it with coconut milk and it tasted fantastic!! Thanks
Sadie says
I used the exact amount of flour and butter (even weighed) and the sauce was so gluey and thick the flour-ness never went away…
Sarah says
I’m sorry to hear that happened, Sadie! When the butter and flour are together in the pan, cook that mixture until the flourness goes away and it begins to turn a little golden, then add in the broth. You may also need more broth if the mixture is too thick for your liking.
Susan says
This was so yummy and easy! The entire family loved it!
Sarah says
Yay! So happy to hear it, Susan!
nancy says
I only have a 9” cast iron skillet. Would I just cut the recipe in half? Worried if the sauce would turn out OK if cut in half.
Sarah says
I wouldn’t cut it in half, just make it full and fit in what you can (I think most of the filling will fit!) 😀 Enjoy!
Theresa says
The whole family loves this dish! Vegetarian and meat eaters alike! I make it once every couple weeks once the air gets cool.
Sarah says
Aw so awesome! Thanks for dropping in to let us know how much you all like it! 😀
Leigh says
Can I use a regular pie crust instead of puff pastry?
Sarah says
Yep that would work! 😀
Lee miller says
Absolutely delicious. I added 2 small Yukon Gold potatoes, crushed garlic, and a bit of cayenne pepper to the ingredients and followed Sarah’s directions. Will make this again.
Sarah says
So happy to hear it! Happy pot pie season! 😀
Michelle says
I found this recipe a few years ago while searching for something hearty to make as a vegetarian entree for Thanksgiving, and it has been my Thanksgiving staple for at least 3 years now. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sarah says
Amazing! So excited to hear this, Michelle. Have a great feast! 😀
Janice says
If you could say what size your pans/dishes the finished product goes in that would be great for those of us that don’t cook often. EX: if ‘large’ skillet for this is that 12 in or 14 in skillet. Other recipes, 9 x 13 dish etc.
Sarah Bond says
This is a large, about 12 inches! 😀
John says
Very Good recipe. I had to use a gluten free pie shell to cover. I use King Arthur 1 for 1 gf flour, the rue look like a classic wheat flour rue and acted as it should a nice creamy sauce. Next time will add some chopped chili peppers as it was a bit bland for my tastes. Thanks.
Roxie Henderson says
Was absolutely delicious and very easy!
Kenneth in Illinois says
I had confidence in this pot pie since I had made it already for family. With multiple family members who are not vegetarians visiting for Christmas, I decided that it had to go on the menu. Recipe was doubled. I use puff pastry for crust, otherwise follow exactly as printed.. There were no “oh, this is pretty good considering it is for a vegetarian” sort of comments The dish just got cleaned out by eaters who obviously enjoyed it for itself, not as a “substitute”.
Sarah Bond says
I’m so happy to hear it Kenneth! Enjoy! 😀