When the temps are cold (or freezing as they usually are here in Minnesota) nothing hits the spot quite like a pot pie. This meatless version is easy to make with a crust shortcut (thank you, puff pastry dough!), full of tender vegetables and soul-warming herbs that make it ultra-comforting.

Pot pie in ramekin with spoon holding filling.

While these individual pot pies aren’t a classic two-crust pot pie, you’ll love the ease of using puff pastry on top for a quick vegetarian dinner recipe. And you can’t argue with the buttery, flakey golden brown layers that are part of the deal with puff pastry.

Ingredients in Vegetable Pot Pie (and Substitutions)

There are a variety of both fresh and frozen vegetables in this vegetarian pot pie recipe to make it hearty and satisfying. The beauty though lies in the versatility. You can mix and match, adding a variety depending on what you have on hand or love.

Ingredients on cutting board.
  • Butter and Olive Oil: used to saute the vegetables; if you’re looking to adapt this recipe to be vegan, you can use all olive oil.
  • Yellow Onion: the base of our aromatics; feel free to substitute shallots, pearl, or white onions.
  • Mushrooms: I like to use Baby Bella mushrooms, however, white mushrooms will work too (or quite frankly, whatever kind of mushrooms you prefer!).
  • Yukon Gold Potatoes (or Red Potatoes): these small potatoes have waxy skins that don’t require peeling, making them the perfect potato to use in this recipe (similar to the purpose behind using them in my potato soup).
  • Frozen Vegetables: originally, I specifically used a frozen pea and carrot blend, along with frozen corn. More recently, I’ve begun using just a frozen veggie blend, which includes green beans, for ease. I’ve made a note in the recipe card; feel free to use whichever you like!
  • Garlic: we’ve gotta have garlic in a savory, comforting recipe! Use my favorite garlic press to make life easy.
  • Red Pepper Flakes, Salt, and Pepper: I love using a pinch of red pepper flakes for an ever-so-subtle pepper flavor. I find that while a pinch goes unnoticed spice-wise, it adds a lot of depth. Feel free to omit if you’d like! Of course, be sure to add salt and taste test – remember to work the salt in layers to build flavor.
  • Bay Leaf: use a dried bay leaf to add flavor, just remember to remove it before assembling the pot pies.
  • Fresh Thyme and Rosemary: oh, cozy, cozy, cozy fresh thyme and rosemary. Two of my all-time favorite comforting herbs. If you don’t have fresh, feel free to substitute dried, just remember to halve the amount since it’s more potent.
  • Vegetable Stock: the stock is actually the base of our pot pie gravy, which means this is a dairy-free recipe (aside from that bit of butter if you use it). Using vegetable stock adds a great flavor, while also keeping the soup base lighter. You can also use vegetable broth, just keep in mind that it usually has added salt.
  • All-Purpose Flour: used to help thicken the gravy.
  • Puff Pastry: as mentioned, the puff pastry is such an easy recipe hack. Just layer it on top of the ramekins and bake, resulting in a flakey, buttery topping. I like to use an egg wash on top to help encourage browning.

Substitutions and Adaptations

  • Vegetables: As mentioned, you can adjust the veggies as you’d like for this recipe. Wilt in kale or spinach, add celery…no limits! Others have loved broccoli and cauliflower, and butternut squash would be lovely for fall.
  • More Protein: to add a vegetarian protein source, I recommend adding a can of beans, like cannellini or white beans to the filling. Chickpeas would also be an excellent addition.
  • Traditional pie crust can also be used in place of puff pastry.

Do note, that if you add a can of beans you will have more filling and thus need more, or larger, ramekins. You can also freeze the excess filling to save for later!

How to Make Mini Veggie Pot Pie

It is so easy to make these mini pot pies, all you’ll need to do is a little sauteing and simmering before assembling and baking each ramekin.

Before you begin, I recommend removing the puff pastry sheets from the freezer. They will need about 40 minutes or so to warm so that they are soft enough to work with.

  1. To start making the base of the veggie pot pies, begin sauteeing the onion and potato. Next goes in the mushrooms, which will need a few minutes to release their liquid. Be sure to add a pinch of salt, too, to begin layering in flavor.
  2. Add the herbs and spices, then the flour. Whisk the flour and allow it to cook for a minute before whisking in vegetable stock. Make sure the flour is fully incorporated into the stock, as it will thicken the sauce.
  3. Simmer the sauce for about 8 minutes or so, until thickened, then add the frozen vegetables. Note: you can use fresh carrots, just saute them with the onion and potato. The filling will be thicker but like gravy or thick soup.
Dutch oven with vegetable pot pie filling.

Remember to add salt through and be sure to taste test!

Fill 8-ounce ramekins about 3/4ths of the way full to allow room for expansion as they bake. As you can see, you’ll likely still have a little overflow, so I do recommend placing the ramekins on a baking sheet, too.

Vegetable pot pie filling in ramekins.

Prepare an egg wash by whisking together 1 egg and a little water. Set it aside until the puff pastry is ready.

Take one of the puff pastry sheets and unfold it. Use a sharp knife to cut the sheet into 4 large squares. I run my knife down the middle both ways to create these equal squares. Cut a small X in the middle of each square to allow a spot for air to escape while baking.

Puff pastry on ramekins before baking.

Do the same with the other sheet of puff pastry dough, then place each square on top of a ramekin, folding it down around the edges. Brush the tops with egg wash and add a pinch of flakey sea salt, if desired.

Then, it’s time to bake the pot pies! Bake until the puff pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly and hot.

Vegetarian pot pies after baking on baking sheet.

Turn it into One Large Pot Pie

Over the years, I’ve gotten the question a few times about if this can be turned into one large pot pie. And you can, you simply might need to adjust the puff pastry amount depending on the skillet size being used.

Try a more traditional pot pie and layer pie crust in a pie pan, and cover the top with the second crust.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Simply cover the ramekins (with the puff pastry on top) and place in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat in the microwave, remove the puff pastry and heat the filling in the ramekin. I recommend reheating the puff pastry in the oven, air fryer, or toaster oven so it gets crispy again. If that’s not an option, you can reheat it in the microwave as well.

You can also reheat the puff pastry in the oven until the filling is hot (10-15 minutes approximately). I like to cover the puff pastry for the first part of baking so it doesn’t burn, then uncover it so it crisps back up at the end.

Make Ahead Tips

This recipe is quite versatile and can easily be made ahead of time. To make a day or two in advance, I recommend making the filling and storing it in an airtight container or portioning it out into the ramekins and properly sealing them with foil or plastic wrap to create an airtight seal.

When ready to bake, remove the puff pastry from the freezer ahead of time and top, continuing with the directions as originally written.

Freezing Tips

This pot pie filling is especially easy to freeze since it’s dairy-free! The vegetable stock base freezes wonderfully.

  • Freeze the Filling: if you’ve just prepared the filling ahead of time and would like to only freeze it (and assemble the puff pastry on top later). I love using SouperCubes for portioned filling.
    • To bake, place the frozen pot pie filling in a ramekin (if it will fit, depending on how you froze it) or oven-safe baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then add the puff pastry and bake until golden brown. Baking time may vary depending again on how you froze the filling.
  • Freezing After Baking: if you have extra individual pot pies you’d like to bake, you can do so! It gets a little trickier once they’ve already been baked, because the puff pastry is on, but it’s totally doable! Either wrap the entire ramekin tightly with plastic wrap and foil or remove the puff pastry and wrap each one separately.
    • If together, cover the puff pastry with foil while reheating in the oven until the filling is thawed, then uncover to crisp up the puff pastry.
    • To reheat in the microwave, remove the puff pastry and defrost the filling. I recommend reheating the puff pastry in the oven, air fryer, or toaster oven so it gets crispy again!
Overhead of pot pies with spoon inside.

What to Serve with Pot Pie

These pot pies are so hearty and filling that many times we eat them as a meal themselves. However, a light green salad would be excellent alongside them, or even a side of roasted broccolini or steamed carrots would be a delicious vegetable addition.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!

Pot pie in ramekin with spoon holding filling.
4.72 (7 ratings)

Get the Recipe Individual Vegetarian Pot Pies

Individual Vegetarian Pot Pies are easy to make in ramekins. The filling is bursting with both fresh and frozen vegetables and topped with puff pastry. Made with soul-warming herbs, this vegetarian recipe is cozy and comforting!

Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven to 400°F and place 6, 8-ounce ramekins on a baking sheet for later (you can grease if desired, but I don't find it necessary). Remove puff pastry from freezer and let thaw while preparing the filling.
  • In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat butter and heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and diced potato; cook for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and mushroom. Let cook for another 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Stir in red pepper flake, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
  • Whisk in flour, continue stirring for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in vegetable stock until flour is mixed in thoroughly; add bay leaf. Simmer the mixture for approximately 8 minutes. Add frozen vegetables and simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Remember to taste test for salt and pepper levels (or herbs if you want more!). Remove bay leaf before transferring the filling.
  • Prepare egg wash by whisking together egg and water. Fill ramekins with pot pie filling, filling about 3/4ths of the way full, leaving some room for expansion during baking.
  • Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each puff pastry sheets into four squares. Score the tops by making two small cuts so air can escape. Place each square on top of each ramekin, pressing down and folding the edges over the ramekin. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle flakey sea salt if desired.
  • Bake the ramekins on the baking sheet (to catch any overflow) for 20-22 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly and hot. Let cool slightly before serving.

Notes

  • Frozen Vegetable Update (1/2022): the original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups frozen pea and carrot blend, along with 1 cup frozen corn. I’ve updated the recipe to 2 1/2 cups of any mix of frozen vegetables. I now tend to use a frozen vegetable mix (that includes peas, carrots, corn, and green beans). 
  • Serving size may vary depending on the size of your ramekins. If you use 6 8-ounce ramekins, you will have some puff pastry leftover. If you use smaller ramekins (and therefore have more individual pot pies), cut the puff pastry smaller and/or you may use it all. 
  • Leftovers: the ramekins store wonderfully in the fridge, covered. To reheat, I place the ramekin in the oven while it preheats; once the puff pastry is warm and peels off easily from the ramekin, I pry it off, place it back in the oven, and put the ramekin in the microwave to heat up. This leaves the puff pastry crispy and flaky while heating up the pot pie filling much more quickly! You can heat the entire ramekin in the microwave, too, and place the top in the air fryer or toaster oven.
Calories: 708kcal, Carbohydrates: 67g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 45g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 23g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 883mg, Potassium: 550mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 4497IU, Vitamin C: 23mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!