This post may contain affiliate links. Where I make a small commission on purchased items, at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure for details.
The British classic, mince and onion pie, made vegetarian for a healthier yet wildly comforting alternative. It’s easy to make, packed full of flavour and would be the perfect accompaniment to Yorkshire puddings and crispy roast potatoes on your Sunday dinner plate! You can easily tweak it to be vegan too.
We love a good savoury pie here in England. Whether it’s centre stage in your Sunday dinner or with chips and gravy from the Chippy, we can’t seem to get enough of them!
And for good reason. Just like vegetarian shepherd’s pie, they’re hearty, filling and seriously satisfying! It makes sense that we love them so much. That’s why I thought I’d share one of my favourite homemade pie recipes with you!
This may surprise you to know but I haven’t actually eaten meat in over 2 years. And I honestly don’t miss it one bit. Cutting out meat opened up a whole new world of different foods and ways of cooking. It was liberating!
This recipe was born out of the fact that I was craving a proper comforting, homemade pie that was simple but delicious. Yes you can buy tons of really good vegetarian/vegan pies now but they all try to overcompensate with crazy flavours and ingredient combos. I just wanted a regular British pie.
Cue my vegetarian mince and onion pie recipe. It’s simple, it’s easy to make and the ingredients are easy to get hold of. I love it so so much! I really hope you do too.
Can you make this mince and onion pie vegan?
Yes! The filling is naturally vegan (although do check the labels to be absolutely sure!), you simply need to switch out the homemade pastry for shop bought shortcrust pastry. That’s right, the majority of shop bought pastry is accidentally vegan! Again, make sure you check the labels to be safe.
Vegetarian mince and onion pie – recipe summary
It’s a lot easier than you might think!
- Mix flour, salt and cubed butter together to form crumbs then add cold water. Bring together, wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hour.
- Fry onion and garlic then add frozen soya mince and cook.
- Add gravy, a vegetable stock pot, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper and cook, stirring well, for a few minutes. Allow to cool.
- Roll out the pastry and line your dish with it.
- Add the cooled filling.
- Roll out excess pastry and line the top to make a lid.
- Trim the excess pastry, crimp the edges and brush with beaten egg.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to know about the ingredients needed to make a vegetarian mince and onion pie.
- Flour – Plain/all purpose flour is best for shortcrust pastry.
- Salt – Table salt is fine. We want flavour not texture so no need to get fancy.
- Butter – Use unsalted if you can, it gives you complete control over the salt content/flavour that way.
- Oil – I like to use olive oil for the flavour but vegetable or sunflower would work too.
- Garlic – I use quite large cloves so if you only have small, you may want to add more.
- Onion – A regular yellow onion works perfectly in this pie.
- Meat Free Mince – I find the frozen varieties work best and are really cost effective! Tesco’s own brand meat free mince works well in this pie.
- Gravy – Honestly? I cheat and use Bisto Onion Gravy Granules. It tastes delicious!
- Vegetable Stock Pot – You can use a stock cube but I prefer the little jelly pots as they melt better.
- Balsamic Vinegar – A good quality one is always nice but any will work fine in this recipe.
Recipe tips!
I’ve made plenty of mistakes so you don’t have to! Here’s some helpful tips to help you get it right first time…
- When making pastry, the smaller you cube the butter, the quicker it will rub into the flour.
- Always use cold butter when making pastry. Warm butter will melt and things will get very messy very quickly.
- When making the filling, check the seasoning as you cook. If you add it at the end it will just taste salty.
- Allow your filling to cool before adding it to the pastry. This will help avoid a soggy bottom.
- Brush your pie with beaten egg for a beautiful shiny golden finish.
- Don’t like waste? Use the remaining beaten egg to make Yorkshire puddings!
- Bake your pie on a baking tray in case it bubbles over.
Other recipes you might like…
- Vegetarian shepherd’s pie
- No fail easy Yorkshire pudding recipe
- Crispy roast potatoes
- Ultimate roast vegetables
- Easy vegetable wellington
- Honey roast parsnips and carrots
Vegetarian Soya Mince and Onion Pie – Step by Step Picture Recipe
Here is what you will need to serve 4 people.
(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)
Ingredients
Pastry
- 210g (1 + 2/3 Cup) Plain/All Purpose Flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 115g (1/2 Cup) Unsalted Butter, cold & cubed
- 5-6 tbsp Cold Water
- 1 Egg, beaten (for brushing)
Filling
- 2-3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, diced
- 2 Large Garlic Cloves, minced
- Salt & Pepper
- 250g (8.8 oz) Frozen Soya/Meat Free Mince
- 400ml (1 + 2/3 Cup) Onion Gravy
- 1 x Vegetable Stock Pot
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Essential equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Pastry Blender (optional but handy!)
- Large Frying Pan
- Wooden Spatula
- Measuring Jug
- Rolling Pin
- 18cm (7″) Baking Dish
- Sharp Knife
- Baking Tray
Pastry instructions
In a large mixing bowl mix together the flour (210g | 1 + 2/3 Cup) and salt (1/2 tsp).
Then add the cold, cubed butter (115g | 1/2 Cup) and rub everything together between your forefingers and thumbs until it resembles fine crumbs. Alternatively you could use a pastry blender (affiliate link) for this which will make it quicker!
Then gradually add 5-6 tbsp of cold water to bowl and mix until it comes together to form a scrappy ball of dough. Remember you can always add more but you can’t take it out, so go easy!
Now wrap your pastry in cling film, flatten it into a disc (this will help it chill faster) and place into the fridge to rest for 1 hour.
Filling instructions
While the pastry is chilling, make the filling. Place your frying pan over a low/medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil (2-3 tbsp). Then add the diced onion (x 1) and fry, stirring frequently with a wooden spatula, for 4-5 mins until translucent.
Next, add the minced garlic (2 x large cloves) to the pan and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Now would be a good time to add a generous helping of salt and pepper too.
Now add the frozen mince (250g | 8.8 oz) to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 5 mins or so until it’s not frozen anymore.
Time to add the gravy (400ml | 1 + 2/3 Cup). So if you need to make yours from granules, do that now according to the packet instructions.
Pour the gravy into the frying pan along with the vegetable stock cube (x 1), balsamic vinegar (1 tbsp) and more salt and pepper. If you’re using fresh gravy, it’s ok to pour it straight into the pan cold.
Give everything a really good stir through and continue to cook for 5 mins or so, until it leaves a trail when you pull your spatula through it. It should still be very moist.
Allow your filling to cool before using it. It will thicken on standing.
Assembly instructions
Preheat your oven to 210ºC/200ºC Fan/410ºF.
When your pastry has had 1 hour in the fridge, take it out, unwrap it and place onto a lightly floured work surface. Then, using a rolling pin, roll it out to about 2mm thick.
Next, carefully drape the pastry over your baking dish (18cm / 7″) and gently press it in, making sure not to trap any air bubbles.
Then trim off the excess with a sharp knife.
Re-roll the remaining pastry to 2mm thick. It needs to be large enough to make the lid. You can use any scraps to make decorations for the top. I used plunge cutters to make little leaves.
Time to add your filling! Give it one final thorough stirring, then pour it into the pastry lined dish.
Now carefully lift the rolled pastry onto the top and trim off the excess around the edge.
Using your two index fingers, pinch or ‘crimp’ together the edges, all the way around the pie, to seal it shut.
For a beautiful finish, brush your pie all over with a little beaten egg. If you are decorating it with shapes, place those on after doing this – then brush those with beaten egg too.
Finally, cut a cross in the centre of the pie with a sharp knife to allow air to escape during baking.
Place your completed pie onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven to bake for 45 mins. It should be a deep golden colour on top and cooked through.
Personally, I like to allow a good 15 minutes cooling time before attempting to slice this pie, but you could dive straight in if you simply can’t resist! Enjoy my lovely 🙂
Have you made this recipe?
Have you made these epic Yorkshire puddings? I’d love to know if you have! Send me your pics, comments and questions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or email me at emma@kitchenmason.com.
Loved this recipe? Pin it!
Vegetarian Mince and Onion Pie - Printable Recipe
A gloriously golden vegetarian mince and onion pie that's hearty, satisfying and healthier than the meat alternatives. The perfect weekend bake!
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 210g (1 + 2/3 Cup) Plain/All Purpose Flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 115g (1/2 Cup) Unsalted Butter, cold & cubed
- 5-6 tbsp Cold Water
- 1 Egg, beaten (for brushing)
For the Filling
- 2-3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, diced
- 2 Large Garlic Cloves, minced
- Salt & Pepper
- 250g (8.8 oz) Frozen Soya/Meat Free Mince
- 400ml (1 + 2/3 Cup) Onion Gravy
- 1 x Vegetable Stock Pot
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Essential Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Pastry Blender (optional but handy!)
- Large Frying Pan
- Wooden Spatula
- Measuring Jug
- Rolling Pin
- 18cm (7″) Baking Dish
- Sharp Knife
- Baking Tray
Instructions
To Make the Pastry
- Mix together the flour and salt in a mixing bowl then add the cubed butter. Rub everything together between your index fingers and thumbs until it resembles fine crumbs. (You could use a pastry blender to speed things up.)
- Add the water a little at a time and bring together until it forms a dough.
- Flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hour.
To Make the Filling
- Heat the frying pan over a low/medium heat then add the oil. When hot, add the onion and cook for 5 mins until translucent. Stir often with a wooden spatula.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant then season with salt and pepper.
- Add the frozen mince and cook, stirring constantly, until it's not frozen anymore.
- If using gravy granules, make the gravy as per the packet instructions in a jug. (If using fresh, it's fine to use cold.)
- Add the gravy, vegetable stock pot, balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper to the pan. Stir well and cook for about 5 minutes. It should leave a slight trail when you pull a spatula through it.
- Leave to cool while you prepare the pastry. (It will thicken up.)
To Assemble the Pie
- Preheat your oven to 210ºC/200ºC Fan/410ºF.
- Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the pastry to approx 2mm thick with a rolling pin.
- Carefully lift it over your baking dish and gently press it in. Trim the excess pastry off with a sharp knife.
- Re-roll the rest of the pastry to 2mm thick for the lid. (You can also cut out any decorations from the scraps.)
- Fill the pastry lined dish with the cooled filling.
- Carefully lift the pastry over the top to form a lid, then trim the excess.
- Pinch/crimp together the edges to seal the pie.
- Brush the top with beaten egg, arrange any decoration (if applicable) then brush those with beaten egg too. Slice a cross in the middle with a knife to allow air to escape during cooking.
- Place on a baking tray (to catch any possible overspills) and bake for 45 mins until cooked through and gloriously golden.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 726Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 654mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 25g
Nutritional information on kitchenmason.com should only be used as a general guideline, I am not a certified nutritionist. Please always check labels for allergens where applicable.