This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
This Slow Cooker Vegetarian Pot Pie is easy to make and the whole family will love it. Comfort food is as close as your slow cooker or crock pot.
This is one of my favorite dinners to make. So good and so comforting. Be sure to check out all my great vegetarian recipes!
You’ll want this recipe in your recipe box along with my Crock Pot Minestrone, Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup, and Broccoli Wild Rice Soup.
We appreciate your support
Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
Reader requests
One of my most popular recipes is my Mom’s Vegetarian Pot Pie.I’ve been asked for a slow cooker / crock pot version of that comfort food favorite.
So, I set about working up a recipe. Using the same ingredients, but only made in the crock pot.
No cooking of anything on the stove, and then adding it to the crock pot.
I just wanted this recipe to be super easy, and if, say, your kitchen is being remodeled and you have no stove, you can still make this pot pie and have some yummy homemade food.
Dumpling toppers
Update January 2020: I have received some questions about the dumplings on top, so I went back and tested them again. They worked for me in all my original testing. But the follow up testing in 2020 the dumpling toppers did not work.
I used a larger crock pot in 2020, so maybe that’s why. I’m not sure yet.
For now, I’ve made the recipe several times and can’t figure out why it doesn’t work for some people.
If you want to try them, feel free. I’ll continue to test more to see if I can fix them.
I do apologize for any inconvenience! But I think the recipe is a great one, so I’ll continue to have it up on the blog! And thanks for your understanding!
What size slow cooker should I use?
I used my medium sized 4 quart round slow cooker. And it was very full! I think this will also work in a large 6 quart slow cooker, and the extra space on top would give more room for the biscuit crust.
Buttermilk Dumpling Biscuit Crust
I guess the buttermilk biscuit crust that I went with is actually more like dumplings.
Though I didn’t grow up with chicken and dumplings, so I’m not super familiar with the meal.
My husband tells me that his mom made dumplings when he was a kid. And, he has fond memories of those meals.
For me, this was the best way I could think of to make a crust that cooks in the crock pot. Remember, I wanted the whole thing to cook in the slow cooker for you.
Of course, you can go with the recipe as I’ve written it, and I do think this is delicious just the way it is! Or, you can leave the topping crust off and serve it as a soup.
You could also serve buttermilk biscuits on the side that you baked in the oven. I’m partial to this recipe for Skillet Buttermilk Biscuits. You could bake up separate fun puff pastry toppers like this recipe or even pie crust baked up separately, maybe cut them into cute shapes.
Or, serve the pot pie filling with store bought biscuits.
Dumpling Biscuit Crust Recipe
(again, I’m not sure that this will work in all crock pots. still testing, but included for those that it has worked for in the past)
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ teaspoons granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup buttermilk
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients in the bowl, and mix until a loose sticky batter forms, and all ingredients are combined.
Drop the biscuit crust batter by large spoonfuls onto the top of the pot pie filling in the slow cooker. Leave the lid off and cook for 1 hour on high.
Can I add chicken to this to make it a chicken pot pie?
Of course! I’d suggest tossing in some already cooked shredded rotisserie chicken at the end of cooking. Just heat the chicken through.
Oh, or toss in some leftover thanksgiving turkey after the big meal is over!
What else can I add to give it more protein?
- White beans
- Lentils
- Tofu
- Edamame
If you don’t cook with wine, simply replace the 1/4 cup of wine with 1/4 cup of broth. The pot pie will still taste great.
When I was a kid my mom replaced the wine in any recipe with 7up. I think that would be too sweet for me at this point in life. You could also use apple juice as a substitute, which will also make the dish on the sweet side.
Serve this for the holidays
This vegetarian pot pie would be perfect for Thanksgiving dinner, you know, for the veggies in your group.
I know it can be hard for some folks to come up with a good main dish for their vegetarian family members. So, this takes all the work out of it.
I’ve made the pot pie vegan several times before by simply using a neutral flavored plant-based milk like unflavored and unsweetened soy milk or almond milk. And, use oil or plant based butter spread in place of the butter.
To make the biscuits vegan would require more testing on my part, so I don’t have a good suggestion for that part yet. Maybe just leave them off for now.
But, if you have a great vegan biscuit recipe, please let me know! I’d love to try it!
Kitchen equipment you may need
6 quart Crock Pot
4 quart crock pot
Mixing bowls
Wooden spoons for stirring
Cute little casserole dishes for serving
Let’s connect
If you like seeing my recipes subscribe via email in the upper right.
Or, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, & much more:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!
And find my shop on Amazon for recommendations on cool tools
If you try this recipe,
please come back & leave a comment below letting us know how it goes.
Share a picture & tag @lifecurrents on Instagram.
Or you can upload a “tried it” photo (I would love to see)
via the pin.
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Pot Pie Recipe
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Pot Pie
Ingredients
Pot pie filling:
- 1 large onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
- 6 medium carrots
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup frozen peas thawed
Dumpling Biscuit Crust:
- again, I’m not sure that this will work in all crock pots. still testing, but included for those that it has worked for in the past
- 1 & ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 & ¼ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 & ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
Instructions
Make filling:
- Finely chop the onion. Add chopped onions, oil, salt, and pepper to the bowl of a large slow cooker, cover, and turn on high while you prepare the rest of the veggies.1 large onion, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Chop the potatoes into ½-inch dice. Make sure they are all fairly uniform in size so they cook at about the same rate.3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
- Peel and chop carrots into ¼-inch thick slices.6 medium carrots
- Add chopped potatoes, carrots, and broth to the slow cooker. Cover and turn to low. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.3 cups vegetable broth
- After filling has cooked for 6-8 hours, and veggies are tender.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave, about 30 seconds. Stir the ½ cup of flour into the butter, and mix the 1 ½ cups milk, dried thyme, garlic powder, and wine into flour. Stir with a whisk until most of the lumps have dissolved. Don’t worry if you have some left, they will disappear into the pot pie.1 tablespoon unsalted butter, ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups whole milk, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, ¼ cup dry white wine
- Stir the milk-flour mixture into the veggies in the slow cooker, fully mixing it in.
Make biscuit dumpling crust
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients in the bowl, and mix until a loose sticky batter forms, and all ingredients are combined.1 & ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 & ¼ teaspoons granulated sugar, 2 & ¼ teaspoons baking powder, ¾ teaspoons salt, ¾ cup buttermilk
- Drop the biscuit crust batter by large spoonfuls onto the top of the pot pie filling in the slow cooker. Leave the lid off and cook for 1 hour on high.
Finish pot pie:
- Stir the thawed peas into the pot pie filling, (remove one of the biscuits from the top if necessary to get at the filling). Taste the filling for salt and pepper.3/4 cup frozen peas thawed
- Serve the pot pie while hot. Garnish with additional fresh thyme if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Robert
I’ve made this dish several times now, with just veges, added veges, and added cooked chicken. It is a delightful blend, texture and combination of flavors. I sometimes add bay leaves with the onions as it feels a bit more festive. I haven’t had problems with the topping, I simply kept it all covered up while cooking and they come out perfect every time. Originally, it was an error, but then I noticed to leave the lid off.
I’ve done other versions of this to make it totally Vegan for friend.
Allison
Would there be any options for the wine? We generally do not have that in the house ….
Debi
Allison, feel free to replace the wine with more broth. It’ll turn out great as well. When I was a kid my mom always replaced the wine in a recipe with 7up, but at this point in my life I think that would be too sweet. Apple juice would also be another option that would work. And, I’ll add this info to the post as well. Thanks for the reminder to do so. Happy eating!
Anna
I made this today and it’s good. I added some mushrooms and celery. the recipe was a little confusing, because I didn’t read the blog post first. I used the in blog directions for the topping and it worked for me in my 6Qt slow cooker. I love when a recipe. I can’t think of why they wouldn’t work. I will definitely make this again.
Allison K
l wonder if white grape juice world work instead of wine,
Debi
Allison, yes, white grape juice will work instead of wine. It will make the dish slightly sweeter, which may be something your family likes. I’m fond of telling people that when I was a kid my mom always used 7up instead of wine in recipes. I loved it. Probably too sweet for me now, but it will totally work.
Allison K
The instructions say to add the biscuit part after 6-8 hrs but I saw no mention of how long for that stage (till done)
Debi
Allison K, They should cook for about 1 hour. I’ve updated the recipe card with the biscuit instructions to make it easier. I think it was a mistake for me to pull it out. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Christina
This soup hit the spot on a rainy November weeknight. We all liked it, including my 2 picky kids. After reading the update, I decided to make it without the topping and made my own biscuits separately.
What I appreciate about this recipe is that I can make it as is and everyone can add either cooked chicken or white beans for protein which is great for a family with vegetarians. Also, thank you to the author who included the ingredient measurements in the instructions. That makes following a recipe SO much easier. Why doesn’t everyone do that?
I’m adding this meal to my weeknight rotation.
Debi
Christina, thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate them! And thanks for noticing the ingredient measurements in the recipe. I’m trying to go back and add those to all my recipes to make it easier to use them all. I’m so glad they help!
Sarah
Great recipe! I just bought a slow cooker and this was my first recipe to try out. I used a 7 qt pot and found that after the one hour my biscuits were still raw on the bottom. I just flipped them after the one hour and cooked for an additional half hour. And they turned out perfect.
Kayla
I just made this for the first time and followed the instructions and some of my biscuits are cooked good and some are still raw
Elizabeth
Can I cook this on high for 4 hours instead of low for 6-8?
Debi
Elizabeth, yes, you can cook it on high. It may not be quite as good. Low-slow cooking blends flavors and cooks without burning anything. Cooking things faster and hotter will not make the food as tender as it would be – but it will still be cooked.
Tori
Thanks for this recipe! I’m excited to try it. Thinking about adding either lentils or white beans for protein. Would you recommend dry or canned?
Debi
Tori, I’m a big fan of the ease of canned beans. If you used dry, I would suggest cooking them separately then adding them. With canned ones, you just have to add them after draining them. Easy peasy. 🙂 Enjoy!
Arshia Singh
Just made this today and it’s delicious!! Just like you’d imagine you’d want pot pie. Made it vegetarian and added chicken into at the end for my boyfriend. Thanks for sharing!
Tina
I love this recipe.It is also good adding chicken.
Priya
This was so delicious! We recently went vegetarian and I was looking for a substitute for the traditional chicken pot pie. I did not try the biscuits, and made a few changes based on the ingredients I had. I added some finely chopped celery to the onion, olive oil, and salt & pepper. Instead of vegetable broth I made 3 cups of broth using the Better than Bouillon “not chicken”. I had 2% milk and half & half but not whole milk, so I did 1.25 cups of 2% milk and 1/4 cup of half & half. Finally, when it was done in the crock pot I put the filling in a glass baking dish and covered it with a layer of pillsbury crescent roll dough (because that’s what I had on hand) and baked it at 375 for about 15 minutes. It was delicious! I served it with garlic bread so there was extra bread for dipping. I’m putting this on my regular rotation.