Author: If you're looking for a savoury vegan pie recipe, you've come to the right place! Tourtiere is a traditional French Canadian meat pie, and I made it all sorts of untraditional by making it vegan. Woohoo! This vegan tourtiere has a drool-worthy chewy juicy meaty filling wrapped in a flaky pie crust. My veganized version of this French Canadian classic is a perfect dish to serve on the holidays or as a hearty, warming dinner during the coldest days.
I've seen several vegan tourtiere recipes using lentils as the base, but since I've already used lentils in my Shepherd's pie, and puff pastry wrapped lentil loaf recipes I wanted to try something different... and I'm SO glad I did - wow, this is delicious!
It was really important to me that I figure out how to get both the chewy texture and the juicy texture for the filling in this pie.
So for the chewy part, I made my tofu crumbles. If you've been hanging out on my blog for a while you will know I'm obsessed with making tofu crumbles. I've used them in my chili, bolognese, chorizo, lasagna soup, and tacos. Basically anywhere that I wanted a chewy ground beef texture. This simple technique makes the best chewy meaty texture ever!
For the juicy part, I used mushrooms. Instead of slicing them I chopped them for more of a ground meat texture. Then I sauté them so they become juicy and tender. The combo of the tofu crumbles with the mushrooms in this vegan tourtiere is total perfection.
This vegan savoury pie is the perfect centrepiece for a holiday feast such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it can also be enjoyed year-round! This vegan tourtiere can be made ahead of time and baked fresh. I've also included options in the recipe notes to make this recipe gluten-free or oil-free.
To make vegan tourtiere:
First, make the tofu crumbles.
Mix nutritional yeast, melted vegan butter, and soy sauce together in a large bowl. Open and drain the tofu (no need to press it), then use your fingers to break and crumble the tofu into the bowl. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in the seasoning mix.
Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the pan. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's ok because it will provide a variety of texture.
Make-ahead tip: you can prepare, bake, and allow the tofu crumbles to cool, then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 - 3 days until ready to use.
In the meantime, you can make the rest of the filling. Melt the vegan butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms reduce in size, darken in colour, and begin to get juicy. Turn off the heat, another 5 - 10 minutes.
Whisk ¾ cup of the cold vegetable broth and cornstarch together in a cup or bowl. Pour the vegetable broth mixture over the mushrooms and stir in the baked tofu crumbles, breadcrumbs, and all of the spices. If the mixture looks a bit dry add ¼ cup more vegetable broth as needed.
Now you can assemble the pie. Divide the pie dough into two and roll out both halves on a floured surface. You can see more tips on how to do this in this post. Line a 9" pie plate with one half of the rolled dough. Spoon the mushroom tofu filling into the pie crust and then pack it down firmly.
Top the pie with the remaining half of the dough. Pinch the edges together to seal the pie closed, then cut slits on top to allow steam to release.
You can optionally use leftover pie dough to cut leaves or other shapes and decorate the pie. Brush the top of the pie with aquafaba or plant-based milk.
Browning tip: aquafaba is the liquid in a can of chickpeas or white beans and I find that brushing this on your pie crust gets the best golden colour, but if you don't have that on hand you can sub plant-based milk.
Bake for about 40 minutes until the crust is golden, keeping an eye on it near the end so that it doesn't burn. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Common Questions:
Can tourtiere be frozen?
If wrapped tightly or stored in an air-tight container, tourtiere can be frozen for up to 4 months.
What do you serve with tourtiere?
It's traditional to serve vegan tourtiere with HP sauce or ketchup. I also like adding a side salad.
Can tourtiere be made ahead?
Yes, the entire pie can be made the day ahead of time and then baked fresh. To do this, allow the filling to cool completely before assembling the pie. Once assembled, cover with foil and chill in fridge for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, follow the baking instructions in the recipe, bake from chilled.
*See my recipe notes below for answers to more commonly asked questions such as gluten-free or oil-free!
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull
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Vegan Tourtiere (vegan meat pie)
Servings: servings (makes 1 pie)
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Ingredients
For the tofu crumbles:
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter or oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 block (12 oz/ 350 g) extra-firm tofu, drained (no need to press it)
For the rest of the filling:
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil
- 1 yellow onion,, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- 16 oz mushroom,, chopped
- ¾ - 1 cup vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, (optional, see notes)
For the pie crust:
- 2 times the recipe for Easy Vegan Pie Crust, (or store-bought vegan pie crust)
- aquafaba or plant-based milk, for brushing the pastry
Instructions
To prepare the tofu:
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease the pan.
- Mix nutritional yeast, melted vegan butter, and soy sauce together in a large bowl. Break the tofu into a few large chunks and add them to the bowl, then us a potato masher to mash the tofu into crumbles. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in the seasoning mix.
- Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the pan. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's ok because it will provide a variety of texture.
To prepare the rest of the filling:
- In the meantime, melt the vegan butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then add the onion and garlic, about 5 minutes. Sauté until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms reduce in size, darken in colour, and begin to get juicy, another 5 - 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Whisk ¾ cup of the cold vegetable broth and cornstarch together in a cup or bowl. Pour the vegetable broth mixture over the mushrooms and stir in the baked tofu crumbles, breadcrumbs, and all of the spices. If the mixture looks a bit dry add ¼ cup more vegetable broth as needed.
To assemble the pie:
- Turn your oven up to 400F (200C).
- Divide the pie dough into two, then roll out half of the pie dough on a floured surface. You can see more tips on how to do this in this post. Line a 9" pie plate with the rolled dough. Spoon the mushroom tofu filling into the pie crust and then pack it down firmly.
- Roll the remaining half of the dough and place ontop of the pie. Pinch the edges together to seal the pie then cut slits on top to allow steam to release. You can optionally use leftover pie dough to cut leaves or other shapes and decorate the pie. Brush the top of the pie with aquafaba or non-dairy milk.
- Bake for about 40 minutes until the crust is golden, keeping an eye on it near the end so that it doesn't burn. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕
Carole Norton says
Wow! Blown away at how good this was. It’s going to be made on special occasions for sure!!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! That's wonderful!
Bill says
Recently made this pie and it was absolutely delicious.
The filling was enough to fill a deep 10" loose bottom flan tin.
It was far too much for two and fed us for 3 days with big portions.
Next time will freeze 1/2 the filling to use later and see how that works.
This is a good recipe and will definitely make again.
Susan says
Can the filling be cooked and frozen for later? Will it work for shepherds pie?
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Other readers have frozen the filling and have said it works great!
sandra says
This is an amazing recipe. The baked tofu crumbles take it over the top! With some trepidation, I served this to two good Quebecois friends, who always make traditional meat-based tourtiere over Xmas and they loved it. The only changes I made were to sub allspice for cloves and add a little hot sauce. Thanks, Sam!
Helena Hansen says
Everyone liked it! I used all the broth, and added 2 tbs of home made sherry to the filling (I like sherry with mushrooms). Also dubbled the amount of filling to a 24 cm baking dish with a removable rim. Everything is explained very well in the instructions.
/Helena from Sweden
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thank you for sharing, Helena!
Leah says
My favourite holiday dish!
ej says
This is soooooo good!!!! it weirds me out how much it tastes like meat tourtiere ..but it's better!!! with some ketchup and pepper like a true French Canadian 😉 thank you for this recipe!! it's a keeper!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Oui oui! 🙂
Dab says
As a French Canadian I can authentically say your Tourtìere recipe does not taste like tourtìere. It did however make a very nice tofu/mushroom pie. It's all in the spices Sam.
Allison Small says
I agree! I started making this filling according to the recipe as written and it just didn't taste right. What's tourtiere without cloves, cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg? I've just made those additions and it's brought back memories of Ma Tante.
Mary says
Made it exactly as written and it was delicious. The HP sauce was a great (and easy) accompaniment as well.
That was a genius tip about the aquafaba. You can't taste it at all but it makes the crust golden and a little crispy.
I used the full amount of broth and it set up perfectly: after I let it sit for the recommended 10 minutes, the filling didn't ooze out when I cut it. Another hit, Sam!
Karen says
This is better than the meat version. I'm not a fan of mushrooms so I swapped them for mashed chickpeas - love this pie!
S. Solomon says
Question- can I substitute olive oil for the vegan butter?
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yes it should work fine!
Elizabeth says
This was so delicious! I made it with your easy vegan pie crust today (doing a test run before Thanksgiving) and it turned out SO WELL -- perfect pastry and the filling was full of flavor and had just the right texture. It will definitely be included on the table next weekend. Thank you for a great recipe!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Amazing! We're happy to hear it will be on the Thanksgiving table!
Jessica S says
Love the taste of this! Do you have any recommendations for reheating the pie once it's already baked?
Sheri says
Hello,
I recently tried the chicken tenders using the red lentil tofu. I have made other seitan products but enjoyed them the most for chicken flavour.
I wondered if you have tried using the red lentil tofu in this recipe to see if it holds up? I would prefer to use an alternative to soy and hope the red lentil tofu will work for other recipes like this one as well.
Thank you!
Carrie Xie says
First time ever making any type of meat pie in general and this was such an easy and effortless recipe! I did use one pack of beyond ground beef instead of tofu because i didn't have any but it still turned out PERFECT. The filling was the perfect amount to fill the pie without any leftovers!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
So glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing your review!
Janice says
Just wondering if puff or phyllo pastry can be used instead of pie dough? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
That wouldn't be traditional for a Tourtiere but you're welcome to try
Janice says
Okay thanks
Di says
can I make a freeze the filling rather than make the pie for use later?
Sam Turnbull says
I wouldn't recommend it for this recipe as both mushrooms and tofu change texture when frozen.
Darcie says
This is SO GOOD. I realized after I'd filled the pie shell that I'd forgotten to add the breadcrumbs so just didn't bother and it was still amazing. I skipped the cloves, used store bought pie crust, and used the full amount of broth. This is probably the best thing I've made since switching to plant based. Highly recommend.
Russell Johns says
Sam, this really is special…I have made it several times now, and the rest of my family, who are sadly meat eaters, also enjoy it. Well done and thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
WOnderful! So happy everyone enjoys it!
Genevieve says
OMG! This tourtière is amazing! Being French Canadian, I’ve been searching for a vegan version that would rival my grandmother’s traditional pie! This is it! In my opinion it surpasses my grandma’s (sorry grand-maman!). The texture with the mushrooms and tofu is perfect! This is my go-to tourtière from now on! Also, the pie crust is equally as delicious and so easy to make! It’s now my go to pie crust!! Thank you so much for creating this recipe!!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha amazing! So thrilled you loved it so much Genevieve 🙂