Dairy Free Shepherd’s Pie is a great family recipe for a dinner casserole that can be frozen, or made ahead for busy nights. This allergy friendly shepherds pie is a great way to use up leftovers, this recipe is gluten, dairy, and Top 8 Free.
Jump to:
- Why We Like This Allergy Friendly Shepherd's Pie Recipe
- Ingredients
- The Ingredient Low Down
- Instructions/ Directions and Tips for Making Dairy Free Shepherd's Pie
- Substitutions
- Variations/ Adaptations
- Equipment
- Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Storage
- Top Tip
- What To Serve With
- Other Recipes You May Enjoy
- 📖 Recipe
- Food Safety
- Latest Posts
Why We Like This Allergy Friendly Shepherd's Pie Recipe
Growing up in a family with British roots we ate a lot of shepherd’s pies. They were easy for my mum to make ahead on the weekends and pop in the oven during the week on busy days. Any casserole that contains every part of dinner we parents love is perfect. The fewer things on the go on the stove the better in our books.
Traditionally Shepherd's Pie is made from ground lamb in the UK. When using ground beef the dish is referred to as Cottage Pie. Here in North America we use the term Shepherd’s Pie for either beef, or lamb or a mix of both.
Ingredients
- Ground Lamb, or Beef
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Frozen Peas
- Large Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Gluten Free Flour
- Beef Stock
- Coconut Aminos
- Salt
- Pepper
- Russet Potatoes
- Plant Milk
- Plant Spread or Vegan Butter
See recipe card for quantities.
The Ingredient Low Down
Ground Lamb, or Beef
You can use ground beef, ground lamb, or a mix of both for this gluten free shepherd's pie. With either of these use beef stock in the recipe.
Ground pork, or chicken could also be used as the meat. If using one of these, replace the beef stock with chicken stock. These meats may need a smidge more gravy made as they are leaner meats that can dry out during cooking. If you make this recipe with chicken or pork please let us know, we would love to hear how much gravy was perfect in your dish.
Mushrooms
Fresh, canned, or rehydrated dried mushrooms can be used in this recipe. Cut them bite sized in slices or use sliced canned or dried mushrooms. If using dried mushrooms, save the liquid used to rehydrate them if you are not using coconut aminos. For canned use a 10 oz can of drained sliced mushrooms. To use dried mushrooms use ¼ cup before rehydrating. Rehydrated with hot water. Make sure that dried and canned mushrooms are allergen free with the manufacturer.
Gluten Free Flour
The flour can either contain xanthan gum or not, be all purpose, one to one, or straight rice four. It is used to thicken the gravy and sauce of the meat layer. Starches like cornstarch, tapioca, or arrowroot will work too use only 1 tablespoon of one of the starches. Before using the starch like corn, tapioca or arrowroot mix it with an equal part of water in a 1:1 ratio,
Beef Stock
Homemade or store bought works for this gluten free shepherd's pie recipe. Use whichever is easiest and safest for you.
Coconut Aminos
These are made from coconut sap and fermented. Some are much lower salt than soy sauce and they are gluten and soy free but add a lot of flavour. In most grocery stores they can be found near the soy sauce or in the natural foods aisles.
Russet Potatoes
A starchy potato works best for this recipe. They are used to make mashed potatoes and used to top this dish.
Plant Milk
Use your favourite dairy-free, soy free, gluten free milk replacement that is unflavoured. We prefer not to heat our plant milk before adding it as some plant milks take on a stronger flavour when heated on the stove, we find. Adding it in cool is fine here.
Soy free/Dairy free Plant Spread or Vegan Butter
Either one will work here. Use the one that you use most often as it is likely to be on hand. It doesn’t matter if a spread is used or butter-like blocks.
Instructions/ Directions and Tips for Making Dairy Free Shepherd's Pie
To make the meat mix:
Step 1
In a very deep frying pan over medium high heat fry the ground meat until browned all the way through. Make sure to crumble up the meat as it is cooking.
Step 2
Drain the fat from the cooked meat and reserve 2 Tbsps of fat for cooking the onions and garlic. Remove the cooked ground meat from the pan and set aside.
Step 3
In the same pan add back the reserved 2 tablespoons of cooked fat. Heat over medium heat.
Step 4
Add onions and garlic to the fat and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring well. They should be starting to go translucent.
Step 5
Mix in carrots, mushrooms, and peas to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Stirring so they don’t burn to the bottom of the pan.
Step 6
Sprinkle gluten free flour on the vegetable mix and mix well to coat all the vegetables in flour. Cook for 1 minute.
Step 7
Pour in the beef stock to de-glaze the pan and stir, getting any flour off the bottom of the pan.
Step 8
Add in the coconut aminos and ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper while stirring.
Step 9
Spoon in the cooked ground meat from step 2 until it all is in the pan and mix well.
Step 10
Bring the liquid in the pan to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
To make the mashed potatoes:
Step 11
Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat and add the potatoes to the water. Once boiling again reduce the heat slightly and let the potatoes boil for 20 minutes or until tender.
Step 12
Once the potatoes are finished boiling. Turn off the element, remove the pot from the stove and drain them in the colander. When drained, place back in the large pot off the heat.
Step 13
Pour the plant milk and add 2 tablespoons of the plant butter to the pot. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher and add half of the salt and pepper. Set aside.
To make the casserole:
Step 14
When the meat mixture has finished simmering, pour it out in the oven safe 9 x 11 inch casserole dish. Use the back of a spoon of a spatula to smooth out bumps to form an even layer.
Step 15
Carefully spoon the potatoes on top of the meat and slowly spread it out with the back of a spoon. Continue spreading until the whole dish has the meat mixture covered by masked potatoes.
Step 16
Melt 2 tablespoons of plant butter, either in a safe bowl in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove top.
Step 17
Brush the melted plant butter on the mashed potatoes, coating it all.
Step 18
The casserole can be cooled here and stored covered in the fridge to finish baking later or it can be baked straight away.
Step 19
To bake, preheat the oven to 400F. Once up to temperature place the casserole dish on an oven cooking sheet with sides, in case it bubbles over. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the meat mixture is bubbling up around the sides of the mashed potatoes and the mashed potatoes start to get a golden top.
Step 20
Remove the casserole dish from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
Hint:
Make the meat mixture and potatoes before hand and chill. Pop in the oven when ready to bake for dinner 45 mins before, with 15 mins to take the chill off the dish so it doesn’t break in the oven.
Substitutions
- Coconut Aminos - If you cannot have coconut or soy instead use the same amount of mushroom water and ¼ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. This is the water used in rehydrating the dried mushrooms in. It has the mushroomy taste and adds a lot of flavours to broths.
- Potatoes - If potatoes are not your thing or you want to change it up, sweet potatoes or yams can be used in place of potatoes. You could also do a half turnip, half potato mash.
- Veggies - Other vegetables like grated zucchini for chopped cauliflower can be added to the meat base to increase the ingredients and stretch the dish to feed more people.
- Vegan - Replace the meat with 1 20 ounce can of chickpeas and 1 cup of green lentils. Sweat the onions and garlic, then add the carrots, peas and mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, mix well and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with 4 cups of vegetable stock and the coconut aminos, add in ½ of the salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 mins. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes, brush with melted plant butter and bake at 400F for 15–20 minutes or until bubbling. We have a full Vegan Shepherd'e Pie with Lentils recipe, be sure to check it out for all the tips.
Variations/ Adaptations
- Spicy - add 1-2 Tbsps of Franks Red Hot if it is safe for you or an appropriate amount of your favourite safe hot sauce.
- Deluxe - add a sparingly small amount of dairy free cheese to the top 5 mins before the end of it baking. ⅓ C of dairy free Cream cheese like violife or kate’s farm can be used in the making of the potatoes to make them extra creamy.
- Creamy - add ½ C of coconut cream, GF oat milk, or your safe plant milk to the meat mixture with the before simmering on the stove top.
- Lower Carbs - In place of the potatoes steam a head of cauliflower. Puree with the plant milk and ½ of the plant butter.
- Leftover Casserole - If you had tacos or another ground meat dinner a day or two before, use the already cooked meat to save time from browning it. The flavour will lend to a super tasty version of shepherd’s pie. Use up leftover mashed potatoes,too on the top so there is less work and it is a time saver.
Equipment
What you will need for this dairy free shepherds pie recipe are a very deep frying pan with a lid. We often use our wok as the sides are perfect for flying up the meat mixture. A pot large enough to hold the potatoes plus 2 inches of water covering them. Both a colander and potato masher are super handy to make the mashed potatoes. The usual knife, cutting board, utensils for cooking and measuring implements will be needed. To bake the shepherd’s pie an oven safe casserole dish, usually 9 x 11 inches, and a basting brush to brush on the butter to the potatoes before baking.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Storage
This dish is an excellent make ahead dinner or great for planning as leftovers. Sometimes we will use leftover mashed potatoes in the making of this dish or ground meat we have browned at an earlier date and frozen.
-Fridge
This dish works really well made ahead and chilled in the fridge. It can be made entirely then cooled and stored or after assembling in the casserole dish it can be put in the fridge for finishing to cook later. For either scenario or leftovers they can be stored upto 3 days in the fridge.
-Freezer
This recipe can also be frozen either in individual reheatable foil pans like the ones from Betty Crocker or a glass dish for oven reheating. Use a plastic or glass dish with a lid for the microwave, provided they are microwave safe. The dish can be stored after assembling or after baking. They do best when not transferred to another container for freezing as they are hard to keep layered whilst moving dished. This shepherd’s pie will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Reheating
Thaw the dairy free shepherd’s pie in the fridge before reheating, for best results.
-Oven
At 400F in an oven safe dish, cover the gluten free shepherd’s pie in a foil lid and cook for 20-30 mins or until bubbling. For the last 10 minutes remove the foil to crisp up the top of the potatoes a bit.
- Microwave
On a microwave safe plate or bowl, reheat one portion of the dairy free shepherd’s pie at a time. Reheat for 1 minute 30 seconds and check that it has warmed through to the middle. If not, reheat further in 25 second bursts checking after each one.
Top Tip
The allergy friendly shepherds pie is great made in individual re-heatable containers, like oven and microwave safe glass ones with a lid for lunches or dinners at work or school, if there is a way to heat them up. For on the go eating use a high grade thermos container that keeps things warm safely for as long as you need it. Pre-charge the thermos with boiling water from the kettle for 5 minutes. Pour out the water and fill with shepherd’s pie and put on the lid to keep it warm.
What To Serve With
Dairy free shepherd’s pie is a stand alone all in one casserole dish with the meat, vegetables, and carb served all together, family style. To stretch this dish for more people, or to add more vegetables to your meal, serve this with a salad, like our Festive Spinach Salad.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Pot
- A Very Deep Frying Pan, with lid
- Potato Masher
- Colander
- Oven Safe Casserole Dish, 9 x 11 inches
- Basting Brush
- utensils for cooking
- Measuring cups and spoons for liquid and dry
Ingredients
- 3 Lbs Ground Lamb or Beef
- 12 Button Mushrooms halved and sliced
- 2 Carrots diced small
- 1 C Frozen Peas
- 1 Large Onion finely diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 Tbsps Gluten Free Flour
- 2 C Beef Stock
- 2 Tbsps Coconut Aminos
- ½ teaspoon Salt divided in 2
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper divided in 2
- 8 Large Russet Potatoes peeled and cut in 4-6 pieces
- ⅓ C Plant Milk
- 4 Tbsps Plant Spread or Vegan Butter divided in 2
Instructions
How to make the meat mix
- In a very deep frying pan over medium high heat fry the ground meat until browned all the way through. Make sure to crumble up the meat as it is cooking.
- Drain the fat from the cooked meat and reserve 2 Tbsps of fat for cooking the onions and garlic. Remove the cooked ground meat from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan add back the reserved 2 tablespoons of cooked fat. Heat over medium heat.
- Add onions and garlic to the fat and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring well.
- Mix in carrots, mushrooms, and peas to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Stirring so they don’t burn.
- Sprinkle gluten free flour on the vegetable mix and mix well to coat all the vegetables in flour. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the beef stock to deglaze the pan and stir, getting any flour off the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the coconut aminos and ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper while stirring.
- Spoon in the cooked ground meat from step 2 until it all is in the pan and mix well.
- Bring the liquid in the pan to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
How to make the mashed potatoes
- Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat while the meat is simmering and add the potatoes to the water. Once boiling again reduce the heat slightly and let the potatoes boil for 20 minutes or until tender.
- Once the potatoes are finished boiling. Turn off the element, remove the pot from the stove and drain them in the colander. When drained, place back in the large pot off the heat.
- Pour the plant milk and add 2 tablespoons of the plant butter to the pot. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher and add half of the salt and pepper. Set aside.
How to make the casserole:
- When the meat mixture has finished simmering, pour it out in the oven safe 9 x 11 inch casserole dish. Use the back of a spoon of a spatula to smooth out bumps to form an even layer.
- Carefully spoon the potatoes on top of the meat and slowly spread it out with the back of a spoon. Continue spreading until the whole dish has the meat mixture covered by masked potatoes.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of plant butter, either in a safe bowl in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove top.
- Brush the melted plant butter on the mashed potatoes, coating it all.
- The casserole can be cooled here and stored covered in the fridge to finish baking later or it can be baked straight away.
- To bake, preheat the oven to 400°F. Once up to temperature place the casserole dish on an oven cooking sheet with sides, in case it bubbles over. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the meat mixture is bubbling up around the sides of the mashed potatoes and the mashed potatoes start to get a golden top.
- Remove the casserole dish from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Cook the ground meat to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C) before serving
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Contact the manufacturer of products, regarding cross contact and ingredients, to ensure they are safe for you
- Always check ingredients for allergens
- Do not use the same utensils on allergen free food, that previously touched allergens
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment and us know how much you liked it.