Discover this comforting vegan leek and mushroom pie with crispy filo pastry and a creamy dairy-free sauce. Featuring roasted garlic and mixed mushrooms, this easy plant-based recipe is perfect for Sunday dinners or special occasions.
There's something deeply comforting about a golden, flaky pie fresh from the oven. The kind that fills your home with warmth and brings everyone to the table without needing to ask twice. This vegan creamy leek and mushroom pie delivers exactly that cosy, satisfying experience, proving that plant-based comfort food can be every bit as rich and delicious as traditional recipes.
With layers of tender leeks, earthy mushrooms, and a silky dairy-free sauce wrapped in crispy filo pastry, this pie is the definition of proper comfort food. It's perfect for Sunday dinners, special occasions, or those evenings when you want something that feels like a warm hug on a plate.
Let's talk about the secret weapon in this recipe: whole roasted garlic bulbs. While it takes 45 minutes in the oven, the transformation is worth every second. Raw garlic's sharpness mellows into something sweet, creamy, and almost caramelised. When you squeeze those soft cloves into the filling, they melt right in, adding depth and richness that makes this pie truly special.
Roasting garlic is also wonderfully hands-off. Wrap the bulbs in parchment, pop them in the oven, and forget about them while you prep everything else. The aroma alone will have people asking what's cooking.
The beauty of this vegan pie lies in how each component builds on the last. Start with leeks, those underrated alliums that bring a gentle, sweet onion flavour without overpowering everything else. A few minutes in hot olive oil softens them perfectly, creating the foundation for your filling.
Then come the mushrooms, 600g of mixed varieties that bring umami richness and meaty texture. Mixing different types, perhaps chestnut, button, and portobello, adds complexity. The mushrooms release their moisture as they cook, mingling with the leeks and dried herbs to create something deeply savoury.
The dairy-free béchamel sauce ties it all together. Made with plant-based butter, flour, and dairy-free milk, it's the classic French technique adapted brilliantly for vegan cooking. A whisper of nutmeg adds warmth without being identifiable, just that subtle something that makes you take another bite to figure out what makes it so good.
Filo pastry might seem intimidating, but it's actually more forgiving than you think, especially for a rustic pie like this. Those delicate sheets create layers that bake up incredibly crisp and golden, providing textural contrast to the creamy filling. Unlike puff pastry, filo stays light and doesn't overwhelm the vegetables.
The technique here is brilliantly simple: line your dish with overlapping sheets, letting them hang over the edges, fill generously, then fold the pastry back over the top. Brush with dairy-free milk for that beautiful golden finish, and you're done. The result looks impressive but requires none of the precision of pastry crimping or lattice work.
While this leek and mushroom pie feels particularly perfect for autumn and winter, it's genuinely delicious year-round. The vegetables are available in every season, and the dish works equally well served hot from the oven or at room temperature. Pack slices for picnics, serve it as the centrepiece of Sunday lunch, or make it the star of your next dinner party.
The suggested accompaniments, vegan bread stuffing and spring green salad, create a proper feast. The stuffing adds extra comfort factor, while the fresh, crisp salad cuts through the richness beautifully. But honestly, this pie stands perfectly well on its own with just some crusty bread to mop up any escaped filling.
This recipe welcomes creativity. Swap in your favourite mushrooms, add fresh thyme instead of dried mixed herbs, or stir in some dairy-free cream cheese for extra indulgence. Spinach would be lovely folded through, or try adding some dairy-free cheddar between the layers. You could even make individual pies in ramekins for a more formal presentation.
The filling can be prepared ahead and kept in the fridge, making assembly quick when you're ready to bake. The filo stays crisp for a few hours after baking, though let's be honest, it rarely needs to wait that long.
This vegan creamy leek and mushroom pie represents everything great about plant-based cooking. It's familiar and comforting while being completely dairy-free. It's elegant enough for guests but simple enough for a weeknight. Most importantly, it's the kind of food that makes people happy, the kind that turns a regular evening into something special.
So preheat that oven, get those garlic bulbs roasting, and prepare to make a pie that'll have everyone asking for seconds. Your kitchen is about to smell incredible, and your table is about to get a whole lot cosier.
Ready to make your own? Download the full recipe with ingredients and step-by-step instructions below.
