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This dairy-free, gluten-free butterbean and leek pie is a great vegan option for a filling main course, especially around the holidays! Packed with flavour and nutritional ingredients, this dish is sure to be a hit at your family table.
Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
If you’re looking for a filling, satisfying, tasty meal that’s also vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free, then you’ve found it! This homemade butterbean and leek pie is the epitome of comfort food. Savoury and tender butterbeans, spinach, leeks, and seasonings are baked before being topped with a creamy sweet potato mash. Perfection!
If you love indulging in vegan comfort foods around the holidays, then you’ve got to try my Christmas hot chocolate and my lentil shepherd’s pie. Or if you’re looking for more healthy bean recipes then check out my Mixed Bean Salad or Comforting Black Bean Chilli or my very popular Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew.
Ingredients
- Butterbeans — These are the start ingredient of my butterbean and leek pie! I like using them here because they’re tender and don’t fall apart. However, if you’re not a butterbean fan, lima beans would also work. Avoid harder beans like kidney or black beans. You can also use them for a healthy Spicy Butterbeans or Creamy Butterbeans.
- Leeks — These impart a deep, rich onion flavour into this butterbean pie without being too empowering. Only use the white and light green parts, though. Save the tougher green tops to throw into some homemade stock! If you have some spare then try my Leek & Potato Soup or Celeriac Soup.
- Spinach — The perfect accompaniment to the creamy butterbeans!
- Whole Grain Mustard — This dairy-free butterbean and leak pie needs something to break up its richness, and whole grain mustard does the trick! You could also use dijon, but I like the texture of the mustard seeds.
- Coconut Milk — This is what makes the butterbeans and leek pie super creamy while remaining dairy-free!
- Nutritional Yeast — Offers a cheesy flavour without using actual cheese.
- Dried Sage — I love adding fresh herbs to comfort foods like this butterbean and leek pie, and sage pairs perfectly with the other flavours. You could also use thyme or rosemary, or a combination of them all.
- Garlic — It offers a spicy bite that accentuates the leeks and dairy-free cream sauce!
- Sweet Potatoes — I love pairing a gluten-free crust alternative with this butterbean pie like a homemade mash. The natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes works well with the savoury flavour of the pie.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions for how you can adapt or substitute ingredients:
- Mash — If you’re not a fan of sweet potatoes, you could use maris piper potatoes or even cauliflower instead.
- Onions — If you’re having a hard time finding leeks, you could use a white or sweet onion and green onions in their place.
- Beans — Not a butter bean fan? You could use any bean you prefer! Cannellini or lima beans would work well.
- Greens — You could use baby kale or collard greens in place of the spinach, if preferred.
- Coconut fat/milk – You can use soya cream in this recipe just like I have with my Vegan Mushroom Pie.
Variations
This recipe is very flexible. I use gluten-free, dairy-free, and meat-free ingredients due to allergies and personal choices but you can easily use:
- Spice — Wanting a little spice with this vegan butter bean and leek pie? Add some cayenne pepper, dried red pepper flakes, or diced jalapeños to the leeks while you’re sautéing them.
- Meat — If you want to add some meat to this butter bean and leek pie, then I would go with diced bacon or pancetta. Just cook it before you cook the leeks, and remove them before adding the leeks and remaining ingredients to the same pan. Add them back after you have cooked down the leeks.
- Crunch — Add some chopped water chestnuts, cashews, or chopped celery for some crunch!
- More Veggies — This vegan butterbean and leek pie is a great way to clean out your fridge! Chopped carrots, zucchini, squash, or mushrooms are a great addition.
Instructions
Step 1: First, wash your leeks thoroughly to remove any sand or grit. Then, slice them into small rounds. Only slice from the white parts to the light green parts. Discard the dark green parts, or save them to make a homemade stock.
Step 2: Then, heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat, and then add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 5 minutes, until the leeks soften.
Step 3: Next, add the, garlic, butterbeans, mustard, nutritional yeast, sage, coconut fat, coconut milk, and spinach to the skillet with the leeks, and stir. Simmer with the lid on for 10-12 minutes.
Step 5: Finally, add the butterbean mixture to a bowl, top with the sweet potato mash, and enjoy!
Step 4: Meanwhile, peel and chop the sweet potato into small cubes. Add them to boiling salted water and cook until they’re soft, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the potatoes, add them back to the pot with a pinch of salt and pepper, and mash them together until they’re creamy and smooth.
Leftovers
If you have a portion of this butter bean and leek pie leftover, simply place in a sealed container in the fridge overnight. You can either reheat or eat cold the next day for lunch/dinner.
This recipe won’t freeze well and will likely turn to mush in the thawing process. Best eaten fresh or within 3 days of preparing.
Recipe FAQs
I prefer to leave them whole, but you could mash them or mash some of them if you prefer that texture. Keep in mind that mashed beans will absorb more of the sauce than just leaving them in tact.
I prefer serving the butterbean and leek pie filling as-is and topped with the sweet potato mash, but you could bake it in a gluten-free pie crust, if desired!
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Butterbean and Leek Pie
Ingredients
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves,, sliced
- 1 can butterbeans,, drained
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dried sage
- coconut fat, (all the thick top part of a can of coconut milk)
- 50 ml coconut milk, liquid from the can (or water)
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach
- 2 sweet potatoes, (500g)
Instructions
- Firstly, slice up the leeks
- Heat a non stick pan on a medium heat, adding in the oil, leeks and a pinch of salt and fry for 5 minutes until the leeks soften
- Now to the pan add in the, garlic, butterbeans, mustard, nutritional yeast, sage, coconut fat, coconut milk, spinach and stir. Simmer with the lid on for 10-12 minutes
- Meanwhile, peel and chop the sweet potato into small cubes and add to boiling salted water until soft 8-10 minutes. Then drain adding back the pot with a pinch of salt and pepper and mash together
- Finally add the butterbean mixture to a bowl, top with the sweet potato mash and it's ready to enjoy
Notes
Nutrition
Had to rush this recipe and got the amount of leeks wrong, a mountain of fresh leek really reduces down alot. Tasted good though. Just so chuffed I had all the ingredients in for this last minute meal.
Yum. I’ve never really liked butter beans, but this recipe is a taste-changer. Thanks James, I appreciate your work.
All the best, Victoria
Absolutely brilliant thank you so much for creating! I love how versatile this recepie is. So simple, quick and tasty. A perfect family recepie. It’s now on repeat in my household