Vegan Christmas Pies (Wild Mushroom and Chestnut)

These festive Vegan Christmas Pies feature a rich wild mushroom, chestnut, and cranberry filling encased in golden puff pastry.  Perfect for a hassle-free Christmas Day, they can be prepared in advance and baked on the day.

Golden, flaky puff pastry pies served with all of the festive trimmings; what a perfect vegan Christmas dinner! These vegan Christmas Pies are beautifully crisp on the outside and brimming with a deliciously rich wild mushroom, roasted chestnut and port-soaked cranberry filling.

With the ease of a ready-rolled puff pastry and a make-ahead option, they’re as practical as they are delicious. Dried wild mushrooms, pre-roasted chestnuts and dried cranberries bring bold, festive flavours with minimal effort. Each bite delivers a medley of textures – the umami-packed mushroom filling with the sweetness of tangy cranberries and the crunch of golden puff pastry.

Pie is such a great Christmas option if you’ve got veggie or vegan guests this holiday season. Ready to create a new Christmas tradition? Let’s get baking!

Quick Links:

• The written recipe
• The video recipe
• Why you’ll love this recipe
• Success tips
• Step by step instructions with photos
• FAQs
• Other incredible recipes like this one

Are you searching for more festive recipes to impress your vegan and vegetarian guests? Try our Chestnut Stuffing with Mushrooms and Cranberries followed by our Boozy Christmas Carrot Cake, which has been a big hit this holiday season!

Want to know where to get the best vegan mince pies in the UK? We’ve taste-tested them all! Head straight to the Top 3 Best Vegan Mince Pies article to find out which mince pies took the top spot this year.

Why you’ll love these vegan Christmas Pies

Straightforward and stress-free. These vegan Christmas Pies are prepared with shop-bought ready-rolled puff pastry and convenient pre-prepared ingredients such as dried mushrooms and pre-roasted chestnuts. Minimal prep for maximum reward!

Packed with festive flavours. Each pie is bursting with the rich umami of mushrooms, the sweet tang of port-soaked cranberries, and the comforting warmth of thyme and garlic. Every bite tastes like Christmas.

Make-ahead convenience. Prepare the pies the day before and finish baking them on Christmas Day. It’s a stress-free way to impress your guests without being stuck in the kitchen.

Success Tips

Reserve the mushroom soaking liquid. The liquid from the soaked dried mushrooms is packed with flavour and we use it later in the recipe, so don’t chuck it when you drain the mushrooms!

Ensure the filling is dry. The fresh mushrooms will release liquid as they cook, therefore keep frying until they’ve released all of their liquid and that liquid has then evaporated off.  This will help to prevent soggy pastry during baking.

Seal the pies well. Crimp the edges of the pastry firmly with a fork to ensure none of the delicious filling escapes during baking.

Make them ahead. Save time on Christmas Day by preparing the pies in advance. Part-bake them for 15 minutes until they’ve puffed up and are just starting to colour before taking them out of the oven. On Christmas Day, bake them again for 15-20 minutes until golden and hot through.

How to make these vegan Christmas Pies

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these vegan wild mushroom and chestnut pies:

Fresh ingredients:

• Fresh mushrooms. Use baby mushrooms cut into slices. If you want to use regular-sized mushrooms we still recommend slicing them, but cut the slices in half so that they’re not too big.
• Onion.
• Fresh garlic cloves.
• Fresh herbs. You’ll need thyme and parsley.

Pantry ingredients:

• Dried mushrooms. We used porcini.
• Chestnuts. Pick up the pre-roasted and peeled varieties like the Merchant Gourmet Chestnuts.
• Dried cranberries.
• Vegan Worcestershire sauce. The brand ‘Biona’ do a great vegan Worcestershire sauce (called ‘Organic Vegan Worcester Sauce’). Usual Worcestershire sauce is not vegan so this is a specialist item. If you can’t get your hands on it you can substitute for soy sauce (not dark soy sauce) in the same quantity but it won’t add as much depth of flavour.
• Cranberry sauce.  Added to the pastry for a layer of sweetness and a little tang.
• Vegetable stock.
• Olive oil.
• Port. If you don’t drink alcohol you can substitute for orange juice.
• Sesame and poppy seeds.

Refrigerated ingredients:

• Puff pastry. Shop-bought ready-rolled is easiest.
• Dairy free milk.  For glazing the top of the pie.  We use almond milk but you can use oat milk or another plant-based milk.

Equipment

To make this recipe you’ll need:

• Large frying pan (at least 30cm / 12”) (we used our cast iron pan)
• Large baking tray
• Chopping board
• Kitchen knives

Steps

Make sure to head to the recipe card below for the full recipe and instructions for how to make these vegan wild mushroom, chestnut and cranberry pies.

Note: Please see the recipe video below for a visual step-by-step.

Gather together your ingredients. Dice the onion, slice the fresh mushrooms, mince the garlic and chop the fresh herbs and chestnuts.

Prep the pie filling:

STEP 1. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot stock for 30 minutes.

STEP 2. Microwave the cranberries in the port for 1 minute 40 seconds, or until the cranberries have soaked up all of the port.

STEP 3. Fry the onion, garlic and thyme in olive oil for 3 minutes in a large frying pan over medium heat.

STEP 4. Roughly chop the rehydrated mushrooms and add them to the frying pan along with the mushroom soaking liquid, sliced fresh mushrooms and vegan Worcestershire sauce. Cook until the fresh mushrooms have released their liquid and all liquid has evaporated off (approx 15 minutes). Set aside to cool.

STEP 5. Stir the cooled mushroom mixture together with the cranberries, chopped chestnuts and parsley. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

Make the pies:

STEP 6. Cut 12 x 12cm (5”) circles out of your ready-rolled puff pastry using a sharp knife.

STEP 7. Spread a teaspoon of cranberry sauce in the centre of each of the 12 pastry circles, leaving a clean 1cm (1/2”) border around the edge.

STEP 8. Add 2 tbsp of the pie filling mixture into the centre of 6 of the pastry circles, on top of the cranberry sauce.

STEP 9. Take each of the 6 remaining pastry circles, flip them over so the cranberry sauce is underneath and place them on top of the 6 filled pastry circles, to form a lid.

STEP 10. Crimp the pies around the edge using a fork. Use a pastry brush to glaze the pastry top with dairy-free milk and then sprinkle with seeds. Stab with a fork or knife a couple of times to create small air holes.

Tip:  Use any excess pastry to make a decoration for the pies, such as cutting out holly leaves or Christmas trees out of the extra pastry and sticking them to the top of each pie with a little non-dairy milk.

STEP 11. Bake on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper in a preheated oven (190°C fan / 210°C conventional / 425°F / gas mark 7) for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with all the usual vegan roast trimmings for a delicious holiday meal; including vegan stuffing, roast potatoes, maple syrup glazed parsnips, Brussels sprouts and vegetarian gravy.

FAQs

Can I make these gluten-free?

Yes, if you’re looking for a gluten free vegan holiday pie, you can make these gluten-free by using gluten-free puff pastry. Check that all other ingredients, including the vegan Worcestershire sauce, are certified gluten-free too.

Can I prepare the filling in advance?

Absolutely! The filling can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store it in the fridge for a couple days in an airtight container, then assemble the pies when you’re ready to bake.

How do I store leftovers?

Store any leftover baked pies in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven at 160°C fan (180°C conventional / 350°F / gas mark 4) for 10-15 minutes until heated through.

Can I freeze these vegan Christmas Pies?

For best results, we don’t recommend freezing these pies.

Loved these vegan Christmas Pies? Here are some more delicious festive vegan recipes to try

I hope you LOVE this recipe for Wild Mushroom, Chestnut and Cranberry Pies! Please share this recipe with someone you think will enjoy it because it’s our goal to encourage as many people as possible to try plant based eating.

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The Video Recipe:

The Written Recipe: