This Vegan Scottish Mince Round is a Savoury Pie that is filled with a rich delicious savoury mince and encrusted between a crisp puff pastry crust. This pie is perfect for special occasion meals especially during the Thanksgiving, Festive, and Holiday seasons. Or enjoy the pie for a mid-week meal with chunky chips [fries], peas or baked beans, and a good dollop of tasty gravy for a traditional Scottish favourite dinner.
In Scotland, a Scottish Mince Round is a family favourite pie available in most supermarkets and local stores.
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❓ What is a Scottish mince round pie?
A traditional Scottish mince round is a type of pie available in most Scottish butchers and supermarkets. It is a puff pastry pie with a savoury mince or steak meat and gravy filling. Classic accompaniments to a mince round is a pile of potato chips [fries] or mashed potatoes, baked beans, boiled peas, or mushy peas.
🥬 Meat-free Scottish mince round
Our vegan version of a Scottish mince round uses shop bought puff pastry as preparing puff pastry is a long process, uses a lot of expensive margarine, and the results are not always guaranteed to be great! So we opted to use Bells Puff Pastry, which is labelled vegan, and comes ready rolled which is another great time saver.
The savoury mince filling is similar to our slow cooker Scottish mince and tatties recipe and is absolutely delicious encased within the crispy buttery puff pastry.
Serve with extra gravy, mashed potatoes or chips, and a scoop of boiled peas [mushy peas are especially tasty] or baked beans, for an easy traditional Scottish dinner.
🔪 How to prepare
This vegan mince round is quickly prepared with a shop bought puff pastry which is used to make a double pie crust. The pastry is buttery and flaky whilst the filling is rich and savoury.
Prepare the filling:
Step 1: Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to a deep fry pan or skillet. Pour in 375 ml [1 ½ cups] of water and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on. Alternatively, cook the veggies with a tablespoon of oil until softened up.
Step 2: Next add the vegan mince and cook for an extra 5 minutes.
Step 3: Pop in the marmite [yeast extract], tomato paste, vegan Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and vegetable stock. Stir well and cook for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Add the vegan gravy powder, red wine vinegar, and 125ml [½ cup] of boiling water.
Step 5: Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if required. Leave the filling to cool while you prepare the pastry crust.
Prepare the pastry:
Step 1: Grease your pie dish with some margarine. Roll out the pastry and cover the pie dish in a layer of puff pastry, trimming the edges. If your pastry is pre-rolled this step will be quicker.
Assemble the pie:
Step 1: Scoop the mince filling into the pie dish. Brush the pastry edges with some plant-based milk or water.
Step 2: Roll out the leftover pastry into a piece that will cover the top of the pie. Cover the pie and using a cutlery fork press the edges together.
Step 3: Brush the pastry surface with a little plant-based milk.
Step 4: Slice a small slit in the pie centre to allow steam to escape whilst baking.
Bake the pie:
Step 1: Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry has risen and is golden brown.
Serving suggestion: enjoy with potato chips [fries] or wedges, green veggies such as cabbage and peas and a good dollop of veggie gravy. [The chips in the image above are home-made and were prepared in the air-fryer whilst the pie cooked. When using instant gravy powder I like to add the boiling veggie cooking water to the gravy powder, if available, to make the gravy. That way the water is saved but also valuable water-based nutrients are also saved].
Recipe notes
⏲️ Storage
Store leftover pie in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cover the pie with food wrap or kitchen foil. Or freeze, well wrapped for 2-3 months.
♨️ Reheating
Leftover pie can be reheated in a hot oven until piping hot throughout. To stop the pie crust browning too much, place a piece of kitchen foil over the pastry.
Some air-fryers may be big enough to reheat a slice of pie, do check the operating booklet for guidance on times, temps, etc., but we would reheat at a 180 C temperature for 4-5 minutes and then see how the pie is doing and whether it needs more time or not.
📋 FAQ'S
Yes although you will need to make a few changes such as using a gluten-free puff pastry [Jus-Rol has a gluten-free & vegan puff pastry and can be found in supermarkets such as Tesco] as well as gluten-free - vegetable stock, and gravy powder.
The soy sauce can be replaced with Tamari soy sauce which is usually gluten-free, and as marmite is not gluten-free it will need to be replaced with a gluten-free version or omitted.
If you can't source gluten-free Worcestershire sauce [although the one we use is vegan as well as gluten-free - Biona Organic Worcester sauce] then use an extra tablespoon of Tamari soya sauce.
Also, use a gluten-free vegan mince or replace the mince with finely diced mushrooms [we like to pulse the mushrooms in a food processor] or whole cooked brown or green lentils].
Red wine vinegar is usually gluten-free but as with all packaged ingredients its best to check just to be 100% sure.
Yes, you can use shop-bought or home-made shortcrust pastry for this pie, but do adjust the baking times if necessary and consider whether pre-baking the shortcrust pastry base would be a good idea.
Yes, many shop-bought puff pastry is either labelled vegan or is accidently vegan. So it is worth checking out the ingredients for the options available as the less expensive ones or own brand supermarket pastry may be accidently vegan.
Puff pastry is one of those ingredients where buying from the shops is usually better than preparing your own, even many professional chefs prefer to order in their puff pastry as its so time-consuming to prepare by hand.
For this vegan mince round pie we used Bells puff pastry pre-rolled pastry sheet 325g.
Yes, there are a few substitutions that you could make:
* instead of vegan Worcestershire sauce use extra soy sauce
* celery can be replaced with diced green pepper or courgette
* carrots can be replaced with diced butternut squash or sweet potatoes
* the fresh onion or garlic can be replaced with 2 teaspoons of their dried counterparts, or a tablespoon of lazy garlic or garlic paste, frozen diced onion or frozen garlic works well too
* white miso paste can replace the marmite [yeast extract] if preferred
* the vegan mince can be replaced with 2 cans of whole brown or green lentils, or about 2 ½ cups of cooked but still firm whole lentils
For this pie recipe we like to use an 8 inch diameter enamel pie dish, [that is about a few inches deep], as it conducts heat well, which is essential for cooking the pastry thoroughly and avoiding a soggy bottom. However you can use other types of pie dish including:
* A Glass pie dish [such as Pyrex] - which although heats up slower it does provide consistent heat once at temperature, which also helps to avoid a soggy bottom. It has the added bonus that it allows you to see the bottom of your crust to see if it's browning up nicely.
* Metal pie dish - especially those made of aluminum, as these are good conductors of heat and can create a crispier crust. However, sometimes they can cook unevenly depending on their quality.
* Ceramic pie dishes - these also hold heat very well, which makes them great for keeping your pie warm once it's out of the oven. However, as the material is thicker and more solid they don't conduct heat as well as metal or enamel, so the bottom crust might not be as crispy.
👪 More vegan savoury mince recipes
Meat-free mince or crumbles is a very useful ingredient as it can be used to veganize lots of traditional family favourites. The vegan mince soaks up the flavours of the recipe wonderfully and provides a nice texture. For our recipes you can used dried meat-free mince such as textured vegetable protein [TVP] which comes in the form of small bits or crumbles. You can also use fresh or frozen vegan mince or crumbles.
Alternatively, if you do not like vegan mince then it can be replaced with cooked whole brown or green lentils, finely chopped cauliflower, finely diced mushrooms, or finely chopped walnuts. A mix of the aforementioned ingredients makes a nice meat-free mince alternative - especially when a finely grated carrot or even beetroot is also added.
Here are a few of our family favourite savoury mince recipes that we are excited to share with you as they are ideal for tasty mid-week meals - our Savoury Mince Cobbler is prepared in the slow cooker even the cheesy topped scone dough-balls! And we always have this Vegan Mince and Tatties on the go at least every few weeks as its the perfect staple meal - it can also be prepared in the slow cooker along with the potatoes.
Finally our American Goulash and Vegan Chuck Wagon Stew are two fun recipes that are always a hit with younger family members - especially when enjoyed with some garlic bread or home-made corn bread.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***
📖 Recipe
Vegan Scottish Savoury Mince Round Pie
Equipment
- non-stick skillet or deep fry pan or similar
- Pie dish 8-10 inch pie dish [enamel pie dishes are perfect for double crust pies]
- Rolling pin
- cutlery fork
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
Puff pastry:
- 325 grams puff pastry [shop bought vegan friendly] [plus a little flour for the work surface as well as rolling pin]
Filling:
- 120 grams celery [2 sticks]
- 180 grams carrot [2 medium or 1 large]
- 180 grams onion [1 large or 2 small-medium]
- 4 cloves garlic [fine diced, or 1 tablespoon garlic puree]
- 300 grams vegan mince [fresh or frozen or rehydrated dried mince]
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcester sauce [or an extra tablespoon of soy sauce]
- 1 teaspoon marmite [yeast extract, can omit or use 2-3 teaspoons of white miso paste instead]
- 400 millilitres vegetable stock [use a beef flavour is available such as Oxo meat free beef cubes]
Add at end of cooking:
- 3 tablespoons vegan gravy powder
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Glaze pastry:
- 1 tablespoon soya milk [or your usual milk]
Instructions
Prepare the pie filling:
- Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic to a pan and pour in 375ml [1½ cups] of water. Place the lid on and cook over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes.Alternatively, saute the vegetables in one tablespoon of oil until softened.120 grams celery, 180 grams carrot, 180 grams onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Remove the lid, turn the heat to medium, and stir through the vegan mince. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and add small drops of water as necessary to stop the veggies sticking. Add the lid back on if preferred.300 grams vegan mince
- Next add the marmite, tomato paste, soy sauce, vegan Worcester sauce, and vegetable stock. Stir well.1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon vegan Worcester sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon marmite, 400 millilitres vegetable stock
- Place the lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the gravy powder, red wine vinegar, and 125ml [½ cup] of boiling water. Cook for 2-3 minutes, check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if required. Leave to cool while the pastry case is prepared,3 tablespoons vegan gravy powder, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Assemble and bake:
- Preheat the oven to 180 Fan / 200C / 392 Fahrenheit / Gas 6.
- Grease the pie dish with margarine.
- Dust your work surface with some flour and divide your pastry into 2 pieces. Also dust the rolling pin with some flour and roll out one half of the pastry into a piece large enough to cover the base of your pie dish.325 grams puff pastry
- Drape the pastry over the rolling pin, and lift the pastry up and place it in the pie dish. Press the pastry into the dish.
- Once the filling has cooled off it can be added to the pastry case, it doesn't have to be completely cool just not boiling hot so as to not warm the pastry too much before its placed in the oven.[any leftover filling can be frozen for future use, or use to prepare mini savoury mince pies, or add to small pie dishes/ramekins and top with mashed potato for little Shepherd/cottage pies. Once baked and cooled these can be tasty for lunches, dinner or frozen for quick future meals]
- Brush the pie edges with some milk.1 tablespoon soya milk
- Roll out the rest of the pastry and place it over the top of the pie, pressing the edges together. Use a small knife to trim the edges. With a cutlery fork press the edges together.
- Brush the surface of the pastry with milk, and cut a small slit in the middle to allow the steam to escape.
- Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes, before turning the oven down to 160 Fan / 180C / 350 Fahrenheit / Gas 4 for another 15-20 minutes or until the pie crust has risen and is golden brown.
Notes
- Nutritional data is provided for guidance only and is not an exact calculation as ingredients can vary.
- Store leftover pie in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cover the pie with food wrap or kitchen foil.
- Or freeze, well wrapped for 3-4 months.
- The pie can be reheated in a hot oven until piping hot throughout. To stop the pie crust browning too much, place a piece of kitchen foil over the pastry.
- An air-fryer can be used to reheat pie, check the instruction booklet for guidance on times, temps, etc.
- Or microwave for a few minutes until piping hot, although the texture of the pastry crust may become less crisp.
- Bells ready rolled puff pastry was used for this recipe, and it is labelled vegan.
- If vegan Worcester sauce is not available just replace with an extra tablespoon of soy sauce.
- Dried vegan mince can be used, simply rehydrate it and use 300 grams/11 ½ oz [weight is after rehydration].
- An enamel pie dish was used for this recipe, enamel is great for pies as it conducts heat and cooks the pastry base really well, avoiding a soggy bottom!
- In a hurry? Replace the pastry with mashed potatoes or mashed root veggies, and bake until the mash is crisp and has golden tinges, for a veggie cottage/shepherds pie. A sprinkle of shredded vegan cheese over the potatoes, or add some nutritional yeast flakes to the mash, is a tasty addition.
Nutrition
Prepared our Vegan Scottish Mince Round? Do let us know how you got on with the recipe by dropping us a comment below, and clicking the star ratings. Thanks so much, Jacq x
Bill says
Excellent recipe, really tasty. The mix was a bit watery, so I didn't add the 1/2 cup water when adding the gravy granules. I also added some cooked cubed potato to bulk out the filling. Will definitely make this again, thank you for the recipe.
Jacq says
Hi Bill, You're very welcome! Adding some cooked, cubed potato sounds like a tasty addition. I'm really glad you were able to adapt the recipe to suit your preferences, as I do try to make my recipes easy to adjust so everyone can make them their own. Thanks so much for your comment. Jacq x
Bill says
Hi
I have a question about the vegan gravy powder used in the recipe, is this the same as vegan gravy granules that only seem to be available in supermarkets at the moment?
Jacq says
Hi Bill, Any gravy powder or granules that are suitable for vegans will work just fine for this recipe. I often use supermarket own-brand gravy granules, as long as the ingredients are vegan-friendly or they’re labelled as vegan. Jacq x