Vegan Lancashire Hotpot is adapted from the traditional Lancashire hotpot that is one of Britain's family favourite meals. This vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based hotpot is pure comfort food and sure to be loved by all the family - meat-eaters included! It can be easily prepared as gluten-free. Veggie-packed Lancashire Hotpot will easily become one of your family's favourite cosy autumnal or winter dinners.
Old-Fashioned Lancashire Hotpot was slow cooked at the bottom of an oven, all-day, within a heavy cooking pot while the family was out working long hours - much like cooking a slow cooker meal in modern times!
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❓ What is a Lancashire Hotpot?
A Lancashire Hotpot is a type of pie with a sliced potato crust - with the filling traditionally featuring layers of mutton or lamb, along with whatever root vegetables were available. Old-style Lancashire hotpots would have had layers of thin potatoes throughout the hotpot rather than just on top.
The meat, veggies, and potatoes were layered up in a heavy oven dish and slowly baked in a warm oven. The hotpot could bake away for hours and be ready when it was needed, with very little attention required - much like our slow cookers or crock pots of today! If the hotpot was prepared in a farmhouse then a bread-oven was commonly used. The hotpot could be placed in a low or cooling oven and left until the family's evening meal.
Lancashire is located in the North West of England and one of its most famous traditional favourite meals is the Lancashire Hotpot. Originally, this homely hotpot was a pre-industrial convenience type meal for the hard working Lancashire people.
As many women had to work at home spinning cotton, while their husbands were at work, naturally there was less time to spend cooking meals. So easy fuss-free meals had to be prepared.
After the cotton industry was industrialised many women and children had to give up working at home and instead go out working in the factories along with the men. So the hotpot retained its popularity as it could be left stewing at home.
The hotpot likely gets its name from the ceramic, heavy-based dish that the meal is cooked within. Generally, a lid would be added to traditional hotpots during the initial cooking stages as this would keep the heat in and the meat juices would be retained. The lid would be removed shortly before mealtime in order to brown and crisp the potatoes.
Today, the hotpot retains its popularity, with many pubs and inns up and down the British Isles serving up traditional hotpots. The TV soap Coronation St has long featured Betty's Famous HotPot within the local Rovers Return pub!
🥬 Vegan & vegetarian Lancashire hotpots
This vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based adaption of the traditional Lancashire hotpot features meat-free pieces, mushrooms, butterbeans, leeks, onions, peas, herbs and garlic cooked in a vegan gravy.
The gravy is prepared with vegetable stock thickened with either vegan gravy powder or plain flour. For the stock a vegan chicken, beef, or mushroom flavour one is especially good to use with this hotpot. We like the Meat Free OXO chicken or beef flavour stock cubes which are available in most UK supermarkets.
Any meat-free pieces can be used such as Quorn vegan pieces, seitan, tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (TVP) or soya chunks, soya curls, sliced vegan sausages, or any fresh or frozen vegan pieces. Although ensure that any dried varieties are properly rehydrated before using with this recipe.
Alternatively replace the meat-free pieces with extra mushrooms or an extra can of beans. We especially enjoy adding extra mushrooms but our kids are not too keen so we cook the hotpot filling with the mushrooms, as they add so much flavour, and then when scooping the filling into the individual pie dishes we simply remove the mushrooms from their hotpots and fill our ones up with extra juicy mushrooms! They probably don't mind as its a texture thing with them rather than a dislike of the mushroom flavour!
The meat-free pieces or the mushrooms can also be replaced with a mix of your favourite veggies especially frozen veggie mixes which are perfect for this hotpot and very convenient.
For the crispy potato topping, the potatoes are sliced as thin as you can achieve before being parboiled for a few minutes until just al dente but not fully cooked. The potatoes are drained, with the cooking liquid reserved as it is needed for the hotpot gravy.
Once the hotpot filling is ready it is scooped into your chosen casserole dish or individual pie dishes, and then topped with layers of potato.
Next, the potatoes are seasoned with salt and pepper, and brushed with melted vegan margarine or butter.
Alternatively Aqua Faber, which is the drained liquid from a can of chickpeas, can replace the margarine. Simply brush the liquid over the potatoes and this can help crisp the potatoes in the oven without the need for adding extra calories.
Finally, we sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes over the potatoes and then stick the hotpot in the oven to bake for around 35-45 minutes or until crispy, golden and bubbling.
This meat-free hotpot really is the best comfort food dish and not just for vegans or vegetarians as its a great recipe to prepare for any visiting meat-eaters - as it will easily demonstrate how tasty veggies really are!
🔪How to prepare
There are a few steps to preparing the best vegan comfort food dish - Lancashire hotpot! First the potatoes need sliced thin - either using a sharp knife or a mandolin. Next the potato slices are briefly pre-cooked in boiling water just to soften them up and reduce the amount of baking time required at the end. Next the filling is prepared but the hotpots are assembled and baked.
Prepare the potato topping:
Step 1: Slice the potatoes as thin as possible. This can be done with a mandolin or with a sharp knife.
Step 2: Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 6-8 minutes, drain the liquid, and then set the potatoes aside in the colander to steam dry. Reserve the potato cooking water for the gravy.
Prepare the filling:
Step 1: Sauté the leeks, onions and garlic in a small amount of vegetable stock or oil for 8-10 minutes.
Step 2: Add the mushrooms, dried sage and thyme and cook for 3 minutes.
Step 3: Add the cooked butterbeans and the meat-free pieces or chunks. Give it all a good stir.
Step 4: Next stir through the vegan gravy powder or plain flour.
Step 5: Pour in 450 ml of potato cooking liquid or vegetable stock. If using the cooking liquid dissolve a stock cube through the liquid or stir through a few teaspoons of vegetable stock or bouillon powder.
Step 6: Bring the filling to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 7: Next, add the peas, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the hotpots:
Step 1: Divide the filling between four individual pie dishes or one large casserole dish.
Step 2: Layer the sliced potatoes over the filling. Season with salt and pepper between the layers and on top.
Step 3: Brush melted margarine or vegan butter over the potatoes and then sprinkle with nutritional yeast flakes. Alternatively, instead of nutritional yeast flakes you can sprinkle some grated vegan cheese over the hotpots.
Step 4: Bake the hotpots until crispy, golden, and bubbling.
📋 Recipe Notes
⏲️ Storing
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, covered, for 3 days.
🌡️ Freezing
Or frozen, for 2-3 months. The hotpots can be frozen within the baking dish if its suitable for the freezer. Thaw and bring the hotpot up to near room temperature before reheating.
♨️ Reheating
Ensure that the hotpot baking dishes are allowed to come up to room temperature before reheating. Reheat the hotpots by placing the dishes on the middle shelf of the oven at the cooking temperature. You may choose to cover the dish with foil after its been reheating for a while especially if the potatoes look like they may be browning too much. Reheat for 30-35 minutes or until piping hot throughout and the potatoes have re-crisped up.
📖 Frequently asked questions
Yes, it's easy to prepare this hotpot as gluten-free. First ensure that your vegetable stock is gluten-free and that you use tamari soy sauce which is gluten-free. Ordinary soy sauce contains gluten.
Also use a gluten-free gravy powder or a gluten-free plain flour. Although, the plain flour can be replaced with cornstarch [cornflour]. We like to use the Doves Farm gluten-free plain flour for sauces and gravy.
Finally, if you are adding meat-free pieces or chunks then use ones that are free from gluten ingredients and also check the ingredients on any packaged item that you use including plant-based margarine.
Yes, you can easily prepare this hotpot as oil-free and we provide guidance on how to do so in the recipe card.
For the sauteing you can use vegetable stock or broth instead of oil, and instead of brushing the potato topping with melted margarine or vegan butter you can use some of the canned liquid from your butter beans or some aquafaba [canned liquid from chickpeas] as this will help crisp up the potatoes.
Yes, this hotpot is perfect for meal prepping as they freeze well and can be frozen in individual size portions. The recipe can be easily doubled or tripled and then baked in stages if necessary. Or prepare two large hotpots and enjoy one for dinner and pop one in the freezer for those extra busy days.
Yes, you can tailor this recipe to your own preferences and what ingredients you have to hand. For example, If you're not keen on meat-free pieces, feel free to substitute them with extra mushrooms or another can of beans. Alternatively, tofu, seitan, and tempeh make good replacements.
While white potatoes form the traditional base, you could easily swap them for sweet potatoes or even a blend of both. If mushrooms aren't your thing, you can swop these out for different veggies or a can of beans.
The leeks can be replaced with shallots or an extra portion of onion. Frozen pre-chopped onion is always a time saver and is great for those who find it difficult to chop veggies.
The peas are versatile as you can use frozen peas, fresh peas, or tinned peas or switch the peas out for fresh, canned, or frozen sweetcorn, or perhaps go with a duo of peas and corn.
If you would rather omit the melted margarine that is brushed over the potatoes before baking then you could brush over some aquafaba (the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas) as it does help to crisp up the potatoes. Alternatively, the liquid drained from any can of beans will also work.
As for the cheesy flavour topping that the nutritional yeast flakes brings, this can be switched out for some shredded vegan cheese or if preferred omit this ingredient.
Alternatively, a good sprinkling of garlic or onion granules, paprika, or your favourite seasoning blend can add extra flavours to the potato topping without the need for melted margarine or nutritional yeast flakes.
Yes, a mashed potato topping would be a nice alternative. You could even do a mashed sweet potato topping instead.
You can use either a kitchen knife or a mandolin. Using a mandolin can be a bonus as the potato can be more easily sliced into uniform sizes although we tend to just use a kitchen knife as we don't mind the slices being slightly different shapes as it just adds more rustic home-cooked beauty to the hotpot!
Another consideration is that depending on the thickness that the potato slices have been prepared it will have an affect on the length of time the potatoes will need to par-boil and crisp up in the oven - thinner sliced mandolin potatoes will require much less cooking time compared to thick hand-cut potatoes.
Peeling the potatoes is personal preference and personally we always like to retain the potato skins as they provide extra wholesomeness and can help hold the potato together as its cooked. However, if the potato skins are blemished then its probably best to peel before use, or just remove the blemished parts.
Any type of potatoes that hold up well during par-boiling and baking and get nice and crispy on the top, while still being soft and tender inside are perfect for a hotpot. So its best not to use a potato that would quickly loose its shape, such as those potatoes intended for mashing, during par-boiling.
We like to use the ordinary potatoes often simply labelled 'white potatoes' from the supermarket as they are inexpensive, have a nice flavour, and are a good all-rounder potato.
Other types of potatoes that you could use include - Maris Piper, King Edwards, Yukon Gold, Desiree, and new potatoes which although will create smaller discs will still make a tasty topping.
Butter beans are the mature form of lima beans, which are harvested in their fully developed stage. They are large, flat, and white, and have a buttery texture when cooked, hence the name "butter beans." When they're younger and more tender, these beans are often referred to as lima beans, especially in the United States.
The term can sometimes cause confusion, as "butter beans" may refer to the large, yellowish-white beans that are more common in the UK and the Southern United States, while "lima beans" may refer to the smaller, green variety. However, they are just different stages of the same plant, part of the species Phaseolus lunatus.
So whether your can or package of beans are termed lima or butter beans, they can be used interchangeably in recipes.
For a warming, hearty traditional British side, you can't go wrong with a serving of vegan champ which is a homely mix of mashed potatoes, turnip (or swede/rutabaga), and white cabbage.
Mashed root vegetables are another tasty option, such as a mash prepared with one or two of the following - turnip, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, or celeriac. Cauliflower mash is also quite tasty.
Other nice veggie sides are steamed vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, kale, mange tout, or green beans, or a crispy green salad.
A nice chunk of crusty bread such as Australian Damper Bread or Irish Soda Bread is always a nice idea for soaking up tasty vegetable gravy juices.
More traditional accompaniments include pickled beetroot or pickled red cabbage, or a scoop of baked beans or mushy peas.
💭 Top tips for achieving a crispy potato topping
- Aim to slice your potatoes in uniform slices - not too thick, not too thin. About ⅛ to ¼ inch works well for both cooking through and crisping up. Although don't fret about this stage too much as a few odd sized potato discs just make the hotpot look more rustically handmade!
- Parboiling the potatoes is important as doing so helps starts the cooking process and removes some of the starch, which could prevent crispiness. Just be sure not to overboil, as the potatoes need to retain some firmness so they do not fall apart when layered.
- After parboiling, let the potato slices steam dry in the colander or place them on to a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Too much moisture on the potatoes will prevent them from crisping up.
- Cook your hotpot at a high temperature. The recipe suggests an oven preheated to 200 fan oven, 220 C, or 425 Fahrenheit. The high heat allows for a nice crisp to form on the potatoes.
- Brushing the potato slices with fat is important. We use melted plant-based margarine or vegan butter, but for oil-free hotpots aquafaba [or any liquid from a can of beans] can be used. Fat conducts heat and will help the potatoes crisp up. If you choose aquafaba, it might not crisp up as much as using a fat, but it can still create a nice crisp on the potatoes.
- Position your oven dish or individual pie dishes on the upper middle rack of the oven as this can help expose the potato topping to more direct heat, assisting in crisping them up.
- When layering your potatoes on top, slightly overlap them, but ensure each has some space. If the potatoes are too crowded, they may steam rather than crisp.
- If at the end of the baking time your potatoes aren't as crispy as you'd like, you can turn on the grill (broiler in the US) for a few minutes. This will add a final touch of crispness. Keep your eye on the hotpot as its under the grill so that the potato topping does not burn!
- A sprinkle of salt can help draw out moisture from the potatoes during baking, which aids in the crisping process.
- It's best not to cover the baking dish with a lid or foil during baking as this traps steam and softens the potatoes.
👪 More meat-free hotpots and pie recipes
These are a few of my family favourite hotpots and pie recipes that feature delicious potato as a topping! Our Vegetable Hotpot is a great recipe for using up a pile of vegetables that need using up quickly!
And our Vegan Cottage Pie is another delicious comfort-food recipe and is also great for those who prefer tomato-free recipes, and for the younger family members our Vegan Cowboy Pie is always a tasty fun dinner.
Finally, our Welsh Onion Cake is prepared with simple ingredients - potatoes and onions - but it is utterly delicious and we could literally eat it everyday!
For more easy vegan dinner ideas do check out our collection of pies, hotpots, and gratins recipes.
***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 Lancashire Hotpot
Equipment
- kitchen knife or mandolin
- Colander,
- Sauté pan or skillet for hotpot filling
- Saucepan for parboiling sliced potatoes
- One medium-large casserole dish or four individual pie dishes.
Ingredients
Potato topping:
- 750 grams potatoes [thin sliced into discs]
- 2 tablespoon plant-based margarine [can replace with canned bean liquid from the butter beans or aquafaba]
- 8 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes [or vegan grated cheese]
Filling:
- 240 millilitre vegetable stock [or 1 tablespoon of oil, for sauteing]
- 2 medium leeks [thick sliced]
- 130 grams onion [1 medium, rough chopped]
- 4 cloves garlic [thin sliced or minced]
- 200 grams chestnut mushrooms [chopped into quarters, or use your preferred type of mushrooms]
- 160 grams meat-free pieces [Such as vegan Quorn pieces or any fresh or frozen meat-free pieces.]
- 1 can butter beans [400g (14) oz can, drained, or 240 grams cooked beans
- 130 grams frozen peas [or fresh]
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce [optional]
- 450 millilitre vegetable stock [Plus extra if needed. Use a vegan beef, chicken or mushroom flavour if available, if using stock powder/cube/paste use the reserved potato cooking liquid to prepare the stock.]
- 3 tablespoons vegan gravy powder [Alternatively use 3 tablespoons of gluten-free plain flour/ all purpose flour/ plain flour/ wholemeal plain flour]
Instructions
Prepare the potato topping:
- Bring a saucepan of water, with a little salt added to the boil, lower the heat to a simmer. Add the sliced potatoes and cook for 6-8 minutes depending on how thick or thin your potato slices are. Thinner slices prepared using a mandolin will only need a few minutes whereas thicker hand-cut slices will likely require 6-8 minutes. Parboil until a skewer or a fork can dent the potatoes a little.750 grams potatoes
- Drain the potato slices in a colander, reserving the cooking liquid. Leave the potatoes to steam cool in the colander.
Prepare the filling:
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a skillet or if using vegetable stock heat 1 of a cup of stock.Over a medium heat saute the onion, garlic, and leek for 8-10 minutes in the vegetable stock.Or if using oil start with sauteing the onions and leeks for 5 minutes before adding the garlic for a further 2-3 minutes.240 millilitre vegetable stock, 2 medium leeks, 130 grams onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Next, add the mushrooms along with the dried sage and thyme, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.Whenever the pan is becoming dry then add a splash of the potato cooking liquid.200 grams chestnut mushrooms, 1 teaspoon dried sage, 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- Mix through the meat-free pieces and butter beans and cook for 3 minutes.160 grams meat-free pieces, 1 can butter beans
- Next, stir through the gravy powder or flour.3 tablespoons vegan gravy powder
- Pour in 450ml (1 ¾ cups) of vegetable stock a little at a time, mixing well each time to avoid lumps. Add the soy sauce.450 millilitre vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the gravy is thickened.
- If the sauce is too thick just add a little extra potato water to loosen it up.
- Take the pan off the heat and mix through the peas.130 grams frozen peas
- Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the hotpot:
- Preheat the oven to 200 Fan, 220 Celsius,425 Fahrenheit, Gas 7.
- Spoon the filling into a casserole dish or four individual pie dishes.
- Melt the plant-based margarine in a small saucepan.2 tablespoon plant-based margarine
- Layer the pre-cooked potato discs over the filling.
- Brush the melted margarine over the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Finish with a sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes or grated vegan cheese if preferred.8 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
Bake:
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until the potatoes are soft, crispy and golden, and the filling is bubbling hot.Exact cooking times will depend on your oven and how crispy ad golden you like your topping.
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Leftover Lancashire hotpot can be stored in the fridge, covered, for 3 days. Or frozen for 2-3 months.
- Hotpot is perfect for meal prepping. Freeze cooked hotpots. Preparing individual pie dishes for freezing makes it easy to pull out one or two servings when required.
- Chill or freeze within the baking dish.
- Allow chilled or frozen hotpots to come up to room temperature before baking or reheating.
- Reheat hotpots by placing on the middle shelf in the oven at the cooking temperature, pop a cover over to prevent the potatoes going too browned if preferred but this may not be necessary for the first 20 minutes of reheating at least. Reheat for 25-30 minutes or until piping hot and the filling is bubbling hot.
- Hotpot is delicious served with mashed root veggies. Such as parsnip, turnip (swede/rutabaga), carrot, celeriac. Try just one root vegetable mash or a combination.
- Steamed green veggies and extra vegan gravy is also a tasty accompaniment.
- Pickled red cabbage or pickled beetroot is a traditional side dish for Lancashire hotpot.
- For gluten-free hotpot use a gluten-free vegetable stock, gluten-free soy sauce such as Tamari, gluten-free flour or gluten-free gravy powder, and ensure that your meat-free pieces are also free from gluten ingredients or replace with a substitute such as more veggies, extra beans, or extra mushrooms.
Nutrition
💬 Comments
Prepared our Vegan Lancashire Hotpot? We would love to know how you got on with the recipe so do pop back and drop us a comment below and click the star ratings. Thanks so much! Love Jacq x
Wendy Coleman says
Tried this today and my husband and I loved it. Left off the nutritional yeast flakes as he doesn't like it, and I'd run out of peas! Apart from that, this could well become a favourite dinner - especially at this tome of year. Lovely hot meal when it's cold outside.
Jacq says
So glad youse both loved the hotpot and you took the time to come back and comment. It’s much appreciated! X
maryanne says
This hotpot recipe is so satisfying and tasty! Thanks for sharing!
Jacq says
Your very welcome 🙂
Beth says
Such a big hit and so comforting. My son and hubby absolutely loved this and were begging for more! Definitely a hit and going to make this again for sure!
Jacq says
Brilliant! So glad you all enjoyed the hotpot 🙂
Biana says
Looks delicious! I like the idea of making this hotpot for dinner.
Jacq says
Thanks! 🙂
Amanda says
Talk about total comfort food! I love how the gravy added such a delicious, homey touch.
Jacq says
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed the hotpot. We love the gravy topping at our house. So comforting 🙂
Bintu | Budget Delicious says
I love a hotpot and this vegan version sounds absolutely delicious. Will definitely be making it for the whole family.
Jacq says
Awesome! Happy cooking 🙂
Katherine says
Oooh so great to have a recipe for a vegan version of hot pot! Thank you.
Jacq says
Glad you like the hotpot! Its traditional British pub grub as they say!
Allyssa says
This is so perfect! Very tasty and easy to make! Thanks a lot for this! 🙂
Jacq says
Brilliant! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Helen says
This looks delicious! I used to love hotpot before I stopped eating meat but it's never occurred to me to make a veggie version. Doh! Thanks for the recipe.
Jacq says
So glad you like the recipe! Veggie hotpot is amazing! Hope your enjoy 🙂
Kate says
What a lovely comfort food dinner - can't believe it is vegan, looks so creamy and delicious.
Jacq says
Thanks so much! Vegan Lancashire hotpot is so creamy and tasty. Hope you enjoy! Think I'm going to make this for tonight's dinner as just thinking about it is making my mouth water!
Mòrag says
Made this tonight - very tasty! Would definitely make it again. Didn't have any peas so I just subbed in some carrots at the leek and onion stage. Even my carnivore husband who has gone veggie for January (and hopefully longer) thought it was delicious.
Jacq says
Thanks for your lovely comment. So glad you and your husband enjoyed the hotpot 🙂
Katie | Katie Saves says
Wow this looks delicious! Perfect comfort food for this time of year
Jacq says
Thanks! It's one of my family favourites 🙂