This Instant Pot Shepherd's Pie is a hardy meal that is simple to make, and ready in under an hour. It is filled with the traditional fragrant spices of rosemary and thyme but is made with creamy instant potatoes for a quick dinner. It’s gluten free, dairy free, and free of refined sugar!
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Instant Pot Shepherd's Pie Main Ingredients:
Instant Pot Shepherd's Pie Spices:
How to make Instant Pot Shepherd's Pie:
- Heat the Instant Pot! Add oil to Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and heat with the Sauté function with the time set to 10 minutes.
- Prep vegetables and herbs. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and finely chop the thyme and rosemary.
- Heat oil and cook beef. Add one pound ground beef to the oil and cook until beef is browned and halfway done - about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, onion, tomato paste, salt, and pepper to beef mixture in Instant Pot. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add rosemary, thyme, apricots, apricot jam, bay leaf, and beef stock to instant pot and stir to combine. Do NOT add the instant potatoes, frozen vegetables, or almond milk, yet.
- Cook. Turn Instant Pot to High Pressure Cook. Seal and cook for 15 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to build pressure.
- Add frozen vegetables. Manually quick release pressure from Instant Pot and add vegetables. Stir to combine. Put lid back on and cook on high pressure for another 3 minutes. This time it should only take a couple minutes to come to pressure.
- Add potatoes and almond milk! Let Instant Pot naturally release pressure for 5 minutes and then manually release to open. Remove bay leaves and add instant potatoes and almond milk. Stir to combine and until potato mixture has thickened.
- Enjoy! We recommend transferring to a casserole dish or baking dish to serve.
Quick Facts
Does this meet my dietary needs?
This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, and refined sugar free.
How long does this keep?
4 days in the fridge in airtight container, 2 months in freezer
Is it freezer friendly?
Yes this pie is freezer friendly, check out our post on how to reheat frozen pie!
How do I reheat this?
Heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Can I pack this for lunch?
Yup! This is a great meal prep for the whole family, just keep it cold until ready to eat.
Substitution Options
All substitution options are a 1:1 substitution unless noted otherwise.
Ground beef: Ground turkey, chili meat, ground chicken, or ground lamb could be used. Meat could also be omitted for a vegetarian version.
Garlic and Onion: 1 teaspoon Garlic powder and 1 tablespoon Onion powder could be used. White or red onion could be used in place of the yellow onion, also.
Avocado Oil: Any vegetable oil can be used in place of avocado oil. Also, salted or unsalted butter can be used. If using olive oil, it loses its health properties at higher heats so it is not recommended when frying.
Rosemary and Thyme: Dried rosemary and thyme could be used or these can be omitted. If left out, however, there will be lack of flavor.
Beef Broth: Vegetable or chicken broth can be used. Water can be used in a pinch with additional salt.
Bay Leaves: Sorry, no substitution for this, but it can be omitted in a pinch.
Apricots and Apricot Jam: Fresh apricots can be used in place of apricot jam but not for the dried apricots. Both of these can be omitted, but highly recommended for depth of flavor. These are our favorite dried apricots!
Frozen Vegetables: Any frozen vegetable mix can be used. Fresh or canned corn, frozen peas, green beans, and carrots can be used also. If using fresh, the carrots will need to be cooked with the beef initially and then the peas and corn would just be stirred in and you would not pressurize the instant pot to cook a second time.
Salt & Black Pepper: Sorry, no substitution for this.
Instant Potatoes: Fresh potatoes, even fresh sweet potatoes, can be used but they will need to be cut in cubes and added to the Instant Pot with the beef to cook longer. These are our favorite instant potatoes (gluten free!).
Almond Milk: Cashew milk, soy milk, plant based milk, or regular milk of choice can be used. We just recommend not using coconut milk due to it’s strong flavor.
Additions: We love this recipe just the way it is, but some potential additions include adding a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, topping with beef gravy, or topping with melty cheddar cheese.
Fun Fact!
Traditional Shepherd's Pie originated from Scotland where it was baked in a pastry crust using leftover stew meat and gravy. When it moved to Ireland, they topped it with potatoes because they were easier to acquire. While original recipes call for stew meat, it was also known as a catch all recipe. Meaning, people used whatever they had to fill the stew - including pigeons or crows. We love a recipe that is versatile and uses your resources! (Source)
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Recipe
Instant Pot Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or chili beef
- ½ of a white onion
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1-½ cup beef stock
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 4 sprigs thyme
- ¼ cup apricot jam
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup dried apricots chopped
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 oz frozen peas, carrot, corn
- 2 cups instant potatoes
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot on Sauté with the time set to 10 minutes.
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and finely chop the thyme and rosemary.
- Add avocado oil to Instant Pot and wait until hot. Then, add beef and cook until brown and halfway done - about 5 minutes.
- Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, salt and pepper to Beef in Instant Pot. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add rosemary, thyme, apricots, apricot jam, bay leaf, and beef stock to Instant Pot and stir to combine. Do NOT add the instant potatoes, frozen vegetables, or almond milk, yet.
- Turn Instant Pot to High Pressure Cook. Seal and cook for 15 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to build pressure.
- Manually release pressure from Instant Pot and then add frozen vegetables. Stir to combine. Put lid back on and cook on high pressure for another 3 minutes. This time it should only take a couple minutes to come to pressure.
- Let Instant Pot naturally release pressure for 5 minutes and then manually release the remaining pressure to open. Remove bay leaves and add potatoes and almond milk. Stir to combine and until potatoes have thickened.
- Enjoy!
KW says
This was terrific! Fast, simple, and satisfying! Made it for St Paddy's Day dinner! Thank you!
Barb McGowan says
This is so delicious and full of flavor. It’s going to become one of my new regular meals!
Barb McGowan says
I loved this! So delicious and flavorful 🤤. I had to improvise a bit because I don’t have an instant pot and would be curious how you would adjust the recipe for those without an instant pot.