This vegan "Chicken" Tikka Masala Pot Pie is stuffed with chewy and juicy bits of vegan chicken and green peppers in a delicious, rich and healthy tikka masala sauce. On top goes a flaky, golden pie crust. What's not to love?

Elegant yet quirky, my Tikka Masala Pot Pie is perfect eats to warm up your tummy on a frigid Fall evening. And I can't think of a better dish to make Thanksgiving -- or any dinner -- more delicious.

I love pot pies-- and if you've eaten my vegan mushroom pot pie, you'll know exactly why. This vegan Tikka Masala Pot Pie is another one of my favorites, and I'd shared the recipe with you back in 2013. I've made many changes to it since, so I wanted to share the updated recipe -- which I like even better -- with new photos.

A tikka masala, full-bodied and flavorful, is a food so perfect, it has entire nations quibbling to take credit for it, from India to Pakistan to Great Britain. And while it is true that the concept of a tikka masala, and the masalas that go into it, are very South Asian, the dish is said to have actually been invented by Indian or Pakistani cooks in British restaurants, probably making it a British dish.

Whatever its origin, everyone can agree that a tikka masala is inarguably delicious. Stuffed under flaky, golden pastry, it becomes even more so. Digging into the crackly top to the rich, orange-red sauce below and discovering little bits of "chicken" tikka and green pepper is quite the gastronomic experience.

You could make one big pot pie with this recipe for my Tikka Masala Pot Pie, or divvy it up into four individual little pot pies. For the filling, instead of cream, I used cashew cream, onions, tomatoes, the vegan chick'n, of course, and fresh green bell peppers.

Ingredients for the pot pie:

Unbleached all purpose flour

Vegan butter

Vegan chick'n

Paprika

Turmeric

Ginger-garlic paste

Raw cashews

Vegetable oil

Lemon juice

Onion

Tomatoes

Tomato paste

Coriander powder

Cumin powder

Garam masala powder

Vegetable stock

Green bell peppers

Shallots (or more onions)

Tips for making a perfect tikka masala pot pie:

You can use just veggies in your tikka masala, or tofu, if you don't want to use a meat substitute. However, I strongly recommend using a meat substitute, because it gives you great texture that's perfect in a pot pie.

If you use veggies, use something that you'd typically use in a pot pie, like carrots or celery or mushrooms, or all of the above.

If you do sub veggies, or tofu, you will still need to marinate and bake them, as you do with the vegan chick'n, before you actually add them to the masala sauce.

Make sure your tikka masala stew is a little runnier than a typical tikka masala would be. That's because your tikka masala will bake in the oven and become drier, so a slightly runnier stew will bake to the perfect consistency.

Use a vegetable stock for the most flavor.

I used a more traditional pie crust here, but if you want to make this easier, you can use puff pastry instead -- a trick I've been using for years, and it works beautifully.

This recipe is for a small family -- or two very hungry people. If you want to make more pies, use the slider in the recipe box to adjust for more servings. The ingredient portions will automatically update.

Looking for more savory vegan pot pies and more?

Vegan "Chicken" Tikka Masala Pot Pie Recipe