The ultimate comfort food, this Dairy-Free Shepherd's Pie has a savory, flavorful ground beef base topped with creamy mashed sweet potatoes that bake into pure goodness. It’s easy to prep ahead, reheats beautifully, and somehow tastes even better the next day. One of those recipes you’ll put on repeat all winter long.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 50 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 5
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 406 kcals and 43 grams of protein
- 📋 Main Ingredients: Ground beef, sweet potatoes, frozen veggies, tomato paste, and seasonings.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and paleo-friendly.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Easy to make while curbing your sweet tooth in a healthy way.
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Anything that can be double-batched and meal-prepped is a win in my house, and this gluten-free shepherd's pie might be the best example. It uses simple seasonings that kids love and freezes beautifully when portioned into loaf pans, making busy weeknights feel way more manageable (just like Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes). I’ve been known to pull a pan from the freezer after a long day and serve it with maple roasted vegetables and instantly feel like I’ve got my life together again.
Made with lean ground beef, gluten-free pantry staples, and creamy mashed sweet potatoes, this sweet potato shepherd's pie is hearty enough to enjoy every week without getting old. It’s endlessly customizable and fits perfectly into a meal-prep rotation alongside recipes from the Busy Moms Cookbook. Comforting, filling, and chaos-proof, exactly what every family dinner needs.
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💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
Hearty: With meat as the base, veggies swirled in, and topped with sweet potatoes, this paleo-version of a classic is a hearty meal.
Healthy: Packed with protein and naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo-approved, and even Whole30-approved.
Versatile: This is a “quick and easy” version of the shepherd's pie your grandma used to make but there are still lots of ways to make it different each time you whip it up.
Meal prep: Shepherd’s pie both freezes and reheats well, making it a great meal prep recipe for yourself or to gift to an expecting mom (along with these breastfeeding snacks).
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Coconut aminos: Optional but yummy to add a pop of flavor. However, if you don’t have it on hand, you can use both Worcestershire sauce and gluten-free soy sauce. Just know the substitutions aren’t paleo or Whole30 appropriate.
- Vegetables: Any mixed vegetables will work in the recipe. I like to use frozen ones to keep the process super speedy. Check out the flavor variations for some other ideas.
- Ground beef: I find the leaner the better, but that's a preference. You could also switch it up to use something like venison in its place (check out this easy venison chili if you have extra!).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
As mentioned, there are so many ways to change the taste of this paleo shepherd's pie recipe which makes it fun to try new variations. Some of our go-to's are below.
Protein: Change the lean ground beef to ground venison or turkey.
Herbs: Make it more like the traditional version and add in lots of thyme, parsley, and a pinch of chili powder.
Vegetables: You can easily chop your own vegetables for the sweet potato shepherd's pie. A mix of diced onion, carrots, and peas is always delicious, but adding in something like herbed cauliflower rice to bulk up the base is something my family enjoys too.
How To Make Dairy-Free Shepherd's Pie
Step 1: Boil and drain the sweet potatoes before mashing them with tallow and dairy-free milk.
Step 2: Brown the beef and drain the grease.
Step 3: Add in the remaining ingredients and seasonings. Mix well.
Step 4: Portion the beef mixture into the loaf pans and press down.
Step 5: Top each pan with mashed sweet potatoes and smooth them out.
Step 6: Sprinkle with parsley and bake.
Expert Tips
Only cook the ground beef most of the way through before you drain it. This way it’ll absorb more of the flavors you add to it and not dry out.
I prefer to make my Shepherds pie in two loaf pans (5x9 ish), but you can do this in an 8x8 baking pan too.
Hot tip: If storing it in the freezer, wrap the foil all the way around the baking pan to prevent freezer burn.
How To Store It
To meal prep it: Make the gluten-free shepherd's pie, but don’t bake it. Instead, let it cool fully before wrapping it in aluminum foil and storing it in the fridge or freezer.
Storing it: Let any leftovers you have cool fully before storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven on low (about 300F) until heated through.
Freezing it: Once baked, I wouldn’t suggest freezing the shepherd's pie as the potatoes lose some of their texture.
Reheating: If you meal-prepped a pan of shepherd's pie and popped it in the freezer, let it thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, bake it at 375F until heated through (about 25 minutes).
Dairy-Free Shepherd's Pie FAQs
In place of Worcestershire sauce in Shepher'd pie, you can use balsamic vinegar or coconut aminos.
Sure! If you have mini loaf pans, this is a great choice for kids! Portion each individually and know that you probably won’t need to cook the Whole30 Shepherd's pie as long
More Easy, Healthy, Dinner Recipes
If you tried this Dairy-Free Shepherd's Pie Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Dairy-Free Shepherds Pie
Video
Equipment
- 2 8x4 loaf pans
Ingredients
For the sweet potato topping
- 2 Large Sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon Vegan butter or tallow
- 1 tablespoon Dairy-free milk as needed
- Salt to taste
For the pie
- 2 pounds Lean ground beef
- 1 ¼ cup Frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 tablespoon Garlic mined
- 1 can Tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Broth or water
- 2 teaspoons Coconut aminos
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Dried thyme optional
- 1 teaspoon Dried parsley for topping
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the sweet potato chunks. Cook until the potatoes are soft then remove them from water and drain.
- While mashing the potatoes, mix in the butter, milk, and salt. Adjust each of these to your preferred tastes. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet just over medium heat and brown the beef making sure to break it into chunks as it cooked.
- Once cooked through, drain any excess grease.
- Put the skillet back on the burner and add in the garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the mixed vegetables followed by the remaining ingredients until everything is mixed well.
- Cook for another 2 minutes to combine the flavors and then remove it from heat.
- Portion the beef mixture into an 8x8 baking pan (or two smaller loave pans) and top it with the mashed sweet potatoes. Smooth out the potatoes and sprinkle with parsley (if using).
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Wrap the baking pan in aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes until hot in the middle. Remove the foil and broil for 2-3 minutes taking care not to burn. Enjoy.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
Dinner doesn’t have to be chaotic-this eBook gives you 20+ protein-packed meals ready in 30 minutes or less (even when the day’s already gone sideways)
Shelby S says
This dinner definitely takes some prep but I love making batches and popping them in the freezer for busy weeks. I do this anytime we have leftover sweet potatoes!