Recipe This | Instant Pot Shepherd’s Pie (2024)

Instant Pot Shepherd’s Pie. How to cook an authentic shepherd’s pie in the instant pot pressure cooker. Loaded with minced lamb, carrots, and peas with a delicious mashed potato topping. This healthy shepherd’s pie is also gluten free and easy to make from scratch.

Instant Pot Shepherd’s Pie

Yesterday on the blog, we shared with how to make a delicious instant pot cottage pie. Now today is the turn of the big brother aka a yummy instant pot shepherd’s pie.

Shepherd’s pie has often got a bad reputation over the years, from people that don’t live in England.

That shepherd’s pie is bland and boring English food, and many don’t give it the time of day.

However, I grew up on Shepherd’s pie and love it.

My Grandma made it for me as a kid. I would be sat at the table chatting to her and the smell of lamb would be filling the air from her old school stovetop pressure cooker that she loved to use.

She would then make a batch of creamy mashed potatoes and the filling meal would stop us snacking and make us feel totally stuffed.

But she died 16 years before I owned my first instant pot pressure cooker. For a bit of nostalgia, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and make an instant pot shepherd’s pie.

What Is Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s Pie is a popular British meat and mash dish. Lean minced lamb is loaded with peas, carrots, and onions. It is then topped with a hearty layer of homemade mashed potatoes.

There is never any corn or other vegetables added in an authentic recipe.

Shepherd’s pie is NEVER made with beef and is known to be among the best lamb dishes that you can recreate at home in your instant pot.

• Can shepherd’s pie be made with beef? No it can’t. But many wrongly name shepherd’s pie when made with beef and instead this is in fact cottage pie. If you have beef to use up, I recommend our instant pot cottage pie recipe instead.
• How did shepherd’s pie come about? The shepherd’s pie came from the meal that shepherds used to eat after tending to their sheep. Many British folk will go to the butchers and buy lamb specifically to be able to make an authentic shepherd’s pie and then to share tales about the sheep herding as they tuck in.
• Is instant pot shepherd’s pie healthy? This depends on the recipe that you follow. Our homemade shepherd’s pie is free of processed foods and is a healthier take. But I know some people consider frozen peas to be unhealthy, whilst we do not.

Instant Pot Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

I remember when I became a vegetarian in the 90’s it was around the same time people got excited over the shepherdless pie.

This was the fancy name given to a vegetarian shepherd’s pie.

It meant swapping meat and stock for vegetable stock, quorn and red lentils. I had it a lot back then and still love it now.

Simply make these simple swaps and transform your instant pot shepherd pie into an instant pot shepherdless pie.

Instant Pot Shepherd’s Pie Filling

If you are wondering what the instant pot shepherd’s pie filling is like, then let me explain it further.

It is like a lamb casserole, that has a wonderful flavour from the lamb, but is also tasty from the carrots and peas. It also reminds me of British food thanks to the seasonings.

Though whenever I have shepherd’s pie, I always want to dunk warm crusty homemade bread into the filling.

That is why we usually have it with our bread maker bread.

Instant Pot Recipe For Shepherd’s Pie

Cooking shepherd’s pie in the instant pot is EASY.

1. Sauté onions and brown minced lamb in the instant pot.
2. Stir in other ingredients.
3. Place the trivet and steamer basket over.
4. Load the steamer with diced potatoes.
5. Pressure cook + mash + serve.

Can Shepherd’s Pie Be Made Ahead Of Time?

Yes you can make your shepherd’s pie ahead of time. Simply make it as you would normally, then place it in the fridge and reheat it when it is time to eat.

Though note, shepherd’s pie can not be reheated twice. So make sure you don’t reheat too much because then you have wasted your leftovers.

Can’t make it now? Then pin it for later!

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