How A ‘terrible’ Pot Pie Helped Launch Bay Area
Rachel and Andy Berliner have a system down when it comes to tasting recipes for their frozen meal company, Amys Kitchen. Since 1987, the founders have hovered over a round wooden table tucked inside their Petaluma farmhouse where they sample their latest organic and vegetarian creations. And thats just the way they want to keep it.
We have a table where we taste our food, and it was the first table where Andy and I started the business, Rachel said. Its the first piece of furniture we ever bought together. We still have it. We still do things in a family way, even though we’re a large company.
Amys Kitchen is based in Petaluma and embraced organic foods and sustainability early on when not many companies were doing so. And for the past 34 years, Amys Kitchen has focused on ready-to-eat meals made with organic produce from small, local farms. Rachel and Andy, who are longtime vegetarians, say they didnt start the business to be hip.
The Berliners taste a recipe at their home in Petaluma during the 1990s. Pictured on the far right is Fred Scarpulla, head of culinary at Amy’s Kitchen.
Rachel Berliner, co-founder of Amy’s Kitchen, and her daughter Amy Berliner during the late 1980s. The frozen meal company is based in Petaluma.
We thought there may be other people like us that occasionally want some organic, great-tasting meals but don’t have time to cook from scratch, Andy said.
Amy’s Kitchen started with a vegetarian pot pie.
How Long Do I Cook Amys Vegetable Pot Pie In The Air Fryer
Most frozen pot pies including Amys Vegetable Pot Pie need about 15 to 24 minutes at 360 degrees F in the air fryer in order to be fully cooked and have that golden-brown crust color.
However, keep in mind that air fryer temperatures can vary depending on the brand you are using, so a great practice is to start out with less cook time, checking for doneness, and then adding more time as needed.
Can You Cook Amys Vegetable Pot Pie In An Air Fryer
Yes, cooking your Amys Vegetable Pot Pie in the air fryer is the best option to go for, and heres why:
- Less Time: The air fryer takes way less time than the oven to cook your Amys Vegetable Pot Pie, as it only takes 23 minutes compared to 40 minutes in the oven.
- Less cleaning: Cleaning the air fryer is way easier than the oven, plus most air fryers baskets are dishwasher friendly, so what else do you want!
- Better texture: The hot air that the air fryer uses to cook your Amys Vegetable Pot Pie will assure that all sides of the pie will cook evenly which will result in a better crust and delicious taste.
- No Thawing: You dont need to thaw your Amys Vegetable Pot Pie before cooking, just place it straight from frozen in the air fryer and you will have a delicious pot pie.
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Easy Vegan Pot Pie With Biscuits
This vegan pot pie is easy to make, with a medley of vegetables in a creamy sauce, and flaky buttery vegan biscuits, yum! Eating plant-based doesnt mean you have to miss out on the taste of pot pie, especially when you make it yourself. This easy vegan pot pie with biscuits recipe is the most satisfying home-cooked comfort food. The perfect warming meal to enjoy this time of year!
My Easy Vegan Pot Pie with Biscuits recipe, has a simple but scrumptious vegan filling and is topped off with my favorite quick and delicious biscuit topping. It is packed with a mixture of vegetables including onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, potatoes, and peas. If you are looking for substitutions, feel free to sub any veggies you like with your favorite veggies just keep the measurements about the same. You could try swapping white potatoes for sweet potatoes, or chunks of squash. Or swapping mushrooms for a vegan meat substitute, for example. Let me know in the comments if you give any subs a try!
The biscuits on the pot pie are super easy to make in a food processor or in a bowl. . The biscuits come out perfectly golden, flaky, and tender and compliment the creamy sauce perfectly! If you are able to find vegan canned biscuits in your grocery store , you can use them if you prefer. Just place the uncooked biscuits on top of the pot pie just before baking and cook according to the recipe instructions. I think homemade biscuits are always the most delicious though!
Is Amy’s Broccoli Pot Pie Vegetarian

Ten months later as she sat in the kitchen trying out her new teeth on a stalk of broccoli, we developed a new Vegetable Pie made with organic vegetables – choice young broccoli, northern russet potatoes and golden carrots – in a smooth Cheddar cheese sauce, then baked in a tender flaky crust made from 100% organic …
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Amys Pot Pie In The Air Fryer Instructions
Cooking Vegan Pot Pies
Because I generally meal prep everything, vegan pot pies are no different. The filling, for instance, can be prepared ahead of time. Similarly, the dough also can be made and even frozen to use for a variety of recipes.
Furthermore, any time I have extra dough, I enjoy using mini cookie cutters to add pretty shapes for any occasion to add to the top of the vegan pot pies.
Additionally, I brush each pot pie with oat milk right before baking to enhance the browning of the dough.
So, the next time you are craving a little comfort food, give this vegan pot pie recipe a try.
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How To Make Easy Vegan Pot Pie With Biscuits:
To make the vegan biscuits, you can either do this in a food processor or in a bowl.
Food processor method: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt into the food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Scatter the vegan butter cubes over the flour and pulse several more times until the mixture is a crumbly sandy texture. Pour over the plant-based milk and pulse a few more times until you reach a soft sticky dough . Chill the dough in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Bowl method: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Scatter the vegan butter cubes over the flour and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until you reach a crumbly sandy texture. Drizzle the plant-based milk across the flour mixture and use the fork to combine, until you reach a soft sticky dough . Chill the dough in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
To make the easy vegan pot pie filling:Preheat your oven to 400F . Lightly grease a 13″ x 9″ casserole dish . Such as this one.
Melt 2 tablespoons of vegan butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic and sauté until the veggies begin to soften, 5 – 10 minutes.
Sprinkle over the flour and stir to coat the veggies. Stir in the vegetable broth and add the potato, nutritional yeast, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 7 – 10 minutes until thickened. Stir in the plant-based milk and peas and remove from heat.
To Our Amys Family Around The World
As we’re experiencing a collective sense of heightened anxiety around COVID-19, few things feel more urgent than to have good, safe food available for ourselves and our loved ones.Please rest assured that we are continuing to make your favourite Amy’s foods throughout this crisis. While some of our products may be temporarily hard to find, we are doing everything we can to fast-track as many meals to stores as possible.Most importantly, we wish you and your loved ones comfort, peace and health.The Amys Kitchen Family
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The Owners Of Amys Drive
Amy’s Kitchen serves a variety of healthy, tasty beverages.
Amy’s Kitchen
Do you think of fast food as an indulgence thats bad for you? Well, think again if you stop by Amys Drive Thru, the first organic vegetarian fast food restaurant in the United States. Sure, delectable burgers are on the menu, but they are all plant-based. Youll find milk shakes galore made from plant-based milks and other delectable ingredients, and healthier versions of fast-food classics like chili fries, mac and cheese, and burritos are served daily.
Amys Drive Thru was created by Rachel and Andy Berliner, the married duo who also founded Amys Kitchen in the 1980s. That business has been thriving for decades, and its now the leading maker of vegetarian and vegan frozen meals. It looks like Amys Drive Thru is set for a similar level of success. Andy Berliner answered some of our questions about this dynamic eatery and whats next for this vegan-friendly company.
Amy’s Kitchen sells salads and more indulgent comfort foods.
Amy’s Kitchen
What inspired you to start your now-iconic vegetarian brand?
Have you always been passionate about food?
Before we started Amys, I started and sold an herbal tea brand. My brother owned a Chicago pizzeria in Petaluma, and my dad produced chocolates and caramels for a department store in Chicago. So, food-making has always been a passion and a big part of my life.
What inspired you to start Amy’s Drive Thru? When did the first drive thru open?
Amy’s Kitchen
How To Make Oil
To thicken the mixture, I made an oil-free roux. Although roux is generally made with butter or oil and flour to thicken soups and stews, fortunately, roux can easily be made without both. By simply adding small amounts of gluten-free flour or regular flour into the vegetable cooking, the roux is made without any need for added fat.
Then, slowly add the vegetable broth, stirring until the flour is absorbed into the vegetables.
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Amys Vegetable Pot Pie Ingredients
Here are the ingredients that are used to make Frozen Amys Vegetable Pot Pie:
Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Filtered Water, Grade AA Butter, Organic Potatoes, Organic Carrots, Organic Tofu, Organic Onions, Organic Sweet Rice Flour, Organic Peas, Rice Flour, Organic Tamari, Sea Salt, Honey, Spices, Black Pepper, Yeast Extract, Turmeric.
What Are The Different Other Methods To Cook Amys Vegetable Pot Pie

Amys Vegetable Pot Pie in the Conventional Oven instructions:
Amys Vegetable Pot Pie In Microwave Oven Instructions:
Amys Vegetable Pot Pie In Toaster Oven Instructions:
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Super Delicious Vegan Pot Pie
So on a cold day like were having today in Minnesota, theres nothing better than comfort foods! Tonight Im making lentil vegan pot pies. They taste so good, your family wont miss the meat!
- 1 package of 2 pie crusts for 9″ pies
- 1 package of frozen mixed vegetables
- ¼ cup green lentils or 4 Garden Chick’n Strips
- 2 cups of water
- 2 tsp of Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Base
- cup Earth Balance Butter
- ½ white onion, finely chopped
- cup flour
Enjoy and stay warm!
Is Frozen Amys Vegetable Pot Pie Bad For You
Amys Vegetable Pot Pie is a great choice when it comes to calories as it contains 430 calories Per Serving which is great, however, most other pot pies are a poor choice if youre trying to keep your weight down as they contain too many calories and too much fat especially when they contain meat.Thus you can make up for their poor nutrient value by eating a salad with them made from nutrient-rich vegetables, such as Asparagus and Carrots.
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Vegan Mushroom Pot Pie
When the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, I can’t help but crave something that looks like it came straight out of a Charles Dickens short story. I’m talkin’ steaming hot pot pie filled with creamy, flavorful gravy, sweet and tender veggies, and topped with a shatteringly flaky crust. Sure, normally there’s meat, a la Chicken Pot Pie, but for an infrequent meat-eater like myself, it’s not a necessity.
When I set out to develop this vegan pot pie, I knew I’d be leaning heavily on mushrooms: the magical fungi that brings loads of umami flavorAKA the perfect stand-in for meat. If mushrooms aren’t your jam, I’d keep searching the web for a vegan pot pie better suited to your tastes. This one is decidedly mushroom-y.
Before you start cooking, a couple tips:
Still got questions? I got answers!
What’s the deal with dried porcini mushrooms? They’re expensive and I’ve never used them.
I have a lot of leftover phyllo dough … what can I do with it?
Ok I read your whole thing about the homemade broth but I still don’t want to do it. Are you mad?
Can I throw in some other veggies? Or just sub in completely different veggies?
Flaky sea salt