This Paleo Shepherd’s Pie is classic, cozy comfort food for cold winter days! It’s Whole30 compliant, dairy free and kid approved. A flavorful, hearty ground beef mixture is topped with creamy dairy-free mashed potatoes, and baked until golden brown and bubbling.
Is there anything better on a cold winter night than a cozy, comforting and CRAZY delicious shepherd’s pie?! Yes – a cozy, comforting, crazy delicious paleo and Whole30 shepherd’s pie.
Trust me, things are about to get better, even if you thought you were doing just fine without this recipe in your life.
Dramatic? I know – but I’m just really excited to share this highly- anticipated recipe with all of you.
Admittedly, some of my excitement is relief, since I basically tortured myself making decisions about this recipe. What veggies to use? What should I cook it in?
White potatoes for the topping? Sweet potatoes? Or toss the potatoes and go with a lower carb topping?
It gets pretty intense sometimes with recipe creation over here. It really just ME, having a brainstorming meeting with ME, shooting down all of my own ideas as they pop up. Super fun, I assure you. But, really, sometimes I’m not sure how anything ever gets done.
Spoiler alert – I went with chopped carrots, and brussels sprouts, a cast iron skillet, and white potatoes – YES – white potatoes. In all their starchy-delicious glory.
Are White Potatoes Paleo?
Even though white potatoes have been Whole30 compliant for quite a long time now, I still get questions about whether or not they’re paleo, and my answer to that, is, yes, they are to me. They might not be okay for everyone though – and that’s okay!
There seems to be much confusion about potatoes (I recently had someone ask me why I post potato recipes if they contain gluten. Face to forehead for that one, eek.).
Now, not everyone who begins eating paleo should eat potatoes – based on their own personal health circumstances, goals, preferences, etc.
And yes, that can be said for plenty of other foods that are both paleo and Whole30 compliant, of course – because we all have individual needs.
As for me, I have no problem eating white potatoes, and though I wouldn’t say I eat a ton of them (greens, roasted sweet potatoes and plantains are my staples) I like to include them in recipes where I feel they belong.
They made a dang good topping for my shepherd’s pie – even without the butter, milk, and cheese to help out (don’t worry, we have replacements!)
But, if you’re really not into them, you can sub in sweet potatoes, white sweet potatoes, or Japanese sweet potatoes for the topping.
As for the filling, it’s a heart mixture of grass fed ground beef, my personal favorite veggies (you can sub in your faves!) onions, garlic, a bit of tomato paste, broth, and fresh savory herbs.
It’s an incredibly easy recipe to put together, though it is time consuming due to making the mashed potatoes, and then baking everything together.
To cut down on time, you can prep many of the ingredients ahead (including cooking the potatoes!) and then simply cook the beef mixture and spread the potatoes on top right before baking.
I know you’ll love this one guys! Are you ready to get started? Let’s cook!
Paleo Shepherd’s Pie {Whole30, Dairy Free}
Paleo Shepherd's Pie {Whole30, Dairy Free}
Ingredients
Beef Mixture:
- 1 tbsp ghee for cooking
- 1 1/2 lbs grass fed ground beef
- Sea salt and pepper (for seasoning beef
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 1/2 cup Brussels sprouts chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- sprinkle of sea salt for veggies
- 3/4 cup beef or chicken bone broth
- 2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp fresh minced thyme
- 1 tsp fresh minced rosemary
Mashed Potatoes:
- 4-6 russet potatoes or 2 1/2 lbs peeled and cut into 2” pieces
- 2/3 cup full fat coconut milk blended prior to adding
- 3 Tbsp organic ghee
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the potatoes:
- Heat a 3 quart pot with water, sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Add 2” potato pieces to the boiling water, and cook until very soft
- Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Set heat to low and add the ghee and coconut milk. Mash with a potato masher over very low heat, once smooth, turn heat off and add nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. If you want your potatoes really creamy, you can use an immersion blender at this point (I just put mine right in the pot.)
Prepare beef mixture and assemble/bake pie:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
In a deep oven proof skillet* (mine was 10”, add beef to skillet and sprinkle with sea salt. Brown beef over med/hi heat breaking up lumps with spoon. remove from skillet to a plate with slotted spoon and set aside.
- Adjust heat to medium and add Brussels sprouts and carrots to skillet, stir to coat and cook about 2 minutes, then add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and sprinkle veggies with a bit of sea salt, stir, then cover the skillet briefly to soften carrots until fork tender, if necessary.
- Add the remaining ingredients for the beef mixture to the skillet, stir to combine, then return beef to skillet and stir to coat, simmer for 2 minutes or so to thicken the sauce and blend flavors.
- Spread all the mashed potatoes over the beef mixture and use a spoon or spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle with parsley, then place skillet on a large baking sheet (to catch any bubbling sauce) and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and top begins to turn light brown.
- Remove from oven, allow to sit about 10 minutes before serving hot. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*If you don't have an oven proof skillet, you can use a casserole dish instead to bake your shepherd's pie - cook beef mixture in a skillet and then transfer mixture to casserole dish once done cooking; spread mashed potatoes over the top and bake as instructed.
Nutrition
What I Used To Make My Whole30 Paleo Shepherd’s Pie:
Want More Whole30 Dinner Recipes? Try One of These!
Slow Cooker Meatballs and Marinara Sauce
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with White Sweet Potatoes
Easy Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Classic Meatloaf with Whole30 Ketchup
Walnut Crusted Turkey Cutlets with “Honey” Mustard
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What would you use in place of coconut milk? I find all the paleo recipes where they say you won’t taste the coconut aren’t honesty reported. I always taste the coconut and find myself throwing out meal after meal which is just a waste of good food and money.
Not really sure – my kids and husband didn’t taste the coconut in this but if you really can’t stand it, I’d go with unsweetened almond milk or heavy cream if you can have dairy.
Can I sub green beans instead of brussel sprouts? How much would you use?
This was super good! It’s now in my recipe binder. Only change I made was adding half a container of kite hill dairy-free cream cheese. Thank you for the recipe!
To the mashed potatoes that is!
This isn’t dairy-free because it uses ghee.
Ghee is dairy-free, because all the lactose and milk solids have been removed. All that remains are butter fats.
Not all ghee are free of milk solids. You have to get certified casein and whey free ghee for that.
What do you suggest we use as a substitute for ghee. Would canola oil or earth balance vegan butter?
Love this dish, its one of my all time favourites for winter! I’ve used minced lamb instead of beef which is equally delicious. We even tried with minced chicken, but red meat is definitely tastier!
Just as an aside, I agree with the comments that this isn’t dairy free due to the ghee, and the mis-labelling could be quite dangerous. I saw one comment that said ghee is dairy free as the milk solids have been removed, but my husband has a dairy allergy, and ghee would put him in hospital. I used olive oil or coconut oil instead.
Thank you for all your recipes! This sounds delicious!
I would love to know a sub for the coconut milk that works well in heat. My son is allergic to coconut and we are both allergic to dairy. I have used different brands of almond milk in recipes like this and when you heat the meal in the oven (for casseroles,etc) the almond milk seems to just fall apart chemically and make the dish watery. Got any suggestions? Thanks!
I think since you’re mixing it in with the mashed potatoes that almond milk or another dairy free milk (like cashew) should work pretty well 🙂
You are a low carb angel. This looks SO good, and is something I’ve never even thought to try! Need to add this to my Keto lineup!
While this looks like a delicious recipe, it is not a keto diet recipe at all. Unless you sub the potato for cauliflower mash, use more butter and less meat. 1/8 of 2 1/2 lb of russet potatoes is not ketogenic. Be careful of recipes on line that claim to be keto (not this one since there is no claim it is Keto).
Definitely not intended to be labeled as keto – just paleo + Whole30 🙂
That would be like saying this recipe is definitely not vegan. Nowhere did it say it was a keto recipe, so why bother pointing out the obvious?
because someone said that she was going to add it to her list of keto recipes. so she was just telling her that it wasn’t a keto recipe!
Made this for last night’s supper. My husband and I loved it. My mother took one bite and refused to eat it but then she complains about everything. I like it well enough to be happy to eat the leftovers and I used grass fed ground beef! This is not labeled as Keto and it is not due to the potatoes for those who think it is, but it is tasty!
Correct, definitely not keto because of the potatoes! But Whole30 friendly and tasty – so happy you and your husband liked it 🙂
Why do you need nutritional yeast? Can I leave that out?
It adds flavor but you can leave it out 🙂
Is there a substitute for nutritional yeast? Two stores have left me down and kids already excited about this option for dinner tonight.
There’s no substitute but you can leave it out without missing much at all, it just adds a bit of “cheesy” flavor to the potatoes 🙂
Thank You! I have MTHFR and have to avoid nutritional yeast. Ironically, I don’t have any issues with grass-fed raw or goat/sheep milk dairy. 🙂
If I wanted to just add some quality cheese, what kind and how much might you recommend? Look forward to making this for St Patrick’s Day! 🙂
Maybe parmesan? That one is similar to the nutritional yeast!
Just FYI about nutritional yeast, you can find non-fortified versions that don’t have added b vitamins if MTHFR is an issue.
Made this tonight, yum! We do some dairy, so I used a little cream and Irish butter. I used mashed sweet potatoes. So good with the Brussels sprouts!
So happy you liked it!
I lurrrrve shepherd’s pie. One secret ingredient that I have found that elevates the taste of the meat is to add some dijon mustard (usually ~1-2 tbsp). It doesn’t make it taste like mustard, just adds some extra oomph.
This is definitely going on the to make list 🙂
Great! Hope you enjoy!
This was just what the filling needed! Thanks for the tip!
Thank you for this comment! I was just inquiring how might use dairy in lieu of the nutritional yeast. 🙂
We made this last night!! Absolutely delicious. I will definitely try more of your recipes.
So happy you enjoyed it!
This is SO good!!! I used unsweetened almond milk instead of coconut milk, and it worked perfectly. This will definitely be added to the rotation. My husband loved it and he’s not even doing Whole30.
Definitely want to try this…sounds delish! I’m allergic to tomato products and wondering if okay to leave out the tomato paste or substitute something else. Would love your thoughts, Michele. Many thanks…
Yes you can sub with sweet potato puree and I think it would be great, maybe adjust seasonings a bit if you need to 🙂
Thank You…will try soon and let you know if it worked…Judy
I made the Shepherd’s Pie tonight and it was very good. However, the time estimated to prep this meal is way off. I don’t know how many people realistically have some of these items prepped ahead of time. It would be helpful to have the complete prep time included. It took me closer to an hour to prep. It also took about 40 min. of actual cooking time to get it slightly browned on top.
I deleted 7 other Shepherd Pie recipes out of my paprika app and kept this one. So flavorful!
This recipe is amazing! Both my boyfriend and I love it. I will say, however, it did take a bit longer to make than the recipe suggests. I found it worth it though as I’m getting a week’s worth of lunches out of this meal! Thank you for another winner 🙂
This was a huge hug in my house! My 5 year old ate two bowls of it and repeatedly told me how good it was. He’s not a Brussels Sprouts fan, but he has no idea they were in here. My hubby and I very much enjoyed it too.
Oh that’s amazing! Love when the little ones go for it!
Excellent! Followed the recipe pretty closely but used more tomato paste as my husband needs a lot of umami flavor in his meals. Subbed broccoli and cauliflower for the Brussels sprouts. Whole family was very happy with this, and none of them are even on Whole30 with me. Like some others have mentioned, it took me longer to make it happen than the estimated time in the recipe, but it was well worth it for the outstanding result. Thanks!
I loved this! I forgot the yeast (even though I bought it specifically for this recipe). This will be in the weekly rotation. I’m not Whole30 or Paleo but thought I’d try it with regular milk and butter and next time I’ll venture to coconut milk. My 2 toddlers and picky husband loved it as well.
That’s great to hear! Funny about the yeast 🙂
I love this recipe. It’s great and lasts me a whole week for dinner.
On the nutritional side, I’m wondering what’s the serving size for one person. I know it says serving size is 8. Calories is 407, is that for the whole meal or is it 407 calories per one serving size.
Per serving! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Can I substitute sweet potatoes vs russets?
Yes that would work out fine 🙂
Made this tonight and LOVED it!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Is it possible to sub the white potatoes for purple potatoes or do you think the outcome would be too different?
Also is t possible to sub sweet potatoes in place of russet?
Yes you can do that for sure 🙂
I think that would be fine 🙂
Ghee isn’t dairy free. My daughter’s stomach Dr has that on the do not eat list because it comes from milk.
Had this tonight – it was very good. My issue is with your calculation of prep time. It takes almost an hour to prep this, not 15 minutes. Don’t know how you came up with that time.
If it contains ghee it most certainly is not dairy free for those with a dairy allergy.
Ghee is dairy!
This was delicious! I preferred this recipe over my regular Shepard’s Pie that I make when not doing Whole30. My family all loved it. I used carrots and mushrooms instead of brussel sprouts only b/c not everyone here is a fan, but I think it would be really good with them.
Sounds delicious and I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
This was wonderful and is going to be in my cold weather menu rotation. For those concerned about ghee being dairy, just sub with some other suitable fat. I used avocado oil instead of ghee, and it worked out fine. I agree with the others who mentioned the prep time was much more than indicated in the recipe, but so worth it. I doubled the recipe and froze half for another time (the beef mixture, not the mash on top…will prepare that fresh when I pull the second batch of beef mixture out of the freezer). Not sure how it will turn out from frozen, but hoping it will be fine.
This is so good! Highly recommend!
This was so good! I added some compliant Dijon and coconut aminos to the beef mixture to give it a more savory flavor and it turned out great. Really helpful to have a heartier whole 30 meal to keep up with our workouts!
Love this recipe.
We’ve subbed half the beef with Italian sausage for added flavor and kick. I’ve also omitted the nutritional yeast as I didn’t have any on hand.
Cooks up great as leftovers for lunch at work; I enjoy watching my coworkers stare with envy as they eat their sad sandwiches and frozen meals. 🙂
Doesn’t say when to add the broth or tomatoe paste very frustrating for someone who never made shepherds pie before and doesn’t know that’s the point of looking at a recipe
Amber, it says in the body of the recipe to add the rest of the ingredients… (thyme, rosemary, broth and tomato paste.) Don’t get too frustrated. Even those of us who have been cooking for more than 50 years overlook things or get confused. The more you cook and bake, the easier it gets! 🙂
My husband and I loved this filling dish! We didn’t have a cast iron skillet and it still worked out great using the modified instructions. Thanks for a great recipe! We will definitely make this again in the future!
I CANNOT say enough good things about this recipe, or any of your recipes for that matter! This is hands down the BEST Sheperd’s Pie I have ever had… I love your blog and your recipes! Thank you so much for inspiring me in my kitchen! ?
Ghee is dairy
Ghee is dairy
This was soooo good! I’m on day 11 of the Whole 30 and was starting to get bored. This was the perfect thing to mix it Up! I added some chopped green pepper to the mix as well as smushed tomatoes. (I didn’t have any tomatoe puree) and it was perfect! Definitely making it again!
Can you prep this a day ahead?
So good! I substituted the beef for lamb and the coconut milk for cashew milk… it turned out great! Thanks for sharing!
I love this recipe! My particular preference is to use asparagus in place of Brussels sprouts, but it is delicious either way. Do you have any ideas/tips about freezing this? I am wanting to make it for my sil who is having a baby, but didn’t know if there was any reasons why it wouldn’t freeze well. Thanks so much!
This isn’t dairy free. It’s got ghee in it.
This was so delicious!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will definitely make this again! I am doing Whole30 and I am so happy to find the perfect recipe that my husband would enjoy too. (He’s not on Whole30)
What size casserole dish do you recommend? Thanks!
So delicious, we have our nearly 2 year old son on an elimination diet from eggs, milk, wheat, soy, peanuts, cod and citrus for his eczema and this recipe was not only perfect for his requirements but it was also delicious – he ate the whole thing! I grated the carrots and addded chopped spinach instead of Brussel sprouts
There’s bone broth listed in ingredients but not used in the instructions…what is it for and when do you use it?
How can this be Paleo with Russet Potatoes?
My kids have been all about pot pie lately. I like this better with the potatoes instead of crust. Also love the addition of brussel sprouts. Life is crazy so I tend to resort to mixed frozen veggies but I will be adding brussel sprouts to the mix.
We loved this recipe! Here’s some of the modifications I made which were deliciously successful in case anyone else needs them:
-Used a 9×13″ glass casserole dish
-Used 50% beef, 50% venison
-Added 2 TBSP of dijon mustard to the meat mixture
-Added about 2 cups of beef broth instead of 3/4 cup.
-Used Almond Milk instead of coconut milk for the potatoes
I agree with other reviewers that this took 2 hours to make end to end. A 9×13″ casserole dish made a total of 6 decent size dinner servings (it lasted us 3 nights).
At first I was nervous about the brussel sprouts, but we chopped them up and by the time they were sauteed and mixed in, we couldn’t even tell there were brussels in the dish! It was delicious.
The dijon mustard really does add that extra “oomph” and I would highly recommend this. It doesn’t taste like mustard, just adds a delicious umami flavor.
I originally added the 3/4 cup of beef broth, but it didn’t look very “sauce” like as the recipe instructions alluded to. Knowing that it would be going into the oven and that other reviewers said theirs came out a little dry, I kept added a little more broth into the beef mixture while on the stove until it looked wet/moist, but not drowning. It ended up being about 2 cups total. Ours came our amazing, not dry at all. Exactly what Shepherd’s pie should be.
Almond Milk in the potatoes worked great. There wasn’t any extra flavor, it just helped with creaminess.
Comments left above, but forgot to rate! 5 stars with the modifications we made.
This is the third time I’ve made this recipe. My husband and I love it! I did make a few substitutions. Cauliflower rice to blend up like potatoes, ketchup because we didn’t have tomatoes paste, and half butter half ghee. I also used celery instead of brussel sprouts, but a little less than the recipe called for. I added extra carrots. This recipe is flexible and really hearty. I am wondering if I can make it ahead, freeze it and then bake it to serve? Will the potatoes or cauliflower get watery?
Has anyone tried to make this with a pie dough base? I found a really great multi use gluten free pie dough recipe and would love to try it but Im nervous!
Best shephards pie ive ever had. Gilling was very rich.
Ghee is not dairy free for someone with a dairy allergy. This recipe could be easily modified to become dairy free but as written is not. Please be careful with labeling. Still looks yummy though!
Can you freeze this recipe?
Amazing recipe! It was a hit for my whole family – husband and daughters. We devoured half of it for dinner – soooo good. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
So delicious and great to have on hand. This recipe helps so much for staying on track with my health goals. I make it just for myself and freeze it for easy lunches/dinners. Thank you Michelle for creating this recipe!❤️
So delicious and great to have on hand. This recipe helps so much for staying on track with my health goals. I make it just for myself and freeze it for easy lunches/dinners. Thank you Michelle for creating this recipe!❤️
Delicious! I will be making this again. I sprinkled smoked paprika on top.
This is delicious! I started my Whole30 on January 12 and have made this three times in the past 3 weeks, it is that good! Perfect comfort food for a Midwest winter. I’ve made it both in our Lodge skillet and in ramekins so I could take an individual portion to work for lunch. I love your website and look forward to trying many of your recipes!?
Delicious! Thanks for making whole 30 a tasty change:) I used OreIda steam and mash potatoes with the new country crock Dairy free plant butter and nut pods original creamer for the potatoes. It was quick and easy!
-White Potatoes weren’t eaten until the Agricultural Revolution.
– White potatoes aren’t paleo because they have a high glycemic index.
-White Potatoes aren’t Paleo because they contain glycoalkaloids.
-White Potatoes aren’t paleo because they are consumed in highly processed forms like french fries and potato chips.
– White Potatoes aren’t Paleo because they are Nightshades.
-White Potatoes aren’t Paleo because they are a high-carbohydrate food.
This is a weekly favorite!!! So delicious! Thank you 🙂
This was super yummy! Whole 30 comfort!
I modified it a bit, but used the recipe as a base. Used ground lamb instead of beef, sweet potatoes instead of white, added quartered cremni mushrooms.
I read the previous reviews and also added dijon.
Waaay better than the Whole 30 recipe in one of her cookbooks. Will definitely make again.
you can add some brown mustard- I use spicy brown, and it takes the coconut flavor out. I use it in all recipes that I don’t want a coconut flavor in. Ratio is about 1tbsp mustard to 1c coconut milk- play with it to taste. Just mix them together before you add to a recipe
This recipe is amazingly delicious! I rarely ever lead comments but this one deserves a rave review!!!! Mu husband won’t eat brussel sprouts so I used half a head of cabbage, shredded instead. I was a little hesitant of using coconut milk to make mashed potatoes but you couldn’t taste the coconut at all.
I’ve been on the hunt for tasty dairy and soy free recipes while I’m breastfeeding my little one who is intolerant. THIS is the most satisfying thing I’ve made thus far. I didn’t even miss the dairy! I added extra onion and garlic powder to the mashed potatoes to ensure there was no lingering coconut taste and it was a success! Thank you for giving this momma a very satisfying quarantine comfort meal! I am incredibly grateful for a well thought out and delicious recipe!
Amazing! It wont let me select a star rating, but 5 stars! I made this and it turned out great! thank you for sharing
Just made this tonight. Happened to have some sweet potato so made it with a combination of potato and sweet potato…more of a sweet/savory twist. We loved every bite!
Shepherds pie is actually lamb, not beef (like the shepherds taking care of the sheep.) This recipe is actually cottage pie 🙂 either way I will be trying the paleo version 🙂
Best. Recipe. Ever. I’m a teen and I offered to make dinner for my family tonight and let me tell you they were impressed. Paired it with a nice salad and this was the best dish I have ever made. I will definitely make this many more times and checkout your other recipes. Thanks!!
Loved it!!! Used broccoli in place of brustle spouts, used whole can of chicken broth, other than that followed it to a T. Will recommend and make again.
This is Delish – Awesome Tweaks from the traditional!
I made some Mods as well…
Added 2 Cups Broth
Added 3 Stalks of Celery
Used a Huge Onion & 3 Cloves of Garlic
I used 1 Acorn Squash in addition to… I didn’t have all the
potatoes.
Added 1 white potato – left it lumpy for texture – yum
Kept it kosher – no Ghee, used olive oil & coconut oil.
I printed it..its a saver!!!
Thanks Michelle
This is so amazing! I made it with carrots and peas and we loved it! My husband wanted to eat the whole pan! He said it was just as good as the shepherds pie we had in Vegas at an Irish restaurant!
I just made this. Stupid good! I didn’t use coconut milk in the mashed potatoes, I just added a touch of chicken broth and they were absolutely fine. More importantly, I would argue this is the best Shepherd’s pie I have ever made.
Best Shepherds Pie I have ever eaten in my life. Used our left over mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving (same as how you make them) and used fresh green beans (didn’t have Brussels sprouts). Absolutely delicious. Thank you!!!
Coat in what when it comes to Brussels and carrots?
I have to say that first off I love your page!!! I have made so many of your recipes. They are so so good. I am about to make this recipe tonight. I love the idea of adding the Brussel sprouts into it. Never thought about that. Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you for taking the time to post and share all of these wonderful recipes.
Sarah :}
This was so yummy! We didn’t make any changes and my husband was pleasantly surprised he didn’t want to put hot sauce on it. The nutritional yeast in the mashed potatoes was very good! Our one year old gobbled it all up 🙂