Make this Cornish pasties recipe the next time you are looking for something different for lunch. Made with a filling of well-seasoned steak and vegetables in a homemade pastry, you won’t need anything else to fill you and they can be eaten hot or cold.
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Making a Cornish pasties recipe doesn’t have to be hard. Read these step-by-step instructions for the best way to make Cornish pasties.
Cost To Make
Estimated cost = $12.22 or $1.52 each
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Cornish pasties are easy to make and does not require any precooking, because the meat and vegetables are encased in the pastry raw and are cooked as the pastry is baked.
- The pastry is easy to make but, can be replaced with ready-made shortcrust pastry if you are short on time.
Where Do Cornish Pasties Come From?
According to history-uk.com Cornish pasties originated in ancient England in the Cornwall region.
These hand pies were a popular food for families, fishermen, and even more so for the miners in that region.
The reason for this is because the pasty was a convenient and easy way to eat when down in the mine.
Ingredients In This Recipe
The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.
To make this Cornish pasties recipe just a few basic ingredients are needed and you may already have most of these on hand.
For the pastry - you will need chilled butter cut into cubes, all purpose flour (plain flour), water, and salt.
For the filling - you will need onion, swede, potato, steak, beef stock, salt, and pepper.
- Note: At the time of making this recipe for this post, we were unable to get swede (which is a traditional ingredient) so we substituted it with carrot.
When choosing meat for the filling choose rump, round, beef skirt steak, or fillet steak. These are cuts that you would normally eat pan-fried and are soft.
Avoid using stewing steak like gravy beef or chuck steak these are tough and require long slow cooking.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1 – Make the Pastry Dough: Place the flour into a large mixing bowl with a pinch of salt and add the chilled butter cubes. You want to make sure that the butter is fridge-cold this will help to make a firm dough.
Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Gradually add enough of the cold water to the flour and butter mixture and work it until the dough comes together. The dough should be firm and just a little sticky.
Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes before rolling.
Chilling the dough will make it easier to roll, especially in very hot weather.
While the dough is chilling prepare the filling.
Step 2 – Make the Filling: Trim away any fat from the meat and cut tiny pieces, about ½ cm (2 inch) cubes.
Peel onions, swede (or carrot), and potatoes and cut these into fine dice.
Put the meat and vegetables into a large bowl add the beef stock, season very well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix well.
Step 3 – Roll and Shape the Pastry: Divide the dough into eight even pieces. Use your kitchen scales for accuracy, if you want.
On a lightly floured work surface roll each ball into a large circle about 5 mm (¼-inch-thick) and about 18 cm (7 inches) in diameter.
Don’t roll it any thinner because it could tear when you close it over the filling.
The pastry circle does not have to be perfect, but if you like a nice neat circle, find something that is about 18 cm in diameter (a plate or saucepan lid might work). Place it on the pastry and use a small sharp knife to cut out a circle.
Step 4 – Making The Cornish Pasties: Divide the filling into eight even portions, use your kitchen scales for accuracy.
Take one pastry round and place some filling into the center. Bring the opposite sides of the pastry above the filling and pinch the pastry edges together (use the picture above for reference).
Step 5- Brush With Egg Wash and Bake: Place the Cornish pasties onto a lined baking sheet, with the seam side up. Using a pastry brush brush the pastry with a beaten egg.
Place in pre-heated 200°C (400°F) oven and bake for 20 min then reduce oven temp to 180°C (360°F) bake for 40 more minutes.
Step 6 - Bake and Serve: Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. These can be eaten hot or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
I have to admit these cornish pasties are quite large because they are supposed to be a meal in themselves for adults.
However, you can easily adjust the size and make small Cornish pasties and even mini Cornish pasties.
These sizes would be great as a kid’s lunch idea and can even be included as an easy cold picnic food or served at a tailgate party.
Serving Size
This recipe makes 8 large pasties, one pasty is a serving.
Calories Per Serve
These Cornish pasties are about 664 calories each.
Meal Prepping
Can You Make Cornish Pasties In Advance?
Yes, they can be made in advance either cooked or uncooked. If they are to be used in a day or two after preparing keep them in the fridge, or they can be frozen for eating at a later date.
Storage
Can you freeze Cornish pasties? Yes, pasties can be frozen either cooked or uncooked.
How to freeze cooked pasties: Allow the cooked pasties to cool completely, individually wrap each pasty in plastic food wrap, place into a freezer bag, label then freeze. Pasties can be frozen for up to 4 months.
How to freeze uncooked pasties: Uncooked pasties without egg wash, should be placed onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Fit as many as you can on the tray but, don’t have them touching.
Place the tray with the pasties into the freezer and freeze until solid. Once frozen, individually wrap each pasty in plastic food wrap, place into a freezer bag, label then freeze. Uncooked pasties can be frozen for up to 4 months.
How to cook uncooked frozen Cornish Pasties? When ready to bake, take the required number of pasties from the freezer and remove the plastic.
Place the frozen pasties onto a tray lined with baking paper, brush with egg wash, then bake as directed in the recipe.
Note: Cooking frozen pasties will take a little longer.
Reheating
Can Cornish Pasties be eaten cold? You can eat Cornish pasties cold straight from the fridge but, they do taste better hot or at room temperature.
Can Cornish pasties be reheated? To reheat pasties, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Place the cold pasty on a baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes or until heated. If the pasties are frozen allow them to thaw before reheating.
Can you microwave a Cornish pasty? Yes, a cooked Cornish pasty can be placed into a microwave for quick reheating but, the texture of the pastry does change slightly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional Cornish pasties don’t have carrots, swedes (rutabaga) are normally used. However, if swedes are unavailable or you don’t like the flavor of this vegetable, carrots are a good replacement.
Yes, this recipe does contain dairy because there is butter in the pastry. However, the butter can be replaced with lard.
No, there is no gravy in a Cornish pasty.
Yes, traditional Cornish pasties have diced beef inside.
Yes, the homemade pastry in this recipe can be replaced with ready-made shortcrust pastry.
This is a good alternative if you are in a hurry, but do try and make your pastry because homemade does taste so much better.
More Easy Recipes
I do hope that you try this Cornish Pasties recipe. If you do, please come back and leave a comment below because I would love to know how you went.
Recipe
Cornish Pasties Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Pastry
- 525 grams (1.15 pounds) plain flour all-purpose
- Salt and pepper
- 260 grams (9.17 ounces) cold butter
- 133 grams (4.69 ounces / 15 tablespoons) water
Filling
- 500 grams (1.1 pounds) beef topside or round steak
- 200 grams (7 ounces / 1 ½ medium) onion
- 360 grams (12.69 ounces / 3 medium) potatoes
- 180 grams (6.34 ounces / 1 medium) carrot
- 3 tablespoons beef stock can use stock made from stock cubes/powder
- 1 egg
INSTRUCTIONS
Pastry
- Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and spread over the flour. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Sprinkle over the water and mix to form a firm dough. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic and chill for about 30 minutes before rolling.
Prepare the filling (do this while the pastry is chilling)
- Cut the meat into tiny piece and place into a large mixing bowl.
- Peel and finely dice the onions, potatoes and carrot and add to the bowl with the meat.
- Season the meat and vegetable mixture with salt and pepper and add the beef stock, mix well and put aside.
Shaping and filling
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Line two baking trays with baking paper.Divide the dough into 8 even portions and shape each into a ball.
- Roll each ball on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 5 mm (¼ inch) thick. Using a plate, cut each rolled out piece of dough into a round about 18 cm (7 inches) in diameter.
- Divide the filling between the rounds, placing the filling in the centre line of the circle.
- Bring the opposite sides of the pastry above the filling and pinch the pastry edges together.
- Place the Cornish pasties onto a lined baking tray, with the seam side up. Lightly beat the egg, then brush the egg over the pastry using a pastry brush. Then use the tip of a sharp pointed knife to make a small cut on one side of the pastry, this will allow steam to escape when baking.Note: if you don’t have a pastry brush, spread the egg over the pastry with clean hands.
- Place in pre heated 200°C (400°F) oven and bake for 20 min then reduce oven temp to 180°C (360°F) bake for 40 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. These can be eaten hot or at room temperature.
Christopher says
Delicious…..I went off the traditional reservation as I quite often do…threw in a handful of corn niblets added a little sweetness. The comment that included mixing lard with butter sounds really good…think I’ll try that. I all so think back in the day the people would fill these with what they had on hand…probably a variety of flavors, being a Yorkshireman, I’m guessing of course.
Thanks again delicious.
Harriet says
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Basher Bolitho says
I'm just reeling at the comment "avoid chuck steak". IT HAS TO BE CHUCK STEAK, THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT.
Hazel says
Hi Harriet,
Your Cornish Pasty recipe is almost correct, and the use of carrot instead of swede (rutabaga) is a good idea if swede isn't available. But the pastry used in Cornwall (where I am) is not shortcrust. This type of pasty is no good for pasties as it's too crumbly and you can't hold a pasty to eat it without it breaking up and making a mess. We use proper pasty pastry which is as tasty but stronger. I'll leave the recipe after this message. When putting the filling into the pastry you need to put a knob of butter on top, this melts into the filling and mixed with the meat juices makes a nice gravy.
Now to the pastry recipe, when you've made the pastry it needs to be chilled for 3hrs in the refrigerator as it's impossible to roll out fresh. When chilled its easy to roll out into 8" circles, cut and crimp. And when crimping the pastry is rolled over the filling so the two edges are on the side not on the top. If the crimping is on the top the pasty will fall to pieces when held. I cook my pasties at 180C Fan for 45-50 mins. This cooks everything perfectly inside.
Ok here's the pastry recipe:
FOR SHORTCRUST PASTRY:
500 g strong bread flour (it is important to use a stronger flour than normal as you need the extra strength in the gluten to produce strong pliable pastry)
120 g lard or white shortening
125 g butter
1 tsp salt
175 ml cold water
Some egg and beaten egg to glaze.
Enjoy!
The filling is prepared differently, we slice our potatoes thinly so they cook better and we use waxy potatoes that won't fluff up and disintegrate when cooked.
The meat we use is beef skirt, as it's more tender and cooks quicker than if you use sirloin, ribeye steak, oh and diced beef is a no-no as it is too tough for pasties.
If you'd like the full recipe you can email me and I'll happily share!
Good luck and take care! Great blog by the way! xxx
I just saw Lisa Hocking has messaged you from Cornwall too, I don't know her but she's spot on with traditional Cornish pasties! Strong bread flour or extra strong flour is what is used.
Lisa says
Hello,
I’m Cornish, born and raised and my family tree go back hundreds of years. I am very proud of my heritage but it does sadden me when I see recipes for Cornish pasties that are not true to real, traditional recipe. We Cornish do not and never would put carrots and stock in our pasties and would only use a good knob of butter inside with swede, potatoes, onions and a good pinch of salt and pepper. As for the pastry we only use strong white flour, lard and butter which is brought together with a few tablespoons of water. The crimp is only on one side and never over the top of a pasty.
Regards from Cornwall
Lisa Hocking
Sarah says
Always looking for easy yummy lunch ideas, these look EASY and tasty 🙂
Robyn says
Yum! these take me back to my childhood and many happy holiday days on a rainy beach tucking into cornish pasties! Cant wait to recreate them at home!
sylvie says
That would make such a delicious lunch, a great alternative to classic meat pies! I would love to make a big batch to freeze so that i have some on hands whenever i'm hungry 😉
Sally says
Cornish pasties are one of my favourites from when I was a kid! I haven't had them for years - so thank you for inspiring my dinner tonight!