These easy beef pasties are made with a buttery, flaky buttermilk pie crust wrapped around a savory mixture of beef, carrots, potatoes, and onions in a quick homemade gravy.
Have you ever had a pasty before? If not, friend, let’s change that today.
Unless you don’t like/eat beef, I dare you to try not to fall in love with these things. The shell is made from my favorite buttermilk pie crust, so it’s flaky and buttery and perfect.
And the filling is so good you’ll want to eat it with a spoon before you can bake it into the pasties.
Beef Pasties Made Easy
Meat pies like these can be a little intimidating, but I think this recipe is pretty straightforward and simple.
There’s always a degree of difficulty when it comes to making stuffed pastries from scratch, but this recipe does as much to eliminate that as possible.
The buttermilk pie crust is made in a food processor and is really beginner-friendly when it comes to handling and rolling.
And unlike a lot of pasty recipes I’ve seen, this stuffing is fully cooked before the pies go into the oven, so you don’t have to worry about whether your meat is cooked through or vegetables tender before they come out of the oven.
Ingredient Notes
- Pie crust: If you have a favorite pie crust recipe, you can use it or store-bought crusts instead of the buttermilk pie crust in the recipe below, but I really love this particular crust. It’s extremely easy to work with and bakes up SO flakey and beautiful. If you’ve never made pie crust before or just want a more detailed tutorial, I wrote an entire post dedicated to this crust with step-by-step pictures.
- Diced carrots and potatoes: I like to keep the filling simple with just meat, carrots, potatoes, and onions, but feel free to throw in extra veggies like parsnips, peas, or rutabagas.
How to Make Pasties
1. Make the pie dough by pulsing together flour, butter, and buttermilk in a food processor until it forms crumbs that just begin to clump together. Turn half the crumbs out on a piece of plastic wrap and press them into a 1-inch thick disk. Repeat with the rest of the dough and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Make the filling by browning your beef and then adding vegetables and covering with water. Add spices and bring everything to a simmer until potatoes begin to soften. Once cooked, use 1 cup of the cooking liquid along with a little flour and butter to make a quick gravy. Stir gravy, meat and vegetables together and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Assemble the pasties. Divide each dough disk into 3 equal pieces, roll each out and fill with prepared filling. Fold the tops over and use a fork to crimp the edges closed before brushing with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, and enjoy!
FAQ
Can you freeze pasties?
Yes! One of my favorite things about pasties is that they freeze and reheat amazingly. All you have to do is pull one out of the freezer, pop it right in the microwave, and one to two minutes later, you have a sizzling hot pasty that tastes like it just came out of the oven!
To freeze: Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or freezer bag.
To reheat: Unwrap pasty and place on a microwave-safe plate. Reheat from frozen in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until steaming and hot all the way through.
Can these be made ahead of time?
Sure. Beef pasties make great make-ahead lunches and dinners. You can bake the pasties in advance and simply reheat in the microwave when you’re ready to eat them.
If you’d like to make the crust and the filling in advance and then assemble and bake them just before eating, you can do that too. Pie dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours and in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Filling can be made up to 48 hours in advance.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. The recipe doubles just fine BUT you’ll probably need to make the crust in two batches. Not all food processors are large/powerful enough to handle a double batch of this dough.
To double the recipe ingredients, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
More Freezer-friendly Recipes
Easy Beef Pasties
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup (8oz, 2 stick cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup buttermilk
Filling
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 12 ounces beef chuck (stew meat) diced 1/2-inch
- 1 1/2 cups diced potatoes 1/2-inch dice
- 3/4 cup diced carrots 1/4-inch dice
- Water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt*
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
Gravy
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Prepare Crust
- Before you begin measuring everything out, place the cubed butter in the freezer to chill.
- Stir together flour, sugar, and salt, and pour into the food processor. Add butter and pulse until butter is cut into the flour, but still has visible chunks.
- While pulsing, slowly pour in 1/2 cup of the buttermilk and continue to pulse until the buttermilk is incorporated into the dough. At this point, your dough should look like rough crumbs and hold their shape if squeezed together. If dough does not hold its shape, drizzle in a little more buttermilk, up to 2½ additional tablespoons, until it does. The dough will look a little scary at this point, but don't worry. It's supposed to look like that!
- Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and dump half of your dough crumbs onto the sheet. Gather the edges of the plastic wrap and press tightly together to form a 1-inch thick disk. Do the same with the rest of the dough. Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to 24.
Prepare Filling
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat (watch closely, you don't want to burn the butter) and add the meat. Cook until well browned.
- Add potatoes and carrots and cover with just enough water that the meat and vegetables are submerged. Add salt, rosemary, pepper, and oregano.
- Bring to a boil, turn down to medium and simmer for five minutes. Meat should be cooked through and potatoes should be softened, but still have a bit of a bite to them.
- Remove from heat and drain the cooking liquid into a separate container for later use. Set liquid and meat and veggies aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour and whisk continuously for 1 minute until a sticky paste forms and flour turns golden. Whisk in 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid from your meat and potatoes (discard the rest). Simmer for 2 to 4 minutes, whisking continuously, until a thick gravy forms. Remove from heat and stir in the meat and vegetable mixture, making sure everything is well coated.
Assemble Pasties
- Whisk together egg and milk in a small bowl to make your egg wash.
- On a well-floured surface, divide your dough into 4 to 6 equal-size pieces and roll into balls. If you are slow at rolling out pastry dough, place all the balls, but one, back in the fridge and work with one at a time so the dough stays chilled and easy to work with.
- Re-flour your work surface and roll first ball out to 3/8 inch thick with a floured rolling pin, forming as round of a circle as you can manage (trim edges with a knife to make a perfect circle if necessary). Pick up your dough to make sure it is not stuck to your work surface. If it is, use a metal spatula to dislodge it before filling.
- Brush egg wash around the edges of your pie crust to help seal it and spoon beef mixture over slightly less than half of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over the filling and use a fork to crimp the edges closed. Cut 3 slashes in the top and transfer to baking pan.
- Repeat with remaining dough balls. You may have a bit of meat mixture left over, depending on how thin you rolled out your dough. You can eat it with a spoon.
- Brush pasties with egg wash and and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are beautiful and golden.
- Allow to cool slightly and enjoy.
Notes
Pie Crust Adapted From: B.Britnell
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Cynthia says
Have you ever used ground beef instead of stew beef with this recipe? The pasties I have had in the UP were ground beef which I would prefer to use. Would it make a difference in how I prepare the filling? I’m being daring and making these for guests my first time round and I don’t want to mess it up!
Tracy says
You could definitely use ground beef, but I’d cook it in a skillet separately from the vegetables (don’t boil the meat) and just add a bit of salt and pepper to it while it cooks. Good luck with the pasties. I hope your guests enjoy them!!
Cynthia says
They were a big hit!
Tracy says
Thrilled to hear it! Thanks for reporting back!!
Steve says
Thank You for publishing this recipe, I especially liked the pastry, it was so easy to make and came out so flaky and buttery, it was really delicious. I made it for my elderly father who really wanted a nice pasty, and i refused to buy those awful shop bought ones. I changed the filling a little, used mince beef and chopped veggies in small cubes, and added a few other ingredients and spices, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock etc. 🙂
Kristi says
These are fabulous! I used some leftover pot roast and gravy I already had made and added some peas. First time for me making pastry in my food processor. I was skeptical, but it was flaky and delicious. Thank you!
Tracy says
Yay! So thrilled to hear it!
sharon says
I just made this for the first time. It is delicious. A bit of work but so worth it. I adjusted the salt and used 1 beef bouillon cube and a tsp of low sodium soy sauce instead but other than those minor changes the recipe was followed. The pastry is so flaky and melt in your mouth perfect. We will definitely be having this again. Thanks for posting such a great recipe!
Tracy says
Thanks, Sharon! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
Kathy Moore says
HI Tracy
I grew up on Pasty with just stew meat, potatoes and onion. Something makes me think the recipe my mom and grandmother used originally came from Scotland (at least in my family) so it has been prepared for generations. They always put the raw ingredients in and baked until done; of course always perfect. However when I do that the bottom crust comes out soggy so I precook everything now. I put in a little worstershire sauce in the gravy. It freezes beautifully.
I was wondering though if you or any of the others out there have ever canned the filling to use later? Seems it would be a great thing to keep on a pantry shelf.
thanks so much
blessings
Tracy says
I haven’t! Canning is beyond my area of expertise, but I love the idea. It’d be so handy to just be able to grab the filling off a pantry shelf.
Mary H says
I first discovered pasties on a trip to Cornwall. It was love at first sight. But it never occurred to me that I could make one at home. Thanks to the pandemic I finally decided to give it a try. I can’t believe it!! My first ever attempt at a pastie and it was perfect. Thanks to you!! I expected to have to make several tries in order to get it even close to right, but no need. I can’t believe how easy the crust was to make. Crusts have always intimidated me, but this went together like a dream and turned out perfect.Thank you for providing a great recipe, plus all the extra information. Making another batch today to stick in the freezer.
Nina Paul says
Hi! Thanks for sharing this great pasties recipe. I tried this last weekend for my guests & they loved it.
Tracy says
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear it!!
Barrett says
I just made these and they are delicious. Definitely overestimated the filling but I can evolve. I also added mushrooms to the onions and gravy. Mmmmm.
Tracy says
Glad you enjoyed them!!
J says
I’ve been making these for about two years now. They never fail! My boyfriend, his parents, and I all LOVE this recipe! Thank you!
Tracy says
That makes me so happy to hear!!! Thanks, J!!
Maureen says
The crust recipe is the best!
Will keep it for fruit pies as well.
I didn’t try the filling recipe for I had some in freezer from another recipe I tried.
I wanted a different crust and thought I’d try this and I’m glad I did.
Thank you so much.
Jan says
Would love to have sent a picture but I made these two days in a row and they’re gone. Thank you for making me look good. My family loved them. The second batch I made with chicken. Again, many thanks for a delicious recipe!
Tracy says
LOL really couldn’t ask for a higher compliment. So glad you and the fam enjoyed them!!
Jan Mountan says
Update: Made 2 more batches tonight. Used leftover chicken mix & some with apple filling. Got great reviews but the favorite is your beef recipe. Because we are staying home these days, I’m a takeout Mom service for 10 adults. My son-in-law called just to tell me these are the best he’s ever had & he’s a trucker so gets around. Anyway, you’re a hit with my family & they just called with more orders. Thanks again from Jan & Family in Montana
PS: your crust is a big hit too!
Cindy M. Dotson says
My husband asked me to find a recipe for pasties. I love your recipe. I dont have a food processor so used the recommendation of the grater, I have a new favorite crust recipe. Thank you very much
Tracy says
Thank you, Cindy!! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!!
Cindy says
I want you to know I have since used the awesome crust recipe and made apple and cherry pies. Same size as the pasties. My family loved them!
Tracy says
I love that idea! An apple and cherry hand pie sounds SO good right about now!
Terri Eagan says
My husband and I were just having a conversation while traveling about making these pasties! We both grew up with this type of food in the north and you just can’t find anything like it in the south! We decided that we needed to serve them for an upcoming Sunday dinner with the kids and, lo and behold, here’s the recipe I need! Like magic, it appeared! Many thanks! I will give this recipe a try very soon and hopefully it will satisfy that longing for something from our northern roots.
Tracy says
Glad to help! LOL. I hope you enjoy them!!
Julie says
These were absolutely amazing, even my children loved them! The crust was worth the extra effort. Thank you for this great recipe!
Tracy says
Thanks, Julie! So glad to hear you and the kids enjoyed them!!
Shannon says
Have you tried assembling the pasties and keeping them in the fridge for a day or two before baking? I want to make these Christmas Day and I want to prep them ahead but bake them on Christmas for that fresh out of the oven wow factor.
Tracy says
Hi, Shannon. I haven’t, but I worry they would get soggy sitting unbaked. They do reheat really if you wanted to cook them in advance (though I know it doesn’t quite have that wow factor). Or you could make the filling and crust the night before and then assemble day of. You could even roll out and cut the dough and store it in a plastic bag with wax paper between the disks so it wouldn’t take too long in the morning. I’d just let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes before folding it into shape so it doesn’t crack. Hope that helps!
Derek says
This dough is a dream to work with! I also chilled my buttermilk the same time as the butter in the freezer.
What a great base for other fillings as well – though this filling was incredible. I only used about half the gravy for fear I would have a a soggy bottom. The bottoms turned out great – I had to bake mine for 30-35 minutes to get them golden brown, but man oh man they were a huge hit!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Tracy says
Thanks, Derek! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!