Authentic Cornish Pasty Recipe: Traditional British Meat Pasty Guide

Cornish pasties with tender, peppery chunks of beef combined with melt-in-your-mouth vegetables, all wrapped in a flaky golden pastry. The Cornish pasty is one of the best-loved foods from the south of England — easy to eat by hand and deeply satisfying.

Nicky’s Notes

The Cornish pasty dates back centuries, and by the 18th century it was a staple for working people. Miners often took pasties down into the tin mines because they were nutritious, filling and portable.
The distinctive crimped edge served a practical purpose: miners would hold the crust as a handle and discard it afterwards because their hands were often contaminated by arsenic from the mines. (Personally I’m sad to lose the crust — I love it!)

📋 Ingredients

Ingredients swaps

Pastry: You can use shop-bought shortcrust pastry in place of homemade pastry for a quicker option.
Beef: Skirt steak, sirloin or ribeye give the best results — they stay juicy and tender. Avoid braising, chuck or stewing cuts, which can become chewy. If using skirt, cut small pieces against the grain for tenderness.

How to make Cornish Pasties

Full recipe with detailed steps is in the recipe card below.

1. Make the shortcrust pastry: combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the egg yolks, then with the motor running add cold water a little at a time until the dough forms a ball. Wrap and chill for an hour.
3. Roll out the pastry and cut circles using an 8″ (20–21cm) plate as a template.
4. In a large bowl, mix finely diced potato, swede (rutabaga), chopped onion, and finely chopped steak. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place a generous handful of the filling on half of each pastry circle, dot with a little butter, brush the edge with egg wash and fold the pastry to form a semi-circle.
6. Seal and crimp the edges, make a small vent in the top, brush with egg wash and bake at 180°C/350°F (fan) for about 50 minutes until golden brown.

Use a good-quality cut of beef and cut it into small pieces so it cooks through lightly inside the pastry. The juices from the meat will infuse the vegetables and give a juicy, well-seasoned filling.

🍽️ What to serve it with

• The classic accompaniment is ketchup for dipping.
• Serve with chips (fries) or a simple green salad. If you prefer, gravy also pairs well.

Though I love gravy, ketchup is my go-to with Cornish pasties — but choose what you enjoy most.

🍲 More British classics

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Beer Battered Fish

📺 Watch how to make it

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Cornish Pasties

Moist, tender hand pies filled with steak, onion, potato and swede (rutabaga).

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 450 g plain (all-purpose) flour (3 2/3 cups), plus extra for rolling
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 125 g unsalted butter, chopped
• 2 egg yolks
• 125 ml cold water

Filling:

• 450 g potato (1 lb), peeled and finely diced
• 150 g swede/rutabaga, peeled and finely diced
• 150 g onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 300 g skirt or sirloin steak, finely chopped and trimmed of fat
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

• Put the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly.
• Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg yolks and, with the motor running, add cold water a little at a time until a dough forms. You may not need all the water. Wrap and chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (fan). Lightly flour two baking trays.
• Roll the pastry to about 3mm thickness, then cut circles using a plate roughly 20–21cm (8″) in diameter.
• In a large bowl, mix potato, swede, onion, steak, salt and pepper.
• Place a generous handful of the filling on half of each pastry circle, leaving a 2cm border. Dot with about 1 1/2 tsp butter per pasty.
• Brush the pastry edge with beaten egg, fold the pastry to form a semi-circle, seal and crimp the edge with your fingers.
• Make a small vent in the top of each pasty, brush with egg wash and place on the prepared trays.
• Bake for 50 minutes until deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Can I make them ahead?

Yes. Make and cook the pasties, cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat uncovered at 190°C/375°F for 30 minutes until piping hot.

Can I freeze them?

Yes. Cook, cool, cover and freeze. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat uncovered at 190°C/375°F for 30 minutes.

Shop-bought pastry?

Yes — you can substitute shop-bought shortcrust pastry.

The best cut of beef

Skirt, sirloin or ribeye work best. If using skirt steak, cut small pieces against the grain. Avoid braising or stewing cuts that become tough.

Nutrition

Calories: 669 kcal |
Carbohydrates: 72 g |
Protein: 22 g |
Fat: 32 g |
Saturated Fat: 18 g |
Cholesterol: 182 mg |
Sodium: 1026 mg |
Fiber: 4 g |
Sugar: 2 g

Nutrition information is approximate and should be used as a guide.

This post was first published in August 2014 and has been updated since.

Some links in the original post were affiliate links. Nutritional information is an estimate.