Authentic Cornish Pasty Recipe
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The national dish of Cornwall, England, this authentic Cornish Pasty recipe features savory flaky pastry pockets filled with beef and vegetables. Cornish pasties have a long and fascinating history and are the very essence of comfort food. Learn how to make a Cornish pasty the authentic and traditional way.

I love Great Britain. I lived in Cambridgeshire, England for nearly 7 years and my husband spent 2 years in Liverpool and north Wales. We’re both Anglophiles through and through and go back at least once a year for a visit with our kids. We love every area of Great Britain and it’s hard to pinpoint a favorite area. But Cornwall holds a very special place in our hearts and no matter where else in England we’re visiting, we always make time for a visit to Cornwall.
A Brief Cornish Family History
We love Cornwall not only because of its striking natural beauty, rustic charm and rich culture, but also because it’s home to my husband’s namesake ancestors, the Killigrew family (later changed to Killebrew when his great+ grandfather immigrated to the U.S.). The Killigrews were landed gentry and one of the most prominent families in Cornwall. They founded the port town of Falmouth, built and lived in Arwenack Manor, and were the royally appointed de facto captains of Pendennis Castle. We always look forward to a return visit to these family sites including St. Budock church where the Killigrew family held front row seats, are buried beneath the floor in front of the altar, and where a well-known painted wall edifice stands depicting Todd’s great+ grandparents kneeling in prayer towards each other.
I can’t claim as close (or as impressive) of an association to Cornwall as Todd, unfortunately. But I do have a great+ grandmother from Scotland (wife to an admiral who regularly sailed down to Cornwall on business) who died and is buried in Cornwall. And it’s like I always say, if you’re going to die (as most people tend to do), there’s no better place to do it than in Cornwall.
With our close connection with and love for Cornwall, we also feel a close kinship with its traditional foods, the most famous of which is the Cornish pasty, considered the national dish of Cornwall.

What is a Cornish Pasty?
A Cornish pasty is a turnover-shaped baked shortcrust pastry filled with beef and vegetables. The edges are sealed by crimping them in characteristic Cornish fashion.
In 2011, Cornish pasties were given both a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, which means that in order for these pasties to be made commercially and bear the name “Cornish pasty”, they have to meet very specific requirements. These requirements are as follows:
- They have to be made in Cornwall.
- They can only contain beef, potato, Swede (rutabaga), onion, salt and pepper. No other meat, no other vegetables, no other seasonings allowed.
- The ingredients must be raw when the pasties are assembled and then slowly baked to produce the traditional Cornish pasty flavor and texture.
- The edges of the pasties must be sealed by crimping them in traditional Cornish fashion.
No culinary license allowed here and any deviations from these parameters will land you in stocks at the market square for public shaming. Well, that may be a stretch. But you will incur a fine.

The Origin of the Cornish Pasty
The Cornish pasty has a unique and interesting history that goes back centuries. Cornwall had the biggest tin mining and one of the biggest copper mining industries in the world and the pasties were originally developed for Cornish miners. These men worked deep underground and needed a lunch that would meet the demands of their work environment. The thick shortcrust dough and dense filling would stay warm for several hours until lunchtime or could be easily reheated over the flame of an oil lamp.
The pasties were sealed with a thick crimp to hold in the contents and to provide something the miner’s could hold onto while eating the pasty. In this way their dirtied fingers, which could often contain traces of arsenic, wouldn’t contaminate the rest of the pasty. The crimped edge was sometimes extended out to form a little dough handle they could hold onto and then discard when they were done eating.
The filling was a hearty one that provided needed sustenance and the pasty was compact enough that it could easily be carried in a small lunchbox down the mine and eaten without utensils. Some historians also believe that the miner’s initials would sometimes be engraved in the dough at one end of the pasty so that if the miner didn’t finish it in one sitting they could easily identify it as their own.
Thoughtful wives would even take their ingenuity a step further and make pasties that were divided in two sections: One half would contain the savory filling and the other half a sweet filling for dessert. In this way the ingenious Cornish pasty was a complete meal for Cornwall’s hard-working miners.
A Few Pictures of Cornwall’s Historic Mines








Tips for Making the Best Cornish Pasties
- A good, flaky shortcrust pastry is imperative, and I’m sharing my shortcrust recipe with you below that will ensure excellent results.
- Depending on how thin you roll out your shortcrust pastry you risk having the “hard” ingredients (the potatoes and rutabagas) pierce through the dough. If you prefer a thinner crust and you want to avoid that you can place the softer ingredients on the top and bottom with the harder ingredients sandwiched in the middle: Place the onions on the bottom followed by the potatoes and rutabagas and then the meat on top.
- Use firm, waxy potatoes so they hold their shape. Starchy potatoes will disintegrate during baking and turn mushy.
- Use a lean cut of beef. Traditional Cornish pasties use skirt steak from the underside belly of the cow because it’s lean and free of gristle.
- Add a couple of pats of butter on top of the filling ingredients followed by a light sprinkling of flour. This will both form the gravy as well as absorb the liquids from the vegetables as their cooking to avoid a soggy pastry crust.

Cornish Pasty Recipe
Let’s get started!
First make your shortcrust pastry:
Place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Add the cold butter and lard and pulse a few more times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the water a little at a time, pulsing between additions, until the mixture begins to come together. DO NOT over-mix the dough or the pastry crust will be tough and won’t be flaky.

Form the dough into a ball, flatten into a 1-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before using (this is crucial). (Can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to 3 months.)

Roll the pastry dough into a log and cut it into 6 equal pieces.

Wrap and keep the other 5 pieces chilled in the fridge while you’re working on one at a time. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a 8 inch circle that’s about 1/8 inch thick. You can use an 8-inch plate as your guide and cut the dough around it to form your circle.

Layer the filling (each ingredient to be divided out between 6 pasties, there may be some excess remaining): Put layer of potatoes down the center of the pastry circle, leaving about 3/4 inch space on the top and bottom edges of the pastry dough. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Next add a layer of rutabagas and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add a layer of beef followed by the onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Lay a couple of pats of butter on top of the beef and sprinkle a little flour over the filling.

Wet the tips of your fingers and lightly moisten the edges of the pastry dough.
For the remaining steps work gently so that the filling doesn’t puncture through the dough. If this happens, patch up the hole with some of the scrap pieces of pastry dough. Bring the sides up and seal the pasty down the middle.

Turn the pasty onto its side and crimp/braid the edges in traditional Cornish fashion. This is the challenging part of making traditional Cornish pasties and takes some practice. There are some YouTube videos you can look up that show how to do this.


Assemble the remaining pasties and lay them on a lined baking sheet.
Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the center of each pasty.

Lightly brush each pasty with the beaten egg mixture.
Bake the Cornish pasties on the middle rack for 40-50 minutes until golden in color. Remove from the oven and let them sit for about 10 minutes (they will be very hot inside) before eating.

The homemade Cornish pasties can be reheated in the oven or in microwave, but for a crispy crust I highly recommend reheating them in the oven.

Can Cornish Pasties Be Frozen?
Yes. The shortcrust pastry holds up well to freezing and thawing and the filling has little liquid which means the pasties won’t get soggy. You can freeze them either baked or unbaked, whichever you prefer. Wrap each pasty individually in plastic wrap and then store the wrapped pasties in a heavy-duty freezer bag.
If you’re freezing them unbaked it’s best to cook them while frozen – don’t thaw them first. Baking time will take roughly 15-20 minutes longer.
If you’re freezing them already fully baked and cooled then you can simply reheat them in the oven (for a crispier crust) or in the microwave and you have a quick, ready-to-go meal.
Enjoy!

For more favorite British recipes try my:
- Fish and Chips
- Yorkshire Pudding
- Mushy Peas
- Bangers and Mash
- Scotch Eggs
- Crumpets
- Cornish Fairings
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Mincemeat Pie
- Beef and Guinness Stew
- Spotted Dick
- Chelsea Buns
- Toad in the Hole
- Eccles Cakes
- Scottish hortbread
- Treacle Tart
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Authentic Cornish Pasty Recipe
Ingredients
For the Shortcrust Pastry:
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour (I make mine with all-purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 ounces unsalted butter , very cold, diced
- 5 ounces lard , very cold (can substitute butter but lard makes the flakiest crust)
- How to Render Lard (click link to learn how to make it yourself. It's super easy and much cheaper than store-bought!)
- 2/3 cup ice cold water
For the Cornish Pasties:
- 1 pound beef skirt steak or sirloin , cut into small cubes
- 1 pound firm, waxy potato (e.g. Yukon Gold) , peeled and diced in 1/4 inch cubes, or slice them according to personal preference (**starchy potatoes will disintegrate and turn mushy so be sure to use a firm, waxy potato that will hold its shape)
- 8 ounces rutabaga , peeled and diced in 1/4 inch cubes, or slice them according to personal preference
- 7 ounces yellow onion , chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- unsalted butter (for cutting in slices to lay inside the pasties)
- all-purpose flour (for sprinkling inside the pasties)
- 1 large egg , lightly beaten
Instructions
- To Make the Shortcrust Pastry: Place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Add the cold butter and lard and pulse a few more times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water a little at a time, pulsing between additions, until the mixture begins to come together. DO NOT over-mix the dough or the pastry crust will be tough and won't be flaky. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before using (this is crucial). (Can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to 3 months.)
- To Make the Cornish Pasties: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Cut it into 6 equal pieces (rolling the dough into a log and then cutting makes this easier). Wrap and keep the other 5 pieces chilled in the fridge while you're working on one at a time. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a 8 inch circle that's about 1/8 inch thick. You can use an 8-inch plate as your guide and cut the dough around it to form your circle.
- Layer the filling (see note at end): Put layer of potatoes down the center of the pastry circle, leaving about 3/4 inch space on the top and bottom edges of the pastry dough. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next add a layer of rutabagas, onions and finally the beef, adding a light sprinkling of salt and pepper between each layer. Lay a couple pats of butter on top of the beef and sprinkle a little flour over the filling.
- Wet the tips of your fingers and lightly moisten the edges of the pastry dough. For this next part work gently so that the filling doesn't puncture through the dough. If this happens, patch up the hole with some of the scrap pieces of pastry dough. Bring the sides up and seal the pasty down the middle. Turn the pasty onto its side and crimp the edges in traditional Cornish fashion (see blog post pictures as a visual).
- Assemble the remaining pasties and lay them on a lined baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the center of each pasty. Lightly brush each pasty with the beaten egg mixture.
- Bake the Cornish pasties on the middle rack for 40-50 minutes until golden in color. Remove from the oven and let them sit for about 10 minutes (they will be very hot inside) before eating. They can be reheated in the oven (recommended for a crispier crust) or microwave. NOTE: Depending on how full you stuff the pasties you may have leftover filling. No worries, just fry it up together or add it to soup and enjoy it as a separate meal.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet January 22, 2020
My introduction to pasties came when I
I’ve been looking for a pasty that was like those that my mom used to make when I was young. Finally, one that was right. Thank you! Leaf lard is available from a local butcher, which I used. The dough was a dream to work with. I used skirt steak. I used rutabaga. I used my knife skills. FANTASTIC! I look forward to trying some others on your site.
Oh I’m so happy to hear that and really appreciate the feedback, thank you Karen!
Good detail in the recipe! I’m a kiwi and the type of person who needs to figure things out. I tried an ‘Ansum Pasty the other week and it was phenomenal. I must know how!
Firstly, I love the website features. eg. metric/us, 1,2,3 etc. Well done. The recipe was fantastic, thank you. My ancestors were from Cornwall, I have visited and tasted as close to authentic as I could get and yours are spot on. I did make a small change and set out 6 portions of everything so there was nothing left over ( or under). Thanks for the tip on the pastry- rolling out and cutting 6 wheels. These 2 things made it so easy for me. Definitely saved this recipe and will look more at what you have.
I appreciate that, Ian, and am so glad you enjoyed the pasties, thank you! Hope you find more recipes you enjoy! <3
Hello there! Wondering if I can make these using leftover Sunday roast and veggies. Since meat and veggies are already cooked, how long would you bake and at what temp? Thanks!
Hi Abby, yes that will work. I’d probably increase the temperature to 400 F and bake them for about 25-30 minutes until the pastry is done.
Firstly I’d like to say that since leaving the UK 12 years ago, Cornish pasties have been one of the foods I’ve missed most, and have had difficulty finding, so I was delighted to find this recipe.
Until recently I was nervous about working with pastry as I’m something of a novice baker and wasn’t really sure what I was doing with it, plus I found using a pastry cutter to be a pain. I now use a food processor as described in the recipe- using the sharp, metal blade rather than the dough blade- and have been getting very good results; so as well as Cornish pasties, my Bakewell tarts and sausage rolls have also improved.
I’ve recently been making these quite frequently, but sometimes with alterations. Not to the pastry, that’s perfect. I did try using Crisco instead of lard, but I much prefer the results using lard and butter. Crisco wasn’t bad, but lard pastry has a nicer texture IMO. The other would be fine for making vegetarian pasties.
Firstly I make them half the specified size. That makes twice as many small pasties; which is more like the size I was used to buying in the UK- Ginsters. The large ones are a bit much for my kids, but they can manage the smaller ones. It also happens that I have an empanada press in that size, which helps speed things up.
I’ve also started using good quality, low fat, ground beef rather than cubed steak. Again that’s what Ginsters use in theirs so that’s what I’m used to. I also add rosemary, thyme, Worcester sauce and beef bouillon powder to the meat mix for added flavour- I’m not after authenticity so much as taste.
When rutabaga- aka neeps or turnips where I originate- are out of season, I’ve replaced them with the same quantity of diced carrot. It doesn’t make a huge difference to the overall flavour.
For Burns Night I made ‘Scottish’ pasties. Same recipe but the beef/steak swapped out for a 500g haggis, which I peeled, blitzed in the food processor and mixed in with the vegetables. It was an ‘interesting’ variation, and I’m looking at doing something similar using Black Pudding.
Thank you very much for sharing this recipe; it’s exactly what I have been after for several years, and has brought me new confidence when working with pastry.
Thank you, Pete, I’m really glad to hear that and I appreciate the feedback. I’ve presented the “purist” recipe here but I’m with you on the seasonings (don’t tell the pasty police that I said that). Also one my favorite additions is some good Stilton – yum! Our favorite pasty shop in Cornwall has a Stilton variation that I always order (in fact, we’ll be in Cornwall again in less than two weeks and I look forward to getting my fill of the local pasties). I always bring a wheel of Stilton back with me from England every year. Not that you can’t get imported Stilton here in the U.S., but just knowing I hand carried it on the plane from England somehow makes everything taste that much better ;) I also love to add some sauteed leek, so good. The haggis and black pudding are really fun twists!
I’ve made these once already following your recipe and am coming back to make them again because they were absolutely *premium*. I served them with a side of red wine gravy- the oohs, aahs and yums coming from my picky family were entirely worth the effort. GREAT recipe!
Ah that’s fantastic, thank you so much for the feedback, Shelby! We’ll be in Cornwall again in 3 weeks and I’ll be further exploring/researching traditional Cornish dishes <3
Great recipe for some truly phenomenal pasties. The pastry crust is spot on as is the filling. Cheers.
Thanks so much, S., I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Just made these for dinner and they were incredible! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thank you, Lucy, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed them!