What is Cornish Pasty?

A crimped shortcrust parcel of beef, potato, swede, and onion — built to survive a miner’s pocket.

Where does Cornish Pasty come from?

Cornish Pasty is a British (Cornish) dish from Cornwall, United Kingdom.

Can Cornish Pasty be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Cornish Pasty recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Cornish Pasty take to make?

About 90 minutes total (40 minutes prep, 50 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Cornish Pasty — a Cornwall, United Kingdom recipe

Name: Cornish Pasty
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British (Cornish)
Ingredients: 3.5 cups strong white flour; 1 cup cold butter (or half lard), cubed; 1 lb beef skirt, small dice; 2 cups potato, small dice; 1 cup swede (rutabaga), small dice; 1 onion, chopped; lots — it’s the traditional heat black pepper; about 2/3 cup cold water

Europe → 🇬🇧 United Kingdom → Cornwall

Cornish Pasty

British (Cornish) · medium · serves 4

prep 40 min · cook 50 min

~1180 cal · 43g protein · 102g carbs · 65g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Golden crimped pasty broken open showing beef and potato filling

🇬🇧 Cornwall

The pasty fed Cornwall’s tin miners underground: the thick crimp was a handle for dirty hands, discarded to appease the mine spirits. It carries EU protected status — a true Cornish pasty is crimped on the side, never the top, and Cornwall checks.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

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3.5 cups strong white flour

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1 cup cold butter (or half lard), cubed

•

1 lb beef skirt, small dice

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2 cups potato, small dice

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1 cup swede (rutabaga), small dice

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1 onion, chopped

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lots — it’s the traditional heat black pepper

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about 2/3 cup cold water

Instructions

1

Rub the butter into the flour with salt, add cold water to a firm dough, and chill 30 minutes — pasty pastry is sturdier than pie dough on purpose.

2

Mix the raw beef (or mushroom-swede), potato, swede, onion, salt, and a bold amount of pepper.

3

Roll four dinner-plate circles. Pile filling across the middle of each.

4

Fold and crimp along the side — fold and twist, fold and twist — into a rope edge.

5

Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, then 350°F for 40. Rest 10; the filling steams itself tender inside.

Cornish mining tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

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Cornwall. Mining coast whose pasty fed the men underground.

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United Kingdom. Pies, pasties, and seaside classics with deep roots.

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Europe. Village recipes guarded for generations.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

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Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →