One of the most iconic British dishes, veganised! These vegan Cornish pasties have a buttery and flaky pastry and an intensely savoury filling made from hearty root vegetables, vegan "meat" and a rich gravy. It’s English comfort food at its very best!
I’ve lived in England my whole life, and it’s fair to say I’ve sampled many pasties over the years, but out of all the ones I’ve tried, this has got to be my favourite! It’s everything I love wrapped in the most buttery and flaky pastry. I’ve tried ready-made vegan Cornish pasties but they’re nowhere near as good as freshly baked homemade ones, so making them from scratch is definitely worth the effort! A traditional and authentic Cornish pasty has a few very specific requirements, one being that they must contain beef, so I guess making a vegan version means they’re not totally authentic, but they’re pretty damn close in taste!
A brief history
I love to learn about the history and origin of my favourite dishes, and I found the history of the Cornish Pasty particularly interesting. Cornwall once has one of the biggest mining industries in the world, and the humble Cornish Pasty was created for the hardworking Cornish minors. The men would carry out laborious work in the mines and needed a lunch that was hearty and filling, and so the Cornish Pasty was born. If you’ve ever eaten a Cornish pasty, you’ve probably noticed that they have a thick crimp around the edges. This thick crimp was originally created with the minors in mind so they would hold onto the edge of the pasties without contaminating the rest of the pasty with their dirtied hands, and the crimped edge was discarded after they'd eaten the rest of the pasty.
How to serve Cornish Pasties
Cornish Pasties are delicious served on their own either hot or cold, but for a more hearty and filling lunch or dinner, you could serve them with mashed potatoes and a side of boiled or steamed vegetables, peas go particularly well with them.
Why make Cornish Pasties
They make a delicious vegan lunch
They have a buttery and flakey pastry
They're filled with chunky seasonal vegetables
The filling has intensely savoury flavour
You won’t need any fancy baking equipment to make them
Most importantly, they taste amazing!
Ingredients for the Vegan Cornish Pasties
Here’s everything you’ll need to make vegan Cornish Pasties:
For the pastry:
Flour: You'll need strong white bread flour to make the pastry for these Cornish pasties.
Butter: I used the Flora Plant-based butter to create this recipe, but any vegan butter will do. They're all sold near the regular butter in most supermarkets.
Vegetable oil: I've use vegetable oil, but sunflower oil or olive oil also works.
For the filling:
Oil: I've use vegetable oil, but sunflower oil or olive oil also works.
Swede: Also known as Rutabaga, this ingredient is a must when making Cornish Pasties.
Vegan meat alternative: I used homemade seitan, but store-bought will work just fine. You can also use vegan steaks as a meat alternative, just make sure to cut them up into small pieces.
Potatoes: I used a Russet potato, but red or yellow potatoes would also work just fine.
Onion: The sauteed onion will give the filling a delicious savoury flavour.
Dark Soy Sauce: The dark soy sauce will enhance the umami flavour and it'll give the filling a deeper colour.
Garlic powder: Make sure to use garlic powder rather than fresh garlic.
Vegetable stock: You'll need good quality vegetable stock cubes or vegetable bouillon.
Cornstarch: The cornstarch will create a delicious gravy and it'll thicken the filling which will prevent the Cornish Pasties from becoming soggy.
Salt & Pepper: You'll need salt and pepper to season the Cornish Pasty filling.
Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is optional, but if you do use it, it will enhance the flavour and nutritional value of the Cornish Pasties.
Liquid smoke: The liquid smoke is also optional, but I find it helps to enhance the savoury, meaty flavour of the Cornish Pasty.
How to make vegan Cornish Pasties
STEP 1:
To make the pastry, grate the chilled vegan butter into a large bowl and add the vegetable oil, salt, and cold water. Rub loosely using your fingers but make sure not to overwork the dough. Lightly knead until the ingredients come together. For an extra crumbly pastry, you need to create a dough with a slight marbled effect where you can see a few pieces of butter. Wrap the dough with some cling film and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.
STEP 2:
To make the filling, Warm the vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the diced swede and potatoes to the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until they start to soften. Then add the chopped onion and diced vegan meat replacement and sauté for 7 more minutes. Add the soy sauce, garlic powder, crumbled vegetable stock cube, the cornstarch and water mixture, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, give everything a stir and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until the vegetables and vegan meat are evenly coated in the gravy. Take the pan off the heat and allow the filling to cool down completely. Preheat oven to 190C/374F or gas mark 5.
STEP 3:
Once the pastry has chilled and the filling has cooled down, place the dough onto lightly floured surface. Roll it out into a rectangular shape, roughly ½ cm thick. Using a 7-inch plate as a guide, cut out a circle. Spoon 2-3 tbsp of the filling onto one half of the pastry leaving some gap at the edges.
STEP 4:
Fold over the other half of the dough and crimp the edges. Reroll the offcuts of dough and repeat this process until all the dough and filling is used up.
STEP 5:
Brush the top of the Cornish pasties with melted vegan butter and place them in the oven to bake for 40-50 minutes, or until golden.
Can Cornish Pasties be Frozen?
Cornish pasties can be frozen so they’re great for preparing in advance. You can freeze them either baked or unbaked, whichever you prefer. Place each individual Cornish pasty in a freezer bag or wrap in cling film, and then store them in the freezer for up to two months. If you’re freezing them unbaked, then you can bake them from frozen. If you’re freezing them baked, then then can either bake them straight from the freezer, or you can wait for them to defrost.
How to store Cornish Pasties
If you are NOT going to freeze your pasties, store them in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days.
Tips for making Cornish Pasties
I’d recommend using the gram measurements rather than the cup conversions. When it comes to baking accuracy is key, and cups conversions are never as accurate as grams.
Use firm, waxy potatoes so they hold their shape. Starchy potatoes will disintegrate during baking and turn mushy.
Make sure to use chilled butter and water when making the dough.
Don't overwork the dough. leave some butter marbled through the dough to create a flaky pastry.