Scottish Steak Pie

This simple, old fashioned Scottish Steak Pie recipe with a golden puff pasty lid is a classic and so easy to make!

A steak pie is a real Winter warmer and pure comfort food. Serve with mashed/new potatoes and seasonal veg for a hearty, warming meal!

INGREDIENT LIST

keep scrolling to find a printable recipe card with detailed instructions, but there’s important information here to help you make this recipe perfectly!

800g stewing steak or beef – try and use the best quality you can afford. It will really make a difference!
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 tablespoon plain (all purpose) flour to thicken the gravy
two large white onions, peeled and thinly sliced

400ml beef stock. I’ll happily admit I use Bisto gravy powder or granules and an OXO cube for extra flavour – just like my Granny and Great Granny did! I also use Bisto in my Scottish mince and tatties recipe.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season to perfection

500g block or ready rolled puff pastry
a beaten egg to glaze the pastry

HOW TO MAKE A HOMEMADE STEAK PIE

MAKE THE FILLING

Place the flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the diced beef and mix everything together so the beef is evenly coated in the seasoned flour.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the sliced onions and cook on a low-medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the onions have softened, beginning to turn light golden but not brown.
Remove the softened onions from the pan and set aside.

a beige stoneware dish of raw diced beef.

BROWN THE BEEF

3. Turn the heat up to high and brown the beef cubes in batches, crumbling over the Oxo cube. Sealing (browning) the beef properly will give the best flavour, so it’s worth taking your time here.

4. Pour in the beef stock, place a lid on the pan, turn the heat down to LOW and let it cook on a gentle heat for a minimum of two hours or until the beef is soft, tender and coated in a thick, delicious gravy.

5. At this stage I usually allow the beef stew to cool down completely before chilling overnight. You don’t have to do this, but it really improves the flavour of the stew. It’s also much easier to assemble the pie if the filling isn’t hot.

a silver pan of diced beef and onions in gravy.

a rolled out block of puff pastry, a rolling pin and a white dish of beef and sausage stew.

ASSEMBLING THE PIE

6. Spoon the beef stew into a suitable pie dish. I use a rectangular ceramic pie dish and it works very well, but I also recommend these enamel round pie dishes.

7. Roll out the puff pastry (if using a block and it’s not ready rolled, of course) on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out to roughly the same thickness as a one pound coin and make it a little larger than your dish to allow for shrinkage.

8. Dampen the edges of the dish with a little water and place the rolled out pastry on top on the dish. Trim the edges (don’t make it too short because again – the pastry will shrink slightly) and crimp in a decorative fashion. I use my fingers but you could also use a fork.

an unbaked steak pie with crimped pastry.

TIME TO BAKE

9. If you like, decorate the top of the pie with cut-out shapes from the excess pastry. I used stars for New Year. You don’t have to do this, but I can’t even bear to throw out spare pastry so I just use it up.

10. Glaze the pie with beaten egg. Bake in a pre heated oven (200C/180Fan/400F) for 40-45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and crispy.

an unbaked steak pie with a crimped puff pastry lid decorated with pastry stars and glazed with egg.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Creamy mashed potatoes is essential for soaking up all that delicious gravy, but you could also have buttered new potatoes or even homemade chips. It all depends on your personal preference. Roast potatoes would also be perfect!

When it comes to vegetables, I think buttered peas, carrots and mashed turnip (swede) is delicious served with steak pie.

a steak pie with a golden puff pastry lid.

MAKE IT IN ADVANCE

Steak pie can easily be made in advance. If you can, make the pie filling a day or two ahead. This is such a time saver. The beef stew will keep well for up to two days in the fridge and the flavour will only improve. Then all you need to do on the day is spoon the cold beef stew into your pie dish and top with the pastry.

Do bear in mind if you assemble the pie when the filling is cold, you’ll need to cook it for 45-50 minutes to ensure the filling is piping hot.

CAN YOU FREEZE STEAK PIE?

Sure! To freeze a steak pie, prepare the pie as instructed (please make sure the filling is completely COLD) but don’t glaze with egg wash. Tightly wrap the whole dish in a double layer of strong cling film or use a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months.

Defrost overnight in the fridge before cooking at 180C/160Fan/350F for 40-45 minutes or until piping hot.

MAKE A STEAK AND SAUSAGE PIE

In Glasgow it’s traditional to add sausages to a steak pie. It’s not something I’ve ever come across in the Highlands, but I have tried it and can agree it’s delicious!

All you need to do is fully cook the sausages separately – I fry them in a pan until golden – cut them into pieces and add to the pie dish along with the beef stew.