delicious Vegetarian Irish Hand Pies With a crispy, flaky whole wheat crust and a savory stuffing of cabbage, potatoes and lentils.
What’s not to love about hand pies? These pocket-sized treats are cute, portable and appeal to just about everyone. And that appeal skyrockets when they’re filled with a delicious, savory filling like these vegetarian Irish hand pies.
I love hand pies — from vegan sausage rolls to delicious Indian samosas to this chickpea mushroom turnover. This meatless Irish hand pie, which I’ve been making for years now, goes well with these other choices. These readers loved them when I first posted them but some said they had too much filling left. I modified the recipe to remove that concern and make them even tastier.
Give them a try — once you sink your teeth into the flaky wrap, you’ll be hooked for good!
Index
Why you will love this recipe
- Crispy, crunchy and delicious. The contrasting textures of the crunchy, golden crust and the soft, textured filling are amazing together. The filling is light but perfectly seasoned.
- Easy recipe. These hand pies are not complicated at all. The crust comes together in a few minutes and so does the filling.
- Adult and child-friendly. Kids and adults alike will love these hand pies and they’ll be gone before you know it!
- Can be vegan and nut-free, soy-free.
material
Check the recipe card for correct amounts of ingredients.
for the crust
- Flour: Whole wheat flour And All-purpose flour. I use a mix of these for best results. You can, if desired, make an all-whole-wheat crust, or use a vegan pie crust recipe made with all-purpose flour.
- Vegan butter. You can also use refined coconut oil, but vegan butter will give you a flakier crust. I mostly use my homemade vegan butter made with refined coconut oil. Will share the recipe with you soon. You can use any store-bought plant-based butter.
Lentils for the filling
- Brown lentils. Green lentils or French lentils will also work. Be sure to use whole lentils.
- garlic
- Red or yellow potatoes. Try not to use starchy potatoes like russets.
- Red or green cabbage
- Dried thyme or oregano
- Tomato paste
- Tamari or soy sauce
- Vegan Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
How to Make Vegetarian Irish Hand Pies
Make pie dough by whisking together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt in a large bowl.
Cut in the vegan butter until it is evenly spread and no pieces are bigger than peas.
Drizzle in the ice-cold water and continue mixing with a fork until the dough comes together. Form it into a ball as much as you can.
Wrap the dough tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or longer.
While the dough is in the refrigerator, make the filling. Heat oil in a wok or sauté garlic over medium heat.
Once the garlic is lightly golden and fragrant, add the potatoes, seasoned with salt and black pepper. Fry for a few minutes until the potatoes start to caramelize.
Stir in the cabbage and sauté for five minutes or until the cabbage is wilted and the potatoes are almost cooked.
Stir in the tomato paste and oregano and mix. Cook the tomato paste for a few minutes.
Stir in the cooked lentils, tamari and vegan Worcestershire sauce, if using, and mix with the vegetables. Add salt as required. Cook until hot.
Add the scallions, stir and turn off the heat. Keep the filling aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 400°F/205°C. Turn out the crust dough on a generously floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on top. You can divide the pie dough in two to make it easier to handle. Refrigerate one half while working with the other.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼ of an inch. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter or a jar lid to cut out discs of dough. Collect scraps of dough, roll and cut more discs.
Place about two teaspoons of filling in the center of a disc.
Place a second disc on top of the disc with the filling and press the edges to seal. Use the tines of a fork to press the edges again, creating a decorative edge. Cut a cross in the middle of the pasty using a sharp knife.
Place the hand pies on a baking sheet and brush with some vegan butter, if you like, to help them get a nice color.
Bake for 40 minutes or until golden-brown and flaky. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the pies cool slightly before serving.
Tips for success
- Crust dough is a pie dough, so treat it like one. Make sure you have minimal contact with it with your hands so the butter doesn’t melt – instead use a fork to cut up the vegan butter and mix with a drizzle of water.
- Be careful not to make a wet dough. This will build up the gluten in the crust and make it tough. Err on adding less moisture rather than more.
- When you make the filling, be sure to cut the potatoes and cabbage into small pieces so that they cook quickly and don’t get lumpy in the filling.
- Before baking, brush the legs with a little oil or butter so that they get a nice golden-brown color.
Storage instructions
- Keep in fridge: Store hand pies in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- freeze: Freeze pies in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to three months.
- Reheating: Reheat hand pies in a preheated 350-degree F/175-degree C oven until hot.
More Vegan Irish Recipes
Vegan Irish Hand Pies
Delicious Vegan Irish Hand Pies with a crispy, flaky whole wheat crust and a savory stuffing of cabbage, potatoes and lentils.
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Recipe review
Serving: 15 Hand pies
Calories: 294kcal
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instructions
Make the pie dough
-
Make pie dough by whisking together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the vegan butter until it is evenly spread and no pieces are bigger than peas.
-
Drizzle in the ice-cold water and continue mixing with a fork until the dough comes together. Form it into a ball as much as you can. Wrap the dough tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or longer.
Make the filling
-
Heat oil in a wok or sauté garlic over medium heat. Once the garlic is lightly golden and fragrant, add the potatoes, seasoned with salt and black pepper. Fry for a few minutes until the potatoes start to caramelize.
-
Stir in the cabbage and sauté for five minutes or until the cabbage is wilted and the potatoes are almost cooked. Stir in the tomato paste and oregano and mix. Cook the tomato paste for a few minutes.
-
Stir in the cooked lentils, tamari and vegan Worcestershire sauce, if using, and mix with the vegetables. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Cook until the filling is hot.
-
Add the scallions, stir and turn off the heat. Keep the filling aside to cool.
Hand assemble pies and bake
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Preheat oven to 400°F/205°C.
-
Turn the pie dough out onto a generously floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on top. You can divide the pie dough in two to make it easier to handle. Refrigerate one half while working with the other.
-
Roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼ of an inch. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter or a jar lid to cut out discs of dough. Collect scraps of dough, roll and cut more discs.
-
Place about two teaspoons of filling in the center of a disc. Place a second disc on top of the disc with the filling and press the edges to seal. Use the tines of a fork to press the edges again, creating a decorative edge Cut a cross in the middle of the pasty using a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining dough.
-
Place the hand pies on a baking sheet and brush with some vegan butter, if you like, to help them get a nice color. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden-brown and flaky. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the pies cool slightly before serving.
Recipe notes
- Crust dough is a pie dough, so treat it like one. Make sure you have minimal contact with it with your hands so the butter doesn’t melt – instead use a fork to cut up the vegan butter and mix with a drizzle of water.
- Be careful not to make a wet dough. This will build up the gluten in the crust and make it tough. Err on adding less moisture rather than more.
- When you make the filling, be sure to cut the potatoes and cabbage into small pieces so that they cook quickly and don’t get lumpy in the filling.
- Before baking, brush the legs with a little oil or butter so that they get a nice golden-brown color.
Storage instructions
- Keep in fridge: Store hand pies in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- freeze: Freeze pies in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to three months.
- Reheating: Reheat hand pies in a preheated 350-degree F/175-degree C oven until hot.
nutrition
Worship: 1get hands | Calories: 294kcal | Sugars: 40g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 3g | Monounsaturated fats: 5g | Trans fats: 2g | Potassium: 452mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 3mg
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