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As a Devon girl through-and-through I do love a gluten free pasty – and while the Cornish may top their scones the wrong way round, they certainly win on the pastry front.
A gluten free Cornish pasty can be hard to come by but actually they are really easy to make at home.
The filling is cheap and simple to put together and once you’ve nailed my EASY gluten free pastry recipe, you’re on the home stretch!
What goes into a traditional Cornish pasty?
For those who care (and even those who don’t) let me fill you in on a lil’ Cornish pasty history!
Originally pasties were made for miners – they were half-filled with savoury and half-filled with sweet, and the crimped edges acted as a ‘handle’ for the miners’ dirty hands.
This meant they could enjoy a hearty meal in a safe pastry casing, and then throw away the dirty crust!
Nowadays, a traditional Cornish pasty is made with beef steak, potato, onion and swede, in a shortcrust pastry filling.
Some people enjoy a puff-pastry pasty, but gluten free puff pastry is a lot harder to master and this gluten free pastry is so rich and buttery, you’ll absolutely adore it!
How to make a gluten free Cornish pasty
The filling of a pasty itself is actually naturally gluten free, so it’s just the pastry you’ve got to re-learn when making these.
A lot of people are scared of gluten free pastry but it’s surprisingly easy to make – I’ve even written a step-by-step guide with images for you to follow.
I like to make my gluten free pasty pastry (that’s fun to say out loud!) with half lard, half butter, as I find this makes the best, melt-in-the-mouth pastry ever!
You can, however, make it with all butter if you prefer. I haven’t experimented with dairy and gluten free pastry yet, but it’s next on my list, I promise!
The perfect gluten free Cornish pasty recipe
For this gluten free Cornish pasty recipe you’ll need a few simple ingredients.
The pastry is made from storecupboard basics you can buy in the supermarket, and the filling is super cheap to buy and easy to get hold of.
The full recipe (and printable version) is below – but for the shopping list you’ll need:
For the gluten free shortcrust pastry you’ll need:
- 340g plain gluten free flour (I always use FREEE by Doves Farm for the best outcome)
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 110g unsalted butter, (cubed)
- 110g lard, (cubed)
- 2 medium eggs
- 2 tsp cold water
- Pinch salt
For the filling you will need to get hold of:
- 275g beef skirt
- 75g swede
- 175g potatoes
- 75g white onion
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
You’ll also need an extra egg to glaze the gluten free pasties to get that gorgeous, golden look when they cook.
My gluten free Cornish pasty recipe
This gluten free Cornish pasty recipe makes enough for four traditional pasties, using a 20cm side plate as a template for the pastry.
You can easily mix up the filling ideas but this is definitely the perfect base recipe. They also freeze well and can be reheated!
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten free Cornish pasties
This gluten free Cornish pasty recipe uses a traditional recipe to create four, golden gluten free pasties. Easy to bake with a buttery shortcrust pastry and a filling of steak, potato, swede and onion. These can be frozen - see the video at the bottom of this recipe to show you how to crimp your pasties!
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 340g plain gluten free flour (I always use FREEE by Doves Farm for the best outcome)
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 110g unsalted butter, (cubed)
- 110g lard, (cubed)
- 2 medium eggs
- 2 tsp cold water
- Pinch salt
For the filling:
- 275g beef skirt
- 75g swede
- 175g potatoes
- 75g white onion
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
To glaze:
- 1 medium egg (beaten)
Instructions
- Add the flour, xanthan gum and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir to mix. Add the butter and lard to the flour and using your fingers, rub the mix together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Crack the eggs into a mug or bowl and add the cold water. Beat lightly to mix and pour into the flour/fat mix. Using a fork, mush the mixture together until it starts to resemble dough. Then use your hands to bring the mixture together into a ball. Shape the ball into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes while you make the filling.
- While the pastry is chilling, prepare your pasty filling! Peel the swede, potato and onion and cut into approx 1cm cubes. Cut the beef steak into similar-size chunks.
- Generously season the mixture with salt and pepper (in approx 2:1 ratio to taste) and stir well so that it is all mixed through.
- Once the pastry has chilled, pre-heat the oven to 180'C / 160'C fan / Gas Mark 4. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Lay a sheet of baking paper on the work surface and dust with some extra gluten free flour. Place the pastry on top and roll out to approx 4-5mm thick.
- Cut a circle approx 20cm from the pastry - a side plate is usually a good template for this. Place a quarter of the filling on one side of the circle, leaving a 1.5inch gap around the edge. Brush this edge with a little beaten egg.
- Use the paper to help you fold the pastry over so that the edges line up. Push any fallen-out filling back into the centre of the pasty and then flatten the edges together.
- Use your fingers to 'crimp' the pasty edge (see video below and in blog post to demonstrate this!) and then poke the top with a knife or fork to allow any excess steam to escape.
- Once the pasties are all ready, brush them with the beaten egg and then bake for 50-55 minutes until lovely and golden. Remove from the oven and eat hot - or these can be kept in the fridge once cooled and eaten cold too.
First make the pastry:
Next make the filling:
Assembling the pasties:
Notes
- I always use FREEE by Doves Farm gluten free plain flour for my pastry. If you are using a different flour it might work slightly differently. If you do not have any xanthan gum in your flour, add 1 extra tsp to the mixture.
- If you are struggling with the crimping, you can always use a fork to press down the edges together.
- These pasties can be frozen and reheated in the oven. I wouldn't recommend microwaving them as they can go a little soggy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1063Total Fat: 67gSaturated Fat: 31gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 31gCholesterol: 268mgSodium: 209mgCarbohydrates: 79gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 33g
Need some more gluten free baking inspiration?
If you want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog, why not give some of these a try? They’re perfect for baking away all of your troubles.
- Easy gluten free bake-at-home bread recipe
- Gluten free 2-ingredient bagels
- My gluten free cherry bakewells
- Gluten free Mini Cheddars recipe
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
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Like this recipe? Pin these recipe cards below for later!
Many great recipes on here,thanks for the link,always looking to improve my baking creations,using your recipes will inspire me even more thankyou.Iare these recipes in the EBook ?
If my flour mix has xanthum gum do I still need to add it?
Yes I recommend adding it anyway as it’s important for getting the texture right.
Very odd, I tried making this today. Exact measurements but the dough was to wet and sticky and wouldn’t form breadcrumbs. I added more gf flour to prevent the stickiness but after chilling, it would not roll without crumbling. I’m not a novice but at the same time I can’t see where I have gone wrong.
I thought the same, but at the sticky stage gathered it all together in some cling film and put it in the fridge for an hour. It was fine then 👍🏻
It’s likely it’s sticky because either your hands are warm or it’s a warmer day. This is why the chilling is so important as it will bring it back to a more malleable texture – if it crumbles when chilled you may need to work the pastry a little to bring it back to a slightly warmer temperature or add a little water (half a tsp at a time) into the pastry until it stops crumbling. I hope this helps!
use gram flour for glutern free
Best gluten free pastry that l have made… so easy to use. I made it with all butter, and whizzed it up in the food processor. Thanks for sharing
I just made these for my daughter and they are a huge success- her only comment was maybe the lady could say how much salt to use as a baseline, so that we can go from there? Thank you very much for putting so much detail online, and the video is great (gonna to need to work on my crimping tho’). I will be making this again (already looking for a mandoline to cope with root veg cubing!). Yum.
Is it possible to replace the lard with something else? My daughter can’t eat very fatty foods & I think this may be an issue
Made these today using 220g Flora Plant butter instead of butter and lard so that the pasties were gluten and dairy free. Worked out really well and very happy with the result. Used one teaspoon each of salt and pepper in the filling and was spot on for our taste. Thank you so much for the recipe – my husband was desperate for a Cornish pasty since being diagnosed gluten intolerant. Love your recipes, they always work out well 👍🏻
Lovely – so happy to hear you enjoyed them!!