Old-Fashioned Steak Pie | Tender, Delicious & Homemade
There’s something special about an old-fashioned steak pie. Tender pieces of slow-cooked beef in a delicious gravy, topped with golden, flaky pastry. This is the kind of simple, hearty food I grew up eating, served with mashed potatoes, green peas and, of course, a little tomato sauce. If you love traditional comfort food, be sure to check out my Apple Pie for dessert—another timeless favourite.
Old-Fashioned Aussie Steak Pie
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
This old-fashioned Aussie steak pie is classic comfort food, with tender slow-cooked beef in a rich gravy topped with golden, flaky pastry. Simple, hearty and full of flavour, it’s the kind of pie I grew up eating.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 kg stewing beef, such as chuck, gravy beef, braising steak or oyster blade, cut into 3–4 cm pieces
- ¼ cup plain flour, for coating
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2-3 tbsp beef tallow, olive oil, or your choice of fat, for browning the meat
- 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
- 900 ml beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- few drops Parisienne Essence, optional (just for a darker colour)
Cornflour slurry:
- 3 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tablespoons of cold water
To assemble:
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp milk, for glazing
Instructions
Prepare the meat filling:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional / 350°F.
- Combine the flour, salt and black pepper in a bowl. Add the beef and toss until well coated.
- Heat the fat in a large frying pan over medium heat. Brown the beef in batches, leaving it undisturbed for a couple of minutes before turning so it develops a good colour. Transfer each batch to a casserole dish, adding a little more fat to the pan as needed.
- Add the onions to the same pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom over a medium-low heat.
- Pour in the beef stock and bring to the boil, stirring well to deglaze the pan. Add the bay leaf, then pour everything over the beef in the casserole dish.
- Cover and cook for 1½ hours, or until the beef is tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and gently stir the filling. Stir the cornflour slurry, then gradually add it to the filling, stirring gently until the gravy is thick enough for a pie. You may not need all of the slurry, or you may need a little more, depending on how much the gravy has reduced. If necessary, mix a little extra cornflour with an equal amount of cold water.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add a few drops of Parisienne Essence if you would like a darker gravy.
- Transfer the filling to a bowl and leave to cool to room temperature before assembling the pie. Alternatively, refrigerate the filling if making it ahead.
Assemble the pie:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 220°C conventional / 430°F.
- Cut strips from one sheet of puff pastry and press them around the rim of the pie dish, using a little water to help them stick.
- Spoon the cooled beef filling into the dish. If using a pie funnel, place it in the centre of the filling to support the pastry lid.
- Lightly brush the pastry rim with water. Lay the second sheet of puff pastry over the pie and press the edges firmly to seal. Trim away any excess pastry and crimp the edge. Use the trimmings to decorate the top if you like.
- Brush the pastry with the egg and milk mixture and cut a couple of small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake the pie
- Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 170°C fan / 190°C conventional / 375°F and bake for a further 20–25 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Video
Notes
- Pastry: I use gluten-free puff pastry in the video because that’s what I need to use, but regular puff pastry is easier to work with and will give you a lighter, flakier finish.
- Pie funnel: A pie funnel can help support the pastry lid, but it isn’t essential.
- Make ahead: The beef filling can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight. Let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
- Serving: Lovely served with mashed potato, green peas and, if you like, a little tomato sauce.
- Leftovers: Any leftover beef filling is delicious in a toasted sandwich. 🥪
- Steak and kidney: If you like kidneys, skin and chop 2 kidneys into small pieces, coat them in the seasoned flour and brown them with the beef.
Hi Lee I’m Kelly and I think you’re lovely. I have been watching your videos and passing them on to everyone so they get to see how great you are. Just wondering if you have a simple recipe for a meat pie pastry (just the pastry) please? Thanks for sharing. 😃
Hi Kelly, that’s so kind of you — thank you so much, that really means a lot to me 😊
In this steak pie I actually used store-bought puff pastry on top and no pastry base, just to keep it nice and easy. I don’t usually make flaky (puff) pastry at home — it’s quite time-consuming, and good store-bought puff works beautifully for the top of pies.
But I’m very happy to share a simple shortcrust pastry that works beautifully for the base of a meat pie.
This makes more than enough to line the base of a standard pie dish:
Simple Shortcrust Pastry (for pie base)
2 cups plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 oz butter (115 g), cold
1½ tablespoons iced water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a basin.
Add the roughly chopped butter (or grate it from frozen) and rub in until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Combine the water and lemon juice and sprinkle over the flour mixture.
Use your hand to press the ingredients together firmly — work quickly. The dough should be firm, with all the ingredients clinging together. Wrap in glad wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out.
Note: You may need to add a little extra ice-cold water, just a drop at a time. The dough should be firm rather than soft. This is a very old recipe and it’s one that’s always worked well for me. I always cool down the filling before I put it on the base.
Thanks again for watching and for your lovely comment — I really appreciate it 😊
Warmly,
Lee
Hi Lee
This looks delicious and I am going to make it today as my son and his family are visiting. I like lots of gravy with pies. Would it still taste good if I added more stock and took some of it out for gravy before putting the filling in the pie. I really don’t like gravy granules. I love watching your videos and all the old recipes you have. It is really interesting. Thanks.
Hi Catherine, yes, I think that would work 😊 You can add a little extra stock and take some out for gravy before assembling the pie. I would just let it simmer a little, so the flavour develops and thicken it slightly if needed. I do hope you enjoy it when you make it.
Hi Lee, I love your YouTube channel and am pleased that you give gluten free options. I notices that you used gluten free pastry for the pie top. Did you make it or can you buy it from a supermarket? My daughter has lots of allergies and I am looking for easy dishes to make her.
Many thanks Elaine
Hi Elaine, thank you so much, that’s lovely of you to say. I haven’t tried making gluten free puff pastry myself, but I do make a lovely gluten free shortcrust that works very well, it’s the pastry I use in my French Onion Tart.
For puff pastry, I now use one called Simply Wize, which is quite nice. It’s available at Coles and Woolworths if you’re in Australia.
I hope that helps. Warmly, Lee.
Oh my goodness Lee! What a superb show stopper recipe! I followed the recipe as written, made the bottom shortcrust pastry you gave in the comments & made my own rough puff pastry in the food processor. This recipe will now be a regular in our home. Thanks so much for sharing, i just wanted a traditional Aussie pie & this recipe delivered.
Oh, that’s wonderful to hear, Marina. It sounds as though you really made it your own, and I imagine that homemade pastry would have been absolutely delicious. I’m so pleased the pie was a success and that it will become a regular in your home. Thank you very much for letting me know. ☺️
This was so good Lee! I can’t believe how easy it was considering how much it tasted just like a bakery pie. I added a puff pastry base which I par-baked for a few mins before adding the filling. Felt very professional!
Hi Josh, that’s so great to hear. I’m happy you enjoyed this one. I like your idea of adding a pastry base and par-baking it first. I’m going to try that next time, as we’re always scrambling for the pastry on top and there’s never quite enough. ☺