Steak and Onion Pie is a classic you'll find in British pubs. Also known as a traditional British meat pie or English steak pie, this dish features tender beef cooked with onions in a rich gravy and wrapped in a flaky crust. It's the ultimate comfort food meal for the whole family.
This recipe is reminiscent of the pies I enjoyed at cozy pubs while visiting my dad's side of the family in England; hearty, flavorful, and baked until perfectly golden. It's a dish that feels nostalgic but easy enough to make at home any night of the week.
If you've ever been to a British or Irish pub, you've most likely seen some type of steak pie on the menu. Steak pies come in different variations: steak and kidney pie, steak and ale pie, steak and potato pie, steak and onion pie, etc.
The best part is that this recipe is customizable to your taste, making it a great comfort food dish. It can be frozen and made ahead of time if you are entertaining guests. If you love this recipe, you will also enjoy my cozy Turkey Pot Pie or try my slow cooker Irish stew if you prefer these flavors without the crust.
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🥧What is steak and onion pie?
Steak pie is a traditional meat pie served in the UK. It's essentially a pastry shell filled with a meat stew. Steak pies are typically served in pubs and fish and chip shops. They are often served with chips (fries) and peas.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Meat. The best cuts of meat to use for this pie are chuck roast, top round or beef stew meat cut into bite-sized cubes. If you are a fan of steak, try my Caesar Salad with Ribeye next!
- Flour. Flour will help to thicken the stew before it goes into the pie dish. The filling should be thicker than a traditional beef stew. You can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or even cornstarch.
- Beer. I recommend a pale ale, amber ale, light brown ale, porter or stout. A Guinness stout is an excellent option for this recipe.
- Worcestershire sauce. Adds a nice, complex umami flavor to the pie filling.
- Tomato paste. Use tomato paste and not tomato sauce or tomato purée as it has a richer flavor.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Begin cooking the vegetables in a large skillet or pot until the onion is translucent. Next, brown the meat on all sides for a few minutes.
Step 2: Add in garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and tomato paste.
Step 3: Next, add the potatoes to the pot and pour in the Worcestershire sauce, beer and beef broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to get the browned bits off. Heat, covered, over medium-low heat for 45-50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Step 4: Make a slurry with flour or cornstarch to thicken the filling. Unroll a pie crust and press it into a 9-inch pie pan. Fill your pie dish with the stew filling.
Step 5: Cover the pie, brush the top crust with the egg wash and bake.
Step 6: Let rest for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Recipe FAQS
This steak and onion pie can be made without beer. You can replace it with a ½ cup of red wine or another cup of beef broth if you prefer to make it without alcohol.
Instead of a 9-inch pie dish, you can use a 9-inch cast-iron skillet, round cake pan or baking dish. However, store-bought round pie crusts will not fit properly in a casserole dish so you will have to cut it to work.
You want the crust to be golden brown. If your pie is browning too quickly, cover it with a pie shield by cutting a small circle from the center of a sheet of foil. Place the pie shield loosely over the pie. This will ensure the crust cooks properly but doesn't burn.
You may have leftover filling. If so, you can use it to fill another pie or serve it as a stew. The filling will also freeze very well in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months!
Sarah's Top Tips
- Make sure the pie crust is fully thawed before using it. You can also use thawed puff pastry on top if you prefer.
- Don't skip the egg wash or you'll have difficulty getting your pie crust to turn crispy and a beautiful golden brown.
- Place your pie pan on a baking sheet in case some of the filling leaks out. It is much easier to clean than the bottom of the oven.
Serving Suggestions
This beef pie is a hearty and delicious recipe and is perfectly served on its own, but it's even better with a side of creamy Yukon gold mashed potatoes or honey-roasted carrots and parsnips. Perfect Sunday dinner vibes!
Storage & Reheating
- To freeze the pie, cover the pie with foil and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Remove the pie from the freezer and bake from frozen covered with foil for about 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes.
- I recommend baking the pie in a disposable pie pan if you plan on freezing.
- The pie will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat it in the oven or in the microwave.
If you're in the mood for another hearty comfort food recipe, my Easy Beef Chili is a one-pot classic that's perfect for cold nights.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below-I'd love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
Steak and Onion Pie (British Pub Style)
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Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds beef chuck, top round or beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 pound yellow potatoes, quartered
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (12 ounce) can or bottle pale ale, amber ale, or light brown ale, porter or stout
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 pie crusts
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive or avocado oil or medium-high heat.
- In a bowl, toss the meat in ¼ cup of flour to coat.
- Add diced onion, carrots, and celery to dutch oven. Saute for a few minutes until veggies begin to soften and the onion is translucent.
- Next, add the meat to the pan and saute until browned on all sides.
- Add in garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and tomato paste.
- Then, add the potatoes to the pot and pour in the Worcestershire sauce, beer and beef broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to get the browned bits off.
- Heat, covered, over medium-low heat for 45-50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- After the stew has cooked through, make a slurry with 3 tablespoons of flour and ½ cup of cold water in a separate bowl, then pour into the stew to thicken it. Stir and turn off the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, unroll the refrigerated pie crust and press into a 9-inch pie pan.
- Fill your pie dish with the stew filling, roll out the other pie crust and cover the pie. Brush the top crust with egg yolk, cut a couple of slits in the center of the crust and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.
- Let rest for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Sarah's Tips
- To freeze the pie, cover the pie with foil and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Remove the pie from the freezer and bake from frozen covered with foil for about 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes. I recommend baking the pie in a disposable pie pan if you plan on freezing.
- The pie will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat it in the oven or in the microwave.
- Make sure the pie crust is fully thawed before using it. You can also use thawed puff pastry on top if you prefer.
- Don't skip the egg wash or you'll have difficulty getting your pie crust to turn crispy and a beautiful golden brown.
- Place your pie pan on a baking sheet in case some of the filling leaks out. It is much easier to clean than the bottom of the oven.
Byron Sykes says
Great and easy to follow — I’ll make it again!
Sarah Hill says
Hi Byron, thanks so much — I’m glad you found it easy to follow! If there’s anything that would have made it a 5-star recipe for you, I’m always happy to hear feedback.
Leslie says
Good but not the same flavor that I had last year in a pub in London
Sarah Hill says
Hi Leslie, thank you. This is my version of the recipe and I'm sure the pub used different ingredients but happy you enjoyed it.
Trudy says
This looks so delicious and comforting, can’t wait to try it. One question, though: does the bottom crust cook well (completely) or is it preferable to par bake the bottom first?
Sarah Holt says
Hi Trudy, the bottom crust cooked completely for me but you can pop it into the oven for a few minutes before adding the filling just in case! I would just make sure to pierce the bottom with a fork a few times to prevent it from bubbling up. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Louise Pace says
Hi I made this recipe today the only thing I changed was instead of pie crust on top I used Cauliflower mash which turned out very good. Thank you for the recipe.
Sarah Holt says
Hi Louise, the cauliflower mash addition sounds so delicious!! So happy you enjoyed it
MICHAEL says
Delicious! The whole family loved it. But there was WAY too much filling for one 9” pie! I could have easily filled two. Instead, I served the leftover filling as stew the next day. No complaints! Haha.
Sarah Holt says
Hi Michael, so happy to hear you enjoyed the pie! I usually have leftovers also, I will make a note about this. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Sara Holian says
First time making a real English homemade pie. I searched high and low on the internet for the perfect recipe and came across this one Sarah made. Being English and living abroad a pie is something I really miss back home. Well, I am totally in love with this recipe my pie turned out better than I expected. Both of us enjoyed it so much I can’t wait to make it again soon. Thanks so much Sarah, you nailed it 🥳perfetto! 🥧👏🏻Highly recommend this recipe, 5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‘s
Sarah Holt says
Hi Sara, thank you so so much for this amazing review!! It makes me so happy that you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Mark Dewar says
Man Oh, Man! I love this recipe. Normally I don't cook but this is one of the exceptions. Absolutely delicious, perfect for a cold winter night. The best way I can explain it is it's like a chick pot pie but with steak instead and it's delicious. Highly recommend this recipe, a crowd-pleaser anywhere you go.
Sarah Holt says
Thank you Mark! Really happy that you enjoyed it 🙂