Vegan Irish Hand Pies

March 9, 2023

Articles

Delicious vegan Irish Hand Pies with a crispy, flaky whole wheat crust and a savory stuffing of cabbage, potatoes and lentils.

Vegan Irish hand pies on gray plate with one cut open.

What’s not to love about hand pies? These pocket-sized treats are cute, portable and appeal to nearly everyone. And that appeal skyrockets when they are stuffed with a savory, delicious filling, like these vegan Irish hand pies.

I love hand pies — from vegan sausage rolls to savory Indian samosas to these chickpea mushroom turnovers. These meatless Irish hand pies, which I’ve been making for many years now, are right up there with these other favorites. When I first posted these readers loved them but some said they had too much filling left over. I’ve modified the recipe to address that concern and to make these even more delicious.

Try them — once you sink your teeth into the flaky wrapper, you’ll be hooked for good!

[feast_advanced_jump_to]

Why you will love this recipe

Crispy, flaky and delicious. The contrasting textures of the crunchy, golden crust and the soft, textured filling are amazing together. The filling is lightly but perfectly seasoned.
Easy recipe. These hand pies are not complicated at all. The crust comes together in minutes and so does the filling.
Adult and kid-friendly. Kids and adults will both love these hand pies and they’ll be gone before you know it!
Vegan and nut-free, can be soy-free.

Ingredients

Check recipe card for exact quantities 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 you like, 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 use my homemade vegan butter made mostly with refined coconut oil. I’ll share the recipe with you soon. You can use any store bought plant-based butter.

For the lentil filling

Brown lentils. Green lentils or French lentils will work too. Make sure to use whole lentils.
Garlic
Red or yellow potatoes. Try not to use a starchy potato, like russet.
Red or green cabbage
Dried thyme or oregano
Tomato paste
Tamari or soy sauce
Vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)

How to make vegan Irish hand pies

Flours whisked in bowl for Irish hand pies.

Make the pie dough by whisking together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour and salt in a large bowl.

Butter cut into flour for Irish vegan hand pies.

Cut in the vegan butter until it is evenly dispersed and there are no pieces larger than peas.

Drizzle in ice-cold water while mixing with a fork until the dough comes together. Form it into a ball as best as you can.

Vegan irish hand pie dough wrapped in cling wrap.

Wrap the dough tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or longer.

Garlic sauteing in oil for hand pie filling.

While the dough is in the refrigerator, make the filling. Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat and stir the garlic into it.

Potatoes sauteing in oil for Irish hand pies.

When the garlic turns lightly golden and aromatic, add the potatoes with salt and ground black pepper. Saute for a couple of minutes until the potatoes start caramelizing.

Stir in the cabbage and saute for five minutes or until the cabbage wilts and the potatoes are nearly cooked.

Oregano added to vegetables for hand pies.

Stir in the tomato paste and oregano and mix. Cook the tomato paste for a couple of minutes.

Lentils added to tomato, potato and cabbage filling in wok.

Stir in the cooked lentils, tamari and vegan Worcestershire sauce, if using, and mix with the vegetables. Add salt as needed. Cook until warmed through.

Scallions added to filling for vegan Irish hand pies.

Add scallions, mix them in, and turn off heat. Set the filling aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 degrees Celsius. 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 handling it easier. Keep one half refrigerated while you work with the other.

Cookie cutter cutting rounds in Irish hand pie dough.

Roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼th of an inch. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter or the lid of a jar to cut out discs of dough. Gather up the dough scraps, roll, and cut out more discs.

Filling placed inside dough for hand pie.

Place approximately two heaping teaspoons of filling in the center of one disc.

Place a second disc above 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 center of the pasty using a sharp knife.

Irish hand pies ready for baking on baking sheet.

Place the hand pies on a baking sheet and brush with some vegan butter, if you wish, to help them get a nice color.

Bake 40 minutes or until golden-brown and flaky. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the pies cool slightly before you serve.

Tips for success

The crust dough is a pie dough, so treat it like one. Make sure you make minimal contact with it with your hands so the butter won’t melt–instead use a fork to cut in the vegan butter and mix as you drizzle water.
Be careful not to create a wet dough. That will create gluten in the crust and make it tough. Err on the side of adding less moisture rather than more.
When you make the filling, be sure to cut the potatoes and cabbage in small pieces so they cook quickly and also don’t look lumpy in the filling.
Brush a bit of oil or butter on the hand pies before baking so they get a nice golden-brown color.

Storage instructions

Refrigerate: Store the hand pies in the fridge for up to four days.
Freeze: Freeze the pies in an airtight container or freezer-safe bags for up to three months.
Reheat: Reheat the hand pies in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit/175-degree Celsius oven until warmed through.

More vegan Irish recipes