If you’re from Cornwall, I apologize for taking your famous dish and making it vegan. I had an idea in my mind of a vegan Cornish pasty and just couldn’t shake it. Even though I’ve never eaten a Cornish pasty, it’s been featured often enough on Bake Off that it seems familiar. Nadia, a winner of bake off, got in deep trouble for daring to add peas to the classic recipe, so I’m sure vegan pasties are rather worse.
The outer pocket is a coconut oil spelt pastry that’s much easier to make than regular butter pastry, I think. You just pop it in the food processor and let it do the work, and no worries about keeping everything ice cold. It’s not as flaky as butter pastry but it’s a bit flaky, and a lot crispy. Perfect for vegan pasties.
About the filling – I’ve chosen caramelised onions alongside leeks, peas, little white beans, and lemon, on top of a little hummus. I see several variations of this in my future (definitely mushrooms) but this is a great winter option using frozen peas with cold weather vegetables.
If you’re looking for another good vegan pastry recipe, check out my vegan holiday pie with hot water pastry.
Notes and Substitutions
The only trick is not to overfill the pasties so that you can close up the pocket, but you can always pull a bit of the filling out if need be.
If you don’t want the extra step of caramelising the onions, you can sauté them with the leeks instead. I encourage you to make a huge batch of caramelized onions and freeze the extras, though, because they’re a great addition to just about everything.
These freeze very well, and can be frozen before baking. Simply freeze on a parchment lined tray and, once frozen, transfer to an airtight container. Bake from frozen.
You can use a milk wash (for vegan) or egg wash (vegetarian) on the outside of the pasties, but it’s not about taste, just appearance. Adding an egg wash makes the pasties more golden, and not including it will result in a slightly lighter pastry.
More Caramelised Onion Recipes
Winter Pizza
Mushroom and Caramelised Onion Wreath
Potato Galette
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Leek and Caramelized Onion Pasties
Ingredients
Spelt Coconut Oil Pastry
- 2 cups spelt flour*
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup room temperature coconut oil
- 6-8 tablespoons cold water
Pasty Filling
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 medium leek cut into 1 cm rounds
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Juice of a lemon
- ½ cup little white beans cooked
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup hummus
- 1 batch caramelised onions
Instructions
Spelt Coconut Oil Pastry
- Place the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor with the blade attachment. Pulse until combined.2 cups spelt flour*, 1 teaspoon coconut sugar, 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Add the coconut oil and pulse until sandy, then add the water a tablespoon at a time, pulsing between each addition. The finished pastry should be a little crumbly looking but come together easily when pressed.1/4 cup room temperature coconut oil, 6-8 tablespoons cold water
- Form a disc with the pastry and wrap it in something to keep the moisture in (I like beeswax wrap). Set it aside, at room temperature, while you prepare the filling.
Pasty Filling
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the leek and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened. Stir in the salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Add the beans, onion, and peas, and stir to combine. Set aside.1 teaspoon oil, 1 medium leek, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, Juice of a lemon, 1/2 cup little white beans, 1 batch caramelised onions, 1/2 cup frozen peas
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to about 5 mm and cut large rounds, about 15 cm**.
- Place a tablespoon of hummus on each round and top with a couple tablespoons of the pastry filling. Repeat, rolling out any leftover pastry, until it’s been used up.1/2 cup hummus
- To close the pastries, use a finger or brush to slightly dampen the outer ring of the pastry round. Pinch each pastry closed, starting at one corner and moving around to the other. Use a fork to crimp the edge and seal the pasty. If it tears slightly don't worry, it shouldn't open up much in the oven.
- Brush the pasties with an egg wash if desired to help with browning. Continue until all the pasties are sealed, then place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp. Serve hot or keep leftovers in a sealed container for up to 2 days.
Alexandra Daum says
I'm so happy to hear that, Nicky! They'd be amazing with mushrooms, great idea.
Nicky Hawthorne says
Made these. Impressed all my friends. Thank you. Will make again and try w mushrooms.