Nigerian Meat Pie Recipe
The Nigerian meat pies are delicious pastries filled with minced meat, potato and carrots. The pastry is slightly flaky and very rich in flavor, the filling is moist and very flavorful. These meat pies are popular in west Africa and Nigeria. If you haven’t tasted the Nigerian meat pie you must try this recipe ASAP, they are the ultimate comfort food!
There’s a reason this recipe for Nigerian meat pie is one of the most popular on my blog, with over half a million visits, over 2 million views on my YouTube channel, and 20,000 happy home cooks who have tried it: It’s delicious, irresistibly flaky, flavorful, and easy to make at home.
🎥Video Recipe
Watch the full video recipe to learn how to make the best Nigerian meat pie! This step-by-step video tutorial, including the ingredients, makes the process easy to follow, with tips and tricks to ensure perfect results every time.
Prefer the written recipe? Scroll down to the recipe box for the full details!
Why You’ll Love Nigerian Meat Pie 🥟
- Rich and Flaky Pastry: The buttery, tender crust is a perfect balance of crispness and melt-in-your-mouth texture. 🧈
- Savory, Flavorful Filling: Packed with a hearty blend of seasoned beef, potatoes, and carrots, every bite is a comforting delight. 🥕🥩
- Easy to Prepare: With a straightforward dough and filling recipe, it’s an approachable dish for any home cook. 🥣
- Perfect for Any Occasion: Whether it’s a snack, party treat, or family dinner, this rich meat pie fits the bill. 🎉
- Authentic Nigerian Flavor: Enjoy a taste of Nigeria in your own kitchen with this easy meat pie recipe. 🇳🇬
These easy meat pies are sure to become a favorite in your home! ❤️
Ingredients for Meat Pie
- Flour: Forms the base of the meat pie dough recipe, creating the structure of the crust.
- Butter: Adds richness and makes the dough flaky and tender.
- Eggs: Provide structure and help bind the dough together.
- Sugar and Salt: Balance and enhance the flavor of the dough.
- Baking Powder: Adds a slight lift to the dough for a light texture.
- Ground Beef: The star of the filling, providing hearty flavor.
- Potatoes and Carrots: Add texture and make the filling satisfying.
- Onions: Bring depth and aromatic flavor to the filling.
- Thyme and Seasonings: Elevate the filling with bold, savory flavors.
- Flour and Oil: Flour thickens the filling, while oil aids in sautéing.
This is just a short review of the ingredients; for the complete recipe, including quantities, scroll down to the recipe card.
How to Make the Best Meat Pie 🥟
1. Prepare the Dough: Mix flour, butter, baking powder, and other dry ingredients. Add eggs and cold water to create a smooth, rich dough. Refrigerate for a flaky result.
2. Cook the Filling: Sauté onions, carrots, and ground beef. Add potatoes, thyme, and seasonings for a hearty, flavorful filling. Simmer until thickened.
3. Assemble the Meat Pies: Roll out the meat pie dough, cut into circles, and fill with the cooled meat mixture. Fold, seal, and crimp the edges.
4. Bake to Perfection: Brush with egg wash and bake until golden. Enjoy these rich meat pies warm and flaky!
Variations Meat Pie
- Different Meats: Swap ground beef for chicken, turkey, or lamb for a unique twist on your meatpie recipe. 🍗🐑
- Vegetarian Option: Replace meat with mushrooms, lentils, or tofu for a delicious, veggie-packed pie. 🥦🍄
- Cheesy Delight: Add shredded cheese to the filling for an extra layer of flavor. 🧀
- One Big Pie: Instead of personal pies, make one large pie to slice and serve family-style. 🥧
- Spicy Kick: Add chili powder or cayenne for a spicy Nigerian meat pie recipe variation. 🌶️
Substitutes
- Gluten-Free Dough: Use gluten-free flour to create a flaky crust for those with dietary restrictions. 🌾❌
- Dairy-Free Butter: Substitute regular butter with plant-based alternatives for a lactose-free option. 🧈🌱
- Plant-Based Protein: Replace ground beef with soy crumbles, lentils, or jackfruit for a vegan-friendly meatpie recipe. 🌿🥥
- Sweet Potatoes: Swap regular potatoes with sweet potatoes for a slightly sweet and rich flavor. 🍠
- Low-Fat Option: Use lean ground turkey and olive oil to make a lighter, healthier version of this easy meat pie recipe. 🦃🫒
Common Questions
Yes, you can! Use a stovetop or an air fryer. For stovetop, place the pies in a covered pan over low heat and cook until golden. For an air fryer, preheat and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 15-20 minutes.
Ground beef is traditional, but you can use chicken, turkey, lamb, or even plant-based meat substitutes for a customized meat pie recipe.
Use cold butter and cold water when preparing the dough. Avoid over-mixing to keep the butter intact, which creates pockets of flakiness when baked.
Yes, the dough can be made up to two days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. For longer storage, wrap tightly and freeze for up to a month.
Absolutely! Freeze uncooked pies on a tray until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding 5-10 extra minutes to the cooking time.
Best Served With:
- Guacamole
- Beetroot and Chickpea Salad
- Chicken Salad
- ketchup, mayo or hot sauce
- Tzatziki
More Recipes:
Nigerian Meat Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 4 cups (500 g) All-purpose flour
- 200 g cold Butter cubed
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water cold
For the filling:
- ¾ pound (350 g) Ground beef
- 1 Potato peeled and diced into small cubes
- 1 Large Onion chopped
- 1 Large Carrot peeled and diced
- 1 cup (240 ml) Water/beef broth
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Thyme
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- 1 egg for brushing
Instructions
Make the pastry:
- In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add cubed butter and rub it with the flour until you get a crumbly texture.
- Beat 2 eggs with cold water and add it to the flour mixture, mix until dough is formed. Do not over mix! Wrap the dough with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Make the filling:
- In a large pan heat oil. Add onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes, until translucent. Add diced carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the meat and cook, breaking it apart, for 4-5 minutes, until no longer pink. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and flour. stir and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Add in cubed potatoes stir well. Pour in the water/broth. Stir.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, until thickens. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
- Divide the dough into 2-4 pieces (you also can roll the whole dough, dividing it just making it easier to work). Roll out the dough into 1/8-inch (1/4 cm) thickness. Cut out a round shape with your desired sized. Combine all the leftover dough and roll it again to make more circles.
- Place about 1-2 tablespoons of the meat mixture in the center, brush the edges with water and fold over the dough. Seal it with your fingers or with a fork. Poke the pies with a fork to create a steam outlet while baking brush the pies with beaten egg.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden. Cool slightly before serving.
- If you enjoyed this recipe, I would appreciate hearing your honest opinions about it in the comments. It means a lot to me! 😊
Video
Notes
- Watch the Video: For a better understanding of the recipe, I always recommend watching the video recipe, which includes a step-by-step guide to help you succeed.
- FAQs: Make sure you read the FAQs for this recipe which are located above the recipe box for additional tips and troubleshooting! For extra tips and variations read the article.
- Storage: Store Nigerian Meat Pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 3 months and reheat before serving.
- If you enjoyed this recipe, I would appreciate hearing your honest opinions about it in the comments. It means a lot to me! 😊
Your dough is a mess – I don’t know how anyone used it – it keeps breaking up and now I don’t know what to do for his supper… I just don’t understand
The dough was very fine. I almost didn’t use this recipe but glad I did. You may have to check if you missed out something on the ingredient list
Please in place of cling film what can I use??
Pls I want to make 30 to fifty meatpie,I want to know the quanty of flour,butter that will be enough for it,tnz
This dough is SOLID!! Everyone has complimented it. I used the same dough to make sausage rolls as well and it is great!
Its possible you didn’t mix in the butter with the flour well before adding the wet ingredients.
Thanks for the recipe
Please can u give meat pie spice ingredients and how to mix it🙏🙏
Francine you are such a bad cook that’s why
Oh Salma you sweet person 😂😂😂 giving it hot hot. The dough also turned out fine for me
That’s a bit harsh!
The dough is very perfect,have personally adopted it.
That’s great
The dough is very perfect,have personally adopted it.
Such a nice one
Eeee
The dough is very perfect,have personally adopted it.
Then create your own dough na or go find another recipe. Why would you shoot someone’s creation down by calling it a mess? Yet you’re the one who can’t bake and need a recipe. No be you come be the mess bayi?
lolzzzzz chrissy i no fit laugh abeg
Try using margarine instead of butter. This may give you a better result.
No butter is just best for baking
Don’t you know there is no difference in margarine(a company’s name) and butter(the product)
YOU LIE! His dough actually saved me from being embarrassed. May God bless him for coming up with the most perfect and uncomplicated way of making meat pie dough. 💋
Lol. He should make his own supper
You might want to try Pillsbury Pie Crust…readily available in grocery stores; works just perfect too. That’s what I use …all the best!
😂😂😂😂😂😂
You are not a good cook
you are just mean and go and fuck your self
Francine- try again! It’s very worth it! I make a lot of biscuits as I grew up down south and this dough acts like that dough just a great big ol’ shaggy mess. But, as you work it together the fat in it gets soft I highly recommend that you weigh all ingredients. I took many baking classes and at one we all measured a cup of flour in class and then weighed them. EVERBODY’s weighed differently. I bet you will have no trouble if you weight everything in grams and stay brave in gathering up all the
Why you argue on their recipe. De yu za
folish girl ahya it came out very good no expression no day o
I agree, I made it the first time with 4cups flour and it was a little dry although it did work it was hard to work with the dough and it was dry after baking but when I reduced the flour to 3.5 cups it was wonderful, thank you for the delicious recipe!
can groundnut oil substitute for butter in meatpie. And also what make meatpie chewable and not hard
Ur baking powder makes it hard
Ur baking powder makes it hard
It possible to use baking powder
yes i tried it worked
Nice pies delicious food
Do we actually need to add sugar. But the rest of the ingredients are superb. I love it thanks for the recipe
I was looking for a meat pie recipe that used butter instead of margarine. Wow! Am I glad this is the one I decided to try! Great dough! The meat pies tasted just like home!
This recipe was fantastic! I made a plant-based version for my husband (he’s Nigerian) and wow…he was thoroughly impressed! I would highly recommend.
I do agree with dough aspect. I added twice the water and egg because it was a little dry to begin with.
Pastry came out perfectly for me. Thanks
For how long this will take without spoiling?
I am not done but I know its coming out perfect
Recipe left out the need to oil baking tray/foil/paper. Or did I miss it?
Because if you use a parchment paper or good ol’ aluminum foil pan, you do not need any oil for the baking tray. I use a nonstick baking tray and it is recommended by its manufacturer not to use sprays on it (tasty brand) so I guess it’s optional at this point.
Came out perfect and delish
I will try mine tomorrow thank the recipe
Please what would mke the meatpie to be hard? Especially the back, even most times it breaks but the back will still be hard
Great recipe, came out so well. Thanks for sharing
The cold butter and water also helped a great deal 👍
perfect recipe . the finished product came out nice.
Not tried it yet bit yet to try it
Is the sugar necessary for the dough
This is the best recipe I have used! Thanks for sharing.
How many meatpies can I get from this recipe?
My question exactly. Looks like something I want to try but how big are the circles and how many meat pies do I get?
It’s very nice and good
I just made my pies, used your exact recipe to a T, and it came out just perfect. Thank you. I like that the video is well organised, very easy to follow with the subtitles. keep up the good work.
Delicious filling but the dough was very crumbly and difficult to work with. I think if I was to make these again I would use a different pastry recipe or add extra egg/water.
The meat pie was perfect!! Everybody loved it. But I had to add a little bit more water to the dough.
Thanks for the recipe
I didn’t add the sugar
But the dough was very nice and easy to work with
please is it actually necessary to put the dough in the fridge for 30 mins and must i cover it with cling paper?
The recipe was excellent. Thank you!
Glad you liked it
Great work
Delishous
OMG… your recipe has saved me the stress of doing to Nigerian store to buy meat pie, which does not even taste as good. I have made meat pie with this recipe for the third with the same perfect result.
I just tried it out let’s see how it goes🙄🙄 I’m scared with the comments I’m seeing here thou
I was so excited to make this recipe. However I found it a little bland. I have half the filling mix left so I can make more turn overs. Any suggestions to make the filling more savory? Also what diameter of soup dish did you use to make the circle of pastry? Mine was a little big so I was only able to make 6 turnovers.
Maggi, Curry Powder and MSG help to make it more flavourful!
Hello, thanks for this excellent recipe! I tried both ways 3.5 C and 4 C and feel the 4 C was better (but both worked out).
I will do mine tomorrow and will give you my feedback
Tried it and came out the way I wanted it to.
OMG! Your recipe is the absolute best! Wow! Been having issues with my dough that keeps breaking! But this recipe is a life saver! Had to pause while making my pie to write this, I’m absolutely grateful for this! Thank you so much🙏
Perfect dough i love it
Delicious 😋
Came out nice thanks for recipe
I will try mine tomorrow
Omg this is going to be my staple meat pie dough recipe. Came out perfect. First meat pie recipe that I didn’t give up afterwards where everything becomes a mess. Make sure you mix everything well before moving to next steps. I winged my baking soda and sugar mix cuz I was lazy to reach for the measuring spoon, but it didn’t affect my dough which was easy to work with and not as sticky as I always find myself when making meat pie. At first I thought it was kinda soft (went over the water intake)
First time making meat pie and the recipe was simple and straightforward.The dough was excellent! My kids loved it! Thanks.
I love it
It is helpful thank you
Very nice like MAD O.
Many thanks for sharing your recipe, it turned out perfectly when I made a few batches today! Thank you SO much!
Well done ✅ for sharing your recipe. I tried it out and it was nice. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing,I tried it out and it was yummy
I tried it but missed it out when mixing roux to bind …the roux istoo much…what can i do in this case
should i proceed with the dough or I shouldn’t bother….
plz it’s urgent, what can i do
I have not tried it but yet but what of if I don’t have any refrigerator can I proceed to the baking
Please people should teach me how to do cake
Haven’t tried it yet but I believe
it will come out delicious
This looks suspiciously like a Cornish pasty to me.
For me sugar, egg and baking powder inside the dough is X
American here who is married to a Nigerian. Made this recipe for the first time tonight and my husband loved it! Based on other comments, i did the 3.5 cups of flour and i seasoned the meat with curry powder, knorr, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
This recipe got me MAJOR POINTS tonight from hubby and my in-laws!
I want the newsletter.
I love the recipe.i believe it’s work better for
me too.as others testifies
I am just watching this video I will make sure I practice it
Thanks for the recipe, I haven’t baked any Meatpie for years, this recipe helped me back on track!
Came out nice thanks for the great recipe
The recipe is amazing! I tried it out with my mom and it came out perfectly😃 and tastes so yummy😋
Pls I love it, I will love to try I think 6 will need ur support
Glad l went with this recipe…. Pies were very tasty and the pastry was the best
Why is nutmeg not always acceptable despite it is also good
The recipes is a perfect one to used. I love it.
Do I use salted butter or unsalted ?
Always unsalted.
The recipe is very simple and perfect just follow the instructions u will get it right first use the quantity giving to u.
Ayomide is right do we actually need to add sugar. It is just meat.
Sugar in meat 🤔
thanks for this
The American cup measurement system is stupid.
It looks like a Cornish Pasty to me.
It may do but it’s not a Cornish pasty, different cultures have different meat pies.
It looks like a Cornish pasty to me
Nice im allergic to baking powder so what can i substitute or if i exclude that does it destroy the recipe
This is more like a Cornish Pasty!
After watching the video,it was perfect tho i will try it tomorrow and give you feedback
The recipe is very good one I like eating meat pie so I make it like 3 times in a day and it is ery 😋 yummy
I accidentally gave this recipe 2 Stars instead of 5. I followed the recipe to the T and seriously it is so delicious, the pastry was perfect…now the whole family wants me to make more.
It’s very nice though!!!