" He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry — but the woman didn’t have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts."
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, JK Rowling
It’s time to hop on the Hogwart’s Express and grab yourself some delicious vegan pumpkin pasties for the trip! These pasties are savory, packed full of flavor, and wrapped in a flakey crust. Perfect to take on the go, a quick meal or snack, or even an appetizer. What are you waiting for? Bring the world of Harry Potter into your home with this delicious treat!
What is a pasty?
Compared to the other treats mentioned in the books, pasties already exist in English cuisine. So what is a pasty? It’s a simple hand pie. Normally filled with meat or vegetables and wrapped in a shortcrust pastry. If you’re a Harry Potter fan like I am, you’ll know that pumpkin pasties are one of the most common snacks that are mentioned and seen in both books and movies. Luckily, I didn’t have to use much imagination to make this recipe, I just had a little creativity.
Since we still don’t know what pumpkin pasties tasted like, I had to create my own. Most vegan pumpkin pasty recipes I’ve seen use pumpkin pie filling. Of course, me being me, I wanted this recipe to be different. So I went for the savory route. Filling them with pumpkin puree, potatoes, herbs, and vegan cheese! It’s quite delicious, and trust me they didn’t last a week in this household. It’s nice knowing you have something already prepared to grab and eat!
Ingredient notes
Cold vegan butter - Making the pastry dough requires the butter to be cold to start with. I like to place mine in the freezer for 15 minutes before I start!
Ice cold water - As I’ve mentioned, making pastry dough is temperature sensitive, so we need to keep all the ingredients cold, including the water.
Sweet & Yukon gold potatoes - Adding this to the filling creates a more hearty filling, compared to just using pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin puree - The best brand I’ve used for any pumpkin recipe is Libby’s Pumpkin Puree. However, do not mistake this for pumpkin pie filling, they are not the same. The ingredients should only be pure pumpkin.
Fresh sage and basil - Using fresh herbs retain their flavor even after cooking, but using dried is also fine!
Vegan mozzarella - Adding vegan cheese to this completes this recipe, it gives it a nice cheesy flavor without overpowering it.
Tips to make vegan pumpkin pasties:
- Plan ahead. I like making the process easy in the kitchen. For example, make the pastry dough a couple of days ahead, and make the filling the night before. Then on bake day, all you need to do is assemble and bake.
- Measure your flour properly. My recipes are 100% tested in grams. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error.
- If you’re measuring by cups, avoid scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour. This tends to pack the flour into the cup, resulting in too much flour and a very dense or gummy finished product. Instead, aerate your flour (fluff it with a fork or spoon) and then spoon it into your measuring cups, leveling it with your finger or the back of a butter knife. Keep in mind though, that this method is not guaranteed to be accurate.
- Don’t want to make pastry dough? BUY IT! Let’s make it even easier, if you don’t want to make the pastry dough, just buy the pre-made ones! For this recipe, it’s the filling you’re after. There’s no pressure for you to have to make it.
- Make sure your filling has completely cooled before assembly! A hot filling will melt the butter in the raw pastry, and it’ll make it hard to work with once that happens.
- Chill your filled pasties. After you’ve finished assembling the pasties, place them in the fridge to allow the pastry dough to chill. Chilling hardens the butter in the dough, which will help the dough maintain its structure as it bakes, and also creates beautiful flakey layers. Do not skip this step, otherwise, you’ll get a greasy mess.
How to make vegan pumpkin pasties:
Make the pastry dough and chill in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
Next, chop up the vegetables and make the filling. Allow cooling completely before assembly.
Remove pastry dough from the fridge, and roll it out to a ⅛ of an inch.
With a cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can fit.
Remove dough scraps, and knead them together to use for the second batch.
Fill the dough rounds with the filling.
Fold the pastry dough over, press lightly, and crimp with a fork.
Chill the pastries in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Brush some agave milk mixture, and bake at 350° Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes.
Allow cooling before serving!
Frequently asked questions
- How long do these last?
Store the pumpkin pasties in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat you can place it in the microwave for a few seconds or in the oven for 5 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit if you want it a little crispy. - Can I make this gluten-free?
I personally haven’t made pastry dough using gluten-free flour, so I can’t say with confidence that it will work. - Can I use store-bought pastry dough?
Yes! This is the brand I like to use, they are also vegan-friendly! - My filling leaked out!
There could be a variety of reasons as to why this happened, but the most common culprit is that either the pastry was overfilled or the pastry wasn’t sealed properly. - Can I freeze these vegan pumpkin pasties?
If you’re not ready to bake them, place the unbaked pasties on a baking sheet or plate and freeze them for 3 hours. Once they are frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll keep in the freezer for a few months. Defrost them on a plate, and bake them according to the recipe instructions.
So, if you tried this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments below! You can also share it with me on Instagram, just tag @flouredframe. I would love to see your recreations! Happy baking!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Pasties
Equipment
- Food processor
- Vegetable peeler
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Medium saucepan
- Heatproof spatula
- Mixing bowls
- Rolling pins
- 5-inch round cookie cutter
- Parchment Paper
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Small saucepan
- Pastry brush
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Pastry Dough*:
- 170 grams cold vegan butter (diced into squares)
- 300 grams all-purpose flour
- 20 grams granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 75 grams ice-cold water
Pumpkin Filling:
- 60 grams sweet potato, diced
- 65 grams Yukon Gold potato, diced
- 20 grams medium-sized onion, finely diced
- 2-3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 60 grams water
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- 60 grams vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 180 grams pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 6 fresh sage leaves (finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon - dried sage))
- 3 fresh basil leaves (finely chopped (or ½ teaspoon - dried basil))
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 80 grams vegan mozzarella
Vegan “Egg Wash”
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk (I used soy)
- 1 tablespoon agave
Garlic Butter Herb, optional:
- 42 grams vegan butter (melted)
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Instructions
Pastry Dough:
- Before starting, cut the butter into cubes and set it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then, in a measuring cup combine some ice and cold water. You’ll need enough ice water so you can measure out ⅓ cup from it later on.
- In the bowl of the food processor, add flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a couple of times to combine.
- When the butter is frozen, add it to the food processor with the dry ingredients. Pulse until you get a sand-like texture.
- Next, while the food processor is running on low, slowly pour in ⅓ cup of water.
- Once the dough starts to clump together, stop there. Transfer the dough to a work surface, and knead with your hands until you get a smooth and cohesive dough.
- Shape the dough into a 1-inch disk and wrap it in saran wrap or place it into a reusable zip bag. Place it in the fridge to chill for 2 hours, or overnight.
Filling:
- Start by peeling the skin from both the sweet potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes. Diced into ½-inch cubes. Then finely dice the onions and mince the garlic. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a small bowl add the vegetable broth and cornstarch, and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan, over medium heat. Add the sage leaves, and chili flakes (if using), and fry until fragrant and lightly golden. Then add in the onions and garlic, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Next, add in the diced sweet and Yukon gold potatoes, and ¼ cup of water, and allow it to cook for 3-4 minutes until the potatoes soften. Then add in the pumpkin puree, tomato paste, fresh basil, salt, black pepper, and paprika. Mix until well combined.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and cornstarch mixture, and mix until well incorporated. Cook until you get a thick paste-like consistency.
- Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before folding in the vegan mozzarella. Allow the filling to cool completely before you assemble it.
Assembly:
- Have a small bowl of water prepared and your cooled filling ready on the side. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and make space in your fridge to fit it in.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a ¼-inch thick.
- With a 5-inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can. Take the dough scraps and knead it back together. Wrap it up and place it back in the fridge.If using pre-made puff pastry: Working with one sheet at a time, place it over a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough, starting from the center and out. Continue to roll out the dough until you confidently cut out 4-5 rounds from 1 sheet. Repeat for the rest.
- Scoop up a heaping tablespoon of filling and place it in the center of the dough circle. Spread it down a little so it’s not a big lump in the middle. Careful not to overfill and not to have the filling touch the edges of the dough.
- Brush the edges of half of the circle with water, and fold the other half over. Pressing the edges lightly with your finger. Take a fork and crimp the edges to completely seal them together. If you find the fork sticking too much to the dough, cover it in flour as you crimp.
- With a sharp paring knife, carefully score 3 vents at the top of the pasties and place them on the prepared baking tray. Repeat for the rest.
- When you’re done assembling the first batch of your pumpkin pasties, place them in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- While you wait, take the remaining dough and make your second batch of pasties. I made 10 pasties in total, and I used all the pastry dough!
Baking:
- In another small bowl, mix the agave and non-dairy milk, this is your “wash”.
- After your pasties are chilled, brush them with the agave milk wash and place them in the oven. Bake the pasties for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat for the second batch. Serve and enjoy!
Garlic Herb Butter (Optional):
- In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Then add in your crushed garlic and fresh rosemary, and cook for about 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Brush your baked pumpkin pasties with garlic herb butter. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Plan ahead. I like making the process easy in the kitchen. For example, make the pastry dough a couple of days ahead, and make the filling the night before. Then on bake day, all you need to do is assemble and bake.
- Measure your flour properly. My recipes are 100% tested in grams. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error.
- If you’re measuring by cups, avoid scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour. This tends to pack the flour into the cup, resulting in too much flour and a very dense or gummy finished product. Instead, aerate your flour (fluff it with a fork or spoon) and then spoon it into your measuring cups, leveling it with your finger or the back of a butter knife. Keep in mind though, that this method is not guaranteed to be accurate.
- Don’t want to make pastry dough? BUY IT! Let’s make it even easier, if you don’t want to make the pastry dough, just buy the pre-made ones! For this recipe, it’s the filling you’re after. There’s no pressure for you to have to make it.
- Make sure your filling has completely cooled before assembly! A hot filling will melt the butter in the raw pastry, and it’ll make it hard to work with once that happens.
- Chill your filled pasties. After you’ve finished assembling the pasties, place them in the fridge to allow the pastry dough to chill. Chilling hardens the butter in the dough, which will help the dough maintain its structure as it bakes, and also creates beautiful flakey layers. Do not skip this step, otherwise, you’ll get a greasy mess.
- Can I freeze these vegan pumpkin pasties? If you’re not ready to bake them, place the unbaked pasties on a baking sheet or plate and freeze them for 3 hours. Once they are frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll keep in the freezer for a few months. Defrost them on a plate, and bake them according to the recipe instructions.
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