Old-Fashioned Aussie Steak Pie | Just Like Mum Used to Make

There’s something special about a homemade Aussie steak pie — and this old-fashioned recipe is just like the one Mum used to make! 🥧🍖
Tender, slow-cooked beef in a rich, savoury gravy, topped with golden, flaky pastry — simple ingredients, BIG flavour.

This traditional meat pie is easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. The result? A hearty, comforting Australian classic that’s perfect for any occasion.

⭐ What Makes This Pie Special?
✔ Melt-in-your-mouth beef filling
✔ Minimal ingredients, maximum flavour
✔ No fancy sauces—just classic, honest cooking
✔ Perfect for family dinners, weekend baking, or feeding a crowd


📌 Full Recipe:
🕒 Cook Time:
🔥 Meat filling: 1.5 hours in the oven
🥶 Cooling time: Bring to room temperature, or refrigerate and assemble the pie when ready
🍽 Baking: 45 minutes until golden

Preheat oven to 160C/320F Fan or 180C/350F No Fan

Ingredients
1 kg stewing steak - chuck steak is ideal, also known as gravy beef, or braising steak - cut into bite sized pieces.
Flour to coat beef (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 onions - roughly chopped
900ml beef stock (or 3 beef stock cubes + 900ml water)
1 small bay leaf
Your choice of fat for frying (oil, lard, dripping, butter, beef tallow)
Parisienne Essence - optional (just for colour)
Sufficient pastry to cover pie - 2-3 sheets or a block of pastry, which you then roll out.
Milk or egg wash for glazing.

Method:
Season flour with salt and pepper.
Generously dust meat with flour.
Brown meat in fat over a medium high heat until nice and brown. Working in batches.
Add a little extra fat to pan if required.
Add onions to pan, sauté for a few minutes.
Add stock, bring to the boil, deglazing the pan.
Add bay leaf.
Pour over meat.
Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove from oven, stir gently.

If the gravy is too thin, thicken with a slurry of 1 tbsp cornflour or plain flour mixed with water. Stir in gently and slowly, it will thicken instantly. Add more if still too thin (but it shouldn't be).

Optional: Add a few drops of Parisienne Essence to deepen the colour.

Let cool, room temperature is fine, or you can pop it into the fridge and assemble the pie when ready.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F fan or 220C/430F

Assembly:
Roll out pastry or join 2 sheets, the pastry should be about 1 inch bigger than the pie dish. Cut off strips of pastry from another piece. Moisten the edge of the pie dish with water, and place pastry strips around the rim.

Pour the meat into the pie dish.

Place a small funnel, ceramic egg cup or ramekin in the centre of the dish to help support the pastry. (This step isn't necessary; your pie will still be delicious).

Brush pastry edge strips with water and lift pastry lid into position.

Press edges to seal.

Cut leaves from left over pastry and decorate pie.

Glaze with milk and cut 2 small slits in the top of the pie, so steam can escape.

Place it into the preheated oven for 15 minutes then reduce heat to moderate 170C/340F fan or 190C/375F no fan for a further 20-25 minutes.

🥄 Recipe Notes:

Serve with mashed potatoes and green peas—and a squirt of tomato sauce if you like!
Filling can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight.
This pie is perfect for family dinners or weekend baking.
Any leftover filling is delicious in a toasted sandwich! 🥪
If you like kidneys, skin and chop 2 kidneys into small pieces, then flour and brown them just like the beef—they add a lovely depth of flavour.

➡ Follow along & let me know in the comments—have you ever had a homemade steak pie like this? Let’s bring back the classics! ❤️

‪@leescooking‬

00:00 – Introduction
00:38 – Preparing the Filling
04:07 – Out of the Oven & Finishing the Gravy
05:19 – Assembling the Pie
08:54 – A Tip to Elevate Your Mashed Potatoes
09:47 – Pie Out of the Oven
10:15 – Slicing & Serving

#meatpie #beefpie #australianfood #comfortfood #retrorecipes