Some recipes carry the weight of family history in every bite — and this handheld meat pie recipe is one of them. My mother’s side of the family is French Canadian, and meat pie has been a Christmas tradition for as long as I can remember. In Canada, this dish is known as tourtière, a savory pie of minced meat, potatoes, and warm holiday spices like cinnamon, allspice, and cloves that dates back to the fifteenth century.
But our family version is something a little more humble and a lot more special. My grandmother’s recipe is a true depression-era dish — simple ingredients stretched with potatoes to feed a large family, seasoned generously with spice, and served with ketchup or cranberry sauce on the side. No fussy garnishes. No gourmet twists. Just a deeply savory, warmly spiced pie that tastes like Christmas.
I’ve taken her recipe and turned it into handheld meat pies — individual hand pies that are easier to serve at holiday parties, simpler to freeze in batches, and honestly just more fun to eat. They have all the flavor of the original in a perfectly portable package.
One important note before you start: The meat filling needs to refrigerate overnight before baking, so plan to make the filling the day before you need them. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference to the texture and flavor.
The history of meat pie dates back to the fifteenth century, and while I’ve seen some recipes for tourtiere get really gourmet and elaborate with the spices and meats, this one is actually from my grandmother and is more of a depression era recipe with simple ingredients and mixed with potatoes to make the meal big enough to feed a family.
Speaking of family, my grandmother’s recipe for meat pie is indeed, gigantic. Her original recipe for meat pie makes two large standard sized meat pies, or as I later found out endless amounts of hand pies. So for the meat pie recipe below, I’ve cut the ingredients down to half to make it a bit more manageable for a smaller hand pie.
What I love about these is that they’re easier to wrap up individually and freeze if you make a big batch and have some left over. They’re also a hearty appetizer for holiday parties.
Handheld Meat Pie Recipe Ingredient Notes
Ground Pork and Beef: The classic combination for tourtière. The pork brings fat and richness while the beef adds depth. Use lean versions of both so the filling isn’t greasy. Some traditional recipes use ground veal as well — feel free to substitute a portion of the beef for veal if you’d like to go more traditional.
Potatoes: Small white potatoes work best here. They’re boiled and then mixed into the meat filling, which stretches the recipe further (very much in the depression-era spirit of the original) and gives the filling a wonderful texture that holds together when baked.
The Spice Blend: Cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg are the heart of this recipe and what makes it taste unmistakably like tourtière. Don’t be tempted to reduce the spices — they seem like a lot for a savory pie but they bake into something warmly aromatic rather than sweet.
Pie Crusts: Refrigerated store-bought pie crusts work perfectly here and keep the recipe accessible. You’ll need 4 standard 9-inch crusts to make 16 hand pies. If you prefer homemade pastry, a simple shortcrust pastry works beautifully.
Egg Wash: Don’t skip this — brushing the tops with beaten egg is what gives the hand pies their gorgeous golden color.
Handheld Meat Pies
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground pork
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 4-6 small white potatoes (approx. 3 pounds)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 refrigerated 9 inch pie crusts
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Peel and coarsely chop the potatoes, then boil for 10 minutes with diced onion. Drain and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, combine pork and beef. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat and simmer until meat is cooked. Drain the broth from the meat into a bowl for later use.
- Add all ingredients (potatoes, onion, meat & spices) to large bowl or pot and blend with a hand mixer. If mixture is a bit dry, add spoonfuls of the meat broth until you achieve desired consistency. If should be able to hold it's shape a bit, like a meatball.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prep two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove pie crusts from refrigerator to soften, following the directions on the pie crust box.
- Roll out pie dough and cut into 4 1/2 to 5 inch rounds. You can use a large cookie cutter, or just flip over a small bowl to guide you. Each pie crust should make four pies.
- Spoon meat mixture (approx. 1-2 Tbsp each) onto one side of each pie round, leaving about a half inch dough framed around the edge of the meat.
- Fold one half of the pie over the side with the meat, and seal the meat pies using the tines of a fork to crimp the edges together. Using a sharp knife, cut two slits on the top of each pie for venting.
- Crack egg into small bowl and whisk the whites and yolk together. Brush the beaten egg on top of each pie. Loosely cover with tinfoil, and bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the tin foil, reduce heat to 375, and continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until crust is golden brown. Serve with a side of ketchup or cranberry sauce. Enjoy!
- Feeds 6-8.
Notes
Variations
- Traditional tourtière: Skip the hand pie format and press the filling into two standard 9-inch pie dishes with a top crust. Bake at 375°F for 45–50 minutes until golden. This is how my grandmother made it originally.
- All pork: Some French Canadian families make tourtière with only ground pork — it's richer and more traditional. Simply replace the beef with an equal amount of ground pork.
- Add herbs: A teaspoon of fresh thyme or dried sage added to the filling gives it a lovely earthy undertone that complements the warm spices beautifully.
- Spicier version: Add a pinch of cayenne or a dash of Worcestershire sauce to the filling for a little extra depth and heat.
Make Ahead and Freezing Tips
This recipe was practically designed for making ahead — which makes it perfect for the holidays when oven time is precious.
Make ahead: The filling must be refrigerated overnight before assembling and baking. You can also assemble the unbaked pies, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight before baking the next day.
Freezing unbaked pies: Assemble the hand pies and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid (about 2 hours), then transfer to a zip-lock freezer bag. Bake from frozen at 375°F for 30–35 minutes until golden brown. No need to thaw first.
Freezing baked pies: Let baked pies cool completely, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes until warmed through. They’re just as good reheated as fresh from the oven.
Holiday prep tip: Make a double batch in early December and freeze. You’ll have a ready supply of impressive homemade appetizers for every holiday gathering without any last-minute stress.
What To Serve With Handheld Meat Pies
Traditionalists in our family always served meat pie with ketchup or cranberry sauce — and honestly both are perfect. Here are some other serving ideas:
- Cranberry sauce — the tartness cuts through the rich, savory filling beautifully. A homemade cranberry sauce is especially lovely
- Ketchup — classic, unpretentious, and absolutely delicious. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it
- Gravy — a simple brown gravy turns these into a more substantial meal
- Dijon mustard — a small dish of Dijon alongside makes a great dipping option for a holiday party spread
- Green salad — a simple green salad with a light vinaigrette balances the richness of the pies if you’re serving them as a main course
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