Easy Mushroom & Ale Pies with shortcrust pastry lid, for a comforting weeknight meal.
This comforting Mushroom & Ale Pie is filled with onions, garlic, herbs, mushrooms, chestnuts, ale and topped with a shortcrust pastry lid.
It's a lovely pie to have for dinner in the Autumn & Winter time, especially served with a pint of ale too.
And yes, just making the pastry lid, is indeed a lazy shortcut. I know.
I have a tendency to be lazy with pie-making.
The textures of the mushrooms and chestnuts creates a really meat-y texture and the flavours are so comforting and autumnal.
It works brilliantly as a meat-free alternative to "Steak & Ale" pie!
More Vegan Pies
📖 Recipe
Mushroom, Chestnut & Ale Vegan Pie
An easy, flavourful mushroom pie with chestnut and ale. Served in individual pots with shortcrust pastry lids for a quick and comforting weeknight meal.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 100 g / 3.5 oz plain flour
- 55 g / 2 oz vegan butter
- Pinch of salt
- Approx 2 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 1 tbsp garlic olive oil, or olive oil and chopped garlic
- 200 g / 7 oz chesnut mushrooms, sliced
- 200 g 7 oz whole roasted chestnuts, chopped into 1cm pieces
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 200 ml / ¾ cup + 1 tbsp ale
- 200 ml / ¾ cup + 1 tbsp vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- Few sprigs of thyme and rosemary
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- To make the pastry by hand, mix the flour with the butter in a bowl, rubbing the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the salt and add water until a firm dough is formed. Or if you're lucky enough to own one, you can use a large food processor to mix the dough!
- Leave the dough, wrapped in cling film, in the fridge whilst you prepare the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 190C / 170C fan / 375F. and put a saucepan on medium heat on the hob with 1 tbsp garlic olive oil.
- Fry the onion for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Then add the mushrooms and chestnuts. Stir together and fry for 5 minutes. In the last minute, add the tbsp of flour and stir well until it dissolves.
- Add the ale, stock, seasoning and herbs. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally and adding more ale/stock/water if it begins to dry out.
- Meanwhile, take the dough out of the fridge and roll to about 3mm thick. Cut pie lids the same size and shape as your pie dish.
- Create an 'x' shape in the middle of the lid. This will make a hole in the lid to let steam out during the cooking. Decorate however else you wish!
- Spoon the mixture into your pie dish(es) and top with the pie lids, using a fork to press the edges of the lids around the dish.
- Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the tops turn golden brown.
- Serve with a glass of ale and enjoy!
Vanessa M. says
Mmm, this was so fantastic! I used some of the stew to put in the ramekins with the shortcrust on top. Some I kept cooking down until I could put it on individual puff pastry. I cooked the rest down a bit further and put it on a puff pastry sheet I had already spread with a cashew ricotta that was marbled with black garlic.
This was delicious in all three iterations. My little girl said this was her favorite food EVER. I'm excited because it was my first venture with savory chestnut and I was taken!
Thanks for the hearty dish. It was soul-comforting food.
Sabrina says
Hi there! Can’t wait to try this. Would you say potatoes could work well instead of chestnuts? x
Aimee says
You would have to adjust the recipe quite a bit and it would taste quite different but if you want to do that - make sure the potatoes are par-boiled and cut into small chunks. If you don't like chestnuts, you could just leave them out and add more mushrooms. Hope you enjoy!
Rod says
Great recipe, Have just made four delicious pies with chestnuts picked today in local woods. With the hot dry summer it’s been a good year for them here in Wales. I used Sainsbury’s Kentish ale, which is vegan.
Juha Räty says
Which ale isn’t vegan? As far as I know, there’s nothing of animal origin in brewing process.
Aimee says
sometimes fish innards (isinglass) is used but many are vegan-friendly now.
Cate says
Made this at the weekend and it was divine! I didn't have any ale so I substituted extra water mixed with a tsp of marmite. Delicious! It felt really decadent and made enough for two dinners.
Aimee says
Happy you enjoyed it, Cate! Can't wait to make it again soon, now the weather calls for pie :)
Victoria de Polo says
Just a quick question..... how is ale vegan ?
Jean-François says
According to reinheitsgebot, only four ingredients go into beer (or ale): water, barley, hops and yeast (outside of Germany, most brewers would also either add sugar or CO2 to get it bubbly). That should qualify as vegan.
Sure, some may add animal derived ingredients (or process, which might be what you are thinking about) to it, but that doesn't mean ale in general should be considered non-vegan. Especially if it's a homebrew as suggested in the article preceding the recipe. So enjoy!