These delicious little cheese and potato pies make a handy midweek meal but are also perfect for lunchboxes and picnics. Serve hot or cold and freeze any extras for a quick meal another day!

Being English, I enjoy talking about the weather.  And right now, in Shropshire it’s been rather glorious the last 2-3 weeks.  So my mind has turned to easy lunches and summery picnics.  Two things these little cheese and potato pies are perfect for!  You can also fully embrace the beige and enjoy them with chips and beans for dinner.  Or a bright, fresh salad if you’re feeling less beige.

These vegan pies were one of those recipes that had me hopping round the kitchen, willing the oven to cook faster as the smell while they baked was just heavenly.  And the combo of soft potato, sweet onion, melty cheese and crisp puff pastry is all round hard to beat.

Pies or Pasties?

Well … I call them pies as pasties are traditionally made with shortcrust pastry rather than the puff pastry I’ve used here.  And I’m not usually a purist, but my sort of similar (in that they’re pies) lentil and chestnut pies are, well, pies not pasties.

I know Greggs (a pie and sandwich shop for my non-UK readers) do a cheese and onion bake and honestly I thought it was pretty bland.  I’m a big fan of their vegan sausage rolls so I’m not anti-Greggs.  But I think this cheese and potato pie recipe is a whole other level of better.

Let’s talk puff pastry pie ingredients:

Fried potatoes – diced small and then fried in a little oil and butter imparts so much flavour to the potatoes.  It also helps them keep their shape and doesn’t add any extra water so there’s no mushy potato in your pie.

White onion – almost every other recipe I’ve written that includes onion uses the red variety.  I mostly prefer them because they’re sweeter but for these vegan pies I’ve used brown onions as they’ve got a slightly spicier, more pungent flavour.

Vegan cheese – I’ve used vegan Smoked Applewood because I think it’s one of the best (and most readily available) vegan cheeses.  It’s not an overpowering smoky flavour but it gives everything I use it in a definite flavour boost!

Puff pastry – honestly I never make my own puff pastry any more, the shop stuff is really good and reliable.

How to make these cheese and potato pies:

Start with the potato and onion – peel and dice both into smallish pieces then fry in a little butter and oil for a few minutes until just starting to soften and caramelise.

Stir in the herbs, seasoning, cheese and cream.  The cream helps bind it all together.

Mix together a little milk and turmeric – the turmeric adds that golden colour in vegan baking that egg wash is normally used for.

Unroll the puff pastry.  Lift it off the paper sheet it comes rolled in and sprinkle over a little flour – this just helps the pastry to not stick to the paper as it warms up while you’re filling and shaping the pies.  Place the pastry back on the paper.

Cut the pastry into 6 equal squares then brush the edges of each square with the turmeric milk.

Place a spoonful of the potato, onion and cheese mixture onto one half of each of the squares of pastry, but not going all the way to the milk brushed edge, then fold over the empty side so you have a triangle shape.  You could also make rectangle shapes, the choice is yours.

Use a fork to seal together the edges of the pastry then brush the tops of each pie with the remaining turmeric milk.

Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes until puffed and golden.

Try not to eat straight off the tray – because, you know, molten cheese!

Looking for even more vegan pie recipes?  Try these:

Hummus and roasted vegetable pie

Filo pie with leeks and spinach

Lentil and chestnut pies

Broccoli, sweet potato and pesto pies

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