Grandma's Pork Pie Recipe

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Our Pork Pie Recipe is filled with ground meat & spices in a flaky buttery crust. Although this classic French Tourtiere is highly sought after around the holidays, it is an easy pie that can be made any day of the year. Come see how it's made. 

slice of pie on white plate.

Grandma's Pork Pie Recipe

I come from a large Greek And French family, so basically that means food, food and more food. Pork pie has been a holiday tradition in my family since before I was born. My grandmother would serve it on Christmas eve and then warm leftovers aside the dinner on Christmas day. The combination of spices with the hearty filling and crust made the pork pie the perfect addition to the spread. 

slice of pork pie on white plate.

What is a Pork Pie?

Pork pie is essentially a French meat pie called Tourtiere. It's basically ground pork and beef cooked then mixed together with mashed potato, salt, pepper and spices. The spices used make it the perfect holiday dish. It's one of those things that when you smell it baking it reminds you of Christmas. There are other versions throughout the world, but I am partially to our version as it is easy and not intimidating. The Tourtiere recipe is not to be confused mince meat, however. Mince meat pie has a different flavor profile and tends to be a bit sweet. 

What Spices Season a Traditional Tourtiere Recipe?

Some of the spices that go into the pork pie mix are Ground Nutmeg and just a touch of Ground Cinnamon, sometimes clove or allspice. These spices can be found in almost any grocery retailer, big box store and online. Salt and pepper is also added to the meat while it cooks. We make our mashed potatoes the same way we would if eating them alone. That way everything is seasoned.

 

Interesting fact a lot of people don't realize- Spices actually can lose their potency, so starting with a high quality spice is important or at least be sure to replace them often. There are a lot of stores that offer $1-2 spices so grab those up and replace them every few months. 

dinner on plate.

Shopping List

  • 2 pie crusts
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 lb ground beef, can substitute turkey
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 4 large Russet Potatoes
  • Nutmeg
  • Cinnamon
  • Ground Cloves or Allspice

How to Make our Easy Pork Pie Recipe

(A full recipe card is below)

Gather all of your ingredients

Ingredients for Pork Pie Recipe on white marble surface

Start by browning the ground beef (I used ground turkey this time), pork, onions and garlic. Drain fat, add spices, crumble meat with a fork and set aside.

Ground pork crumbles cooked and being seasoned in skillet

Cook potatoes until fork tender, drain & mash. Add butter, milk, salt & pepper to taste, just the same as if you were making mashed potatoes as a side dish. Combine meat with potatoes. Mix well.

Mixing pork mixture for meat pie in large stainless steel bowl

Place first pie crust into a 9" pie plate.  I like to sprinkle a little nutmeg and salt on the bottom.

Sprinkling nutmeg onto pie crust for tourtiere recipe

Add meat and potato mixture.

Tourtiere recipe filling in pie crust

Top with pie crust, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with nutmeg & salt.

pork pie

Bake 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Pie crust ready to go into oven

Cut and serve with cranberry sauce. 

seasoned meat slice next to pieplate.

Things to Note

Seasonings- I love the pork pie to be highly seasoned, in my opinion it takes more than this recipe calls for. But, this is grandma's recipe so who am I to change it? Instead, simply add more seasonings to taste if you like. Some seasoning flavor is usually lost during the cooking process. Mashed potatoes seem to soak it all right up.

Egg wash- simply beat an egg with a little milk or cream. Brush over the pie crust.

 

Make this an Appetizer

  1. Cut pie crust into 4 inch rounds
  2. Add a small scoop of the meat filling
  3. Fold over pinching edges closed to create a crescent-shaped hand pie
  4. Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden.

More Amazing Dinner Recipes

  • More spice than traditional comfort food, my Instant Pot Pork Ribs are a delicious addition to your meal plan.
  • This sweet and spicy Slow Cooker Pork is another family favorite that is super easy to make and delicious after a long day.
  • For another authentic but different side of the world recipe, my Ginger Pork Potstickers are one of a kind!
pork pie recipe
dinner on plate.

Pork Pie Recipe- Grandma's Easy 7 Ingredient French Tourtiere

Yield: 8 -10 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Our classic French Tourtiere pork pie recipe is full of warm spices and great for the holidays, but easy enough to make any day!

Ingredients

  • 2 pie crusts
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 lb ground beef, can substitute turkey
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 cups mashed potatoes, prepared
  • 1 teaspoon Nutmeg, plus additional for sprinkling
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon Cloves, or sub allspice
  • Salt & Pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400
  2. In a large skillet, brown the ground meats with onions and garlic. Drain the fat. Add spices and mix well.
  3. Mix prepared mashed potatoes into meat mixture. Give it a taste- Add more salt, pepper or spices if desired. See note*
  4. Place one crust into the bottom of a 9" pie plate.
  5. Add meat mixture.
  6. Top with pie crust, brush with egg wash. See note*
  7. Bake 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Notes

Seasonings- I love the pork pie to be highly seasoned, in my opinion it takes more than this recipe calls for. But, this is grandma's recipe so who am I to change it? Instead, simply add more seasonings to taste if you like. Some seasoning flavor is usually lost during the cooking process. Mashed potatoes seem to soak it all right up.

Egg wash- simply beat an egg with a little milk or cream. Brush over the pie crust.

Serve with cranberry sauce!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 22gCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 38g

Nutrition facts are auto- populated by the app for this recipe card, numbers may vary. For best results, input your exact brand ingredients into a recipe analyzer like Verywell or MyFitnessPal.

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pork pie
Slice of pork pie recipe or tourtiere recipe on white plate with fork
pork pie

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6 thoughts on “Grandma's Pork Pie Recipe”

  1. This was really good. I added some mushroom ketchup from Townsends to serve it
    I thought it interesting that it was the kind of dish that I could serve George Washington and it would be familiar to him. And still just as tasty as in his day.

    Reply
  2. Mine was a little dry but I probably didn’t make my mashed potatoes thin enough great pork pie recipe though.

    Reply
  3. Oh my goodness I so love this pie!!! Grew up in New England and this was always in the mom and pop store we went to. I moved away and the shop closed. My mom is French and English and my dad is welsh mixed with native American. We would have this once a month. I have been looking for years for the right recipe. All the others are lame and not really the real deal the way it was meant to taste. I love you for posting this.

    Reply

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