Your entire family will love this delicious and hearty beef pot pie made with your favorite store-bought flaky puff pastry. It’s the perfect winter meal!
The beef is slowly braised in the oven until fall-apart tender and packed with lots of flavorful. So good!
This delicious beef pot pie make-ahead and freezer-friendly, perfect for satisfying those comfort food cravings all winter long.
So far this season, we’ve already made this classic chicken pot pie and also my favorite biscuit chicken pot pie several times. We love savory pies over here!
My beef stew recipe has been trending lately, so I figured…why not make a beef pot pie?! And wow…it’s amazing. This dish is hard to find at restaurants and savory pies always taste better homemade, I think. You can even use leftover beef stew to make this pie!
The beef filling is slowly cooked in the oven until fall-apart tender, which is exactly what you want in every bite. It’s then topped with puff pastry and baked until golden brown and flaky.
This beef pot pie is such a comforting dinner! It’s one of my favorite make-ahead and freezer friendly meals, so make a big batch and enjoy it whenever you’re craving comfort food this winter!
If you’re looking for more Sunday family dinners, try this Dutch Oven Pot Roast, Skillet Shepherd’s Pie or Summer Chicken Pot Pie. Really good!
Why we’ve been loving this beef pot pie recipe lately:
- Comforting and cozy Sunday dinner to enjoy with the entire family.
- The filling is slowly braised until it’s incredibly flavorful and fall-apart tender.
- We use store-bought puff pastry to keep it simple and easy.
- It’s make-ahead and freezer friendly.
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Ingredient Notes
Below are a few ingredient notes that I hope are helpful for when you’re out grocery shopping. As always, the quantities to make this beef pot pie can be found in the recipe card down below.
- Boneless beef chuck roast: Extra fat trimmed and cut into ¾-inch chunks or smaller.
- Unsalted butter: It helps to build the initial layer of flavor and richness when sauteing the vegetables.
- Veggies: Onions, carrots, and celery.
- Garlic: Freshly minced for flavor.
- Tomato paste: This is a key ingredient. Adds depth and intensity.
- Fresh thyme and dried bay leaves: For aromatic flavors.
- Worcestershire sauce: More flavor!
- Red wine: Try Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon. If you prefer not to use wine, sub with beef broth.
- All-purpose flour: Used to thicken the filling just right.
- Beef broth: You need about 2.5 to 3 cups.
- Green peas: Frozen peas work great here.
- Puff pastry: I use Pepperidge Farm’s brand. Each box comes with 2 sheets. Thaw according to package directions before using.
- Egg yolks for brushing the puff pastry. It gives the crust a deep golden brown color, as compared to regular egg wash.
- Olive oil, salt, pepper
Step-by-Step Tutorial
A good beef pot pie takes some time to make because you need to slowly braise the filling. I’d recommend making this recipe on a weekend or make it ahead.
Step 1 | Sear beef
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Then, sear in a large 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Do it in batches if needed – do not overcrowd. Transfer to a plate. Do not wipe the brown bits from the pot.
Step 2 | Prepare the filling
In the same pot, melt butter over medium-high heat and cook the diced onions, carrots, and celery until softened. If needed, add a splash of broth or wine to deglaze the brown bits.
Then, add the minced garlic and sauté for another 1 or 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir the tomato paste and thyme.
Then add the Worcestershire sauce and red wine, scraping the remaining brown bits and simmer until reduced. Add the flour and stir until all the veggies are coated for just a few seconds.
Then, gradually add the beef broth, stirring to break any lumps until dissolved. Bring to a simmer. It will thicken as it heats up. Return the seared beef to the pot. Stir in the diced potatoes and bay leaves. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
Cover the pot and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the beef is tender to your liking. The filling will continue to thicken as it braises.
Step 3 | Assemble pie
Remove from the oven and stir in the peas. Increase temperature to 400 degrees F. Transfer the filling into a medium baking dish. Roll out the thawed puff pastry and place it over the filling, folding in any overhang. Brush all over the puff pastry with the egg yolks. Cut a few slits on the dough for ventilation.
Step 4 | Bake
Bake in the preheated 400 F oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool slightly before serving.
Make Ahead and Freezing
The best way to make this beef pot pie ahead is to prepare the filling up to 2 days ahead. Before assembling, warm up the filling over the stovetop. Then, assemble and bake as directed.
As an alternative, you can also assemble the entire pie in advance. Make sure the filling is completely cooled down before covering with puff pastry. Do not brush the pie with egg yolks yet. Refrigerate the pie overnight. The next day, let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes. Then, brush with egg yolk and bake as directed, adding an extra few minutes to the bake time.
As for freezing, baked beef pot pies can be refrigerated for up to 1 month. Thaw and reheat in the oven. Unbaked pies can be frozen (do not brush with egg yolk yet) for up to 2 months. Thaw frozen pie in the fridge overnight, then brush and bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes.
Variations and Customizations
There are so many ways to tweak this classic beef pot pie recipe. These are some of my favorites:
- Make mini beef pot pies! Divide up the filling into ramekins. Cut out the puff pastry into circles, about ½ inch larger than the diameter of the ramekins. Layer on top, pressing down the overhang onto the rameking to seal. Brush with egg wash and cut a few slits. Bake time remains the same.
- Top with biscuits: Instead of puff pastry or traditional pie crust, top with buttermilk biscuits, either homemade or store-bought. If using store-bought, you may need to lower the oven temperature according to package instructions.
- Extra filling add-ins: Try mushrooms, celery, corn, or anything you’d like.
- Shortcuts: What takes the most time in this recipe is the braising. If you’re looking for a speedy weeknight version use ground beef instead. Or try this Skillet Shepherd’s Pie!
More Comfort Food Favorites
There’s nothing like comfort food to keep you warm during the cold winters. Here are my go-to winter meals:
Recipe FAQs
Beef chuck roast works best. Other similar cuts are chuck eye, blade roast, or shoulder roast.
If you want the beef to be tender, then yes. I like to braise it in the oven, but you can also cook it on the stovetop, covered, on a low simmer (keep an eye on it and stir occasionally to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn). Slow cooker is fine too.
Not necessary. You can braise the beef filling in any oven-proof pot. I like to use my Dutch oven because it retains heat very well.
For sure! Try my buttermilk pie crust recipe, which can be made head or frozen. Store-bought works too.
Tips for Success
- Thaw the puff pastry according to package directions. It thaws really quickly in the refrigerator.
- For the red wine, I’d recommend Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon. If you prefer not to use wine, substitute with beef broth.
- Brushing puff pastry with egg yolks only (as opposed to an entire egg wash) gives it a deeper golden brown color, which I like. However, regular egg wash (egg beaten with a splash of cream) works too.
- Instead of puff pastry, you can use traditional pie crust or even biscuits.
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Beef Pot Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds boneless beef chuck roast - excess fat trimmed
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion - diced
- 2 large carrots - peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery - diced
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves - or ⅓ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup red wine - or beef broth
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2.5 to 3 cups beef broth - plus more as needed
- 2 cups diced yukon gold potatoes
- 2 dried bay leaves
- ¾ cup frozen green peas
- 1 to 2 sheets frozen puff pastry - thawed according to package instructions, see notes
- 2 beaten egg yolks - for brushing
Instructions
Sear beef
- First, preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cut the beef into ¾ inch chunks. Season beef with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, sear beef until browned, without overcrowding the pot. Remove from the pot and set aside. Do not wipe the pot – you want to keep all those brown bits. Tip: if the beef starts to release excess moisture, absorb it with paper towel (use tongs).
Prepare the filling
- In the same pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Then, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened, scraping the brown bits with the moisture released. If needed, add a splash of wine or broth to deglaze.
- Then, stir in minced garlic and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce. Then, add wine, scraping the remaining browned bits, and cook until reduced for about 2 to 3 minutes. Quick tip: use a wooden spoon to avoid scratching the pot.
- Sprinkle the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Gradually add beef broth, breaking up any lumps. It will thicken as it heats up.
- Return the seared beef into the pot, then add the diced potatoes and bay leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Cover tightly with lid and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tender.
Assemble and bake
- Remove from the oven and stir in the peas. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
- Transfer the filling into a medium baking dish. Remove the bay leaves.
- Roll out the puff pastry sheets and layer it on top of the filling, folding in any overhang (I used 1 sheet and a half). Brush puff pastry with the beaten egg yolks. Cut a few slits on the dough for ventilation.
- Place the pie on top of a large sheet pan (to prevent any spilling) and bake at 400 degrees F for about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Puff pastry: My favorite brand is Pepperidge Farm. Each box comes with 2 sheets. I usually use 1.5 sheets – just pinch them together and roll out.
- Make-ahead filling: The beef pot pie filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Warm it up a bit, and then assemble and bake as directed.
- Make ahead pie: Assemble the entire pie, making sure the filling is completely cooled down before covering with puff pastry, and do NOT brush yet. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to make, brush with the egg yolks and bake as directed.
- Freezing baked pie: Baked beef pot pies can be refrigerated for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- Freezing unbaked pie: Unbaked pies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw frozen pie in the fridge overnight, then brush with egg yolk wash and bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.
- Wine choices: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Red wine: Substitute with beef broth.
- Puff pastry: store-bought or homemade pie crust, store-bought or homemade buttermilk biscuits.
- Shortcut: If you don’t have time to wait for the beef to braise, feel free to use ground beef instead.
Paula says
This is by far the best recipe that I’ve tried from Pinterest! Delicious! Thank you!
Tania says
Thank you for trying it!
Odette says
I used your recipe exactly and wow! Will repeat, repeat, repeat! Thanks
Tania says
Thank you Odette! So happy you enjoyed our recipe.
Jennifer Joyce says
I have never left a comment on a recipe but this deserves 5+ stars. The instructions were very easy to follow. The depth of flavor is so good. We used homemade pie crust. Want to try it with biscuits next time.
Lynne says
Easy to make and delicious
Kailee says
Delicious! Definitely takes some time to make but worth it!
Tania says
Thank you, Kailee!