As food formats go, the pie is up there with the pizza and the sandwich. And few dishes bring people together quite so beautifully as a proper, freshly baked pastry treat. From sweet to savoury, simple to show-stopping and pastry-encased to potato-topped, our collection has a pie recipe to suit every taste and occasion.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 32 perfect pie recipes, from midweek marvels to sensational centrepieces.
The perfect family dish, this classic recipe serves six. The chicken is poached in stock until meltingly tender, then the stock is thickened to make the sauce. You can use any seasonal vegetables you like, or opt for frozen veg instead. If pastry-making isn’t your thing, shop-bought shortcrust will more than do the job.
Here's a beef pie recipe with a difference. Here, beef is slow-cooked in stock and ale (you'll need to marinate the beef overnight), before being transferred to a pie dish. Slices of Cheddar are layered over the beef, which is then topped with a sour cream pastry lid. As the pie cooks, the cheese melts into the pastry, adding an extra dimension of both flavour and texture.
Combining two British favourites – creamy chicken tikka masala and the humble pastry pie – this winner of a dish is all about comfort. While the processes involved in this recipe are simple, the chicken does need time to marinate to ensure the flavours really shine, and the pastry is a homemade one. Once you bite into the delicious result, there will be no doubting that all that effort has been richly rewarded.
These individual pies can be prepared in advance and left in the fridge until you're ready to bake them. You can use any firm white fish you like in place of the cod, which is poached in stock. The stock is then thickened to make a delicious sauce flavoured with sweet sautéed leeks and creamy, punchy blue cheese.
This stunner of a vegetarian main course is guaranteed to impress. Here, a filling of garlicky spinach and sautéed mushrooms, mixed with rich ricotta, Gruyère and eggs, is encased in all-butter puff pastry, then baked until the pastry is crisp and golden, and the centre just set. For maximum impact, make sure you slice this pie at the table.
This wonderfully hearty, cheesy pie makes a star of Västerbotten, a flavourful, hardy Swedish cheese – but you could substitute it with aged Cheddar or Comté instead, if you like. The recipe also uses chanterelle mushrooms for the topping, but these are easily replaced with less expensive button mushrooms. In Scandinavia, this pie is traditionally served at midsummer parties and at Christmas, but it's wonderful at any time of year.
Wholesome, filling and thrifty, this dish is what pies are all about. It’s packed with vegetables, and is full of flavour thanks to the spices. A double dose of carbs (there’s potato in the filling and a filo pastry topping) just adds to the appeal. This pie is more than hearty enough to be served alone, but you could accompany it with more vegetables or a salad, if you like.
Two sheets of puff pastry encase a tomato, ham and cheese filling in this Tuscan pie, which is traditionally served at breakfast (though it makes a perfect lunch with a green salad). It's very easy to make and can be on the table in just over an hour. You can serve it hot or at room temperature, but the melting cheese makes it hard to resist for long.
If you're on the lookout for a really comforting pie, this one will more than deliver the goods. You can use any wild mushrooms you like, or a mixture of cultivated and dried. The cooked chicken and mushrooms are bound together in rich white wine and cream sauce, with fresh tarragon adding a subtle aniseed note. The pie is then topped with a sheet of buttery, ready-rolled puff pastry to finish.
This vegetarian pie is great for giving any leftover roast vegetables a new lease of life. You simply arrange the vegetables on a ready-made pastry base, pour over a creamy egg custard and add whatever cheese you fancy. The recipe suggests Cheddar, but any blue cheese, soft cheese or goats' cheese would work, as would a combination of all three.
Chunks of tender fish, a creamy sauce, boiled eggs and a buttery, cheesy mashed potato topping all combine to make this dreamy comfort food dish. You can use any mix of fish and shellfish you like, but the overall flavour is massively improved when smoked fish is included.
A very British pie! Braising beef is slow cooked in beer along with smoked bacon and mushrooms, until the meat is meltingly tender and the gravy rich, thick and incredibly tasty. The pie is topped with a puff pastry lid, and tastes fantastic accompanied by green vegetables and creamy mash.
In this recipe, puff pastry is topped with layers of béchamel sauce, apples, pieces of cooked ham and Cheddar cheese. Make sure you seek out proper cooking apples, so they collapse into a tart, fluffy purée. Serve with sautéed greens or a crunchy salad and be warned – this pie is incredibly moreish, so one slice may not be enough!
A British classic, shepherd's pie is perfect for those days when you need something really comforting. Browned minced lamb is cooked with onions, carrots and mushrooms, along with stock and a touch of Worcestershire sauce. The mix is lightly thickened, then topped with creamy mashed potato, and baked until browned and bubbling.
These handheld pies, based on a classic British recipe, are an absolute must-try. Portable, freezable, filling and packed with comforting flavours and textures, they’re the perfect on-the-go food. Our recipe plumps for a traditional potato, swede, onion and beef filling, but feel free to get experimental with different flavours and ingredients.
In this recipe, mini hot water pastry cases are filled with chicken, dried apricots, pistachios, herbs and spices, and then topped with a pastry lid. Despite their name, these cute little pies certainly aren't just for picnics – they’re served cold, so would be ideal in a packed lunch or handed around with drinks at a party.
This colourful Mediterranean dish will bring sunshine to your mealtimes at any time of year. The tart base is covered with a thick tomato and garlic sauce, which is topped with sun-dried tomatoes, rocket and goats' cheese, before being flashed in the oven to lightly melt the cheese. If goats' cheese isn't your thing, it works perfectly with feta, too.
Spinach and ricotta is such a great combination, and the addition of salty feta in this pie makes it even better. The filling is encased in layers of filo pastry and baked in a round cake tin until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve warm from the oven with a green salad for a lovely light meal.
Simple to make, stunning to look at, packed with flavour and vegetarian to boot – what more could you ask for from a pithivier? Layers of tender, creamy potato, caramelised onions, butternut squash and melty, oozy Gruyère cheese are wrapped in puff pastry for an utterly indulgent, extremely tasty treat. Serve with a peppery rocket salad to balance all those rich flavours.
Get the recipe for butternut squash, potato and cheese pithivier here
Bursting with the mouth-watering zing of Key limes, this pie, which serves eight, is the perfect finale to any special meal. The base is made from ginger biscuits, while the filling is simply egg yolks, condensed milk and lime juice and zest. Our recipe uses the egg whites to make a meringue topping, but you could just serve the pie with sour cream or crème fraîche on the side.
Having a pecan pie on the table is always cause for celebration. This is a straightforward pie to prepare – just allow a few hours for it to cool down to ensure the filling is fully set. In our recipe the pastry is made with spelt flour, but you can use plain flour if you prefer. Pecan pie does have a tendency to be very sweet, so try serving it with tangy crème fraîche to counteract all the syrup.
These gorgeous pies take a bit of effort to make, but they are so worth it. The filling features baked sweet potatoes, to which you add condensed milk, sugar, eggs and spices – the result is similar to a pumpkin pie filling. While the pies bake, you prepare a homemade marshmallow topping, which is drizzled with golden syrup to serve. Of course, you can buy ready-rolled shortcrust pastry if you don't want to make your own.
Get the recipe for sweet potato pies with marshmallow topping here
This ice box pie is a clever take on a Key lime pie, with no cooking required. The biscuit crust is made from crackers, and is layered up with a condensed milk, cream and lime filling. It's best to make it the day before eating, so all the zesty lime flavour really comes through. Best of all, it only takes 15 minutes to assemble.
This gorgeous twist on a lemon meringue will have everyone coming back for second helpings. Ruby grapefruit gives it a glorious colour, as well as a fantastic flavour. It's best made on the day you want to eat it so the pastry remains crisp, though the pie will keep in the fridge without the meringue topping for a day or two if needed.
This recipe has a Greek cookie dough base, which is drenched in honey syrup and filled with a dark chocolate ganache. Once set, the tart is covered with crushed walnuts and served with homemade hazelnut ice cream. If making ice cream feels a step too far, opt for shop-bought – coffee flavour would be perfect.
Everyone loves apple pie – and in this recipe, the old favourite has been given a slight update, with plums, cinnamon, honey and vanilla added to the filling. A lattice pastry top ensures this pie looks as good as it tastes. We advise serving it warm from the oven with cream, ice cream or custard.
Get the recipe for apple, plum and cinnamon skillet pie here
This brilliantly over-the-top treat is even more delicious than usual, thanks to a sprinkling of fresh rosemary in the caramel layer. It’s an easy dessert to make, but you do need to allow time for both the crust and caramel to chill and set in the fridge before those all-important layers of whipped cream and sliced bananas are added.
A modern variation on a mince pie, this tart is filled with mincemeat, then covered in a crunchy streusel topping flavoured with satsuma or orange zest. Serve warm, with plenty of whipped cream – to make it more indulgent, add a splash of rum or brandy to the cream before whipping.
If you're searching for a dessert with instant wow factor, here it is. An almond pastry base is topped with a buttery lemon custard, then covered with a huge dome of meringue. A cook's blowtorch is ideal for caramelising the meringue, but if you don't have one, bake in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 15 minutes, until the meringue is lightly browned.
This simple blueberry pie with a Scandinavian twist is definitely one to try. The rye flour in the easy-to-make pastry adds a hint of nuttiness, while the sour cream filling has a lovely tangy flavour. The pie is topped with juicy blueberries, then baked until the filling is just set and the fruit wonderfully jammy.
Pretty as a picture, this pie has a fabulous Middle Eastern feel to it. With an outer shell made from flaky, golden, honey-drizzled filo pastry and a rich pistachio cream and baked apricot filling, this is an absolute treat of a dessert. The recipe uses fresh apricots, but canned apricots in juice are fine when the fruit is out of season. Serve warm, topped with Greek yogurt.
As this pie bakes, the tempting scent of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger will gradually fill your kitchen, building anticipation nicely. The great thing about this recipe is you can make it as simple (or, indeed, as involved) as you like. The pie crust is easy to make, but you can also use shop-bought; similarly, just buy pumpkin purée if you don't want to make your own. Instead of serving your pie with whipped cream, why not try a salted caramel sauce, which will bring out the sweetness beautifully?
Get the recipe for pumpkin pie here
These are the world's best pies – how many do you know?
Last updated by Emily Shardlow-Price.