“Go on, have a pasty,” said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry’s pasties, cakes, and sweets (the sandwiches lay forgotten).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Making friends with food
I've always felt that sharing food is one of the best ways to make friends. Think about how many friends you made in grade school when you swapped items from your lunch box. That's friend-making 101 and that's exactly why your mom packed those extra treats in your lunch box -- It was Grade-A friend-making currency.
Harry's first introduction to making a friend was sharing his Pumpkin Pasties and other sweets with Ron Weasley on his first train journey to Hogwarts. It's the moment that you know Harry finally has the opportunity to forge the love and friendship he has been lacking in his first 11 years with the Dursleys and is one of my favorite moments from the series. Just like the confection found on the Hogwarts express, these Pumpkin Pasties are a magical treat to be shared with new and old friends alike.
What are pumpkin pasties?
I always assumed that the Pumpkin Pasties in Harry Potter were a sweet confection as they were purchased from the Honeydukes Express Trolley in the Hogwart Express. However, I really wanted to experiment with a savory filling too because I thought these would make a spectacular main dish for dinner. In the end, I chose to make two fillings for these Pumpkin Pasties; one sweet and one savory.
The sweet pumpkin filling includes traditional pumpkin pie spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and vanilla, and a creamy swirl of mascarpone cheese which makes these extra rich and delectable. These sweet pasties are perfect for brunch or served as a dessert.
The savory pumpkin filling includes a rich and hearty mix of Italian sausage, herbs, gruyere, and cheddar. These are perfect eaten on their own as a main course or served alongside a bowl of soup in the fall and winter months.
4 Pro-tips for the best pasties ever
Tip #1
No matter what type of dough you use, it's important that you allow the filling to cool before adding it to the chilled dough. If you add hot filling to the dough you will almost certainly end up with a melted, unstable dough that is difficult to work with and full of holes for the filling to ooze out of. Room temperature filling is fine, cold is better, so I prefer to make my filling a day in advance so it has ample time to chill and firm up.
I also like to use chilled dough, so once I cut a sheet of rounds, I stick the sheet in the fridge while I work on the second batch, then rotate them to fill. This way the dough and the filling are both easier to handle without melting or oozing.
Tip #2
Do not overfill your pasties. I use a pastry cutter that is 3 ¾ inches, which leaves me just enough room for about a tablespoon of filling in each. If you use a differently sized pastry cutter to cut your rounds of dough, you'll want to adjust the filling amount accordingly.
Tip #3
Take it slow. Good pastry is not a quick process so take your time to fill and pinch/crimp the edges of each pasty with care. I like to hold the pasty in one hand, gently folded over, then gently start pinching my pasty edges together from one corner and move all the way around in a half moon, taking care not to apply too much pressure to the center where the filling resides. This helps reduce the chance of the filling oozing out while you're sealing each pasty.
Tip #4
Cut a small vent in the pasties (I prefer a lightning bolt) so that they have a vent to release steam. If you don't, they are likely to rupture when baking. They'll still be tasty, but not as nice looking. I forgot to vent the batch of savory pasties below and this is what some of them looked like once baked -- not as nice as the sweet batch that was properly vented.
What should I serve these Harry Potter-inspired Pumpkin Pasties with?
These pumpkin pasties are tremendous on their own, but also lovely served with other dishes to create a full meal or a meal spread. Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy them!
Sweet pumpkin pasties pair well with:
- For breakfast - with a Polyjuice Potion Smoothie or among a pastry spread along with some of Hagrid's Rock Cakes. They are also lovely with a cup of coffee, English tea, or along with a glass of holiday egg nog!
- For dessert - with a scoop of Butterbeer Ice Cream
- A Harry Potter-themed holiday treat box - along with Professor Mcgonagall's Ginger Newt Biscuits, Molly Weasley's Nut Brittle, and some Chocolate Frogs. Your friends and neighbors who receive one will be so lucky!
Savory pumpkin pasties pair well with:
- Soup to dunk them in - such as this Roasted Butternut Squash Soup or this Chunky Tomato Basil Soup
- A side salad - such as this Kale Salad with Roasted Beets and Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette or this Radicchio Salad with Green Olives, Blue Cheese, and Walnuts
- A warm side dish - such as this Pumpkin Potatoes au Gratin, this Roasted Delicata Squash and Beets, or this Brussels Sprouts au Gratin with Pancetta and Walnuts
- For breakfast - with Dijon Creamed Greens and eggs cooked your favorite way
Gluten-free pastry options
These Pumpkin Pasties can easily be adapted for gluten-free diets by using gluten-free pie crust, or less traditional but very tasty, puff pastry. Here are some of my favorite gluten-free options:
Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Pie Crust
Bob's Red Mill makes a great gluten-free pie crust mix that you can use as a pie crust or adapt into a puff pastry using this guide. The process to make any type of puff pastry takes a bit more than 20 hours but is incredibly simple to make so don't let the required time scare you off! The majority of this is chill time in the fridge between each fold, not the actual time you'll spend in the kitchen. Start this dough a day or two ahead of when you need it.
geefree Gluten-Free Puff Pastry Sheets
If you're not interested in making your own puff pastry, geefree makes gluten-free puff pastry sheets that you can purchase pre-made in the freezer section. This is a good option for those who are completely gluten-free who do not want to put the time into making homemade puff pastry. However, I prefer the Bob's Red Mill gluten-free recipe because it produces a dough with better lamination (layers) closer to traditional puff pastry.
LOOKING FOR MORE HARRY POTTER-INSPIRED RECIPES?
You’re in luck! You can find all my Harry Potter-inspired recipes and other magical content linked HERE.
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Pumpkin Pasties - Sweet and Savory Versions
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 18 pasties per type 1x
- Category: Brunch, Main Course
- Method: Stovetop / Oven
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Just like the confection found on the Hogwarts express, these Harry Potter-inspired Pumpkin Pasties are a magical treat to be shared with new and old friends alike.
Ingredients
For sweet pasties:
- 2 - 7 oz pie crusts (may utilize gluten-free if needed)*
- 244 g (1 cup) unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 42 g (3 tbsp) mascarpone cheese
- 52 g (2 ½ tbsp) honey
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp cloves
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- pinch Kosher salt
- 1 large egg, lightly whipped with 2 teaspoon water
- Turbinado sugar, for finishing the top edge (optional)
For savory pasties:
- 2 - 7 oz pie crusts (may utilize gluten-free if needed)*
- ¼ lb ground Italian sausage**
- 122 g (½ cup) unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ oz (slightly over ⅓ cup) gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 ½ oz (slightly over ⅓ cup) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 large egg, lightly whipped with 2 teaspoon water (omit second egg if making both kinds)
Instructions
For sweet pasties:
- In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin puree, mascarpone cheese, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt until well combined. Cover and transfer to the fridge to chill and firm up for a minimum of 30-minutes while you roll and cut the pastry dough (this can also be done the night before if you'd like to give the filling extra time to chill and firm up)***.
- Once chilled, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (205 C). Line 2 baker's half sheets with parchment paper and reserve to the side.
- Dust your cutting surface with flour, roll out the first pie crust, and cut into rounds. I used the 3.875" circle from this set, which allows me to get 9 pastry rounds from each pie crust (18 rounds total). You will need to re-roll the dough with a rolling pin and cut again to get 9 pastry rounds per crust. As you cut the first 9 rounds, transfer them to one of the reserved baking sheets, then transfer it to the fridge to chill and firm while you roll the second set of 9 rounds.
- When the second set of 9 pastry rounds are cut and transferred to the second baking sheet, rotate the sheet with the one already chilling in the fridge so you're working with the colder set of rounds first while the second sheet of pastry rounds chills.
- Fill the center of each pastry round with 1 tablespoon of the pumpkin filling. Be careful not to overfill or the filling will weep out of the pasties. Using your finger, lightly wet the edge of half of each pastry round. This will help them better seal.
- Carefully close each pasty and seal the edges. I like to hold the pasty in one hand, partially folded over like a taco. Then gently start pinching the pasty edges together from one corner, moving all the way around in a half moon, taking care not to apply too much pressure to the center where the filling resides. This helps reduce the chance of the filling oozing out while you're sealing each pasty.
- Transfer each pasty back to the baking sheet as you seal them. Then, using a sharp knife, make a lightning bolt cut into the front of each pasty for steam to escape. This helps prevent the pasty from rupturing while baking.
- Brush the tops of each pasty with the egg wash, then sprinkle each edge with turbinado sugar. Reserve the first sheet of pumpkin pasties to the side or transfer to the fridge while you fill the second sheet of pastry rounds.
- Once all pasties are prepped, bake for 20-minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy warm and store leftover pasties in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
For savory pasties:
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the Italian sausage until fully cooked. Transfer the meat to a paper towel-lined bowl to drain and cool.
- In a medium bowl, mix Italian sausage, pumpkin puree, gruyere cheese, cheddar cheese, sage, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cover and transfer to the fridge to chill and firm up for a minimum of 30-minutes while you roll and cut the pastry dough (this can also be done the night before if you'd like to give the filling extra time to chill and firm up)***.
- Once chilled, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (205 C). Line 2 baker's half sheets with parchment paper and reserve to the side.
- Dust your cutting surface with flour, roll out the first pie crust, and cut into rounds. I used the 3.875" circle from this set, which allows me to get 9 pastry rounds from each pie crust (18 rounds total). You will need to re-roll the dough with a rolling pin and cut again to get 9 pastry rounds per crust. As you cut the first 9 rounds, transfer them to one of the reserved baking sheets, then transfer it to the fridge to chill and firm while you roll the second set of 9 rounds.
- When the second set of 9 pastry rounds are cut and transferred to the second baking sheet, rotate the sheet with the one already chilling in the fridge so you're working with the colder set of rounds first while the second sheet of pastry rounds chills.
- Fill the center of each pastry round with 1 tablespoon of the pumpkin filling. Be careful not to overfill or the filling will weep out of the pasties. Using your finger, lightly wet the edge of half of each pastry round. This will help them better seal.
- Carefully close each pasty and seal the edges. I like to hold the pasty in one hand, partially folded over like a taco. Then gently start pinching the pasty edges together from one corner, moving all the way around in a half moon, taking care not to apply too much pressure to the center where the filling resides. This helps reduce the chance of the filling oozing out while you're sealing each pasty.
- Transfer each pasty back to the baking sheet as you seal them. Then, using a sharp knife, make a lightning bolt cut into the front of each pasty for steam to escape. This helps prevent the pasty from rupturing while baking.
- Brush the tops of each pasty with the egg wash. Reserve the first sheet of pumpkin pasties to the side or transfer to the fridge while you fill the second sheet of pastry rounds.
- Once all pasties are prepped, bake for 20-minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy warm and store leftover pasties in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
7/30/22 This recipe was updated and may no longer fit specified dietary preferences from previous versions of this post.
* These Pumpkin Pasties can easily be adapted for gluten-free diets by using gluten-free pie crust, or less traditional but very tasty, puff pastry.
** After cooking the sausage, the amount of meat leftover after the fat has been rendered and discarded should be close to 2 ½ oz or about ½ cup.
*** No matter what type of dough you use, it's important that you allow the filling to cool before adding it to the chilled dough. If you add hot filling to the dough you will almost certainly end up with a melted, unstable dough that is difficult to work with and full of holes for the filling to ooze out of. Room temperature filling is fine, cold is better, so I prefer to make my filling a day in advance so it has ample time to chill and firm up.
Estimated nutrition for savory pasties (1 each): 127 cal, 8g fat, 6g sat fat, 13 mg chol, 212 mg sod, 11 g carbs, 3 g prot
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sweet pasty
- Calories: 114
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 126 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 4 mg
Anonymous says
Kaleigh says
I made the sweet pasties as part of a year long baking challange. I ended up sharing a lot of my baking with family and friends and these were in all of their top 5 bakes.
Super tasty, I would absolutely make these again! I look forward to making the savory ones 🙂
Jenni says
Kaleigh, Thank you so much for your comments! I'm thrilled that your family and friends also got to enjoy them. Afterall, like the treat on the Hogwarts Express, they're great friend-making material!
Jess says
Hello! These look amazing! Could I make these a day ahead of baking??
Jenni says
I haven't tested them out a day prior, but I can't see why that wouldn't work as long as they were properly chilled.
Mika says
I have literally been making these every year since 2018 and they are always a smash hit. Bring them to halloween parties, friendsgiving, and store the rest in the freezer for a late night treat. Thank you so much!!
Whip & Wander says
I'm so glad to hear that! These are one of my favorite fall treats!
Heather@EasyKetoDishes says
I love that these are gluten free, thanks for the share!
Heather Harris says
I love the Harry Potter correlation! These look so delicious!
Raia Todd says
Those are gorgeous! I love that there's a sweet and a savory version!
Zuzana says
It is unbelievable what everything you can make out of pumpkins. Love it
Mirlene says
These look so good! I haven't had the pumpkin pastries yet, but I am excited to try this.
jen says
These are so fun, perfect for my harry potter-loving boys and husband! I appreciate that the crust is GF too, thanks!
ChihYu says
These pasties are absolutely delightful! The pumpkin shines in both the sweet and savory!
Don Baiocchi says
I have been meaning to try that GF puff pastry and this is the perfect excuse! I'll be making both. 🙂
Carina says
These look amazing, another great way to use up Pumpkin too! Harry Potter mania in our house too!
Tessa Simpson says
I used my own paleo pie crust recipe for the savory ones the other night...and they were AMAZING! Such a great combo of flavors, I couldn't get enough!! Can't wait to make them again! I used all gruyere
Rebecca Nels says
Only made the savory ones, and used store bought pastry, but the flavor was fantastic! These are going to be my go-to appetizers for a while, so good!
Marisa Franca says
I haven't tried gluten-free puff pastry yet but I'd love to try. My daughter has trouble with gluten and these would be so great to make for her family. And the bonus is they are all huge Harry Potter fans.
Veena Azmanov says
I have yet to try gluten-free puff pastry. I love how delicious this sound. Love the idea of filling these with pumpkin.
Claudia Lamascolo says
its pretty neat that you are such a big fan and are making so many fun treats. These sound good.