Christmas Recipes

Tourtière

A Tourtière with spiced pork, potato and onion in flaky golden pastry — the classic French-Canadian meat pie and a holiday-table legend. About 45 minutes of hands-on work, one pie dish, and a bake that fills the house with cinnamon and clove.

New Be the first to rate it 2 hr 5 min total 8 servings Medium difficulty

By admin · Recipe tested in The Daily Plate kitchen

Published Nov 8, 2026 · Updated Nov 9, 2026

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A slice of golden tourtière showing the spiced pork and potato filling in flaky pastry, on dark slate with fresh thyme.

If you searched for a Tourtière, you found the pie Quebec families have served on Christmas Eve for generations — and every December there is one dish that never makes it to the table untouched, because someone always steals a slice while it rests. This pie is that dish. It looks like an ordinary meat pie, all golden crust and steam vents, but one bite gives it away: warm cinnamon, clove and allspice over savoury pork and potato, the flavour of a French-Canadian Christmas.

The secret is simply the spice blend. Ground pork, onion and potato are the body of the pie, but cinnamon, clove, allspice and dried savoury are its soul — without them it is just a meat pie, and with them it is tourtière. No special equipment, just a pie dish, about 45 minutes of hands-on work, and an oven that does the rest. Make it once and it will be requested every Christmas after.

Why this Tourtière works every time

The spice blend is the whole pie. Cinnamon, clove, allspice and savoury are what make a tourtière taste like tourtière and not just a meat pie — measure them, don’t guess.
Cool the filling before you fill. A hot filling melts the pastry and gives a soggy bottom; 10 minutes spread on a plate fixes it completely.
Chill the pastry while the filling cooks. Thirty minutes in the fridge is what makes the crust flaky — and the filling needs the same 30 minutes, so nothing is wasted.

What size pie do you need? The 1× pie below fills a 9-inch dish and serves 8 as a main course (one generous wedge each). Feeding a holiday crowd of 16? Scale to 2× and bake two pies side by side — two pies bake more evenly than one oversized one. For a party buffet, make the Mini version instead: 12–16 hand pies from the same filling.

Cost & timing at a glance: about $14–18 of groceries at a regular supermarket, 45 minutes of hands-on work, 1 hour 20 minutes of cooking (25 on the stove, 55 in the oven). The filling can be made 2 days ahead — see the make-ahead plan in the notes and the full storage guide after the recipe card.

Choose Your Pie

Build the Tourtière Your Way

Tap your occasion, how many you’re feeding and your style — the pie photo, the servings, the quantities in the recipe card below and your shopping list all update to match.

Occasion

Serves

Style

Holiday Party · Serves 8 · Classic

The Classic Tourtière

The classic tourtière: spiced pork, potato and onion in flaky golden pastry, baked until the crust shatters.

The original pie, exactly as pinned: ground pork, potato, onion and the warm spice blend — cinnamon, clove, allspice and savoury — in a buttery double crust. If it’s your first tourtière, make this one.

1 lb ground pork
2 medium potatoes, diced small
1 medium onion, finely diced
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter
½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground allspice

See the full ingredients & steps ↓

Equipment for your Tourtière

9-inch pie dish, glass or metal
Rolling pin
Large skillet, 12-inch, for the filling
Pastry cutter or two knives (or a food processor), for cutting in the butter
Small bowl, for the beaten egg wash
Pastry brush, for the egg wash
Sharp knife, for the steam vents
Baking sheet, to catch drips in the oven
Wire rack, for resting the baked pie

Tourtière shopping list — by store section

Take this list as-is: quantities are for the 1× pie (serves 8). Tick items off in the ingredient list below as you gather them — the counter at the top tracks you.

Butcher / meat counter

1 lb ground pork
Optional swap: ½ lb ground beef for half the pork (Pork & Beef variation)
Optional: 1 lb ground turkey (Turkey variation)

Produce

1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 medium potatoes — Yukon Gold hold their shape best
1 small bunch fresh thyme (optional, for garnish)

Dairy

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, kept cold
1 egg, for the wash

Pantry & baking

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp dried savoury or dried thyme
½ cup water or chicken stock
Cranberry sauce and grainy mustard, to serve

Make It Yours

Tourtière Variations

Same crust, same method — just swap the filling to fit your table.

Pork & Beef

The richer, Lac-Saint-Jean style filling:

Use ½ lb ground pork and ½ lb ground beef
Add an extra ½ tsp cinnamon so the spice stands up to the beef
Keep the potato, onion and savoury exactly the same
Bake exactly as the classic — same time, same temperature

Turkey

Lighter, and the best use of leftover holiday turkey:

Swap the pork for 1 lb ground turkey (or chopped leftover turkey)
Add 1 tsp dried sage to the spice blend
Serve with cranberry sauce on the side
A little drier than pork — add an extra splash of stock to the filling

Mini

Party-sized hand pies from the same filling:

Cut the pastry into 4-inch rounds and fill each with 2 tbsp of filling
Crimp the edges with a fork and cut one small vent per pie
Bake 25–30 minutes at 400°F until deep golden
Freeze half unbaked for an instant party snack later

Serving & Pairings

How to Serve Your Tourtière

The same pie, ready to serve: sliced into wedges on a wooden board, cranberry sauce and grainy mustard beside it — set it in the centre of the table and let everyone help themselves.

Serving ideas: Rest the pie 15 minutes, then cut into 8 wedges with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts so the slices stay clean. Serve warm, never piping hot, with a spoonful of cranberry sauce and grainy mustard on each plate. A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette and a dish of pickled beets are the traditional sides.

Drink pairings: A dry cider is the classic match — its apple brightness cuts through the rich pork. A light Pinot Noir works just as well, and for a no-alcohol option, sparkling apple cider with a cinnamon stick in each glass mirrors the pie’s spices.

What to serve with it: This pie is a main course for 8 — or a holiday-table centrepiece with the Christmas Cake for dessert and the Pigs in Blankets Wreath as the starter.

Plan Ahead

Tourtière Storage & Make-Ahead Guide

Make-ahead timeline

2 days ahead: Cook the filling and refrigerate it in a covered container; make the pastry disc and refrigerate it wrapped, or freeze it for up to 1 month.
Morning of: Assemble the pie, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate unbaked for up to 8 hours.
1 hour before serving: Bake at 400°F for 50–55 minutes, then rest 15 minutes before slicing.
Freezing unbaked: Assemble the pie, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F, adding 15–20 minutes.

Storing leftovers

Fridge: Slices keep 3–4 days in a covered container at 40°F / 4°C or below.
Freezer: Wrap slices individually in plastic wrap and foil — they keep up to 3 months.
Reheating: Warm slices in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes until the crust is crisp again. The microwave works in a pinch but softens the pastry.
Food safety: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours; discard anything that sat out longer.
Use it up: Cold leftover slices are excellent crumbled into a hash with a fried egg on top.

Per Serving

Tourtière Nutrition

Estimate for 1 of 8 servings (one wedge). Actual values vary with brands and swaps.

Calories	520 kcal
Total fat	32 g
Saturated fat	14 g
Cholesterol	95 mg
Sodium	720 mg
Total carbohydrates	34 g
Dietary fibre	2 g
Sugars	2 g
Protein	24 g
Iron	15% DV

Questions

Tourtière FAQs

What makes tourtière different from other meat pies?

The warm spice blend — cinnamon, clove, allspice and dried savoury — is the signature. Without it, it is just a pork pie; with it, it is tourtière. The potato cooked into the filling is the other classic touch: it binds the meat and keeps every slice moist.

Can I make tourtière ahead of time?

Yes, and it is better for it. Cook the filling up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it. The assembled unbaked pie keeps 8 hours in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer — bake from frozen at 375°F, adding 15–20 minutes to the bake time.

Why did my bottom crust go soggy?

Three usual causes: the filling went in hot, the filling was too wet, or the oven rack was too high. Cool the filling first, simmer it until the liquid has cooked away, and bake on the lowest rack — or on a preheated baking sheet. A glass dish lets you check the bottom is golden before you take it out.

Can I use store-bought pastry?

Yes. Two sheets of store-bought shortcrust pastry work well when you are short on time — one for the base, one for the lid. Still crimp the edges firmly, cut the steam vents, and brush with egg wash for the same golden finish.

What do you serve with tourtière?

Cranberry sauce and grainy mustard are the classics, with pickled beets and a green salad alongside. A spoonful of fruit ketchup (a Quebec favourite) is the most traditional condiment of all.

Can I freeze leftovers?

Yes. Wrap slices individually in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes — the crust crisps back up, which the microwave will not do.

More Christmas Favourites

More Holiday Table Ideas

The Daily Plate · Recipe Card

Tourtière

Spiced pork, potato and onion in flaky golden pastry — the classic French-Canadian meat pie, baked until the crust shatters.

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

1 hr 20 min

Total Time

2 hr 5 min

Servings

Calories

520

Scale pie:

Makes 8 servings · 1 × 9-inch pie · US measures
0 of 17 gathered

Tourtière Ingredients

For the pastry

For the filling

For the spice blend

How to Make Tourtière — Step by Step

Work in this exact order: pastry first, filling second, assemble last. Total hands-on time is about 45 minutes.

Make the pastry (15 minutes + 30 minutes chilling). Whisk the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips (or pulse in a food processor) until it looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits left. Sprinkle in the ice water, a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until the dough just holds together. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Brown the pork (8 minutes). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the pork, breaking it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
Season and simmer (20 minutes). Stir in the onion, garlic and potatoes, then the spice blend and the water. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the potatoes are tender and the liquid has cooked away. The filling should be moist, not wet.
Cool the filling (10 minutes). Spread the filling on a large plate or baking sheet and let it cool to warm. A hot filling melts the pastry and gives a soggy bottom — this step is not optional.
Line the dish. Roll out half the pastry on a floured surface to a 12-inch round, about ⅛ inch thick. Fit it into a 9-inch pie dish, leaving a ½-inch overhang all round.
Fill and top. Spoon in the cooled filling and level it with the back of the spoon. Roll out the second half of the pastry, lay it over the top, trim and crimp the edges firmly to seal. Cut 4 small steam vents in the centre and brush the whole top with the beaten egg.
Bake (50–55 minutes). Bake at 400°F on the lowest oven rack — or on a preheated baking sheet — until the crust is deep golden and the filling bubbles at the vents. If the edges brown too fast, cover them with strips of foil.
Rest (15 minutes). Let the pie rest on a wire rack. The filling sets as it cools, so the slices hold their shape instead of spilling.
Slice and serve. Cut into 8 wedges with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts. Serve warm with cranberry sauce and grainy mustard on the side.

Notes, tips & make-ahead

Make ahead: Cook the filling up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it; the pastry disc keeps 2 days wrapped, or 1 month frozen. The assembled unbaked pie freezes up to 3 months — bake from frozen at 375°F, adding 15–20 minutes.
Chill while you cook: Make the pastry first, then brown the pork while it chills — the 30 minutes overlap exactly, so nothing is wasted.
Soggy bottom: Cool the filling, simmer until the liquid is gone, and bake on the lowest rack or a preheated baking sheet. A glass dish lets you check the bottom is golden.
Swaps: Half the pork can be ground beef (Pork & Beef variation); leftover roast turkey works in the Turkey variation; two sheets of store-bought shortcrust pastry work if you’re short on time.
Egg wash: At ½× scale, use half a beaten egg for the wash — or a whole small egg; the extra just makes the crust shinier.
Food safety: Cook the pork until no pink remains (160°F / 71°C); refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Scale: ½× = 1 × 7-inch pie (4 servings, bake 40–45 min) · 1× = 1 × 9-inch pie (8 servings) · 2× = 2 × 9-inch pies (16 servings). Servings scale 4 / 8 / 16.

Nutrition (per serving, estimate):
Calories 520Protein 24gCarbs 34gFat 32gFibre 2gSodium 720mg

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Tourtière

Why this Tourtière works every time

Build the Tourtière Your Way

Equipment for your Tourtière