Ready to make some Paleo Curried Meat Pies—a.k.a. better-for-you grain-free and gluten-free hot pockets?

A closeup of golden brown Paleo Curried Meat Pies fresh from the oven.

Longtime Nomsters know that I don’t publish a lot of paleo baking recipes—mostly because I know I’ll gobble up all my test batches with abandon. But once I’ve tasted something that I really, really, really want to make grain-free, I’ll make a rare exception to my no-baking rule. And then, I go nuts, experimenting over and over again ’til I crack the code.

One of the dishes that have gotten this treatment is my mom’s curried meat pies. When I was a kid, my mom used to bake up these buttery hand pies stuffed with a fragrant, curried ground beef filling. These portable pies were my first introduction to fusion food—flaky and savory pastries filled with Indian curry-spiced meat by way of a Chinese mommy. This type of melting pot cuisine is totally my jam.

A Paleo Curried Meat Pie on a plate, cut in half.

If you’ve been checking out my Instagram Stories, you know I’ve been experimenting for weeks. Now, at long last, I think I’ve succeeded in creating a portable meat pie that’s both reminiscent of my mom’s, but also completely nut-free and grain-free. These unfussy hand pies are a breeze to throw together—especially when stuffed with leftover Spiced Keema. Sure, they’re pretty rustic looking (a.k.a. kinda ugly), but that’s part of their charm!

A collage of the cooking steps for Paleo Curried Meat Pies

No leftover Spiced Keema? I’ve filled these pies with leftover Pot Sticker Stir-Fry, Instant Pot Spicy Pineapple Pork, and basically whatever leftover cooked protein I had sitting in my fridge. You can make a variety of homemade hot pockets with whatever you have on hand as long as the filling isn’t too wet. These pies freeze and reheat well, too, so you can make them ahead and stock ’em in your freezer.

An overhead shot of Paleo Curried Meat Pies on a plate.

P.S.—I’ll say it again: I’m no paleo baking expert, so before you ask, let me just tell you now that I have no idea what happens if you decide to substitute another flour for the cassava flour or arrowroot flour. If you successfully experiment with other flours or fats, please let us all know in the comments so we can benefit from your baking prowess!

Time to make Paleo Curried Meat Pies!

Makes 18 pies

Ingredients:

Equipment:

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400° F with the rack in the middle position. Measure out the cassava flour, arrowroot powder, kosher salt, and ground turmeric into a large bowl. 

Combining the flours for the dough of Paleo Curried Meat Pies

Whisk to combine.

Whisking the flours for the Paleo Curried Meat Pies

Add the ghee and two eggs to the dry mixture. 

Adding ghee and eggs to the dry ingredients for Paleo Curried Meat Pies

Mix well with your hands until the dough is crumbly and the the ghee and egg are well incorporated.

Mixing the dough ingredients for Paleo Curried Meat Pies

Slowly add the water a little at a time, and knead well until a pliable dough forms.

Adding water and kneading the Paleo Curried Meat Pie dough

If the dough feels too sticky, you can add a little more cassava flour. Conversely, if it feels too dry and crumbly, add a little more water, kneading in a few drops at a time. If the dough feels overly soft and delicate, cover it in a bowl and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes so you can work with it more easily.

Holding a ball of Paleo Curried Meat Pie dough

Dust your work surface with cassava flour. Next, grab a rolling pin and roll out the dough so that it’s about ⅛-inch thick. The dough can be a little sticky, so feel free to roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. (A dough scraper can also be very helpful in pulling the dough off the work surface.)

Rolling out the dough with a rolling dowel until it is thin.

Use a 4½-inch round stainless steel cutter to punch out the dough rounds.

Using a biscuit cutter to cut out circles in the flattened dough

Gather up the dough outside the circle cut-outs, and use it to form another ball of dough. Roll out this dough ball to ⅛-inch thickness, and punch out more dough rounds. 

Removing the excess dough from around the round cut-outs

Repeat until you can’t form any more rounds. You should end up with about 18 dough rounds.

Rolling the round cut outs even thinner before filling them

Add 2 tablespoons of chilled leftover Spiced Keema

Scooping leftover Spiced Keema to fill Paleo Curried Meat Pies

…to each circle of dough. Fold the dough over the top and pinch the edges together with your fingers. Don’t overfill the pies or you won’t be able to seal them!  Arrange the meat pies on two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper, making sure they’re evenly spaced. 

The four steps needed to form Paleo Curried Meat Pies

Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl…

Whisking an egg for an egg wash

…and brush the egg wash over the top of the meat pies on one (not both!) of the trays. Use a sharp paring knife to cut three slits on the top of each pie. Cover the other tray of pies with plastic wrap or a clean towel—you don’t want the pies to dry out while the other tray is in the oven. 

Brushing an egg wash on Paleo Curried Meat Pies and then cutting slits on top with a paring knife

Pop the first tray of pies (the ones with the egg wash applied) in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the tray 180° and bake for 10-15 minutes more or until the tops are golden brown. 

Baking a tray of Paleo Curried Meat Pies in the oven

Place the pies on a wire rack to cool to room temperature (or, at the very least, to a temperature that won’t burn off the roof of your mouth).

Paleo Curried Meat Pies on a cooling rack.

Right before the second batch of pies goes in the oven, brush on the egg wash, and cut three slits into each pie. Bake off the remaining pies per the instructions above and…voila!

A closeup of Paleo Curried Meat Pies on a plate

You can keep these hand pies in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4 days or freeze them for up to 4 months. They can be reheated in a toaster oven set to 350°F for about 8-10 minutes from the fridge, or 10-15 minutes straight from the freezer.

A side shot of a plate filled with Paleo Curried Meat Pies

Heat ’em up and take them with you!

A Paleo Curried Meat Pie with a big bite taken out of it

Now, who’s ready to make some paleo hot pockets?

A side view of a plate filled with Paleo Curried Meat Pies


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Paleo Curried Meat Pies

4.70 from 13 votes
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 18 hand pies
Paleo Curried Meat Pies, a.k.a. better-for-you grain-free hot pockets, are a simple, make-ahead, freezer-friendly, portable dish that you can easily make with leftovers! 

Ingredients 
 

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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400° F with the rack in the middle position. Measure out the cassava flour, arrowroot powder, kosher salt, and ground turmeric into a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
  • Add the ghee and two eggs to the dry mixture. Mix well with your hands until the dough is crumbly and the the ghee and egg are well incorporated.
  • Slowly add the water a little at a time, and knead well until a pliable dough forms. If the dough feels too sticky, you can add a little more cassava flour. Conversely, if it feels too dry and crumbly, add a little more water, kneading in a few drops at a time. If the dough feels overly soft and delicate, cover it in a bowl and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes so you can work with it more easily.
  • Dust the work surface with cassava flour. Next, grab a rolling pin and roll out the dough so that it’s about ⅛-inch thick. The dough can be a little sticky, so feel free to roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. (A
    can also be very helpful in pulling the dough off the work surface.)
  • Use a 4½-inch round stainless steel cutter to punch out the dough rounds.
  • Gather up the dough outside the circle cut-outs, and use it to form another ball of dough. Roll out this dough ball to ⅛-inch thickness, and punch out more dough rounds. Repeat until you can’t form any more rounds. You should end up with about 18 dough rounds.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of chilled leftover Spiced Keema to each circle of dough. Fold the dough over the top and pinch the edges together with your fingers. Don’t overfill the pies or you won’t be able to seal them!  Arrange the meat pies on two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper, making sure they’re evenly spaced. 
  • Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush the egg wash over the top of the meat pies on one (not both!) of the trays. Use a sharp paring knife to cut three slits on the top of each pie. Cover the other tray of pies with plastic wrap or a clean towel—you don’t want the pies to dry out while the other tray is in the oven. 
  • Pop the first tray of pies (the ones with the egg wash applied) in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the tray 180° and bake for 10-15 minutes more or until the tops are golden brown. 
  • Place the pies on a wire rack to cool to room temperature (or, at the very least, to a temperature that won’t burn off the roof of your mouth). 
  • Right before the second batch of pies goes in the oven, brush on the egg wash, and cut three slits into each pie. Bake off the remaining pies per the instructions above and…voila!
  • You can keep these hand pies in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4 days or freeze them for up to 4 months. They can be reheated in a toaster oven set to 350°F for about 8-10 minutes from the fridge, or 10-15 minutes straight from the freezer.

Video

Notes

No leftover Spiced Keema? I’ve filled these pies with leftover Pot Sticker Stir-Fry, Instant Pot Spicy Pineapple Pork, and basically whatever leftover cooked protein I had sitting in my fridge. You can make a variety of homemade hot pockets with whatever you have on hand as long as the filling isn’t too wet. These pies freeze and reheat well, too, so you can make them ahead and stock ’em in your freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Fiber: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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23 Comments

  1. Perfect! Made this tonight, using leftover carnitas and taco meat to make two flavors. BIG timesaver: I used a small cookie scoop for the dough and just pressed them flat in my tortilla press (between two sheets of plastic wrap to help against sticking and make filling/folding easy). No rolling, cutting, shaping, scraping, etc. Only needed a few tablespoons of water, as we live in a very humid climate. Even made two with Dalfour Strawberry jam as a tiny treat! Came out like cute little pop tarts.