Home / Dessert / Nova Scotia Pork Pie

Nova Scotia Pork Pie

Name: Nova Scotia Pork Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 batch double pie pastry (homemade or store-bought); 2 pounds ground pork; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 apple, peeled and grated; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 cup water

Nova Scotia pork pie recipe: savoury spiced ground pork in flaky pastry, a French Shore Acadian tradition. Not a dessert — just Maritime home cooking.

⏱ 15 minPrep time

🔥 30 minCook time

🍽 4Servings

🏷 DessertCategory

☆☆☆☆☆No ratings yet

This is not the sweet pork pie of a holiday dessert table — it is the savoury pie of Nova Scotia’s French Shore, where Acadian families baked it on Christmas Eve and left it cooling on the porch overnight. The filling of ground pork, onion and a hint of apple is seasoned with cinnamon and clove, a gentle nod to the region’s French roots.

By Christmas morning the pie is sliced cold or gently reheated, served with ketchup or molasses and endless coffee. Some families argue about the apple; everyone agrees the pie is the point of the season.

Maritimes recipes →

Step by stepInstructions

Line a deep pie plate with one round of pastry and chill it while you make the filling.
Brown the ground pork and onion in a skillet, then add the grated apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, pepper and water.
Simmer the filling for 10 minutes, stirring, until the flavours meld and the liquid reduces.
Spoon the filling into the pastry shell, cover with the top crust, and crimp the edges with a few slits for steam.
Bake at 375°F for 45 to 50 minutes until the crust is deep golden, and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

💡 Chef tips & storage

This pie is even better the next day, cold or gently reheated. It is a Christmas Eve tradition on the French Shore, so do not be surprised if it becomes one in your house too.

Recipe details

Prep15 min

Cook30 min

Servings4

CategoryDessert

PublishedAugust 17, 2026

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

Nova Scotia Pork Pie

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Log In

Get free recipes every week

Nova Scotia Pork Pie

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Keep browsingYou might also like

Sikarni

Nkate Cake (Peanut Brittle)

Croquignoles

Log In