How To Make Nigerian-Style Pies on a Weight-Loss Journey

(You can find the video for this recipe here.)

If you’ve ever wondered whether Nigerian-style meatpies can fit into a weight-loss journey… same here. Let’s investigate together.

There was a time when I used to cater meatpies, chicken pies, and fishrolls to an African store. I also made them for events, always paired with puff-puff (of course!). And because meatpies are considered “snacks,” I never really checked the calories. Big mistake.

Those small event-sized pies I used to make?
👉🏽 250 calories per piece
And the big ones? Let’s not even calculate it, because I’ll cry hot tears.

Because they were “just snacks,” I could easily eat four big pies in one sitting and unknowingly blow past my calorie goal for the entire day. No wonder weight was creeping up on me.

Now let me confess… my favorite part is the crust. When done right, that flaky, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth crust feels like a sugar-free shortbread cookie. I’m literally drooling thinking about it.

So naturally, when I started eating in a calorie deficit, I tried to find a lower-calorie but still flaky pie crust. I saw recipes with blended oats and plantains; and sorry, but if I bite into a meatpie and don’t get flakiness? Somebody’s definitely catching these hands 😭.

Also, I don’t believe in substituting core parts of a recipe with distant alternatives. Sometimes the “healthy” versions are higher in calories than the original.

Here’s proof:
The recipe needed 240g all-purpose flour = 880 calories.
I replaced a small portion with oats and chia seeds to add fiber:

• 200g AP flour
• 30g oats
• 10g chia seeds

Total calories?
👉🏽 896 calories
Higher! This is why calorie tracking MATTERS.

But I wanted the fiber, and it was a tradeoff I was willing to make because I had other ways to reduce calories.

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🧈 THE BUTTER PROBLEM… AND MY GENIUS WORKAROUND

Flaky crust = cold fat.
But butter is VERY high in calories.
👉🏽 1 tbsp = 100 calories

No ma’am.

So I used a light vegetable oil spread that’s only 35 calories per tablespoon.
But because it’s low-fat, it melts easily. So I had to freeze it overnight and also keep freezing the dough as I worked. The things we do to satisfy cravings while staying in a deficit 😭.

Here’s the comparison:

Traditional Pie Crust (10 servings)

• 168 calories per serving
• 0.8g fiber
• 2.4g protein
• 8.8g fat

My Low-Cal Crust (10 servings)

• 118 calories per serving
• 1.3g fiber
• 2.5g protein
• 3.7g fat

Calorie savings per pie = 50 calories
Eat two pies → 100 calories saved

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🥕 THE FILLING

The filling didn’t need extreme changes:

• reduced oil
• skipped butter
• added more carrots
• reduced flour

Traditional Filling

• 56 calories per serving
• 0.4g fiber
• 6.3g protein
• 2.3g fat

My Low-Cal Filling

• 47 calories per serving
• 0.4g fiber
• 6.2g protein
• 1.5g fat

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⭐ FINAL RESULT: MY LOW-CALORIE CHICKEN PIE

• 179 calories per pie
• 1.8g fiber
• 9.4g protein
• 5.4g fat

Compared to regular:

• 250 calories
• 1.4g fiber
• 9.6g protein
• 11.4g fat

🎉 Savings = 71 calories per pie!

I had two pies with green tea for breakfast (which came to 358 calories) and I was full and satisfied.