How to Make Sweet and Savory Hand Pies Step by Step

4 Hand Pie Recipes to Try

To simplify these recipes, they all start with refrigerated prepared pie dough, but you can use a from-scratch pie dough, too. Although the four recipes below have different fillings, forming and baking the mini pies follows the same basic steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Whisk together 1 egg and 2 teaspoons milk in a small bowl.
2. Unroll pie crusts. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each crust to a 12-inch circle. Cut three 6-inch circles out of each crust. Spoon about ¼ cup filling slightly off-center in each circle. Brush outer edge of each circle with some of the egg mixture. Fold dough over filling; seal edges with a fork. [For square- and triangle-shape pies, use a 4-inch square or 3 ½-inch triangle cutter and use 2 cutouts for each pie. Sandwich about ¼ cup filling between cutouts and seal edges with a fork.]
3. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Slit or prick tops of each hand pie.
4. Top each pie variation as suggested in the recipes below.
5. Bake on silicone- or parchment-lined baking sheets until pies are golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let cool about 20 minutes before serving.

Get the recipe for Apple Hand Pies

Filling: Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in 3 cups chopped green apples, ¼ cup white sugar, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook until apples are softened, about five to six minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of water and 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon. Cook until apples are soft and sticky, about four minutes. Spread filling onto a plate to cool completely. Use about ¼ cup filling per hand pie. If you'd like, sprinkle dough with coarse sugar before baking. Makes six hand pies.

Pro Tip: Let the filling cool completely before adding it, or the dough will rip and the liquid will seep out.

Ham, Cheddar, and Broccoli Hand Pies

Filling: Stir together 1 cup chopped cooked broccoli florets, 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, ½ cup diced cooked ham, and 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard. Use about ¼ cup filling per hand pie. If you'd like, sprinkle dough with additional shredded Cheddar before baking. Makes six hand pies.

Mango, Plum, and Cream Cheese Hand Pies

Filling: Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1 cup chopped fresh mango, 1 cup chopped fresh plums, 2 tablespoons of white sugar, and ½ teaspoons of ground allspice. Cook until fruit has softened, about five minutes. Let cool completely. Spread each dough cutout with 1 teaspoon of cream cheese. Add about ¼ cup fruit filling per hand pie. If you'd like, sprinkle dough with coarse sugar before baking. Makes six hand pies.

Spinach, Paneer, and Chutney Hand Pies

Filling: Stir together 1 cup chopped fresh spinach, 1 cup diced paneer cheese, 3 tablespoons of mango chutney, and 1 teaspoon of curry powder. Use about ¼ cup filling per hand pie. Makes six hand pies.

Got Pastry Scraps?

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange pastry scraps on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Brush scraps with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool and break into bite-size pieces.

Freeze for Later

Enjoy hand pies fresh from the oven or stash a few in the freezer after baking. Just layer baked, cooled pies between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container and freeze up to three months.

Reheat and Eat

Choose from four ways to reheat after freezing. (Let cool slightly before eating.)

• Toaster Oven: Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put hand pie on tray and bake about five minutes.
• Microwave: Wrap hand pie in a paper towel. Microwave about 45 seconds.
• Conventional Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Wrap hand pie loosely in foil. Bake about 15 minutes.
• Air Fryer: Preheat an air fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Put hand pie in air fryer basket and cook about five minutes.

This article originally appeared in the August/September 2021 issue of Allrecipes Magazine.

Related:

• 15 Savory Hand Pie Recipes
• 14 Sweet Hand Pie Recipes for Individual Desserts
• Pie Recipes