Apple hand pies are the perfectly portable way to enjoy a mini apple pie!

This recipe has warm spiced apple pie filling wrapped up in a flaky crust. It’s a taste of autumn that’s easier than pie!

plated Apple Hand Pies with an apple in the back

An Easy Hand Pie Recipe

  • Hand pies are easy to make, and fun to eat warm or cold.
  • They are fun to customize. Make different flavors of apple hand pies using caramel, cranberry, or any kind of fruit that strikes your fancy!
  • Make this as a shortcut recipe by using store-bought crust and pie filling or make your own from scratch for a homemade version.
  • Lots of ways to cook these tiny pies! Try them baked or air fried, or even use a toaster oven.

ingredients to make Apple Hand Pies

Ingredients in Apple Hand Pie

Make this from scratch or with a shortcut!

APPLES This recipe calls for apple pie filling and you can make your own or buy a can. If you do buy apple pie filling, chop up the apples before adding to the crust.

CRUST Prepared pie crust or homemade crust can be used. Just roll it out and cut it into circles.

SPICE Cinnamon or apple pie spice adds the perfect bit of warmth to this recipe. For an extra sweet dose of flavor, use cinnamon sugar instead!

Variations

  • Use any pie filling for this recipe like peaches, blueberries, or even fill with strawberry rhubarb.
  • Puff pastry is also an option and will result in a dessert that is more like a turnover.
  • Drizzle with a quick and easy glaze made with powdered sugar and milk or water, if desired.

dough and pie filling on a board

How to Make Hand Pies

This is the easiest recipe to make, and little ones love to help bake (and eat) tiny food that’s just their size!

  1. Roll out pie crusts & cut into circles.
  2. Add filling to the center of each circle, fold over the dough & crimp around the edges with a fork.
  3. Cut slits in the top and bake per the recipe below until golden brown.

These can also be baked in an air fryer in batches at 350°F for about 8-10 minutes.

Hand pies unbaked

Storing

Hand-held apple pies will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but the sooner you eat them, the better!

These little desserts are also very freezer-friendly. Simply wrap each pie in plastic wrap, then store in a zippered freezer bag. Whenever the hankering for fresh homemade apple pie hits, just grab one from the freezer and heat it up in the microwave, flipping after 30 seconds. For a crisper crust, heat it in the air fryer or oven.

Hand pies baked on a pan

More Pies, Please!

Did you make these Apple Hand Pies? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
plated Apple Hand Pies with an apple in the back
5 from 53 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Apple Hand Pies

Apple Hand Pies are a flaky hand-held dessert, full of warm Autumn spices!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings 10 pies
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Ingredients  

  • 21 ounces apple pie filling store bought or homemade below
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 package double pie crust store bought or homemade
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon milk

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Chop apple pie filling into small pieces and mix with cinnamon. Beat the egg with milk until combined.
  • Roll out the pie dough to ⅛" thick and using a 4-inch circle cutter, cut out 10 circles.
  • Add 1 ½ tablespoons of the apple pie filling to each circle.
  • Brush egg wash around the edges and fold over the dough making a half circle. Use a fork to crimp the edges firmly together. Make two slits on the top of the pie.
  • Brush with the remaining egg wash and bake for 12 minutes.

Notes

If your apple pie filling has cinnamon (or is homemade) you may not need to add extra cinnamon or may just want to add a little bit. 
Hand pies can be baked in an air fryer for 8-10 minutes at 350°F.
To Make Homemade Pie Filling
  1. Chop and peel 4 medium apples. Place in a shallow skillet with ⅓ cup sugar,  3 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
  2. Cover and cook for 4-6 minutes or until apples are tender.
  3. Combine 4 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and add a little at a time to the simmering apples to thicken. You may not need all of the mixture.
  4. Cool completely before using.
Any pie filling can be used in this recipe.
5 from 53 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1pie | Calories: 269 | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
plated Apple Hand Pies with writing
cooked Apple Hand Pies on a baking sheet with a title
close up of plated Apple Hand Pies with a title
Apple Hand Pies before and after cooking with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. I ve made this recipe several times ! i love having these little pies in my freezer..ready to reheat in my smart oven. They turn out so good. i always sprinkle them with coarse sugar after the egg wash..before I bake them. it just adds that touch of sparkle! Thanks for this great recipe.5 stars

  2. I’m looking to make these with a group of Girl Scouts, any recommendations for oven cook time and temp? We won’t have access to an air fryer.

  3. I just made these and didn’t do the recommended pie crust, and didn’t have the 4″ cutter, so it was more challenging than I would have liked, but they look fantastic! I made them for my mother’s 93rd birthday, as this is her favorite dessert. And I am extra excited as I bake at 7,000′ and every bit of baking is a challenge. Thank you for this lovely recipe!5 stars

  4. I just made these and I am chuffed! I didn’t use the recommended pie crusts, so they were a challenge to roll out, and of course, didn’t have a 4″ cutter, but they look terrific! And as I am at 7,000′, every baking I do that comes out just makes me grin ear to ear! Thank you for this recipe!5 stars

  5. I always use lard and butter in my crust. This is a slight variant and I am going to make hand. pies with it

  6. This is not a hand pie – this is called an empanada. Several different Latino cultures have a variation of empanadas with recipes datong hundreds of years (depending on the introduction of flour) including Mexico, Argentina, and El Salvador.

  7. What kind of pie crust? refrigerated by biscuit section ? Would crescent dough sheet work? Please help Im not sure which to get

    1. Hi JB, we have only tried this recipe with pie crust so I am not sure how the crescent dough sheets would work but we would love to hear how it turns out. As for the pie crust, we use Pillsbury pie crust as shown in the photo (possibly by the biscuits in your grocery store) or you can make your own as well.

  8. With the exception of adding Sparkling Sugar after brushing the egg wash on top, I followed this recipe to a “T” and they came out DELICIOUS!!! I’ve tried other recipes, but none cut slits in the top, nor did they egg wash the inside rim before folding over. As a result, I always had hand pies that oozed out all over the place. A time-saver?? I found a 3-piece set of hand pie cut outs from Aldi one day. 4″, 5″ & 6″. You press down with the cut out on the dough on one side, then place the circle of dough on the top side, fold it together and it crimps the hand pie perfectly!!! Saves so much time.

    Thank you Holly!!! This will be my go to recipe from here on :-)5 stars

  9. Your filling recipe lists water 3x.
    For making the slurry you list 2 tablespoons water – which I get.

    It’s the first two quantities I don’t quite understand when to add.
    In the beginning, you say to add “3 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons each butter and water” to the apples. So 5 tablespoons of water in total to cook the apples before adding the slurry?
    Why not just list it like that? or is it a typo?

    1. Thanks Erica! You are right, you will want to add 3 tablespoons of water with the apples in step 1 and then 2 tablespoons of water with the cornstarch in step 3. Hope that helps!

    1. For a caramel apple hand pie, I would just do a drizzle over the apple pie filling before baking and even a drizzle over the final baked apple hand pie before serving!

  10. Hi! Holly,
    I love your recipes. If I wanted to make and share these with my daughter so she can bake them 1 or 2 at a time in her air fryer, at what point do I freeze them? Can I put on the egg wash before freezing? Pretty sure that she wouldn’t take the time to do it!

    1. We bake them fully first. Once cooled, we individually wrap them and pop them in the freezer. Then you can reheat them in the microwave or in the air fryer!

  11. Hi Holly,
    I am thinking about making this, so I was looking over your recipe. In step 1 of your apple pie filling recipe, it looks like you listed water 2x – once with 3 tbs, and other time with 2 tbs. Is that a typo? You have the 2 tbs water (to mix with cornstarch) listed in step 4, so I was thinking that maybe there was an accidental duplication.

    1. This is correct. The first 2 tablespoons cooks with the apples to soften them and make a bit of a juice.

      The second 2 tablespoons are combined with cornstarch to make a slurry and this is added to thicken the juices. You may not need all of this mixture. I hope that helps.