Hand Pies

These homemade hand pies have a sturdy, buttery crust that holds up whether you bake them, deep-fry them, or cook them in the air fryer. No leaking and no soggy bottoms! Fill them with your favorite flavors, like apple filling, peach filling, lemon curd, and blueberry filling, and you've got everything you love about pie in the palm of your hand.

A hand pie is basically a miniature pie that fits in your hand. It can be sweet or savory, made by spooning filling onto a circular (or rectangular) piece of dough, folding it over, and sealing it shut before baking. You'll be shocked how much easier they are to make than an actual pie. They're also a great dessert for parties and weddings since there's no need to cut and serve anything. Just set them out and let your guests help themselves.

Does anybody else remember Franz hand pies? The grocery store always felt like a magical place when I was a kid, and if I was really good, my dad would buy me one of those $1 hand pies, which was a big deal since we rarely got treats growing up. I decided to show my daughter Avalon what she was missing, so I picked up a few while I was out one day. Sadly, it wasn't as good as I remembered. The crust was stale and bland, and the filling was goopy. Why are childhood treats never as good as we remember them? So of course, I had to remake them myself, extra delicious, with multiple fillings.

Hand Pie Ingredients

There are endless filling options for hand pies depending on the season, but the dough and technique stay the same. Most of what you need is pantry-standard: flour, salt, sugar, eggs, and butter. I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a digital kitchen scale for the most accurate results.

• All-purpose flour - The base of the pâte brisée dough.
• Salt - Balances sweetness in both the dough and the filling.
• Butter - Cold and cubed in the dough for a sturdy, crisp crust, and melted to cook down the fruit filling until it's glossy and thick.
• Egg - Binds the dough together, and whisked with a little water, makes the egg wash that seals the edges and gives the crust its golden color.
• Fresh or frozen fruit - Use whatever's in season. Apples, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, and more all work.
• Lemon juice - Brightens both the fruit filling and the glaze.
• Water or juice - Cooks down with the fruit to build the filling. Pick a juice that complements your fruit's flavor.
• Sugar - Sweetens the filling. White or brown sugar both work.
• ClearJel or cornstarch - Thickens the filling to a glossy, sliceable texture. ClearJel stays shinier, but cornstarch works fine if that's what you have on hand.
• Powdered sugar - Whisked with lemon juice for the simple glaze on top.

How to Make Hand Pies Step-By-Step

This is a two-stage recipe, dough and filling, so a little mise en place goes a long way. Make sure your butter is cold and cubed before you start the dough.

1. Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a food processor.

2. Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter and mix on low speed (or pulse, if using a food processor) until the mixture looks like coarse sand.

3. Bring the dough together. Add the egg and ice water, mixing just until the dough comes together and sticks. Don't overwork it. Then flatten the dough into a disk.

4. Chill the dough. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling it out and baking.

5. Start the filling. Prepare your fresh fruit by chopping into small cubes (if needed) or use frozen fruit (no need to defrost). Place your fruit and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and bubbling.

6. Add ingredients and simmer. Add water (or juice), sugar, lemon juice, and salt, and bring to a simmer.

PRO TIP: Make sure your filling is fully cooled before you start rolling and filling. Warm filling will melt the butter in your dough and make sealing a mess.

7. Thicken the filling. Combine your cornstarch (or ClearJel) with your water and whisk to make a slurry. Pour into your simmering mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes until it's clear.

8. Cool and set aside. Once it has thickened, remove the filling from the heat and let it cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap to avoid forming a skin and set aside.

PRO TIP: When rolling out cold pie dough, start in the center and work your way out, making small rolls and rotating frequently until it loosens up. Go slow and be patient.

9. Rest your dough. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Let your dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes to soften a bit. Dust your surface with flour, then begin pressing the dough with your rolling pin to start flattening it.

10. Roll and cut your dough. Roll the dough to ⅛ inch thick and cut into 6 inch circles (or 5 inch circles for smaller pies) with a cookie or biscuit cutter.

PRO TIP: Thinner dough makes a crisper, crunchier crust, so roll it thinner than you think you should.

11. Fill your hand pies. Add 3 Tablespoons of filling to each 6 inch circle (1 Tablespoon for the 5 inch circles). Don't overfill, or they'll burst while cooking.

12. Seal and vent. Brush the edges with egg wash, fold the dough over, and crimp firmly with a fork to seal it shut. Cut 3 small slits in the center top, being careful not to cut all the way through, so steam can escape while baking.
    

13. Chill again, then bake. Place the hand pies on the parchment-lined sheet pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400º F while they chill. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on top and bottom and the filling is just starting to bubble.

14. Cool and glaze. Let the hand pies cool for 10 minutes. Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth, then brush or drizzle the glaze over the top.

Deep-Fried Hand Pies

Deep-fried hand pies taste the most like the store-bought version, and the crust bubbles up beautifully and gets EXTRA crispy.

1. Prepare and chill. Assemble your hand pies as usual, but dock 3 small holes on top with a fork instead of cutting slits. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
2. Heat your oil. Heat 4 inches of neutral oil (vegetable shortening or canola oil work well) in a deep pot like a dutch oven to 375º F. Use a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature, and keep the pot toward the back of the stove, especially with kids around. Hot oil is dangerous, and so are splashes.
3. Fry. Fry 2-3 hand pies at a time for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
4. Drain and finish. Drain on a paper towel, let cool for 10 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar or brush with glaze. They're best eaten the same day.

Air-Fried Hand Pies

This is actually my favorite way to make hand pies. The air fryer makes the crust SUPER light and crisp without any of the added oil from deep frying.

1. Prepare and chill. Assemble your hand pies as usual and chill for one hour.
2. Egg wash and sugar. Brush the surface with egg wash and sprinkle on sanding sugar for color and crunch. This part is optional.
3. Air fry. Set your air fryer to 400º F and cook for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Common Hand Pie Problems to Avoid

• Don't overfill. Filling expands while it cooks, so an overstuffed hand pie will push right through the crust.
• Seal the edges well. Dampen the crust with a little egg wash. Then press together firmly with a fork. Keep filling off the very edge of the dough, or it'll break the seal and leak.
• Vent the tops. Give steam somewhere to escape while cooking, or the pressure builds up and bursts the pie open.
• Smooth out cracks. Cracked dough is a weak point filling can seep through. Smooth any cracks before you fill and seal.

Final Thoughts

These turned out so much better than the ones I remembered from the grocery store. They're buttery, crisp, and packed with real fruit flavor instead of goopy filling. I'm honestly not convinced there's any meal that couldn't be turned into a hand pie at this point. Once you've got the dough and technique down, the filling options are endless.

Make This Recipe Your Own

• Pick your cooking method. Don't want to bake? This recipe also includes deep-fried and air-fried versions above.
• Swap the filling. Apple filling, peach filling, blueberry filling, cherry filling, lemon curd, or berry filling all work in the same dough.
• Use store-bought filling. Store-bought pie filling works, too. No judgment!
• Go savory. Try chicken pot pie filling, creamy mushrooms and beef, or even ham and cheese for a breakfast hand pie. Use the same dough and technique as the sweet version.

More Pies and Tarts Recipes to Try