23 Hand Pies So You Can Have a Pastry Wherever You Go

We love a lot of things about hand pies. They can be sweet or savory; enjoyed with a group or stashed in the freezer to bake off individually night after night; and eaten for dessert, breakfast, or an afternoon pick-me-up. Plus, you can fill them with pretty much anything you’d find in any of our favorite non-hand-pie recipes.
Consider the recipes below a starting point. Hand pies are as versatile as your imagination: You can make them with an all-butter pie dough, frozen puff pastry, or a tender shortcrust—some Southern iterations even call for a biscuit-like dough. Unlike large pies, hand pies tend to have a greater crust-to-filling ratio, giving them greater protection against sogginess. Be sure to bake your mini pies on parchment-lined baking sheets for easy cleanup. And remember, leftovers reheat beautifully: Just pop them in a toaster oven and go on with your day.
- Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart1/23
Fried Apple Pies
One of our favorite hand pie recipes, this iconic Gourmet dessert from the legendary Edna Lewis illustrates the simple is best ethos: a flaky biscuit-like crust, smooth cider-spiked sweetened apple pie filling, and minimal final flourishes except for a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Simon Andrews2/23
Cheesy Hand Pies
To create the ultimate flaky crust, freeze your butter. (We opt for unsalted butter to better control the seasoning.) Here, a savory blend of feta and mozzarella makes for a rich-gooey-umami filling, but you can experiment with any good melting cheese.
- Photo by Eva Kolenko3/23
Glazed Blueberry-Blackberry Turnovers
Lime juice and fresh ginger lifts the duo of dark berries stuffed into these sweet-tart hand pies. One reviewer recommends doubling the recipe, noting, “They are too good not to share with friends and neighbors.”
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog4/23
Apple Pie Cookies
Like a pint-size apple galette you can eat in two bites, these teensy desserts are the solution to enjoying apple pie flavors at a potluck without the need to slice and serve individual (not to mention equal!) pieces of pie on the fly.
- Gentl & Hyers5/23
Spiced Lamb Hand Pies
A savory hand pie stuffed with ground lamb and green peas brings English pub cheer to your dinner table. Although we call them hand pies, you might want utensils to dig into the flaky, steaming parcels.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton6/23
Mince Pies
Despite what some say, there’s no meat in these dessert pies, just a spiced, boozy fruit and nut filling. Unlike a traditional pie crust recipe, the tender shortcrust calls for powdered sugar, which gives it a delicate crumb. While these are the ideal size for gifting in tins, you could crown a holiday celebration with a large-format mincemeat pie.
- USA Pears7/23
Spiced Pear Hand Pies
When the temperatures dip, welcome those first fluttery feelings of fall with Anjou pears simmered in warming cardamom, cloves, and ginger. Expect some filling to ooze out—it gives these pies their rustic look. Bake them on parchment paper for effortless cleanup.
- Jonathan Lovekin8/23
Blueberry Pastries With Lemon Yogurt Frosting
Put down the box of sad toaster pastries. This homemade version, assembled with store-bought puff pastry and a honey-lemon blueberry compote, can be made ahead, frozen (unfrosted), and reheated on a busy morning. Store the icing in a squeeze bottle in the fridge.
- 9/23
Sweet Potato Turnovers With Sweet Kraut
Yes, that is the word kraut you see in this recipe title, and yes, that does mean there is cabbage in this dessert. It comes from restaurant owners Kate Jacoby and Rich Landau, who are known for their experimental and highly successful approach to flavor. The cabbage is braised in sweet wine and brown sugar to accompany vegan turnovers stuffed with a filling reminiscent of candied yams.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone10/23
Mixed Berry Pie Bars
Is it technically a hand pie? Well, it is a pie you can pick up and eat with your hands. The trick is letting it cool to room temperature before slicing in so the fruit filling can set between the crust, not slump out over you.
- Photo by John Kernick11/23
Rhubarb Turnovers
The cream cheese in this pastry dough makes for exceptionally tender, flaky turnovers. Chill it well before rolling it on a surface dusted with all-purpose flour before cutting out individual rounds. If this is your first time working with pastry, store rounds you’re not actively working with in the fridge while shaping each turnover. Serve these with lemon buttermilk ice or store-bought vanilla ice cream.
- Photo by Joshua Sarlo12/23
Date Nut Cookie Pies
These hand pies pack chewy dates and warming spices in a cookie-size confection that’s adorably bite-size. To prevent the filling from seeping, chill the shaped rounds in the fridge while the oven preheats.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca13/23
Coronation Curried Chicken Salad Pastries
This curried chicken salad, packed with dried cranberries and scallions, is delicious between slices of whole grain bread. But it’s undeniably better baked into buttery puff pastry pockets.
- Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton14/23
Cheesy Tomato Hand Pies
No matter how meticulously you crimp the edges, puff pastry, well, puffs, and a little filling will inevitably ooze out. Don’t fight it; the crackly, cheesy skirt it forms is a prize worth fighting over.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell15/23
3-Ingredient Caramel Apple Hand Pies
Who says you can’t lean on store-bought ingredients to pull together a homemade dish? We’re all busy here. With a package of puff pastry and creamy, jarred caramel sauce, you’ll need a total time of 35 minutes to pull together this dessert that’s as American as downsizing.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi16/23
Grandma Weesie’s Fried Peach Pies
Some say a splash of apple cider vinegar affects gluten development, keeping pie doughs tender so you can reroll the scraps until you get a dozen or so hand pies. We say: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
- Hirsheimer & Hamilton17/23
Blueberry Hand Pies
You can’t go wrong by keeping a disk of pie dough in the freezer (wrapped in at least three layers of plastic wrap) for when baking inspiration strikes. Here, it helps trim down prep time so all you have to do is roll it out, fill with fruit, and bake until golden brown.
- Photographs by Josephine Schiele. Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich18/23
Ham and Cheese Hand Pies With Honey Mustard
Think of this recipe as a gateway into a new world of lunch possibilities. Switch out the ham and Swiss for turkey and cheddar or pepperoni and mozzarella. A generous smattering of sesame seeds and black pepper gives store-bought puff pastry a little upgrade and outer shell. Brush the top of each pie in egg wash to ensure it’s extra crispy and to make the sesame-black pepper topping stick.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Taneka Morris19/23
Strawberry Hand Pies
A strawberry filling spiked with warming ginger and wrapped in a peppery pie crust tastes sophisticated but comes together with minimal effort. Keep up the gourmet flair by whipping up a small bowl of salted goat cheese frosting and drizzling it on top of each hand pie for a tangy-sweet duo.
- Yunhee Kim20/23
Cupcake-Tin Pork Pies
Skip the homemade pie crust and bake these savory meat pies using store-bought pie dough for a weeknight-friendly meal that goes well with a salad or stewed apples.
- Teri Lyn Fisher21/23
Tiny Fried Apple Pies
Technically, most fried pies are tiny compared to their 10"-wide counterparts. These adorably petite pies? They’re just about the size of a water cracker, which means you can and should eat them by the handful (whether or not you put a cheddar slice atop each one is your prerogative).
- Photo by Ditte Isager22/23
Cherry Hand Pies
Sweet-tart fans, this one’s for you. The blend of fresh or frozen cherries with dried ones bakes into a jammy filling with pops of chewiness. Feel free to play around with the filling. One reviewer writes, “I added dried cranberries instead of dried cherries and added lemon juice and zest for a bit of tartness. I should’ve made more! It’s wonderful.”
- Chris Court23/23
Cranberry Hand Pies
Sugar makes the dough for this hand pie recipe soft and pliable, but letting it rest for several hours in the refrigerator prepares it for the force of the rolling pin and punching out shapes with a cookie cutter. The extra care results in a sweeter pastry that balances the tart cranberry filling.