These Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies have a sweet, brown sugar apple cinnamon filling, inside a perfectly flaky pie crust. They are the delicious way to enjoy a personal sized apple pie. Best of all, they are ready in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredient Notes
Ingredients in Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies
- Granny Smith Apples - You can really use any type of apple, but Granny Smiths are my favorite for apple pie recipes. (Try these Pumpkin Spice Baked Apples)
- Brown Sugar - You can use either a light or a dark brown sugar in this recipe. Dark brown sugar has a higher molasses content and will add a deeper caramel flavor.
- Corn Starch - cornstarch works as a thickener in this recipe.
- Pie Crust - For this recipe I used a store-bought, pre-made pie crust to make this a quick and easy mini apple pie recipe. (Try this Keto Pecan Pie Recipe)
- Egg - The egg in this recipe is used to make an egg wash. You can use an egg wash to seal edges together, and enhance the golden color and crispiness of baked goods
Step By Step Instructions
How to make Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies
STEP 1: Add the apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.
STEP 2: Stirring occasionally, cook until the apples have softened, about 8 to 10 minutes.
STEP 3: Add the cornstarch to the apple mixture and bring the mixture back up to a boil to thicken. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
STEP 4: Roll the pie dough out in a thin layer and using a 4-inch circle cutter, cut circles in the dough as close together as possible. Remove the cut circles, re-roll out the dough and repeat the process until you have 10 (4-inch) dough circles.
STEP 5: Place some of the apple pie filling on one side of each dough circles. Using your finger wet the outer circle of the pie crust with a little water.
STEP 6: Fold the dough over the filling and match the edges, so you have a half-circle. Seal the hand pie by pressing a fork around the edges. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg with the water. Brush the egg mixture over the top of the pies.
STEP 7: With a sharp pairing knife, cut a few lines in the top for the steam to escape.
STEP 8: Place the pies into the basket of your air fryer, so they are not touching.
STEP 9: Turn it on to 350°F for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining hand pies.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to two months.
- Reheating: I recommend reheating them in the air fryer so you can get the crust nice and crispy again.
- Make them low carb: To make these low carb, swap out the apple for chayote squash (just trust me on this one), the brown sugar for this brown sugar monkfruit, and swap out the pie dough for this keto cinnamon roll dough. Other than those swaps, just follow the recipe as written.
- Swap the apples for peaches: This is also delicious made as peach hand pies. Simply follow the same process, but swap out the apples for diced fresh peaches.
- Swap the apples for mixed berries: Make mixed berry hand pies by swapping out the apples for 2 cups of mixed fresh or frozen berries.
- Sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top: This hand pie recipes absolutely fantastic with a little bit of flaky sea salt sprinkled on top. The salt complements the sweetness of the apple pie filling perfectly.
- Dip them in caramel sauce: What goes better with a homemade apple pie recipe than caramel sauce to dip it in? Maybe salted caramel?
Frequently Asked Questions
To make these mini apple pies low carb, swap out the apple for chayote squash (just trust me on this one), the brown sugar for this brown sugar monkfruit, and swap out the pie dough for this keto cinnamon roll dough. Other than those swaps, just follow the recipe as written.
Use your fingers to pinch it closes wherever the dough cracks. When you’re using a store-bought pie crust, they’re likely to crack in the air fryer no matter what you do, but they still taste delicious.
Nope, once the heat is applied to the apples, the juices will start release.
Chayote squash really makes a great substitution for apples. It has a similar texture and will take on the flavors of the sweetener and cinnamon perfectly.
Recommended Tools
- Air Fryer: I used the Ninja Food 8-quart 9 in 1 for this recipe. (More air fryer recipes)
- Rolling Pin: When it comes to rolling pins, I like to keep it classic with a good old-fashioned wooden rolling pin.
- Sauce Pan: For sauce pans, I prefer stainless steel or enabled cast iron.
- Circular Pastry Cutter: I have a set with multiple sizes. They can be use for cookies, pies, donuts and all sorts of pasties. This is the set that I have.
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Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies have a sweet, brown sugar apple cinnamon filling, inside a perfectly flaky pie crust. They are the delicious way to enjoy a personal sized apple pie. Best of all, they are ready in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
- ⅓ cup brown sugar (I use this brand)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch (I use this brand)
- 1 package pie crust
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Add the apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, cook until the apples have softened, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the cornstarch to the apple mixture and bring the mixture back up to a boil to thicken. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Roll the pie dough out in a thin layer and using a 4-inch circle cutter, cut circles in the dough as close together as possible. Remove the cut circles, re-roll out the dough and repeat the process until you have 10 (4-inch) dough circles.
- Place some of the apple pie filling on one side of each dough circles. Using your finger wet the outer circle of the pie crust with a little water.
- Fold the dough over the filling and match the edges, so you have a half-circle. Seal the hand pie by pressing a fork around the edges.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg with the water. Brush the egg mixture over the top of the pies. With a sharp pairing knife, cut a few lines in the top for the steam to escape.
- Place the pies into the basket of your air fryer, so they are not touching. Turn it on to 350°F for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining hand pies.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to two months.
- Reheating: I recommend reheating them in the air fryer so you can get the crust nice and crispy again.
- Make it low carb: To make these low carb, swap out the apple for chayote squash (just trust me on this one), the brown sugar for this brown sugar monkfruit, and swap out the pie dough for this keto cinnamon roll dough. Other than those swaps, just follow the recipe as written.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Category: Dessert Recipes
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 apple hand pie
Bonnie says
I made these this afternoon for my husband. They passed the test! He thought they had apples in them, lol. I made them with the chayote squash... delicious! They took quite awhile to soften and instead of cornstarch I used a little less than a half teaspoon to thicken..perfect! I also found they took closer to 10 minutes to bake. May be because I used the alternative dough that was suggested. I found the chayote squash at my local Walmart!! Thank you for a great treat!!
Bonnie says
Ooops..I used xanthum gum instead of cornstarch!
Wendy says
Great content! Even better recipes. This air fryer hand pie recipe is excellent! I like to take it up a notch using Puff Pastry instead of pie dough. Hot from the air fryer these are irresistible, even for my Keto friends. Swapping in berries for apples is yummy too. How is your work going on low carb puff pastry?