Vegan Apple Hand Pies
Flaky, golden, and filled with warmly spiced cinnamon-and-nutmeg apples, these hand pies are the kind of handheld dessert that disappears fast — and they make 8, so there's at least a chance everyone gets one. The pastry comes together with cold vegan butter worked into flour until crumbly, then chilled before rolling, which is the same technique a classic butter crust uses and the reason the result bakes up so beautifully layered and crisp. A splash of maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice in the filling add just enough depth and brightness to keep the apple flavor from going flat. Cornstarch thickens the juices right in the skillet, so you get a glossy, jammy filling that stays put inside the pastry instead of making everything soggy. A brush of plant-based milk and a sprinkle of sugar before baking gives each pie that bakery-style sheen and a satisfying little crunch on top. These are genuinely impressive to bring to a gathering, and nobody needs to know how straightforward they were to pull off.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the pastry
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp organic cane sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup vegan butter, cold and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 6–8 tbsp ice water
For the filling
- 3 medium apples (about 1 ½ lb), peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch dice
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 tbsp organic cane sugar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp lemon juice
For assembly
- 3 tbsp plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp organic cane sugar
Instructions
- 1
Whisk together the flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold vegan butter cubes and work them into the flour using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
- 2
Drizzle in the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring with a fork after each addition, until the dough just comes together when pressed — it should hold without being sticky or wet. You may need between 6 and 8 tablespoons. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
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