Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies

June 30, 2025

Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies

Air fryer apple hand pies are small, hand-held pastries: rounds of pie crust folded around a spiced apple filling and cooked in the air fryer until golden and crisp. They belong to the American hand pie (or fried pie) tradition, with the air fryer standing in for the deep fryer or the oven.

The filling is diced apple cooked briefly in a skillet with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a little lemon juice, then cooled before it goes anywhere near the pastry — a warm filling steams the crust and makes the pies leak. Rounds of pie crust are filled, folded into half-moons, and sealed firmly with a fork, then brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with sugar before they go into the basket.

Canned apple pie filling is the usual American shortcut, but it is not something you will find on a Danish shelf, so the homemade filling here is the more useful version. It also gives more control over sweetness and texture than a can does.

Serve the pies warm, on their own or with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, or a simple confectioners’ sugar glaze.

Ingredients

Serves 6

The filling

240 g tart baking apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored and diced (about 2 medium)
55 g light brown sugar
14 g unsalted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

The pastry

400 g refrigerated pie crust (2 sheets), room temperature (or homemade shortcrust)

Assembly and finish

1 large egg, beaten
1 tbsp turbinado or granulated sugar (or cinnamon sugar), for sprinkling
nonstick spray or parchment, for the basket

Directions

The filling

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and the vanilla if using. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the apples are just tender and the juices have thickened into a light syrup. Take the pan off the heat and let the filling cool completely — a warm filling will steam the pastry and break the seal.

The pastry

Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured surface and cut six 5-inch (13 cm) rounds, gathering and re-rolling the scraps as needed.

Assembly and finish

Spoon about 2–3 tbsp of the cooled filling onto one half of each round, leaving a clear border. Brush the border with a little water, fold the round over into a half-moon, and press the edges firmly with a fork to seal. Keep the filling modest — an overfilled pie splits open in the basket.

Cut two or three small slits in the top of each pie to vent steam. Brush the tops all over with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with the sugar.

Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (175°C) and spray the basket with nonstick spray, or line it with parchment. Arrange the pies in a single layer with space between them, cooking in batches if they don’t all fit at once. Air fry for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the pies are golden and crisp.

Let the pies rest on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before serving. Repeat with any remaining pies.

Notes

Canned shortcut: use about 1½ cups (340 g) canned apple pie filling instead of the homemade one, roughly 2 tbsp per pie, optionally stirred with ¼ tsp extra cinnamon.
Temperature and time: 375°F (190°C) also works and runs a little faster, 8–10 minutes. Mini pies cut with a 2¼-inch cutter need only 5–7 minutes. Puff pastry cooks faster too — start checking around the 5-minute mark.
Shape: instead of a folded half-moon, stack two rounds together with the filling in the middle, or fold a round into quarters for a wedge — the same filling works for either.
Egg wash: melted butter can stand in for the egg wash, or enrich the egg with a tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk for extra shine.
Serving: warm, plain or with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, or a confectioners’ sugar glaze drizzled on once the pies have cooled.
Leak prevention: cool the filling fully, do not overfill the rounds, seal the edges firmly, and cut vents in standard-size pies so steam can escape.