Pumpkin hand pies are sweet little fall treats for individual sharing. Pumpkin spice filling wrapped inside a simple refrigerator pie dough, glossed with an egg wash and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The filling has only 4 ingredients so they’re quick and easy to make.
Why this recipe works
Fall is among us, and these pumpkin hand pies are the perfect treat to kick it off with. Fall is all about pumpkin and apple-flavored goodies. See our apple hand pies we’ve recently added for double the goodness in the seasonal baking department!
You can make these hand pies for Thanksgiving, to pack into school lunches, or even enjoy them with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. They aren’t overly sweet, but perfectly balanced. They’re basically mini, portable pumpkin pies that can be made smaller or larger depending on your preference.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CRUST – Refrigerator pie crust is inexpensive and easily accessible, so this is what we reach for when making these hand pies. You can try your hand at a homemade double crust for this recipe if you’d like.
FILLING – The filling is made with egg, pumpkin puree, granulated white sugar, and pumpkin spice. If you want to use a pumpkin pie filling instead of puree, you can omit the pumpkin spice and the egg called for in the filling ingredients section of the recipe card.
How to Make Pumpkin Hand Pies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, beat 1 egg. Add pumpkin, sugar and pumpkin spice; stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- On a lightly floured surface, unroll pie crust. If using homemade crust, dough should be between 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Cut into circles using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. Repeat with remaining pie crust and re-roll scraps until all the dough has been used.
- Place a dollop of pumpkin mixture on each circle keeping a 1/3-inch border around disc and fold circle in half. Seal by pinching with fingers or crimping with a fork. If edges are not sticking together, lightly moisten with beaten egg first.
- In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together.
- Brush pies with beaten egg, then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
- Using a knife or fork, cut a small slit in the top of the pie. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Yes, you can easily sub out the puree for pumpkin pie filling. Omit the pumpkin spice and the egg called for in the filling’s ingredients list below if doing so.
Though these mini pies are best served right away, you can store leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Yes, to freeze your pumpkin hand pies, place the prepped pies on a baking sheet and add them to the freezer. Once the hand pies are mostly frozen, remove them and place them in a Ziploc bag or airtight container. Return to the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready, thaw in the refrigerator overnight then top with egg wash and cinnamon sugar.
Serving Suggestions
These pumpkin hand pies make great personal desserts for after dinner, to send to school or work in a lunch box, or to bring to a party or gathering. Top the hand pies with an egg wash followed by a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Another way to top them is to whip up a simple powdered sugar glaze to drizzle with!
Hand pies are great because they can be sweet or savory. Taco Hand Pies, Pineapple Empanadas, Lemon Blueberry Hand Pies are all great examples of this.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Roll
- Pumpkin Magic Cake
- Pumpkin Spice Donuts
- Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
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Pumpkin Hand Pies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
For the filling:
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
For the pies:
- 1 box of refrigerated pie crust or homemade double crust
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Before You Begin
- Once you’ve got your dough rolled out, you can cut it in any shape you like. I used a round cutter that was about 5 inches across and got 10 good-sized pies. Different sizes will yield different results. If I was bringing these to a party, I would make them smaller. Cutting the dough into rectangles using a pizza cutter makes this part extremely quick. That’s what I used when I rerolled the scraps. I also added mini chocolate chips to the second round because I love that combo with pumpkin!
- Of course, the size of your disc will determine how much filling can be used. I used a heaping tablespoon for mine. Just be sure to leave a rim around the perimeter of at least 1/3-inch. Fold the dough in half over the circle and pinch with your fingers to seal. If the dough is not sticking together, brush the edge with egg first. You can also use a fork to crimp the edges.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, beat 1 egg. Add pumpkin, sugar and pumpkin spice; stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- On a lightly floured surface, unroll pie crust. If using homemade crust, dough should be between 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Cut into circles. Repeat with remaining pie crust and re-roll scraps until all the dough has been used.
- Place a dollop of pumpkin mixture on each circle keeping a 1/3-inch border around disc and fold circle in half. Seal by pinching with fingers or crimping with a fork. If edges are not sticking together, lightly moisten with beaten egg first.
- In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together. Brush pies with beaten egg, then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Using a knife or fork, cut a small slit in the top of the pie. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Nutrition
This post originally appeared here on Sept 18, 2017 and has since been updated with new photos.
Amanda Davis
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Connie says
Do they have to be refrigerated
Amanda Davis says
Like any other pie, they should be fine at room temperature for the day, but refrigerate after that.
Elisabeth says
OMG! Super easy and so tasty!
angela says
what if you can’t get purée can you use solid pack pumpkin
Becky says
The filling is bland. After all of that work to make the little pies, the taste is a huge disappointment. You would not know from the taste that these are supposed to be pumpkin.
Nicole K says
How would you incorporate a cream cheese / pumpkin filling mix into these pies? A side to side filling. That would be amazingly delicious 😍
Marti says
Can these be frozen after baking or before baking?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes either way
Christine says
Can I use brown sugar instead of the white?
Amanda Formaro says
We haven’t tried that, but I think it would work just fine.
Terry C says
Sadly I have to agree with everything you said Becky. I was disappointed. Maybe it was the store brand crust I used as well. I will try again with my own tried and true Crisco crust. So flakey and tender. I will also make my own spice blend instead of using pumpkin pie spice which I have usually found doesn’t pack the punch like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and that much necessary pinch of cloves that you put together like in a homemade pumpkin pie. 🤞🤞
Teressa Cummins says
Love your recipe!!! Do you think I could also make these with chocolate pudding?? I’m trying to replicate the Hostess Chocolate Pie ;). Thanks so much:)
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you Teressa! I did a quick google search for “homemade pudding hand pie” and there were several recipes. Let me know if you try one!