Pumpkin with the addition of iconic pumpkin pie spices is wonderful, and these pumpkin hand pies are an absolutely delicious Halloween party food. Plus when you eat these Halloween hand pies you really don’t think you’re eating a vegetable pie. Hidden vegetable level treats achieved. These pumpkin pies can be either sweet or savoury.
Pumpkin hand pies are the perfect pumpkin pie appetizers! They look so cute and taste even better, I cut these pumpkin shaped pies from the sheets of shortcrust pastry and then filled them with pumpkin puree and wonderful warm pumpkin spices.
Why you’ll love this pumpkin hand pies recipe
They are healthy! Shortcrust pastry filled with pumpkin makes this a great hidden vegetable treat.
Look how wonderful the homemade pumpkin pies look! I think they look fantastic as pumpkin pie appetizers! The shaped pies are perfect on a table for all your Halloween party treat needs.
It couldn’t be easier to make the pumpkin hand pies puff pastry, simple shape your pastry, fill it with the pumpkin puree, mixed with all the warm autumnal spices and baked!
You can even try mixing up the shapes and making ghost-shaped pumpkin pies or create jack-o-lantern pumpkin pies.
Top Questions
Can regular pumpkins be used for pies?
How do you store cooked hand pies?
How many days before Thanksgiving can I make pies?
What is a hand pie?
How do you keep hand pies from getting soggy?
How do you seal hand pies?
Ingredients
For the full recipe and instructions scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe card.
PUMPKIN PUREE
For this pumpkin hand pies recipe, you can use ready-made pumpkin puree or you can make it yourself at home. If you are tempted I can assure you it is really easy and you can follow my how-to make pumpkin puree guide for all the info you will need. I go through how to cook a pumpkin and from there all you need to do is put it in a blender.
SHORTCRUST PASTRY
I love shortcrust pastry for making new more detailed hand pies! It’s easy to make, goes a beautiful golden brown while just crispy enough to blend perfectly with the warm, spiced pumpkin puree. By crimping the edges you can keep all the fillings inside.
PUMPKIN SPICES
I mix a good mix of cinnamon, ground ginger and ground cloves into the pumpkin puree. They are cosy and full of flavour. Add your favourite pumpkin spice flavours.
How to make pumpkin hand pies – step by step
Remove the shortcrust pastry 30 minutes before you are ready to start so it can soften, then Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 180ºC fan / gas 6. If you want to make your own shortcrust pastry you can use my recipe here.
Draw a pumpkin on a piece of paper as a stencil to cut around. Mine was approximately 10cm x 8cm.
Mix your pumpkin puree with your autumn spices. Making sure to mix thorougly.
Cut out as many pumpkins as you can from the pastry and set them aside. Be sure to cut even numbers so you have both sides of the pie.
Fill your Pumpkin handpies with your spiced puree filling. Keeping it away from the edges so you have space to seal your hand pie.
Brush the border of the pastry with the egg wash and seal your individual pumpkin desserts with a fork, pressed in to crimp the edges.
Brush your pies with an egg or milk wash and bake! Once your pies are golden brown they can be taken out of the oven and left to cool for a few moments before diving in. The pumpkin puree filing will be hot.
Pumpkin Hand Pies Top Tips
Crimp the edges of your pumpkin hand pies to stop any of the fillings from spilling out during cooking. You can use a fork to press into the pumpkin shaped pie edges and this will seal them.
Add an egg wash to the top of your Halloween hand pies to give the shortcrust pastry that wonderful golden colour. You make an egg wash simply by mixing up a raw egg until the yoke is fully combined in the white and then using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the pumpkin hand pies puff pastry.
Serving Suggestions
These homemade Pumpkin handpies are best when warm and fresh from the oven. The pastry is flaky and the full autumn flavours are perfect!
I would serve the Pumpkin Pie appetizers by laying them on the table, decorate with red, orange and yellow leaves and serve them as canepes or appetizers before your main meal. They are the perfect bitsize pumpkin hand pies and look wonderful when displayed like I have below.
Equipment
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- Kitchen Scales
- Mixing bowl
- Teaspoon
- Fork (or pie crimper)
- baking trays
- greaseproof paper / baking parchment
Substitutions and variations
VEGAN PUMPKIN HAND PIES
Shortcrust pastry is often vegan from supermarkets and of course, pumpkin is vegan too! Just brush with vegan milk instead of egg prior to cooking and you’ll have a wonderful vegan Halloween Hand Pies.
PUFF PASTRY HALLOWEEN HAND PIES
If you want to really take these pumpkin hand pies up a notch then you have to try them with puff pastry – simply make the recipe as normal but instead of using shortcrust pastry, use your your favourite puff pastry.
They grow larger and it’s lovely to have that flaky pastry.
FRESH FRUIT PIES
Looking for a tasty dessert to warm you up on of a brisk autumnal day? Look no further than the fresh fruit hand pies. You can full the pastry shapes with your favourite fruits. For a summer pie I love mixing strawberries, blueberries and raspberries for a summer fruits hand pie.
But you could also make a dried cranberry hand pie or even try apple and blackcurrant with warming cinnamon. You can then serve your warm fresh fruit pies with ice cream to make a wonderful autumn pudding.
SMORES HAND PIES
Chocolate and marshmallows. Name a better combination. For the SMores hand pie just lay our your shortcrust pastry, I cut mine into a square for ease, and pop a couple chocolate buttons or squares of chocolate on the bottom. Layer some mini marshmallows on top and seal with a top layer of pasrty. You could also use Nutella for ease.
You could make these smores hand pies extra luxurious by adding another layer of chocolate before sealing your pie or serving them with your favourite flavour of ice cream.
CHOCOLATE HAND PIES
To really make these hand pies special you could make chocolate Halloween hand pies. I spread a layer of chocolate spread across the bottom layer of pastry.
To really pimp your hand pies you could also add a handful of your favourite crush nuts. I loved using walnuts in this recipe but you could use peanuts or something sweeter like almonds.
Storing / Making ahead of time options
These pumpkin handpies can be kept in an air tight container in the fridge for a few days, no more than a week. You can even pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm them back up before serving.
These halloween puff pastry hand pies can be frozen in an air tight container once they have fully cooled after baking. They will last in the freezer for 3-4 months. Just be sure to fully defrost them before tucking in.
FAQS
Can regular pumpkins be used for pies?
Yes, you can use regular pumpkins for pies but it won’t taste quite as good as if you used a pie pumpkin. Normal carving pumpkins have a different flavour to pie pumiins and you don’t get as much filling from them.
How do you store cooked hand pies?
You store cooked hand pies in the fridge in an air tight container. Then when you are ready to serve, simply pop them back in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to warm them up.
How many days before Thanksgiving can I make pies?
I would recommend making pies just a day before or on thanksgiving if you have the time. Handpies are always best when fresh.
What is a hand pie?
A hand pie is a small pastry that you can eat with your hands. The term became popular with the emergence of Cornish pasties. It was a small pastry that the miners could eat on their lunch.
How do you keep hand pies from getting soggy?
To keep your hand pies from getting soggy you want to make sure you don’t have too much liquid in your filling. For my pumpkin hand pie UK recipe I use pumpkin puree with warm autumn spices for the filling. That way there isn’t lots of liquid to soak into the pastry and cause it to go soggy.
How do you seal hand pies?
You seal hand pies by pressing a fork into the edges of your uncooked Halloween handpie, this will press the two halves of your handpie together and thus will keep it sealedduring cooking. Using an egg or milk wash between the top and bottom of your pie will also help to keep the two sides sealed.
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Recipe
Pumpkin Hand Pies – Easy Halloween Hand Pies
Equipment
- Fork (or pie crimper)
- baking trays
Ingredients
- 2 sheets of ready rolled shortcrust pastry
- 400 g pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon dried ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Remove the shortcrust pastry 30 minutes before you are ready to start so it can warm and soften. It will make it a lot easier to cut and work with.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 180ºC fan / gas 6.
- Draw a pumpkin on a piece of paper as a stencil to cut around. Mine was approximately 10cm x 8cm.
- Cut out as many pumpkins as you can from the pastry and set them aside. Try and cut even numbers so you have both sides of the pie.
- In a bowl mix your pumpkin puree with the spices.
- Place 2 heaped tablespoons onto the pumpkin bases leaving a border of about 1cm around the outside. (Save half of the pumpkins to be the lids of the pies.)
- Place a pumpkin pastry shape on top gently. Use a fork to crimp the edges and set the pumpkin on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.
- In a bowl lightly beat the egg and then using a pastry brush, brush the egg over the pies.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
- Best served warm but can be eaten cold. They can also be warmed up again in the microwave.
Video
Notes
Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
This is a really cute and fun way to make pumpkin pie!
I agree and I’m so glad you think so too. I adore them.
These are so adorable. Love the shape and the marvelous pumpkin filling. They will be a big hit at my Halloween party.
The definitely will be!
Easy and tasty dessert for fall. Love these pumpkin filling
Thank you so much for telling me. I’m glad you found them easy and tasty to make.
these are so cute and fun for fall! I am saving this recipe for Halloween parties I know they will be a huge hit!
I hope you all enjoy them.