Get ready to fall in love with these easy blueberry hand pies, featuring a jammy blueberry filling wrapped in a perfectly crisp buttery crust. All made simple thanks to store-bought puff pastry!
These hand pies filled with blueberries make me smile whenever we make them! My family loves blueberry pie, and the fact that this recipe turns it into a handheld experience is seriously the best! I keep these super easy with store-bought puff pastry, making them a little lighter and airier than if you swap it for traditional pie crust (which is an option, by the way).
I love fresh blueberries in these pies, but I’ve shared tips for swapping them for frozen blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and strawberries below! For more pie inspired recipes, try our apple pie cupcakes, made with a base of cinnamon roll dough (I know!). Or, for another blueberry recipe, see this easy blueberry crumble!
Key Ingredients
- Store-Bought Puff Pastry: Puff pastry is the secret to these easy individual hand pies. It is made with multiple layers of dough separated by butter. When you bake it, the butter puffs and lifts the layers of dough above it. That’s why puff pastry becomes so flaky. I used Pepperidge Farm in the photos, but use what you have available! You can also substitute it with homemade pie crust (no changes necessary).
- Blueberries: I love fresh blueberries (especially during the summer when they are in season). You can also use frozen berries in our recipe (tips for this are in the recipe). Or substitute for other berries or cherries.
- Sugar: I don’t like the filling to be too sweet, but I add a little sugar to help make that jammy texture. Granulated sugar or coconut sugar is perfect. If you have some, sprinkle coarse sugar over the dough before baking (or use more granulated sugar).
- Cornstarch: This thickens the filling nicely. For fresh fruit, use 2 tablespoons to 2 cups of fruit. If you have frozen, increase by 1/2 tablespoon.
- Lemon Juice, Salt, and Almond Extract: These make our filling taste incredible. I love the almond extract (and also call for it in my homemade blueberry pie), but you can leave it out if you don’t have any on hand.
- Egg Wash: I love these hand pies with a shiny, golden exterior, so I brush a little egg wash with an egg yolk and cream over them before baking.
Easy Blueberry Hand Pies
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
These blueberry hand pies are perfect when you want pie but don’t have the time to make a whole pie! We use store-bought puff pastry dough for these, which makes them extra easy. Before making these, make sure that your puff pastry is thawed according to the package directions. I usually take them out of the freezer and place them into the fridge overnight.
You Will Need
1 (17.3oz) package puff pastry sheets, thawed, 2 sheets puff pastry
2 cups fresh blueberries
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (14g) cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon almond extract, optional
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cream
Coarse sugar or extra granulated sugar for topping pies
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2Prepare blueberry filling: Combine blueberries, ¼ cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, ⅛ teaspoon of salt, and the optional ⅛ teaspoon of almond extract in a saucepan over medium heat.
3Cook, stirring often, until the liquid at the bottom comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until it thickens. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature (to speed this up, stir it occasionally and place into the refrigerator).
4Make egg wash: Whisk an egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of cream in a small bowl. Set aside.
5Prepare pie crusts: When the filling is mostly cooled down. Unfold one of the thawed puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Cut into four 6-inch squares. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet. Transfer pastry squares to the baking sheets.
6Assemble hand pies: Divide the filling between the pastry squares, placing it onto one-half of each pastry square. Spoon any liquid accumulated on the bottom of the bowl over blueberries.
7Brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash, fold the half of pastry without filling over blueberries then use a fork to press edges and seal. Brush the tops with more egg wash and top them with a sprinkle of sugar. Cut two 1-inch slits into the top of each pie.
8Bake pies: Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and the filling is bubbling out of the slits on top. (Don’t worry. Plenty of filling is left inside.) Cool the hand pies on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Once cool, store the hand pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Using frozen blueberries: You can use frozen blueberries in this recipe. Add them frozen, but increase the cornstarch by ½ tablespoon (so use 2 ½ tablespoons total).
- Using cherries, strawberries, or blackberries: Use 2 cups of fresh blackberries, pitted and halved cherries, or chopped fresh strawberries. You may need to increase the sugar by 1 tablespoon for blackberries unless they are very ripe and sweet.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
I made these exactly as stated, and they were wonderful. Do you have any suggestions for using apples instead of berries?
I’d take a look at the filling for these apple pie cupcakes.
Hello, I have never enjoyed boxed / store bought pastry dough. For the hand pies could I use your home made pastry dough recipe instead and would it change cooking time? Also last question, you mentioned it would be good with strawberry and blackberry but did not mention apple, which was my plan. Can it be made with apples? Thank you
Hi Michelle, Yes, you can use homemade pie crust with no changes to the recipe. I love the apple filling in these apple cupcakes, which would work nicely here.
anyone tried with frozen blueberries instead of fresh as i have put some in the freezer. need to use up. any tips?
Hi Jennifer, You can use frozen blueberries! I recommend increasing the cornstarch by 1/2 tablespoon.
The Fried Pies got me! Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Glad you enjoy them!
Exactly the recipes I was looking g for. Wish me luck!!!!
Excellent! Good luck!
Just found this page. Will definitely make these
Can’t wait to find out how you like them!
Hi, made these yesterday and they were a hit! Mine didn’t come out as pretty as yours but they were so delicious! Thanks 🙂
It’s the flavor that counts! Glad you enjoyed them, Danielle!
Love your recipes and the clear-cut directions. So glad someone told me about your page.
We are, too! Thanks for coming back and letting us know!
Hi I just made these and put them in the oven when I relized I left out the corn starch, do you think they will come out o.k..
Hi Elizabeth, the cornstarch helps to thicken the pie filling. You might find that the middle is a bit too runny.
I was looking online for a recipe that included fresh blueberries and puff pastry sheets. I intended to use the puff pastry sheets for an apple recipe that I never ended up making. Little did I know that THIS recipe would be the reason I waited! I thought this might be a little too much ‘work’, but it was easy and really fun!! AND SO DELICIOUS!! I just LOVE the addition of the almond extract!! I will make this one over and over again!! Thank you!!!
So happy you enjoyed them, Candace!
Hi! I happened to find this recipe today. Looks amazing! I have a can of blue berries and I didn’t know what to do with it until today. Also I was wondering if I just could use the egg white without the cream of seal the pastry? Have you use jam for the filling?
Cheers!
Maria
Just using the egg white should work for sealing the pastry pockets.
What do you recommend I substitute for cornstarch?
Hi Noreen, Flour will work in a pinch as well as arrowroot, potato starch or tapioca flour.
Thank you for taking the time to post this. Explained beautifully -. Tomorrow I will be using up apples blueberries raspberries blackberry and strawberries (we’ve been blessed outdoors this year)I guess that means “Apple-multi-Berry pies” lol
How would I swap the blueberries for apples? Would the rest of the ingredients change any? This is a super awesome idea. I thought it would be cute and delicious to make some.
Swapping apples for blueberries should be fine. Nothing should need to change.
Omg!! I had a bunch of blueberries on hand & needed to use them quick… I’d also bought frozen puff pastry like a year ago & had never used it (never used the stuff ever in life actually). This was the most gratifying recipe EVER!! I feel like a master pastry chef! Kinda feel like it can’t be messed up. I used regular sugar on top– fine (but I’ll be getting some coarse)! My vents weren’t quite big enough– no big deal! Just so fun to pull them out of the oven on a fall Sunday. Will DEFINITELY be making them again soon… Thanks for sharing this!!
PS: The stars below won’t work to rate the recipe, but I’d give it a solid 5!
These are so good. I made them the night before my dinner party. How do I store them overnight?
We’d wrap them in some plastic wrap and keep in the fridge. Then warm them up a little the next day.
I just made these with rasperries instead of blueberry, the sides didnt stay sealed and the raspberry leaked allover! any advice 🙁
Hmm, the filling does bubble out of the slits a little (you can see that in our photos). Most of the filling should have stayed inside, though. You could increase the cornstarch a little, which will help thicken the juices a bit more.
Do you think it would be possible to freeze those? Would I have to throw them in the oven again after unfreezing not to have them go soft and weird?
Yes, you can definitely freeze these. We’d reheat them in the oven to bring them back to life a bit before serving.
Your recipe doesn’t say fresh or frozen but the picture looks to be fresh blueberries. How could I use all the frozen blueberries, raspberries & blackberries I have in my freezer?
You can use frozen – just thaw them first. Drain some of the liquid after thawing then use our recipe as stated above. Hope that helps.
This looks delicious! I have two questions.
1) Can I use vanilla extract instead of almond extract? Family members have nut allergies.
2) Instead of 6″ squares, I would like to make them bite size. Can I cut them into 3×6″ pieces?
If so, will they bake in the same amount of time, or do I need to decrease the baking time?
Hi Merie, Yes vanilla extract will be delicious. For size, you can make them smaller. The baking time might need to decrease a little. We suggest you check 10 minutes before the recipe states and go from there. Just look for the dough to be golden brown. Enjoy!
Can I use a can of pie filling instead. Would that work?
While we have not tried it, we’re pretty confident that it will work well.
Absolutely love this, Joanne! Where do I get almond extract, though? Don’t think I’ve seen it at the grocery store …
Hi Natalia, Look near the vanilla extract in the store — McCormick brand has both “pure almond extract” and “imitation almond extract.” Go for the “pure” if you can. Also, if you have a Whole Foods near you, they have quite a few options.
Oh my….yes please and thank you.
You’re the best 🙂
A solid handheld pie like this is pure gold. Yum!
Thanks Katrinia 🙂