Blueberry hand pies are made with blueberry pie filling inside a flaky pie crust or refrigerated biscuit dough.
This blueberry pie recipe is bursting with juicy blueberry filling that uses wild or regular blueberries, store-bought or homemade pie crust. Prep these hand pies ahead of time and freeze for later!
So simple to make this pie recipe with only a few ingredients! Blueberry pie is one of our absolute favorite types of homemade pie and these hand pies are so darn delicious! This blueberry pie recipe uses fresh or frozen blueberries!
This hand pie recipe uses fresh or frozen fruit for the pie filling and is the perfect addition to any potluck, picnic or backyard BBQ. And, best of all- you can prep these handheld pies ahead of time and plop in the freezer for when you need them!
Make the pie filling ahead of time and cool completely before filling your pie crust.
I’m obsessed with hand pies and have been making them for many years now! While we prefer to fry hand pies, you can also be baked or cooked in an air fryer! Be sure and check out my Apple Hand Pies!
We use homemade pie crust, but you can also use store-bought or refrigerated biscuit dough.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Make ahead of time! You can make the blueberry pie filling ahead of time. Refrigerate it for a few days or freeze for a month or two.
- Freezer friendly! Make these hand pies ahead of time, place on half sheet pans lined with parchment paper and freeze. Cover the entire pan with plastic wrap to prevent frost bite.
- Makes a great individual dessert! These are the perfect size dessert. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- Blueberries – Use fresh or frozen blueberries. We love using wild blueberries in this hand pie recipe, but you’re welcome to use whatever you prefer!
- Sugar – Helps to sweeten the blueberry filling and brings out the natural juices of the berries.
- Butter – Adds a nice touch of flavor to this recipe. (Grandma did it all the time!)
- Lemon juice – Keeps your berries fresh and adds a splash of tartness.
- Cornstarch – Thickens the pie filling.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg – Adds a little pop of spice to your pies. Not too much- just the right amount!
- Pie Crust – Use homemade or store-bought pie crust. You can even use refrigerated biscuit dough rolled out if you prefer.
How to make Blueberry Pie Filling
Step 1: Cook the blueberries. Add the blueberries into a large cast iron skillet or pot and cook over medium heat. Add the butter, sugar and lemon juice. Cook until soft, stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally.
Step 2: Make a cornstarch slurry. Dissolve the cornstarch into cold water, stir with a tablespoon.
Step 3: Thicken the pie filling. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberry mixture. Cook over medium to high heat to thicken. Let the mixture simmer and stir constantly with a wooden spoon as it thickens.
Let pie filling cool completely before putting into the pie dough.
NOTE: Blueberry Pie Filling will thicken once removed from the heat and it cools. Should it not be thick enough, simply pour back into the skillet, add a little more dissolved cornstarch and cook some more.)
I like to make pie filling the night before I assemble blueberry hand pies, so it’s completely cooled and ready to go! (Make the pie filling ahead of time and refrigerate for a few days, or freeze until needed.)
How to make Blueberry Hand Pies
Step 1: Roll out your biscuit dough or pie crust on a lightly floured surface, into 4-6-inch ovals.
Step 2: Scoop cooled pie filling in the center of each round. Fold over, lightly press down on the filling and the edges.
Step 3: Trim the edges of pie crust with pastry cutter. Crimp the edges of the dough with a floured fork.
Step 4: Place uncooked pies on a half-sheet pan which is lined with parchment paper. Place the entire tray into the refrigerator while the oil heats. OR cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and freeze pies for later!
How to make flaky pie crust
- Make ahead of time – make pie dough ahead of time and refrigerate overnight.
- Mix by hand – use a pastry cutter to cut lard and butter into the flour, rather than using a food processor. (while I love my food processor, it tends to overwork pie crust.) The more you handle pie dough, the more tough it will become.
- Keep pie crust cold – an imperative detail! While working with pie crust and should it become too warm, plop the entire bag into the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Tools for making pie crust
- Pastry Blender – needed to cut in lard, vegetable shortening, and/or butter into the flour and salt mixture when making homemade pie crust.
- Rolling Pin – use a wooden rolling pin to carefully roll out your pie dough. Wash by hand with hot water and a little dish soap.
- Pastry Brush – brush on egg wash without damaging the pie crust.
Tips on working with pie dough
- Keep the pie dough chilled– always. If it gets to warm, plop it back into the fridge or even the freezer for a bit. You can even plop the entire pie in the fridge or into the freezer for a bit to get it really cold again before baking.
- Doesn’t have to be perfect! Working with pie dough and weaving a lattice crust takes practice. Don’t stress and remember it doesn’t have to be perfect. It will still taste amazing!
How to freeze hand pies
As you create each hand pie, place them on a half sheet pan lined with a piece of parchment paper. I will typically overlap them just a tad and be able to fit about 5-6 hand pies in each row, with a total of 3 rows per sheet pan.
Wrap the entire sheet pan of hand pies and place in the freezer flat. So the entire sheet pan stays flat. Once they are completely frozen you can stack another sheet pan of hand pies on top, if needed. But, not until they are completely frozen– otherwise you will squish the hand pies!
How to thaw hand pies
- Thaw in the fridge, uncovered. This also makes the pie dough super cold when you fry them, helping them become perfectly flaky.
- NOTE: If you leave them covered with plastic wrap after being frozen, they end up with too much condensation! Just remove the plastic wrap and they’ll thaw perfectly overnight.
- Fry these blueberry hand pies right out of the fridge. You want them to be cold so the pie crust stays flaky!
Recipe FAQs
Use a slurry of cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water or you can also use tapioca flour mixed with water. Bring the pie filling to a simmering boil to cook the cornstarch mixture and thicken the filling.
While hand pies and turnovers are very similar, the biggest difference is the crust. Turnovers are often made with puff pastry, while hand pies are made from pie crust or biscuit dough.
Yes! I make hand pies in advance and slightly overlap them on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Loosely cover the entire sheet pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer.
Layer hand pies, slightly overlapped on a parchment lined half sheet pan. Three rows of hand pies, five to six hand pies per row. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to six months.
Don’t these blueberry hand pies look delicious? The blueberry pie filling is so juicy and flavorful. Remember, you can adjust the sugar in the pie filling depending on how sweet or tart your berries are!
Work smarter, not harder! Make a big batch of pie filling and pie crust and make a bunch of hand pies! Then, freeze the entire tray! They will pop apart relatively easily while completely frozen.
More Pie Recipes
- Apple Cobbler
- Apple Hand Pies
- Blackberry Hand Pies
- Blackberry Cobbler
- Caramel Apple Pie
- Cherry Cobbler
- Cherry Crumb Pie
- Cherry Hand Pies
- Peach Cobbler
- Pumpkin Pie
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Blueberry Hand Pies
Ingredients
Blueberry Hand Pies
- 3 pounds blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (adjust sugar as needed)
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Homemade pie crust or biscuit dough
Instructions
Blueberry Pie Filling
- If using fresh blueberries you may need to add a little water to the pan so they don't burn.
- If using frozen blueberries; no need to thaw the berries and they will create their own moisture from being frozen.
- Add the blueberries into a large cast iron skillet or pot and cook over medium heat. Add the butter, sugar and lemon juice. Cook until soft, stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally.
- Dissolve the cornstarch into cold water, stir with a tablespoon.
- Stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberry mixture. Cook over medium to high heat to thicken. Let the mixture simmer and stir constantly with a wooden spoon as it thickens.
- Remove the pie filling from the heat and add cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
- Let pie filling cool completely before putting into the pie shell.
Blueberry Hand Pies
- Roll out your biscuit dough or pie crust on a lightly floured surface, into 4-6 inch ovals, about ⅛-¼-inch thick.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon or so of the cooled pie filling in the center of each round. Fold over, lightly press down on the filling and the edges. (Lightly wet edges with water, using your fingertip if needed)
- Trim the edges of pie crust with pastry cutter or small pizza cutter. Crimp the edges of the dough with a floured fork.
- Place uncooked pies on a half-sheet pan which is lined with parchment paper. Place the entire tray into the refrigerator while the oil heats.
- Or cover the sheet pan loosely with plastic wrap and place into the freezer for later use.
- Fill a fry pan with about 2-3 inches of canola oil. Heat the oil until very hot (about 370 to 375 degrees F).
- Place only a few hand pies in the hot oil at a time, as to not overcrowd the pan or let the oil cool. Fry until they are brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the hot oil and let drain on paper towels on a half-sheet pan. Sprinkle with granulated sugar or dust with powdered sugar while they are still warm.
- Or drizzle each hand pie with a simple glaze. Let dry slightly before handling.
- These are best served warm.
Video
Recipe Notes
Blueberry Pie Filling
Blueberry pie filling can be made ahead of time and frozen for later use. We love using wild blueberries because they have more flavor (available frozen at wholesale clubs and larger grocery store chains.) However, you can use whatever you have available.Blueberry Hand Pies
You can make hand pies AHEAD of time. Overlap them slightly on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer. Cover the tray loosely with plastic wrap. Thaw blueberry hand pies Remove the plastic wrap that was covering the tray and discard it. It will have extra moisture you DO NOT want! Let them thaw, uncovered in the refrigerator overnight OR on the counter for 1-2 hours. You still want them very cold when frying. Cooking Blueberry Hand Pies Use canola oil heated to 375 degrees. This is so the pies do not absorb any odd flavors. OR bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven. Place hand pies on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with a little bit of sugar. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the pie crust is golden browned. Monitoring the oil temperature If you do not have a thermometer. You can test if the oil is hot enough by sprinkling a tiny bit of flour off of your fingers into the center of the oil. If the flour bubbles out to the edges of the pan quickly, the temperature is ready.Nutrition
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TAMERA says
You mentioned you can cook them in the Airfryer. I didn’t see any mention of temperature or time. Have you tried them in the Airfryer? Thank you for your time and amazing recipes!
Jessica Robinson says
We always fry them. However, if you want to bake, preheat to 400-425 degrees F. Brush with an egg wash, pies should be SUPER cold going into the oven. Bake until the pie crust is golden browned.
Erica says
I don’t believe you mentioned what to do with the cinnamon and nutmeg?
Jessica Robinson says
Erica,
Thank you for letting us know we missed this step. It has been added into the instructions. You add cinnamon and nutmeg when you remove the pie filling from the stove.
Melanie Franceschi says
Can you give an estimate of how big you roll out the dough for the hand pie?
Jessica Robinson says
Hello Melanie,
I roll them out into an oval shape, probably slightly larger than my hand. About 5 inches wide and 7 inches long. The pie itself will end up around the size of your hand, laid out flat. You’ll get better at them each time. Roll it out, fill with a heaping tablespoon or two of cooled pie filling, fold over, trim edges and crimp with a floured fork. Let me know if you need help! Look at the videos for more details too.
Carmela says
Can these be made ahead of time. Making for a church staff party and need to have them there about 3 hrs before eating. Thank you
Jessica Robinson says
Yes, these can be made ahead of time. I recommend not covering them after frying, or it will create steam that will make the crust soggy. I usually place them into a bakery box or something. But, not covering with plastic wrap or even aluminum foil, as it will create steam.
Carmela says
Thank you so much. These sound delicious!
Debi says
I love blueberries and these yummy hand pies are calling my name! What a great recipe!
Jessica Robinson says
Oh thank you!! We love these too!