Sweet Potato Hand Pies
on Nov 18, 2023, Updated Jan 26, 2024
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These sweet potato hand pies are the perfect size for little hands! The filling comes together in one bowl and is sweetened with maple syrup for the cutest little hand-held treats!
Whether you’re looking for a simple add-on to your Thanksgiving dessert table or looking for ways to use up some sweet potatoes in your pantry, these pies are sure to be a fun, simple treat! The flakiness of the pie crust paired with the sweet, thick filling makes for the perfect Fall dessert.
And if you’ve got more sweet potatoes that need to be used up, try out these sweet potato salmon cakes, sweet potato zucchini tots, and sweet potato fritters for savory lunch options!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need to make these sweet potato hand pies:
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes: I prefer roasting sweet potatoes in the oven/air fryer beforehand for these pies, but if you’re in a pinch, you can quickly cook them in the microwave.
- Pie Crust: You may use homemade or store-bought!
- Unsalted Butter: Make sure the butter if softened beforehand so that it mixes easily into the filling mixture.
- Egg: Used as a binder for the sweet potato filling. If you choose to brush the pies with an optional egg wash, you will need an additional egg.
- Maple Syrup: The main source of sweetness in these pies.
- Vanilla Extract: To enhance the sweetness of these pies.
- Cinnamon/Nutmeg: Provides an extra warm spice and added flavor.
- Optional* Cinnamon Sugar: To sprinkle on the pies for added sweetness and crunch!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Substitutions & Additions
- Eggs: You may replace the egg with 1/4 cup of applesauce.
- Maple Syrup: You may substitute the maple syrup with 1 mashed overripe banana. Be mindful that this will change the overall texture and taste of the pie filling, but this is a great option if you are making these pies for a young baby and would like to avoid using maple syrup.
- Butter: The butter may be replaced with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or avocado oil.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP 1: Add the mashed sweet potato, egg, butter, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a small bowl and mix until it is well combined (Images 1 & 2).
STEP 2: Unroll the pie crusts on a floured surface. Use a 3.5-inch cookie cutter (or any small circular object) to cut out small circles from the dough (Image 3). Combine the scraps and re-roll them out to be able to get more circles from the dough. Repeat this process until you have 20 cut out circles. Place 10 of the circles down on a parchment paper lined baking pan (Image 4).
STEP 3: Add about 2 tablespoons of the sweet potato filling in the center of each of the dough circles (Image 5).
STEP 4: Top each filled circle with an additional dough circle lightly pressing down on the edges (Image 6).
STEP 5: Use a fork (or sandwich sealer) to seal the edges of the pies (Image 7).
STEP 6: Use a knife to cut a small T-shaped slit on top of each pie. For a shinier crust, gently brush an egg wash/milk on top of the dough. Sprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon sugar on top of all of the pies (Image 8).
STEP 7: Bake at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until the crust slightly browns. Let the pies cool completely before serving.
Storage Instructions
Let the sweet potato hand pies completely cool and store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. To freeze, store in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
Tips For Success
- I like to use a sandwich sealer to cut out circles and seal these pies, but you can use any circular object you have on hand! A cup or cookie cutter works just as well and you can use a fork to seal the edges of the pie closed.
- You may adjust the amount of maple syrup if you prefer less or more sweetness in the pies.
- You can make your own cinnamon sugar with ground cinnamon and sugar, but you can also use a store-bought blend if you prefer!
Recipe FAQs
I prefer to roast sweet potatoes in the oven for the richest flavor. To roast sweet potatoes in the oven, poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork and bake at 425 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes, until tender. If you’re in a pinch, you could also quickly cook sweet potatoes in the microwave for 6 to 8 minutes!
Yes! You may want to adjust the sweetness since you’ll lose some sweetness from the pumpkin instead of the sweet potato. You can also try out these recipes for mini pumpkin pies or pumpkin hand pies instead!
I have not tested this but sweet potato baby food purée is generally thinner in consistency compared to fresh mashed sweet potato, so I wouldn’t recommend it as the texture would be very different.
Other Hand Pie Recipes You’ll Love
Strawberry Cream Cheese Hand Pies
Apple Pie Empanadas
Pumpkin Hand Pies
If you tried these Sweet Potato and Pies, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Sweet Potato Hand Pies
Ingredients
Hand Pies
- 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp butter, softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 rolls prepared pie crusts
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
- Add the mashed sweet potato, egg, butter, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a small bowl and mix until it is well combined.
- Unroll the pie crusts on a floured surface. Use a 3.5-inch cookie cutter (or any small circular object) to cut out small circles from the dough (Image 3). Combine the scraps and re-roll them out to be able to get more circles from the dough. Repeat this process until you have 20 cut out circles. Place 10 of the circles down on a parchment paper lined baking pan.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of the sweet potato filling in the center of each of the dough circles
- Top each filled circle with an additional dough circle lightly pressing down on the edges
- Use a fork (or sandwich sealer) to seal the edges of the pies.
- Use a knife to cut a small T-shaped slit on top of each pie. For a shinier crust, gently brush an egg wash/milk on top of the dough. Sprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon sugar on top of all of the pies.
- Bake the pies for 20 minutes, or until the crust slightly browns. Let the pies cool completely before serving
Notes
- I like to use a sandwich sealer to cut out circles and seal these pies, but you can use any circular object you have on hand! A cup or cookie cutter works just as well and you can use a fork to seal the edges of the pie closed.
- You may adjust the amount of maple syrup if you prefer less or more sweetness in the pies.
- You can make your own cinnamon sugar with ground cinnamon and sugar, but you can also use a store-bought blend if you prefer!
