These incredibly easy strawberry hand pies are bursting with jammy and sweet fresh strawberry filling that’s so simple to make (and no sugar added!). Filled in a flaky golden brown pastry crust that’s naturally dairy free and vegan, these easy hand pies are the perfect summer time vegan dessert!

vegan strawberry hand pies on parchment paper

What are hand pies?

Hand pies, or pasties, trace back to the 19th century in England. Essentially, hand pies are like hand held pies. They resemble a bit like a pop tart in that they’re fully encased in pastry with a sweet or savory filling.

Why these are the best strawberry hand pies around:

If you like strawberry pie, then you’re just going to love these super simple strawberry hand pies. 

These hand pies are made with the perfect flaky and “buttery” crust (that’s undetectably dairy free and vegan!) and filled with the gooiest strawberry pie filling that’s naturally sweet (read: no sugar added!) yet tastes incredible and so fresh.

sliced open strawberry hand pies on parchment paper

With a simple vegan ‘egg wash’ to glaze the tops of each hand pie, these hand pies turn golden brown in the oven without any eggs! Plus they’re so easy to make. The strawberry pie filling is just 4 ingredients, and the pie dough is only 4 as well!

We’ll use a round cookie cutter to make the hand pie mold, fill them and bake. How simple is that?!

These strawberry hand pies are the perfect spring or summer dessert, especially when topped with a scoop of your favorite vegan vanilla ice cream. They’re a wonderful Fourth of July dessert, Memorial Day pie, or Mother’s Day treat. These strawberry hand pies are also great for a vegan Valentine’s Day treat when drizzled with chocolate (you can even shape them into heart shaped strawberry hand pies with a large heart shaped cookie cutter!)

bitten strawberry hand pie with strawberries next to it

Ingredients needed:

Strawberry pie filling:

  • Frozen or fresh strawberries: I’ve used both, and a mix of both! 
  • Lemons: Lemon juice helps to keep the flavor of the strawberries fresh!
  • Arrowroot starch or cornstarch: This will help to thicken our strawberry filling
  • Vanilla extract: Just a touch for sweetness!
  • Optional: Maple syrup- I say this is optional because sometimes you’ll get a not-so-sweet batch of strawberries. If this is the case, your hand pies will be very tart. So you can add 1 tbsp of maple syrup to the strawberry jam to help make it a bit sweeter.

Pastry dough:

For the pastry dough, you actually have a few options! You can use:

  • BEST Vegan pie crust: This is what I used here. It’s made with flour, maple syrup, vegan butter, and chilled water. This pie dough is super easy and you’ll be surprised at how flaky it gets even though it’s vegan!
  • Store bought vegan pie dough: For a SUPER easy strawberry hand pie, you can just use your favorite store bought pie crust.
  • Gluten free oat flour pie crust: This is my favorite vegan pie crust for a gluten free option.

Overview: how to make and assemble strawberry hand pies

Here’s how easy it is to make these hand pies:

  1. Make the strawberry filling: Simply combine all of the strawberry pie filling ingredients in a saucepan and turn the stovetop to medium heat. Cook until the strawberries begin to form almost a jam, about 5 minutes. Then blow the filling to cool completely. 
  2. Make the pie dough: You’ll make the pie dough as the filling is cooling. Follow the instructions for making the simple vegan pie dough. You can use a food processor for ease like I do, or a bowl. Be sure to read all of the tips for making vegan pie crust. It’s actually easier than regular pie dough!
  3. Shape the hand pies:  Roll out the pie dough as you would if you were making this into a pie. But instead of placing the dough into a pie dish, simply cut out several circles for the hand pie crust. Out of all of the cut out pie dough circles, fill only half with about 1/4 cup of the strawberry pie filling. Then place a second pie disk on top and seal the edges.
  4. Bake: ​​Brush the strawberry hand pies with an easy vegan egg wash, and bake until golden brown!

Can I make these strawberry hand pies gluten free?

Absolutely! To make these vegan strawberry hand pies gluten-free, simply swap in gluten free 1:1 baking flour (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill in the blue bag). Another option is actually using my gluten free oat flour pie crust in place of my classic vegan one. 

Can I make these strawberry hand pies ahead of time?

You absolutely can make these strawberry hand pies ahead of time. If you’d like to prepare the strawberry filling and/or the pie dough the day before, you can do so. Store both in the fridge covered and sealed overnight. 

Then the next day, allow the pie dough to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. After a few minutes at room temperature, you can begin to shape your hand pies.

sliced open strawberry hand pie on parchment paper

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

strawberry hadn't pies Pinterest image

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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vegan strawberry hand pies on parchment paper

Easy Strawberry Hand Pies (Secretly Vegan!)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 7 1x
  • Category: Pies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

These incredibly easy strawberry hand pies are bursting with jammy and sweet fresh strawberry filling that’s so simple to make (and no sugar added!). Filled in a flaky golden brown pastry crust that’s naturally dairy free and vegan, these easy hand pies are the perfect summer time vegan dessert!


Ingredients

Scale

Vegan pie crust (pastry dough):

Strawberry Pie Filling:

  • 2 cups (300 g) sliced fresh or frozen strawberries
  • 1 tbsp Edward & Sons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Optional: 1 tbsp maple syrup if strawberries are too tart

Vegan egg wash:

  • 1 tbsp soy milk
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Prep: Measure out all ingredients. TRY ONE STRAWBERRY. If the strawberry is too tart, you may consider adding in the optional maple syrup. If the strawberries are perfectly sweet, then you can skip this.
  2. Make the strawberry filling first: In a medium saucepan, combine the sliced strawberries, arrowroot starch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract together until completely mixed. Turn the stovetop heat on to medium, and heat the mixture until it’s just beginning to boil. Then lower the heat to low, and continue stirring until the liquid begins to thicken, about 5-7 minutes. Once thickened, remove the strawberry filling from the heat, and set aside to cool for 20 minutes at room temperature. While the filling is cooling, make the pie dough.
  3. Make the pie dough: Follow the measurements for the pie crust in the pie crust recipe card linked in the ingredients section. Add the flour and arrowroot powder to a food processor, and pulse the ingredients together. Add in the cubed vegan butter to the food processor, and pulse the ingredients until the mixture resembles a sand texture. Place the lid back onto the food processor, and begin to blend again. Remove the top insert from the lid and carefully pour in the optional maple syrup and water, only adding 1 tbsp of water at a time until you reach a large smooth dough ball.
  4. Chill the pie dough: Place the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form the dough into a flat disk. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, along with the filling.
  5. Roll out the dough: When the pie crust is ready to be rolled, remove the dough from the fridge. Sprinkle a piece of parchment paper with flour, as well as the dough disk and a rolling pin. Gently roll the dough to be about 1/8″ thick. Use your 3-4” round cookie cutter and cut out 14 circles. You will need to re-roll the dough a few times in order to get that many.
  6. Spoon the strawberry pie filling into the hand pies: Spoon about 2 tbsp-1/4 cup (you don’t want to fill them too much though) of strawberry filling onto the middle of 7 of the hand pies. Then place the unfilled hand pie dough rounds on top, and press the edges into the bottom piece of dough. Use a fork to crimp the edges, and slice an “x” on top of the hand pies. Place the parchment paper onto a baking sheet.
  7. Chill: Place the hand pies into the fridge to chill while the oven preheats to 400F.
  8. Bake: Brush the tops of the hand pies with 1 tbsp of maple syrup mixed with 1 tbsp of soy milk. Place the baking sheet into the oven to bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven to broil and broil for 3-4 minutes, watching carefully to make sure the pies don’t burn.
  9. Cool and serve: Remove from the oven and allow the strawberry hand pies to cool for 10-15 minutes. Then serve with a scoop of dairy free ice cream or homemade vegan whipped cream, and enjoy!

Notes

Gluten free: Swap in gluten-free 1:1 baking flour (Bobs’ Red Mill in the blue bag) or use the vegan oat flour pie crust.

 

More vegan pie recipes:

Best Vegan Blueberry Pie

Easy Vegan Cherry Pie

Amazing Vegan Pumpkin Pie

BEST EVER Vegan Apple Pie

Mini Apple Pies