Pumpkin Pasties (Hand Pies)
- By Amy Dong
- Published Oct. 16, 2023
- Updated Oct. 31, 2023
Straight out of the Harry Potter series, these Pumpkin Pasties (Hand Pies) are the perfect fall treat. A flaky, buttery crust, pumpkin filling, and glaze make a fun dessert recipe that family and friends will love!
In This Article
Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
Why This Recipe Stands Out
Not only are Pumpkin Pasties the perfect fall treat for Harry Potter fans, they’re also great for parties, gifts, kids, and anyone who loves pumpkin pie. Here are some more reasons why we love this recipe:
- The Crust: If the crust is your favorite part of the pie, you’ll love these pasties. The filling is completely encased in light, buttery, and flaky crust.
- The Glaze: These Pumpkin Pasties are covered in the same divine spiced glaze that we use in our Favorite Pumpkin Scones Recipe.
- Pumpkin: They boast plenty of pumpkin and our favorite fall spices.
- Fun-to-Make: These Pumpkin Pasties are a great treat to make with your kids or to get a group of friends together to make, because they’re so fun to throw together.
- Staples: This recipe uses mostly simple pantry staples that you probably already have at home.
What Is A Pumpkin Pasty?
Pumpkin Pasties make their appearance in the Harry Potter series as a treat that wizards can buy on the Hogwarts Express. These pasties, along with a number of other unique dishes like pumpkin juice and fizzing whizbees, are just one of the many delicacies mentioned in the books and movies that pique Harry Potter fans’ interests.
Now what exactly is a pasty? To put it short: it’s a hand pie. Usually pasties are made savory with meat and potatoes. However, these Pumpkin Pasties are sweet treats. Essentially, these are just little pumpkin pies, and we can’t get enough of them!
Key Ingredients
- Pumpkin Puree- Make sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. (Pumpkin pie filling has added sweeteners that we don’t need for this recipe).
- Brown Sugar – We love brown sugar with these pasties, because the hint of molasses flavor pairs wonderfully with the pumpkin and spices.
- Fall Spices – Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg make an appearance in both the filling and the glaze.
- Egg – We beat an egg with some water to make an egg wash that goes on the pasty crust before baking. This gives the crust that coveted golden outside.
Substitutions And Variations
These pumpkin pasties are actually very versatile. Take a look at some of our favorite substitutions and variations for this recipe:
- Crust: If you don’t want to spend your time making a crust from scratch, feel free to use any pre-made pie dough in place of this one.
- Filling: If you’re craving these right now, but don’t have any pumpkin puree on hand, you can actually replace the pumpkin with mashed sweet potato. The flavor will be different and you may want to adjust the sugar to taste, but it still makes for a delicious dessert! In fact, we use
- Glaze: If you’d like to omit the glaze, make sure to add an additional cup of brown sugar to the filling. We also think this 4-Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce would be amazing drizzled on these hand pies.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- For the dough, whisk together flour and salt and cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles course crumbs.
- Add in ice water one tablespoon at a time until dough holds together but is not sticky. Then separate dough into two balls, wrap in plastic, and chill for 1 hour.
- For the filling, mix all ingredients in bowl until well combined. Roll out one of the chilled dough balls, to 1/8 inch thick, on lightly floured surface. Use a 5-6 inch diameter bowl rim to cut out circles.
- Place pumpkin filling in center of each circle. Moisten edges with water, fold dough over, and seal tightly. Use fork to crimp edges. Cut slits on top of each one, and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Repeat.
- Bake on parchment-lined baking sheet at 400F for 25 minutes. Let cool completely.
- For the glaze, whisk all ingredients until combined and drizzle on cooled Pumpkin Pasties.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
We love making this recipe from scratch with friends and family. However, when things get busy, we use these tips to make pumpkin pasties come together quickly and easily. Take a look at these simple tricks to prep ahead:
- Crust: Feel free to make the dough for this crust ahead of time and keep in the fridge wrapped in cling wrap for up to 4 days. If you want to keep the dough for longer before using, you can definitely freeze it too. Thaw it in fridge a few days before use.
- Glaze: The glaze can also be mixed in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just let it come to room temperature and give it a whisk before drizzling.
- Freeze: We highly recommend eating these fresh for the best buttery, flaky texture. So, here’s a pro tip: Completely construct the Pumpkin Pasties and freeze on a baking sheet until hard. Then transfer them to an airtight container and freeze. When you’re ready to bake, simply thaw the pasties and bake as usual.
Commonly Asked Questions
We highly recommend serving these fresh, for that perfect flaky and buttery texture. However, if you have leftovers, store pumpkin pasties in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Pasty is pronounced pass-tee, like “tasty.”
Although we highly recommend homemade crust for the most flaky, buttery results, you can definitely use store bought if you’re short on time. Just note that cooking times may be different.
Absolutely! We love puff pastry and think it would be amazing with this recipe. Just note that cooking times will vary if using a different crust.
Pumpkin pasties taste just like little pumpkin pies. They’re also known as hand-pies, and remind us of those little store-bought hand pies we grew up eating, except these homemade hand pies are infinitely better.
Did you make this?
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Pumpkin Pasties (Hand Pies)
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp table salt
- 1 cup salted butter, diced and chilled
- ½ cup very cold ice water
- 1 egg, beaten with 2 tsp water (egg wash)
- coarse sugar for sprinkling
For the Filling:
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, tightly packed
- 2 TB granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ¼ tsp ginger
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the diced cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with small chunks of butter still visible.
- One tablespoon at a time, add ice water to mixture until it holds together. It should stick together when pinched but not feel sticky. Work dough sparingly with cold fingers or pastry cutter, but do not overwork dough. Form 2 dough balls, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 1 hour.
- Make the Filling: Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until well combined.
- Preheat oven to 400F, with rack on middle position. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out one of the chilled dough balls, to 1/8 inch thick, on lightly floured surface. Use a 5-6 inch diameter bowl rim to cut out circles. Re-roll dough as needed to get as many circles out of it as you can.
- Place 2 TB pumpkin filling in center of each circle. Moisten edges with water, fold dough over, and seal tightly. Use fork to crimp edges. Cut slits on top of each one, and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Repeat with remaining dough ball and filling.
- Bake on parchment lined baking sheet for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Note that bake times can vary, due to oven variations. Let cool completely on wire rack.
- To make Drizzle: Combine all glaze ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Place in ziplog bag, cut tiny hole at one corner, and drizzle onto pasties.
Notes
- These magical hand pies are meant to be drizzled with sweet glaze. If you decide to omit the sweet glaze, add an additional cup of brown sugar in the filling.
- These Pumpkin Pasties are essentially mini pumpkin pies. If you’re looking for a classic pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, check out the Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe.
- If you enjoyed this recipe, come back and give it a rating. We ❤️ hearing from you!
Nutrition (per serving)
More To Bake And Eat
- Baked Pumpkin French Toast Casserole – This is the perfect weekend and holiday breakfast! It’s moist and tender, packed with real pumpkin, and topped with an amazing spiced streusel that’ll have you going back for seconds.
- Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe – This is by far the best pumpkin bread you’ll ever taste! It’s perfectly moist, full of warm autumn spices, and topped with a buttery, brown sugar/cinnamon crumble that sets it far above other pumpkin breads.
- Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe – Make this classic pumpkin pie for your next Thanksgiving meal and you’ll hear the compliments come rolling in! The creamy, rich pumpkin filling sits in a perfectly buttery, flaky crust. Plus, there’s a secret ingredient.
- Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles – We love the amazing but simple combination of cinnamon and sugar in snickerdoodles. Add pumpkin and it’s even better. These cookies are sweet, chewy, and perfect for fall.
