This recipe for easy apple pastry yields the most delicious mouth-watering apple turnovers. Using a store-bought puff pastry shortcut, they’re crazy easy!
I love to keep a batch or two of my homemade puff pastry dough on hand so that I can make these quick apple turnovers whenever the craving arises. They always come out so flaky, buttery, and airy. The perfect brunch appetizer or snack to pack away in a school lunch!
Note: If you don’t want to make homemade puff pastry, snag some premade puff pastry sheets from the freezer aisle of the grocery store.
Best Apples for Apple Pies or Apple Pastry
There are tons of different types of apples out there but not all are created equal when it comes to making turnovers. Granny Smith apples (the light green, tart apples) are my favorite type to use for this recipe. Slightly sour and hard to the touch, they stand up well during the baking process and give the pastries a nice bite. Other great options are fuji, honeycrisp, and gala apples. You can even use a combination of a few!
Apple Turnovers Video
How to Prepare this Easy Apple Pastry Recipe
Preparing these 4 ingredient apple turnovers only requires 10 minutes of prep time and a quick 15 minutes of bake time.
- Prepare the Apples: First, peel and slice the apples into thin pieces and set them aside.
- Roll Out the Pastry Dough: Next, roll out the pastry dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin and slice it into 8 equal squares.
- Assemble the Pastries: Place 4-5 apple slices into the center of each pastry square and top with a spoonful of cinnamon sugar. Fold the sides over to create a tiny pocket and seal them by pinching the edges with your fingers. Assemble the pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Brush the Pastries: Next, whisk the eggs in a small bowl and brush the tops of the turnovers with the egg wash. Sprinkle more sugar on top of the pastries.
- Bake the Pastries: Bake the pies at 415°F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy right away!
Dessert Hack: Transform these apple pastry tarts into the perfect dessert by topping them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. YUM!
5 Tips for Making a Perfect Apple Pastry
While this apple dessert is almost too easy to be called a recipe, a couple of tricks of the trade will help you knock it out of the park.
- Don’t pre-cook the apples. There’s no need to pre-cook your apples. Just be sure to cut them into thin, uniform slices – this will yield the best texture!
- Use extra cold puff pastry. Make sure the puff pastry dough is really cold when you are shaping your turnovers. The colder the puff pastry is, the more slowly the butter inside the dough will melt in the oven. This process creates the signature light and fluffy layering of the puff pastry.
- Work on a floured surface. Make sure to flour the surface you are going to work with your puff pastry on. You don’t want the dough to stick!
- Prep the pastries ahead of time. If you need to wait to bake them, refrigerate turnovers until you are ready to pop them in the oven. They will keep it for 24 hours!
- Create a bakery-worthy pastry sheen. Brush the tops of apple turnovers with whisked eggs to achieve that beautiful golden color on top. Don’t skip this simple step!
Hot Tip: Swap the white sugar for brown sugar for a deeper flavor and perfect Fall treat.
Storing & Reheating Tips
To keep the turnovers on hand for 3 days, store them in an airtight container on the counter. If you want to keep them on hand for a week, store them in the fridge instead. The best way to reheat apple turnovers is in the oven or an air fryer (not the microwave – they’ll just get soggy!) at 350°F for 3-5 minutes. This will help them return to their perfectly crispy, fresh-out-of-the-oven texture.
Freezer Tip: You can also freeze the raw pastries for up to 2 months and bake them straight from frozen for a quick dessert!
FAQ
Should you bake apples before using them from apple pastry?
No, you should not bake the apples before using them for apple pastry unless you prefer a more applesauce-like texture. Baking apples fresh allows them to soften, while also keeping a nice subtle texture to them.
Is puff pastry the same as a pie crust?
No, puff pastry and pie crust are not the same. Pie crust is more dense, buttery, and cake-like, while puff pastry is light, buttery, and flakey.
Why did the puff pastry of your apple pastry get soggy?
The crust of the apple pastry gets soggy if you use a moist apple pie filling. This is why it’s best to bake fresh fruit on top instead of pie filling. The crust will also turn out soggy if you don’t bake it long enough.
Can you use frozen apples for apple pastry?
It’s best to not use frozen apples for apple pastry. As they bake, they will release moisture and cause the pastry to turn soggy and limp.
More Tasty Apple Recipes to Try
- Sharlotka Apple Cake – Classic Slavic apple cake
- Baked Apples – Minimal ingredients for the easiest dessert
- Banana Apple Bread Recipe – Banana bread with a little spin
- Quick Apple Cake Recipe – Easy apple bundt cake
- Apple Fritters – Fried apple donuts
Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 medium apples
- 1 lb puff pastry
- 1 cup sugar (you can also use cinnamon sugar)
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Peel and slice the apples into 8-10 pieces and set them aside.
- Roll out the pastry dough on a well-floured surface. Cut the pastry sheet into 8 equal pieces and place 4-5 pieces of apple in the center of each. Top with a spoonful of sugar.
- Fold the dough over the apples, creating tiny pockets. Place each pie on a lined baking sheet. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and brush the tops of each pie with the whisked eggs. Sprinkle on some more sugar.
- Bake the pies at 415°F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!
No one said what type of Apple works best can you please tell me what you use
Hi Alyce, I answer those questions in the recipe. Granny Smith apples (the light green, tart apples) are my favorite type to use for this recipe. Slightly sour and hard to the touch, they stand up well during the baking process and give the pastries a nice bite. Other great options are fuji, honeycrisp, and gala apples. You can even use a combination of a few! I hope this is what you are looking for. Thank you for reaching out. Enjoy!
I made these but used a can of apple pie filling. They taste just like apple turnovers! delicious and so easy!
Toni, I am so happy this recipe worked well for you. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
I made these today with my Pre-K class to celebrate the end of our tree study. The were so easy to make and the kids had a great time making them! The kids couldn't quite make the dough stay, and they just sort of balled it up as best they could, but turned out perfectly and were delicious!
The only problem was the juice leaking out and making the bottom a little soggy. The kids didn't care!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, it's a keeper!
Hi Jonesie, your comment absolutely made my day! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
How thick should the pastry be rolled out?
What dimensions should the pastry squares have?
Hi Bubba, Thank you for that question. You would roll out the pastry enough to be able to cut 4 equal pieces of about 4x4 inches. I hope this clears things up! Happy New year!
Hi, first of, very easy and simple recipe, best way to use apples that no one’s eating and they are looking as us from the fruit basket picking strawberries and banana instead. These tasted amazing, however I ran into an issue. The pastry’s bottom got stuck to the parchment paper and when I removed the bites, the base stayed stuck so I couldn’t get the full experience. Also, they were not super duper crunchy on the top, rather soggy. What can I do better in the future. Thanks
P.s. I used dark sugar instead of regular white sugar. The pastry was dry and thawed and I didn’t let it melt/get too soft before putting it in the oven.
Hey dear, I have never experienced this where they were stuck to parchment paper. I am wondering if its not great quality paper? This (parchment paper) is what I typically use, it works great. You could have baked them for a longer time bit typically 15 at 415F should be enough. Is this the temperature you use?
These turned out great and looked just like the photos. I chopped my apples to ensure they would cook through and tossed with cinnamon sugar. I used only one sheet of puff pastry and two apples to yield six pastries. Topped with egg wash and coarse sugar. Perfect! Next time I'll add a small pat of butter over the apples for extra flavor.
Hey there Alicia, I am so delighted to hear the recipe was a success! Thanks so much for sharing your process, sounds like you're a pro in the kitchen! Happy holidays and Enjoy!
I made these for dessert the other day when a friend came to dinner. Both she, my husband and myself were very impressed how delicious they were. So easy to make toon and I will do these for dessert again. I used prepackaged puff pastry and only needed to use three apples.
Hi Jane, I am so glad to hear this recipe was a success! Thank you for your feedback! How many apple slices did you use per turnover?
Hi! I just made these and they taste good! I didn’t understand how to fold them so they didn’t come out in the shape of a square like the picture. I’m trying to figure out how the recipe calls for 5 apples? I bought 5, sliced them, put 4 slices per square and have like 3 apples left!
Hi Brenda, Depending on how thick you cut the apples, you may have some left over. If you have room, I would put more apple slices per turnover. Some people prefer more apples than others. As for shaping them, it just takes a little practice to get it to look the way you want it. Hope this clears some things up. Thanks for reaching out!
For the Quick Apple Turnovers: do you use all the puff pastry sheets? I can't tell from the photo if there is more than one layer to the puffy pastry that is used in this recipe. Or, is it just a single layer of puffy pastry? I thought puff pastry came with several layers all stacked together? Or, do I have puff pastry confused with something else? Thanks for your help!
Hi Nancy, Yes I use a puff pastry sheet. It makes for easy and quick prep. Puff pastry is layered dough, so there are many layers. I hope this helps clear things up. If you have anymore questions, please reach out. Happy holidays!
Thank you for your information
It's my pleasure! Enjoy!
I love how simple this was to pull together. It was the perfect recipe for a 5 year old baker in training.
Hi Angie, I am so glad to hear that! Thank you for your feedback. Enjoy!
Hi Natalya! My husband and I were given some apples from a friend and decided to give this recipe a try, I also used the puff pastry made from your recipe. I will admit, although I do not like to alter recipes on the first try, I could not resist adding half a tsp of nutmeg and half a teaspoon of ground cloves to the cinnamon sugar mixture. These turned out wonderful. My husband, who is extremely picky, loved them and said the flavor was absolutely perfect and the texture of the puff pastry was wonderful as well. Mine were t as pretty as yours, but hopefully with practice they will get better. Thanks for this recipe as well will definitely make it again!
Hi Michelle, That is so wonderful to hear! SO glad the recipe was a success! I love how you were able to put your own spin on the recipe. I'm sure they didn't look as bad as you think. with time, your apple turnovers are going to look incredible!
Great recipe. I had one apple and wanted a apple pie so badly. This recipe hit the spot. I added oatmeal into the apple filling to increase the amount of servings I would have. I used your puff pastry recipe as well and followed all you tips. The end result was amazing, fluffy and light with a nice flaky crinkle when breaking in half.
Next I'll follow the same method for a blackberry turnover.
Hey there Nate, Sounds like you got a handle on things! Great job! I would love to know how the blackberry turns out, when you give it a try!
You should call this recipe apple filling for apple turnovers because you can't make turnovers without making some kind of dough which your recipe lacks and really if you're going to get the dough from the store then you might as well grab a can of apple filling at the same time.
Hey Serenity- Our recipe mentions using homemade puff pastry in the second paragraph and links to our puff pastry recipe. You are welcome to make homemade pastry for these turnovers, here is the link: https://momsdish.com/recipe/3….
That being said, I love this "quick" recipe for its ease and speed on days when there isn't much time to make the dough from scratch. We do state that it's a shortcut recipe as well. I hope you still give them a try whether you use homemade puff pastry or store-bought, they are so tasty!
I made these for my family and everyone loved them! I especially loved how easy it was to make at the last minute—I also added a bit of cloves to the sugar. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hey Meg, so happy you got to try this recipe. It's one of my fall favorites. Love the idea of cloves as well.
Okayyy, super quick and easy recipe! I will be making this again and again for the rest of my life.
I am not a huge apple pastry fan but my husband is so I made these and he ate three in one sitting!! He loved them! I had a few bites and I must say.. SUPER tasty especially when they’re warm.. and with whipped cream.. mmm
I did alter the recipe a little bit just cause I ran out of ingredients (oops)
I did about 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar and added cinnamon as well as a tiny bit of nutmeg and mixed that up for the seasoning. If I could upload a photo, I would ! They were so pretty.
Next time I think maybe I will need to add more apples inside of it I was scared I wasn’t going to be able to close the pastry part
Hi there! I love this! Thank you so much for sharing! I love how you are super comfortable in the kitchen to where to can easily alter the recipe the way you want it or need it. Thanks for the awesome feedback! Enjoy!
I tried these but they did not turn out. The corners popped open on every single one even though I pinched them tight. I experimented with putting butter on the corners of half of them and no butter on the other half, just to see if the butter would help them stick better but it made no difference.
I chopped up my apples instead of using slices and I also tossed them in the sugar instead of sprinkling the sugar on top of the apples. I meant to put some cinnamon or apple pie spice in them but forgot until they were already assembled. I sprinkled the pastries with cinnamon sugar instead and they definitely needed the extra spice.
I wish the recipe was more clear as far as servings. Recipe says it makes 6 servings; instructions say cut into 9 squares; picture shows 8 squares on the baking sheet. So which is it?
Hey Lauren, Thank you for your feedback, totally makes sense about the servings. I will add additional notes to the recipe.
As far us sealing the ends, you have to pinch hard until it becomes like one piece of dough. Another thing that works well is using an egg wash to connect the ends together. I will add that note as well.
This recipe is one of my favorites, I hope you give it another try. Thank you for the detailed feedback!
Wonderful! ANYBOBBY who can’t make these, and enjoy them should stay out of the kitchen…..unless it’s to microwave a frozen pot pie. Thanks for the recipes, inspiration. I added cinnamon sugar inside and chunky raw sugar to the top. I have purchased my last store bought apple turnovers.
Jeanette- thank you for the kind feedback! Aren't they so easy to make? This is the perfect dessert to make for last minute company since the ingredients are so simple and all you need is some puff pastry in your freezer at all times. 😀
These were so easy to make and absolutely delish! You can't even mess it up (which I usually do!) Going to make for my next party! And to "Bobby know it all" how could you even say anything bad about this recipe -- it's apples, puff pastry, and sugar. You must not have worn your glasses that day!!!
Hi Chris- thank you for the kind feedback! It really is the easiest dessert recipe..great to have all these ingredients on hand whenever craving for dessert strikes, or for unexpected company!
Hi, I made these last week and they turned out fab. Now I have been given a bag of apples from the family tree to make more and freeze. Can you tell me what temp I should set the oven and for how long when cooking from frozen please?
Hi Laura- You would still bake at 415° for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Enjoy!
What size square do you cut the pastry dough into?
Hi Frederick, usually I cut mine to 4 inch squares but there is really no wrong way of doing this. Hope you love it!
I loved these. First time making them. I over stuffed three but besides that fantastic. Yummy. Wish they were a little sweeter.
Hi Kimberly- thank you for the feedback! You can add a bit more sugar if you'd like them sweeter.
I cannot believe how easy these apple turnover are to make. We are definitely adding them to our list of desserts to try.
Hope you love them, Valentina!
These are my new favorite fall treat! Absolutely delicious!
Thank you, Jamielyn! They are such a cozy (and easy) treat aren't they? 😀
really loved these quick apple pies!!
Thank you for giving them a try, Laura!
This was terrible and did not work; all of these comments are bogus, and I despise these; please, for the sake of your life, never ever bake them. EVER
Hi Bobby- I'm sorry they didnt work out for you. What exactly went wrong? Maybe we can help troubleshoot.
Mine just fell apart in the oven once the dough puffed - haven’t tried them yet I’m sure they taste good but they’re not turnovers anymore :s
Hello- Ah, bummer that they fall apart, but thankfully that doesn't alter the yummy taste haha.
In the future, make sure to really pinch the puff pastry corners extra tight so that they don't open up/fall apart will baking.
I made this dish and it was amazing! I made some brown sugar cinnamon jam to go with it as a filling topped with some vanilla ice cream. These sweet treats are perfect for breakfast and dessert! After I got two they were already gone! My sisters loved it, as well as my parents and grandparents. You were right about how many apples, I thought five would mess it up but I was wrong, I under-filled it a lot! That's why I used my extra apples to make a homemade jam to fill it up, it was much more flavorful. I sprinkled some powdered sugar and It was a masterpiece. This was the first time I used puff pastry. I turned out perfect! Thank you for the recipe :))
Hi Hailey - That's amazing. So happy to hear that you enjoyed them and made them your very own. That's what cooking is all about. You're most welcome and really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback.
Anytime! I plan to make them again. They are too good to resist!
Hailey, this is so great to hear. Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Show us how to do step four please, I can make everything perfect except folding the turn overs????😩😩
Hello, Wendy. I understand a visual would be so nice right now, I'll do my best to explain it. To fold the turnovers you will want to first take 2 diagonal corners of dough and pinch them together, then pinch together the remaining 2 corners. Make sure you pinch the last 2 corners tightly so that they don't open/come apart while baking. I hope this helps!
It's looks so easy to make and sounds delicious. I will definitely try to make it. In some comment was mentioned grayed frozen butter. I didn't found it in your recipe. Please tell what it was about.
Hello, Mariana. The grated frozen butter they were referring to is probably from my "quick puff pastry dough" recipe. It can be used to make these apple turnovers. Here is the link to it: https://momsdish.com/recipe/3…
These look so good! Can I use pie crust dough, rolled a little thinner?
Hello, Ann! I haven't tried, but I suspect using pie dough instead of puff pastry may make them a little less crispy and delicate- but I think it could still work as long as you roll it out a little thinner. Please let us know how it turns out if you use pie crust dough!