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These mini Pumpkin Hand Pies are made with my favorite flaky buttermilk crust and filled with homemade pumpkin pie filling!

These mini Pumpkin Hand Pies are the perfect recipe to make when you don’t feel like making a whole pie. These adorable pumpkin shaped hand pies are made from my favorite buttermilk pie crust, filled with homemade pumpkin spice filling and topped with crunchy raw sugar. They’re buttery, super flaky and such a cute and easy alternative to classic pumpkin pie.

Love hand pies? Check out my Homemade Apple Hand Pies or my Ghost Shaped Blueberry Hand Pies!

Ingredient Breakdown

Pie Crust:

All-purpose flour – gives the galette crust structure.

Granulated sugar and salt – enhances flavor.

Butter – makes the galette crust flaky.

Buttermilk – provides flavor and makes the galette crust tender. You can substitute with milk.

Pumpkin Filling:

Pumpkin puree – make sure to use pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree has 100% pumpkin while pumpkin pie filling already has spices and sugar added to it.

Brown sugar – sweetens the filling. I prefer using dark brown sugar for extra molasses flavor but light brown sugar also works fine!

Egg – helps bind the ingredients and gives the pumpkin filling structure.

Milk – makes the pumpkin pie smooth and creamy! You can substitute half and half or heavy cream.

Cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger – needed to help give the filling its pumpkin spice flavor. You can replace the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger with 1 1/2 teaspoons of pre-made (or homemade) pumpkin spice mix.

Salt – enhances flavor.

How To Make Pumpkin Hand Pies

1. Make the Pie Dough: In a mixing bowl combine all-purpose flour, sugar and salt. Place bowl on a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

2. Add the cold cubed butter and mix on low until the butter is pea sized.

3. Add half of the buttermilk to the mixture and begin to mix on low speed then gradually add the rest of the buttermilk. Stop mixing when the dough is rough and shaggy.

4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface then divide in half and shape into 2 discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 3 days.

5. Make the Pumpkin Filling: in a medium bowl whisk the pumpkin puree, brown sugar and egg. Then whisk in the milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt until well combined. Set aside.

6. Assemble hand pies: Preheat oven to 400°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 pie disc onto a floured surface and roll out about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out pumpkins then place on a prepared baking sheet and return to the fridge.

7. Repeat with the second disc of pie dough then place about 1/2 tbsp of pumpkin filling into the center of half of the pumpkins. Use knife to cut 4 curved slits onto the remaining pumpkins.

8. Make an egg wash by whisking the egg and milk. Brush egg wash around the edges of the filled circles then place an unfilled pumpkin on top and use a fork to crimp the edges. Refrigerate assembled circles for at least 15 minutes (it’s important to keep the dough cold so it doesn’t lose its shape/flakiness once baked).

9. Lightly brush filled hand pies with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar if desired. Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until crusts are golden brown. Pumpkin Hand Pies are best enjoyed the day they’re made (after that the crust loses it’s flakiness) but they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Pro Tips For Pumpkin Hand Pies

Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
Keep the butter cold at all times! Cold butter makes a flaky pie crust so put it in the fridge if you notice it getting too warm.
Keep the pie dough cold at all times especially before putting the hand pies in the oven! Cold pie dough helps maintain its structure.
Don’t overwork the pie dough otherwise it will become tough.
Let the hand pies rest in the fridge between steps! This will help relax the gluten which prevents a tough crust.
You can replace the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in the pumpkin filling with 1 1/2 teaspoons of pre-made (or homemade) pumpkin spice mix.

My Favorite Pie Tools

Kitchen scale I love this scale, I’ve been using it for years!
Stand Mixer
Dough measuring strips for these hand pies I used the white strips which are 1/8 inch thick.
Pumpkin cookie cutter I have this whole set of Halloween cookie cutters but you can also get the individual pumpkin cutter here.
French rolling pin gives you more control than rolling pins with handles.
Small pastry brush for egg washing pie crust.

More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love

If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂