Puff pastry apple turnovers have a delicious flaky pastry filled with apple pie filling and topped with a delicate glaze. It’s the perfect hand-held treat!

Fall recipes are so indulgent and delicious! Some of our favorites are cinnamon baked apples and caramel apple dip! If you’re looking for more yummy apple recipes, check out my related recipes at the bottom of this post.

Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers on a white parchment lined baking sheet.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Store-bought puff pastry makes baking easy. This recipe is perfect because we skip the hassle of homemade puff and use store-bought puff pastry. But don’t worry! It still gets a delicious flaky puff. If you want more treats using store-bought puff pastry, check out my Cream Puff Cake and Blueberry Danish.
  • Granny Smith apples. Using Granny Smith apples is so helpful because they bake really well and don’t fall apart or get mushy.
  • Glaze hits the spots. The glaze is perfect because it is thick enough that you can see it on top of the puff pastry apple hand pies and yet doesn’t get hard and flake off. The glaze melts into the pastry and if you drizzle it over the cut out holes, you’ll get some glaze on the apple mixture inside! It’s also the perfect touch of sweetness to finish things off.

Ingredient Notes

Puff Pastry Apple Turnover ingredients on a cream marbled background.
  • Turbinado Sugar: This is a type of somewhat refined light brown cane sugar that is in a larger crystal form. This gives the tops of the puff pastry apple turnovers a shiny, caramelized look. You can substitute regular sugar for this, but the turbinado sugar gives it that bakery-type look.
  • Water: The water is used in the egg wash on top of the pastry and to help seal the turnover pastries together when we fold them.
  • Egg: The egg is for the egg wash which helps add a golden look and a shine to the baked apple turnovers.
  • Puff Pastry: Using a store-bought puff pastry makes this apple turnover recipe simple and quick to make.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and remove the puff pastry from the freezer to let it start to thaw as you make the apple filling.
  2. Make the apple pie filling. In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add chopped apples and cook, stirring often for 5 minutes.
Diced apples in a white saucepan.
Softened diced apples in a white saucepan.
  1. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes or until the apples have softened slightly and the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool. 
  2. Add the egg and water to a small bowl (for the egg wash). Use a fork or whisk to beat the egg until smooth.
Diced apples with brown sugar, cinnamon overtop.
Cooked diced apples swimming in a sauce of brown sugar and cinnamon.
  1. On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 12-inch square. Cut into 4 equal-sized squares. Repeat with the other puff pastry sheet. 
A square of puff pastry cut into 4 equal squares.
  1. Spoon the cooled apple mixture over half of each square, leaving a half inch border.
  2. Brush a small amount of egg wash around the border.
Squares of puff pastry topped with a brown diced apple mixture in one corner of each square.
  1. Fold the puff pastry half over to create a triangle. Use a fork to seal the edges.
Four squares of unbaked triangular Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers on a cream marbled background.
  1. Place each turnover on a parchment sheet-lined baking pan. (I could only fit 4 turnovers on my baking sheet.)
  2. Brush tops with the egg wash. Create 2-3 small slits on top of each turn over and sprinkle with sugar or turbinado sugar. Bake for 18-22 mins or until golden and puffed up.
Unbaked Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Golden brown Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  1. Whisk the glaze ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Drizzle over top warm turnovers.
A spoon drizzling glaze overtop a Puff Pastry Apple Turnover.

Recipe Tips

How to freeze apple turnovers: Once your apple turnovers are assembled (and before applying the egg wash), freeze them on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a Ziplock bag to store in the freezer. These will stay good in the freeze fro 2-3 months. When ready to baked, remove from the freezer and apply the egg wash and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. The apple turnovers may need an extra minute or two depending on your oven.

Leave a good border on the puff pastry so you can get a good seal on the the edges. The egg wash on the edges will help bind the pastry together to help prevent the pastry from separating in the oven.

The slits in the top of the puff pastry apple turnovers act as a vent for the pastries to help them breathe in the oven while baking.

Try another delicious pastry recipe — my Greek Baklava!

Recipe FAQs

How do you keep apple turnovers from getting soggy?

What’s the difference between a strudel and a turnover?

A strudel is a pastry that is made with a thin dough that is rolled over a filling. A turnover is a pastry made with a thin dough that is folded over the filling and crimped at the seams.

What pastry is apple turnovers made with?

Apple turnovers are made with puff pastry. We use a store-bought puff pastry in this apple turnover recipe, which makes things quick and easy!

What fillings can you make for a turnover?

Turnovers are most commonly filled with an apple filling, but you can use any fruit! This recipe would be delicious with a blueberry filling, raspberry filling, lemon curd filling, pear filling, strawberry filling and more!

A Puff Pastry Apple Turnover cut in half, on a brown plate, topped with a glaze.

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A glazed Puff Pastry Apple Turnover on a white parchment paper.
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5 from 3 votes

Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

A cinnamon sugar apple mixture is encased in a flaky puff pastry sheet and baked until golden brown. Drizzle a simple glaze overtop of each warm apple turnover for the most delicious hand held dessert!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients
 

Apple Turnovers

  • 4 cups diced apples - Granny Smith, about 3-4 medium sized apples
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar - packed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry - thawed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • turbinado sugar - for topping

Glaze

Instructions
 

  • Note: See blog post for photos to demonstrate the step-by-step process.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F. 
  • Remove puff pastry from freezer and let it start to thaw as you make the apple filling.
  • In a pot over medium heat melt butter. Add chopped apples and cook, stirring often for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, and cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes or until apples have softened slightly and mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and let cool. 
  • Add the egg and water to a small bowl (for the egg wash), using a fork or whisk beat the egg until smooth.
  • On floured surface roll out puff pastry to a 12 inch square. Cut into 4 equal sized squares. Repeat with other puff pastry sheet. 
  • Spoon cooled apple mixture over half of each square, leaving a half inch border. Brush a small amount of egg wash around the border. Fold the puff pastry half over to create a triangle. Use a fork tines to seal the edges. Place each turnover on a parchment lined baking sheet. (I could only fit 4 turnovers on my baking sheet.)
  • Brush tops with egg wash. Create 2 -3 small slits on top of each turn over. Sprinkle with sugar or turbinado sugar. Bake for 18-22 mins or until golden and puffed up.
  • Whisk the glaze ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Drizzle over top warm turnovers.

Notes

How to freeze apple turnovers: Once your apple turnovers are assembled (and before applying the egg wash), freeze them on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a Ziplock bag to store in the freezer. These will stay good in the freeze fro 2-3 months. When ready to baked, remove from the freezer and apply the egg wash and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. The apple turnovers may need an extra minute or two depending on your oven.
Leave a good border on the puff pastry so you can get a good seal on the the edges. The egg wash on the edges will help bind the pastry together to help prevent the pastry from separating in the oven.
The slits in the top of the puff pastry apple turnovers act as a vent for the pastries to help them breathe in the oven while baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 559kcal (28%)Carbohydrates: 70g (23%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 30g (46%)Saturated Fat: 10g (50%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 39mg (13%)Sodium: 241mg (10%)Potassium: 141mg (4%)Fiber: 3g (12%)Sugar: 39g (43%)Vitamin A: 246IU (5%)Vitamin C: 3mg (4%)Calcium: 34mg (3%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
author: Whitney Wright
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
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