Fried Apple Pies

My dad made fried pies pretty often when I was a kid, but I never paid attention to what he was doing until it was time to eat.

Then last year, I was gifted with my great-grandmother’s recipe collection. Jesus Lord. It was a veritable treasure trove of good food maps. Most were written on cards and neatly filed in those little plastic card boxes. But the real fun was the big cardboard box filled with all the recipes not written on little cards.

There were recipes written on the backs of paper plates, receipts, bank statements, cash envelopes, even some fancy hotel stationary. I like to imagine that old great-granny of mine just globetrottin’ all around the place, bugging people for their secret recipes everywhere she went. This was one of those. Properly titled, “Mrs. McCoy’s Fried Apple Pies”, my dad said his grandma had a plate of these ready for him every day after school. Pretty sweet, right?

fried apple pies

Gosh, they’re pretty pies.

Fried Apple Pies
Recipe Type: Dessert
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Yield: 12
Ingredients
  • Pie Crust for 1-9″ pie
  • Apple filling:
  • 1 large Granny Smith apple
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Peach Filling:
  • 3-4 peaches
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Oil for frying (1/2″ deep, about 2 cups)
Instructions
  1. Prepare the pie crust or allow store-bought crust to thaw.
  2. For apple filling: Quarter and core apple, thinly slice each quarter crosswise. You should have about 2 cups. Saute apple in butter over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until just softened. Add sugar and cinnamon and cook another 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
  3. For peach filling: Pare and pit peaches. Chop finely and combine with sugar and heat in a small pot over medium heat, about 2-3 minutes, until softened. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool.
  4. To make pies:
  5. Roll the dough out very thin, on a floured surface.
  6. Cut 3-inch circles (you will get between 12-16 circles) and gently roll each circle further to form a slight oval.
  7. Place about a tablespoon of filling (drained of excess liquid) on half of each oval.
  8. Dampen the edges of the dough and fold over, crimping shut with a fork.
  9. Heat the oil until around 350-365 or until a bit of flour sizzles when thrown in.
  10. Fry each pie for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
  11. Allow to drain and cool a few minutes before eating alone or with ice cream!

Click here to be directed to a foolproof homemade pie crust recipe!

70 Comments

  1. Great Stone Face on May 30, 2012 at 3:56 pm

    Looks like you sprinkled a little granulated sugar on the outside of the pies, probably when they were still hot, so it’d stick. Even better!

    How can you say this isn’t healthy (unless you have diabetes, God forbid, and can’t eat the filling)? Just fry it up in canola oil and soak up the good monounsaturated fats, then exercise the calories off.

    We had Pueblo Indian frybread in Taos, New Mexico, and the Pueblo women said that it was fried in canola oil because it was so healthy. If I couldn’t believe them, who could I believe? (I keep telling myself that.)

    • Hilah on May 31, 2012 at 9:05 am

      Yes! I did sprinkle sugar on for the picture. Wish I’d thought to do that in the video – or even cinnamon/sugar! I also used canola oil, too, then ran around the block a hundred times. 😉

      I still need to try making fry bread. I hear there’s a new food truck in Austin called Navajo Tacos. Maybe they’d give me the recipe…

  2. Ron on May 30, 2012 at 6:59 pm

    Hey Hilah! loved those fried pies you made, can I put them in a deep fryer instears of on the stove? and how long should they be deep fried? 🙂

    • Hilah on May 31, 2012 at 9:03 am

      Hi Ron! I have never tried them in a deep fryer but I think they should work as long as you’ve crimped the edges tightly shut. I’d think they would need no more that 2 minutes to get cooked and brown. Enjoy!

  3. genskie on May 31, 2012 at 6:21 am

    this is my all time fave… combination of peach and mango is also a good alternative

    • Hilah on May 31, 2012 at 9:02 am

      Oh that does sounds delicious! I never would have thought of mango pies. Yum!

  4. Vanessa on May 31, 2012 at 10:19 am

    Think I could try this with my Strawberry Rhubarb pie filling I make at home??

    • Hilah on August 16, 2012 at 3:51 pm

      YES! PLEASE! Sorry I missed this question before. But, yes. That sounds absolutely wonderful!

  5. Olivia3381 on May 31, 2012 at 6:36 pm

    I just made these for the family. They were ok I think I will try the sugar on the outside next time. 🙂

    • Hilah on June 4, 2012 at 4:09 pm

      Hi Olivia!
      This filling is not very sweet. I should have mentioned that. You can add a couple more tablespoons of sugar next time, or your idea. I do like the texture the post-fry sugar coating adds to them.

  6. paul barbalaco on June 3, 2012 at 10:28 am

    hello paul from sunrise i love this recepi i wii make to day my friend the com over to night for game boston and miami paul fl

  7. Victor on June 3, 2012 at 6:33 pm

    I curse the day McDonald’s stopped frying their pies. I rarely, if ever, eat fast food and when I do, I am fully aware of what I am putting into my body. Nobody goes to fast food joints for health food. Thanks for the recipe. Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to sweetly caress my fried pie before I tenderly stuff it in my mouth.

    • Hilah on June 4, 2012 at 4:11 pm

      Ha! I totally agree with you, Victor. I like to eat mostly healthy, but when I’m ready to not be healthy, I like to go ALL THE WAY. Fried pies 4-ever!

  8. Петр on June 5, 2012 at 7:06 am

    Hilah, Здравствуйте почитал Ваш рецепт и ничего не понял. Наверно это пироги с яблоками и персиком. Вы молодец заходите в гости ко мне!

  9. Shane on June 25, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    Hey Hilah,

    These looked so amazing i had to try them. But sadly im on a diet so i couldnt fry them so i baked them instead THEY WERE AMAZING. One thing i did do different was with the apple filling i made what we call here in Ireland stewed apple. Its a little healthier because there is no butter i think ye call it applesauce but i made mine chunky tho. Wow would you look at that i only meant to write a line or two :-P.

    Love you Hilah.

    – Shane

    • Hilah on June 25, 2012 at 2:20 pm

      Hey Shane!
      Thanks so much for that tip! I’m glad they came out. Do you remember what temperature and how long you cooked them for? Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to try it baked, too! 😉

      • Shane on June 25, 2012 at 2:33 pm

        Yeh I baked them at 180 C which is 350 F. I baked until golden brown it took 10 – 15 minutes. They were so yummy. I might make some more now, but i have already eaten quite a few. I’d love too work out the calories just incase 😀

        • Hilah on June 25, 2012 at 2:44 pm

          Oh, thank you! 🙂

          • Shane on June 25, 2012 at 8:58 pm

            Oh my god Hilah im so sorry i was making enchilladas while typing this, The time is right, but you need the temp to be 425 F.

            Sorry once again :D,

            Love from Ireland 😀



          • Hilah on June 26, 2012 at 9:02 am

            Heehee! Thanks for amending that, Shane. Hope the enchiladas came out good!



  10. majeda on June 28, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    hi its me again here’s a suggestion make sugared apples

  11. Jessica on July 17, 2012 at 12:35 am

    Love these!! I baked them instead of fried them and they came out amazing. Thanks Shane for the tip! Seriously Hiliah, you really hit the spot for me with this recipe. It was baked savory goodness 🙂

    • Hilah on July 17, 2012 at 10:27 am

      Yay! Thanks, Jessica! So glad you tried the baking method, too.

  12. CeCe LaFayfey on July 23, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    I must admit that these are delicious but being a health freak, (you know the person who won’t eat a thing without making sure it’s okay with their diet) I wanted to ask what the serving size for this is. Thank-you for this delicious recipe! (Don’t worry I only had one)

    • Hilah on July 23, 2012 at 1:59 pm

      Hi CeCe! I guess one fried pie would be a serving and I get between 12-16 out of this recipe. It varies with how thin I roll the dough and how efficient I am with cutting circles and re-rolling the scraps.
      Also, check out the comments. About halfway down, Shane gives instructions for how he baked them which would be much more diet-friendly.

  13. Nancy on July 30, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    So I’m going to try theis today and I hope they turn out just as you did them

    • Hilah on August 2, 2012 at 5:55 pm

      Hope you liked them, Nancy!

  14. Lance on August 7, 2012 at 8:35 pm

    Howdy, love! Just wanted to let you know that you are my newfound food goddess! I discovered you via yahoo when they did an article on your chick fil gays, and I was instantly hooked when my boyfriend and I made them. Yummy in the tummy! We adore you!

    • Hilah on August 8, 2012 at 8:58 am

      Thanks, Lance! 🙂 You are too kind!

  15. nate on August 16, 2012 at 5:04 am

    G’day again, just wondering, would it still be magic if I used honey instead of sugar and if so do I use the same amount?
    In theory the brown paper sack you used for the oil still was recycled cause it was had a second use at fire starter so it’s all good.

    • nate on August 16, 2012 at 5:05 am

      opps with the typo, I noticed too late

    • Hilah on August 16, 2012 at 3:53 pm

      Hi Nate! Are you talking about using honey in the filling or on the outside? Doesn’t really matter I guess, though, because I think it would work both ways. Now I’m envisioning a fried, apple-filled honey-pie. Yum! Sticky and hard to eat but delicious!

      • nate on August 16, 2012 at 9:12 pm

        I tried both last night. the honey ones, I meant using it in the filling only, I’m too lazy to enjoy it on the outside cause of the mess. nice, but I think I’m used to the sugar instead so we liked the sugar ones more. I couldn’t find any sugar so I was gonna use honey but I found some sugar sachets from takeaways we were too stingy to throw out/waste… Everyone in the house prefers them to the McDonald’s pies. I did them as rectangles cause they were bigger and we are apple-pie greedy. this was so easy to do, thanks again

        • Hilah on August 17, 2012 at 10:11 am

          Oh man, I never thought to make them rectangular! I’m glad you found your way with the sugar packets. More than once, I’ve been thankful to have kept the little soy sauce packets that come with Chinese take-out, as well as the parmesan and red pepper flakes that come with pizza. 🙂

  16. Renee on August 29, 2012 at 2:04 pm

    Hey girlie, how’s about drizzling some buttery vanilla icing glaze over ’em..?? ah! that’s how I’d eat ’em!! yum!

    • Hilah on August 29, 2012 at 8:46 pm

      Holy mackerel I just flipped my lid! How come I never thought of that?!?!? Thanks, Renee! I know what I’ll be doing next time. 🙂

      • Renee on August 31, 2012 at 3:36 pm

        you are one funny chick! hah! Happy Birthday hon! I made us a peanut butter pie today just because….wish I could give ya piece for your birthday!!! 😀

  17. Lauren on September 23, 2012 at 1:34 pm

    Help!! I made these pies, they were amazing, but they fell apart as soon as I picked them up, did I use too much flour rolling out the dough? They were super tasty though!

    • Hilah on September 24, 2012 at 4:20 pm

      Hi Lauren!
      I’m glad you were able to enjoy them even with the trouble! Can you tell me, do you mean they fell apart before or after you cooked them? If the dough was breaking before frying, then yes you might have used too much flour. If they broke after frying, them maybe you just rolled it too thin. Hope that helps!

  18. Lauren on September 24, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    Thanks for the reply! They fell apart after frying, I will try less flour, I tend to get too cautious about stick dough. I will try them again!! Yay!

  19. Jenn on October 6, 2012 at 5:53 pm

    I like the idea of sprinkling these with cinnamon sugar after the frying and then eat em with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Some people like cheddar cheese on their apple pies which I’ve never “gotten” but for those, you could chunk in some cheddar and I bet they’d go gagga! The only fried pies I’ve ever tried before was won ton wrappers with bananas and Nutella inside. Those were just sinful! 😉

    • Hilah on October 8, 2012 at 3:47 pm

      Sounds great, Jenn! I think the cheese would also be a good addition, though I’ve never tried it with these. Maybe a mild cheddar… I do like apple slices in a grilled cheese so I can imagine this would be good, too. 🙂

  20. Katlin on February 6, 2013 at 11:20 pm

    This is such a late comment but I hope you see it…I want to make these for my boyfriend, but he likes cherry filling (kinda like what would come in a McDonald’s cherry pie since those are his guilty pleasure). Can you suggest ingredients for that filling? I wasn’t sure if I could just use cherry pie filling or what…

    • Hilah on February 8, 2013 at 11:21 am

      Sure, that will work! Or use some frozen pitted cherries in place of the apple here. Enjoy. Happy Valentine’s!

  21. Keith on March 25, 2013 at 5:20 pm

    HI Hilah,
    Just thinking out loud here but I wonder how these would be if filled with your Cherry Chipotle Sauce? (It may have to be reduced a bit more to make it less runny.) And maybe add a slice of Cream Cheese inside to keep it company?

    Anyhow, these Pies have been added to my ever growing list of your recipes to make and have fun with. I will let you know if I give the Cherry ones a shot.

    • Hilah on March 26, 2013 at 12:37 pm

      Sounds terrific, Keith! I think it’s surely worth a try. Maybe you could thicken the sauce with some cornstarch, too. Let me know if you try it!

  22. Jessica on October 29, 2013 at 10:34 am

    Hey! Could this work for a regular apple pie filling just with more apples and more of the ingredients?

    • Hilah on October 29, 2013 at 1:20 pm

      Hey Jessica! That should work. I would reduce the butter, though. I’ve got a recipe/video for deep dish apple pie coming soon, too!

  23. hosna on January 13, 2014 at 8:00 pm

    HI OMG ILYSM URE A GREAT COOK AND VERY PRETTY I WAS WONDERING IF I COULD CREATE THIS FOR FRENCH CLASS AND GIVE IT TO EVERYONE BECAUS EI HAVE TO CREATE A RECIPIE AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO MAKE FRIEND APPLE PIE BTW URE VERY SKINNY TO!! THX

    LYSM XXOXX
    HOSNA ILY!1

    • Hilah on January 14, 2014 at 8:59 am

      Hi Hosna!
      Of course you can use the recipe for your class! I’d be honored. 🙂 xoxox

  24. Miranda on August 20, 2014 at 10:36 pm

    How do you make them with fresh peaches?

    • Hilah on August 21, 2014 at 8:56 am

      Hi Miranda,
      The ingredients/instructions for peach pie filling are written out in the recipe box!

      • Barbara on September 7, 2014 at 6:12 am

        Hello Hilah! I too, am looking for instructions to make these fried pies with peaches. What is meant by ‘written out in the recipe box?’ What is and where do I find this ‘recipe box’? Thanks! I’m anxious to try these!

        • Hilah on September 7, 2014 at 10:08 am

          Sorry, Barbara. My use of the word “box” was confusing. The recipe card is where to look.

  25. Barbara on September 7, 2014 at 6:27 am

    Found the recipe box in the upper right corner of this website (duhh), but I don’t see instructions for the peach version of these pies. I must be missing something. Again, thanks!

    • Hilah on September 7, 2014 at 10:07 am

      Right below the video, there is the printable recipe card which lists ingredients and instructions for both fillings.

      • Barbara on September 7, 2014 at 2:02 pm

        Thank you.. I finally found the peach instructions! I can see that I’m going to be a ‘regular’ on your site. You’ve got a treasure trove of good home cookin’ recipes. They’re not complicated, and it all sounds fabulous. I really can’t wait to try everything! And I refuse to feel guilty about making and eating these fried gems.. I’m going to savor every single bite!

  26. adam on November 12, 2014 at 2:19 pm

    hi i tried making the pie’s and they are really nice. but i used Vegetable Oil and the taste of the oil was to strong. what oil would you recommend frying them in?

    sorry if any spelling is wrong as i’m dyslexic.

    • Hilah on November 13, 2014 at 11:05 am

      Hi Adam!
      Peanut oil works great for frying as long as you don’t have a peanut allergy. Otherwise, corn oil works well, too, without adding its own flavor.

      • adam on November 14, 2014 at 2:59 pm

        ok cool ill will give corn oil a go. thank you for the reply

  27. connie on February 26, 2015 at 9:47 pm

    Why is there no butter in peach pies? I don’t like peaches, and never cooked on in my life, but my daughter wants peach pies.
    ..

    • Hilah on February 27, 2015 at 8:17 am

      There’s no butter because there’s no need to saute them first. They cook in their own juice.

  28. Suzy on March 18, 2015 at 2:35 am

    Hi Hilah. 1st timer on here…great recipes…I have a question about oil. I never use corn or canola oil, and never olive oil for frying, so I was wondering how Grapeseed Oil would work on deep frying this and other desserts.

    • Hilah on March 20, 2015 at 3:16 pm

      Hi Suzy!
      Yes, grapeseed oil is great for frying. It has a high smoke point and virtually no flavor.
      Check out this post I wrote for more tips on cooking oils.

  29. Joy K on December 1, 2016 at 9:51 pm

    I wanted one of these so bad so I decided to try my hand at making them. Dear LORD, it was an utter disaster! I am not the baker by any means; me and dough dont get along. Needless to say, they turned out more like stuffed biscuits……..and I have started questioning all that is right with the world because of my inept baking skills. I know you’re in Texas somewhere…..can I just send you money for some? hahah

    • Hilah on December 3, 2016 at 8:10 am

      Don’t be too hard on yourself, Joy! 🙂 Apple stuffed biscuits don’t sound so bad 😉

  30. Sharon on March 28, 2017 at 1:15 pm

    Wow…my husband is going to LOVE these! Please stop…I’ve had to give you your own saved folder in my saved list! lol! P.S. love your shirt…I say that all the time…and Happy Birthday…whenever that was? Love ya, stay calm and keep cooking!

    • Hilah on March 28, 2017 at 1:53 pm

      Haha! These are SO good. I can’t wait for summer so I can make some with peaches!

  31. Shabnam on March 9, 2018 at 6:17 am

    May god bless your grandma….?????

Leave a Comment





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.