Hand Pie Vs Turnover: What's The Difference?

Sometimes, the terms hand pie and turnover are used interchangeably whether the filling is sliced apples, cherries, peaches, or another fruit. But, believe it or not, while both handheld pastries often eaten for dessert are quite similar, there are subtle differences that set them apart. So whether it's your grandma's homemade apple turnovers or the corner bakery's cherry hand pie, it's important to know what you're biting into — especially if you consider yourself a bonafide foodie. 

Perhaps the biggest difference between a hand pie and a turnover is the dough that the filling is encased in. Hand pies are usually made with pie dough, which is a thicker type of pastry that also makes up your holiday apple or pumpkin pies. Meanwhile, turnovers are traditionally made with puff pastry, which provides a lighter, flakier crust. Obviously, both options can be homemade or store bought, but will offer varying texture and thickness to hold up the filling you bite into. To finish them, either can be baked or fried depending on the recipe and preferred technique. 

In addition to the type of dough that's used for hand pies and turnovers, another key difference is the shape of the two pastries. Pick up a turnover and it will be a triangular shape, that's usually formed by folding over (or turning over, if you like) a square piece of puff pastry and closing the edges to secure the ingredients inside. Hand pies are different because they're usually a rectangle (but sometimes round or semi-circular too). The shape is traditionally made by using two separate pieces of dough then pressing together the edges with the filling inside. Either pastry might be topped with icing, powdered sugar, or even a savory option like sea salt or everything bagel seasoning, or left plain depending on the filling.

While both pastries are most often sweet desserts, there are savory varieties for hand pies and turnovers, like our cherry tomato and burrata hand pies. For a sweet option, try our fried apple hand pie recipe that's topped with powdered sugar. When it comes to turnovers, a classic option is our baked cherry jelly turnovers that can be made even easier with store-bought jelly to save some time. Or to kick your pastry-eating up a notch, bake our spiced rum apple turnover recipe, which is delicious year round, but especially when apples are in season from late summer through fall.