These Easy Fried Apple Pies are filled with warm, homemade apple pie filling and wrapped in a golden, crispy crust. They’re perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a cozy weekend dessert the whole family will love. Even better, you can make them in the air fryer too, bonus instructions included!

Ingredients to Make Easy Fried Apple Pies Recipe

If there’s ever been an All-American dessert, it’s apple pie. Warm, comforting, and filled with sweet cinnamon apples, it’s a classic that bakers of all skill levels can make and enjoy.

From stuffed crust skillet apple pie to mini caramel apple pies or apple pie biscuits, there are countless ways to enjoy this timeless favorite, and it’s hard to find anyone who isn’t excited when it’s on the table.

These easy apple hand pies deliver all the nostalgic flavor of traditional apple pie in a simple, handheld treat. Made with convenient canned biscuit dough, this recipe shows you how to make crispy fried apple pies in minutes. Prefer a lighter option? You can easily adapt them for the air fryer, see the Cook’s Note for instructions.

Key ingredients you’ll need to make Fried Apple Pies: (Scroll down for the full printable recipe card.)

Biscuits – One tube of canned biscuits forms the easy crust.
Apples – Granny Smith apples are the gold standard for making apple pie.
Sugar – Both light brown sugar and granulated sugar for sweetness.
Seasonings – Salt enhances the flavor plus apple pie spice or one teaspoon ground cinnamon for a hint of spice.
Cornstarch – Cornstarch for thickening the pie filling.
Oil – Vegetable oil, peanut oil or canola oil for frying.
Confectioners Sugar – Powdered sugar for dusting the pies just before serving.

How to Make the Best Easy Fried Apple Pies Recipe

Make the Apple Pie Filling – Cook apples, granulated and brown sugar, apple pie spice and salt over medium-heat until softened. Thicken with cornstarch, then cool. You can do this up to 2 days in advance.
Assemble Apple Pies – Preheat oil to 350-360°F. On a lightly floured surface press or roll each biscuit into a 6-inch round.
Stuff the Biscuit Dough – Divide the apple mixture evenly between the biscuit rounds. Fold the biscuit dough over forming a crescent shape. Press edges to seal with a fork.
Cook – Fry in hot oil in batches per the recipe until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined platter to drain.
Serve warm dusted with powdered sugar.

Kitchen Equipment to Make Easy Fried Apple Pies

An apple corer and peeler to prep the apples.
Sharp knife and chopping board.
Measuring cups and spoons.
Medium size pan or large cast iron skillet for making the pie filling.
Large Dutch oven or pot fitted with a fry thermometer for frying the pies.
Pastry mat to assemble the fried apple pies.
Stainless steel spider or slotted spoon to remove the pies from the oil. I
Baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Recipe Variations, Tips and Substitutions

Fresh Apples – I chose to use tart Granny Smith apples for the filling since the they maintain their texture and the tartness balances the sweet in the filling. You can certainly adapt using your favorite apple such as honeycrisp apples, gala apples or any variety of tart firm apples that you have on hand. The flavor may be altered slightly, but the main thing to consider is the cooking time. Different varieties may cook more quickly than Granny Smith apples.
Lemon Juice – You could add a splash of lemon juice to the apple mixture for a hint of citrus. Be careful not to go crazy with additional liquid, too much moisture could make the filling could seep out during the cooking process.
Biscuits – I used Grands Southern Style biscuits for this recipe. You can use any similar private label brand or use any other brand that you like.
Pie Dough – You can make apple hand pies using homemade pie crust or store-bought refrigerated pie dough. You can also make fried pies using puff pastry in a pinch.
Butter – You can add 2 tablespoons of butter along with the sugar to the apple pie filling to give it more of a caramelized flavor.
Nuts and Raisins – You could stir 1/2 cup of raisins, pecans or walnuts to the apple pie filling.
Adjust the Size for Mini-Pies – If you’d like to make smaller portions, divide each biscuit through the middle and use less filling. When doing so, a flaky-style biscuits will pull apart more easily.
Serving Options – You can dust these apple pies simply with powdered sugar for serving. You could also drizzle these pies with caramel, chocolate or butterscotch and top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Storage and Leftovers

Make the Apple Pie Filling Ahead of Time – To save time the pie filling can and really should be, prepared in advance and chilled until assembling the pies. Cold pie filling will result in less oozing from the pie crust while frying.
Leftovers – Store leftover Fried Apple Pies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2days or chilled in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheating – You can reheat the apple pies gently in the microwave or in an air fryer.
Freezer – You can freeze these pies for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat just before serving.

More Apple Dessert Recipes to Make

Here are a few more apple dessert recipes for delicious inspiration:

This recipe for Apple Strudel uses frozen puff pastry dough for ease of preparation.
Chocolate Drizzled Caramel Apple Fluff requires no cooking at all!
All American lattice topped homemade Apple Pie.
A stack of Apple Pancakes topped with homemade apple compote.
Start your day with this Apple Baked Oatmeal that can be assembled the night before.
Homemade Caramel Dipped Apples are a classic must-make for fall desserts and Halloween parties.
Cinnamon sugar coated Apple Cider Doughnuts.
Peanut Butter Apple Dip from Barefoot in the Kitchen.

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