Curried Apple Turnovers

No ratings yet

I was making these for a friend who'd never had apple turnovers before, and I ended up overfilling them so the curried filling leaked out during baking. The result was a mess of golden crust with spiced apples pooling around it—she ate it all off her plate anyway and asked me to teach her how to do it right.

The secret is letting your apple mix rest for 10 minutes before wrapping so the excess moisture settles, then crimping the edges firmly. I've settled on Granny Smiths for their tartness but sometimes swap in Honeycrisp when they're at their peak—just reduce the added sugar slightly if you go with the sweeter variety.

I always make a batch and freeze the unbaked ones on a tray, then transfer to bags once frozen. When I want them fresh without the fuss of starting from scratch, I just pop two in the oven straight from frozen and add five minutes to the baking time.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 50

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Pie

Cuisine: American

Calories: 185

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

Filling

3 medium Granny Smith apples about 1 lb, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp curry powder I use mild Madras blend
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt

Turnovers

2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed (or 8-oz package refrigerated)
1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
2 tbsp coarse sugar for sprinkling

Method

Prep the filling: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced apples, curry powder, ginger, cinnamon, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Cook 8-10 minutes until apples are just tender but still hold their shape—do not let them get mushy. Transfer to a bowl and let rest 10 minutes so excess moisture settles.
Prep the pastry: Roll out one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch square. Cut into four equal squares (about 6 inches each). Repeat with second sheet.
Assemble: Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling onto one half of each pastry square, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Brush the exposed edges with egg wash.
Crimp and fold: Fold the empty half over the filling to form triangles. Press edges firmly together with your fingers or the tines of a fork to seal well—this is where most turnovers fail, so be generous here.
Bake: Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, brush tops with remaining egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cut 2-3 small slits in the top of each turnover for steam release. Bake at 400°F for 18-20 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 140mgPotassium: 125mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg

Notes

Storage tips: Store baked turnovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5. Reheat at 350°F for 10 minutes to restore crispness. Unbaked turnovers freeze well—freeze on a baking sheet first, then bag them. Bake from frozen at 400°F for 23-25 minutes.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!