Southern fried pies: crispy, golden, and stuffed with fruit like grandma used to make—if grandma had a can of biscuits and zero patience. Quick, homemade, and freezer-friendly.
Table of Contents
- 🎥 Watch and learn how to make Southern fried pies
- ❤️ The real reason everyone shows up “just to visit”
- 🧾 Ingredients (You've probably already got these)
- 📖 Recipe
- 🔪How to make homemade fried pies
- 🥫 How to store, freeze, and reheat homemade hand pies
- 👩🍳 FAQs
- 📚More apple pies worth loosening your belt for
- 💬 Comments
🎥 Watch and learn how to make Southern fried pies
Watch me turn canned biscuits and pie filling into golden fried perfection—because life’s too short for store-bought hand pies.
❤️ The real reason everyone shows up “just to visit”
- Stupid easy (we’re talking 5 minutes of effort).
- Starts with canned biscuits—grandma’s rolling her eyes, but it works.
- Crispy, golden, fruit-filled perfection in a skillet.
- Freezer-friendly, so future-you can thank present-you.
🧾 Ingredients (You've probably already got these)
Nothing fancy here—just biscuit dough, fruit filling, and a few pantry staples. Simple ingredients, big Southern fried pie energy.
- Apple fruit filling (or whatever’s in the pantry) – cherry, peach, blueberry… no one’s judging.
- All-purpose flour – because apparently, dusting the counter is required.
- Refrigerated biscuits, unbaked – the real MVP. Grandma had lard, you have Pillsbury.
- Butter – melted, because duh.
- Bourbon (optional… kinda) – for apple pies and the cook.
- Cinnamon – warm, cozy, and makes your kitchen smell like you tried.
- Sugar – sweet enough to cover the shortcuts.
- Oil for frying – peanut, canola, whatever keeps the pies from sticking and your smoke alarm from screaming.
You can use homemade biscuit dough, homemade pie dough, or pick up a can of biscuits in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.
Download this free Southern Fried Pies Kitchen Cheat Sheet pdf for more tips, storage, faqs, and notes.
📖 Recipe
Fried Pie Recipe
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Instructions
- Taste the fruit pie filling and add a little sugar if needed for taste.
- Stir in the bourbon or lemon juice, if desired.
- Chop the filling into smaller, bite sized pieces.
- Set aside.
- Dust the countertop with the flour.
- Roll out each biscuit to the size of a saucer, about ⅛-inch thick or a little less.
- Add about two tablespoons of fruit pie filling to the center of each biscuit round.
- Fold over and press with the tines of the fork to seal.
- Poke a small hole in the top for the steam to escape.
- Heat the oil in a heavy skillet until it's about 300 degrees.
- Add a couple of the pies at a time. The oil should sizzle when you add them - don't overcrowd the skillet or the oil will cool down too much.
- Fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden, then turn and fry on the other side until golden.
- Drain on absorbent paper. Change the paper often so it stays fresh.
- Brush the top with melted butter.
- Add, butter side down, to the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
- Brush the other side with melted butter then turn to coat the whole pastry in cinnamon and sugar.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Be sure not to crowd the pan when frying - the oil will cool down too much and the fried pies will be greasy.
- You can bake these if you prefer. You lose some of the character of a southern fried pie but they're still yummy. Bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🔪How to make homemade fried pies
Consider this your roadmap to crispy, golden hand pie glory. No culinary degree required—just biscuits, filling, and a skillet of hot oil.
- Chop big fruit chunks into bite-sized pieces, then stir in bourbon (or your liquid of choice). Yes, a splash for you counts too.
- Roll out each biscuit to saucer-size, about ⅛-inch thick. Thin enough to fold, thick enough not to tear.
- Spoon about two generous tablespoons of filling into the center of each dough round. Don’t get greedy—it’ll leak.
- Dampen the edges with water or beaten egg, fold over, and press with a fork like you’re sealing state secrets.
- Drop a couple pies at a time into hot oil. If it doesn’t sizzle, the oil’s not ready.
- Flip and fry until the other side is golden brown. Crispy, not burned—watch ’em close.
- Drain on paper towels so they don’t turn into greasy sad pies.
- Brush the tops with melted butter and immediately press, butter side down, into cinnamon sugar.
- Brush the other side with butter too, then coat completely in cinnamon sugar. Congratulations—you just made Southern magic.
🥫 How to store, freeze, and reheat homemade hand pies
Store fried pies in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let them cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap or stack in an airtight container with parchment between layers.
❄️ How to freeze fried pies
Fried or uncooked pies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Skip the glaze or sugar before freezing.
To freeze raw pies
- Assemble but don’t bake. Avoid cream fillings.
- Freeze on a parchment-lined sheet until solid.
- Transfer to freezer bags or containers with parchment between layers.
To freeze cooked pies
- Cool completely.
- Freeze on lined baking sheets until solid, then store in freezer bags or airtight containers.
🔥 Cooking raw pies from frozen
- Fry straight from frozen (watch for oil splatter).
- Add 3–4 minutes to the cook time.
- Don’t overcrowd—the oil cools fast.
- Or thaw overnight in the fridge before frying.
♻️ Reheating fried pies
Skip the oil—it makes them greasy.
- Bake at 350°F until hot, or
- Pop in the air fryer for a few minutes.
Cool on a rack for a few minutes before biting in (trust me, molten fruit filling is basically lava).
👩🍳 FAQs
If you haven't eaten them within a couple of hours then you should cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can refrigerate these for up to 4 days.
Hand pies are usually baked but the term can be used interchangeably.
📚More apple pies worth loosening your belt for
If one apple pie recipe is good, four is better. Here are a few more ways to turn a bag of apples into something that disappears faster than gossip at a church social.
Candy Apple Pie – Like a county fair on a plate: gooey, cinnamon-kissed filling with a crunchy candy-style topping. Sticky fingers guaranteed.
Dutch Apple Pie – The one with the crumbly streusel crown. Half pie, half coffee cake, all kinds of irresistible.
German Apple Pie – Creamy, custard-style apple filling that tastes fancier than it is. Basically apple pie that studied abroad once and won’t shut up about it.
Southern fried pies prove you don’t need fancy ingredients to make dessert magic—just biscuits, filling, and hot oil. Quick, homemade, and freezer-friendly… they’re the shortcut Grandma would’ve taken if she’d thought of it. Leave a comment below and let us know what your favorite filling is. And don’t forget to rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—it helps more pie lovers find it!
Lorie Bollinger says
Do I use regular sized canned biscuits or the jumbo ?
Marye says
I used regular sized biscuits.
Terry Tucker says
Can these pies be made with sugar substitute?
Marye says
Im sure they could