Looking for a savoury hand pie to start off the day? Try these Freezer Friendly Spinach and Cheese Hand Pies! Both air fryer and oven instructions are included.
Freezer Friendly Spinach and Cheese Hand Pies
Some days, I have this strong craving a savoury breakfast, and I’ll grab a beef patty or a spanakopita on my way to work. However, the little shop that sells these at the subway stop has seemed to have closed so I decided to make my own. I want to say it’s so I can save money but really it’s because they close down haha.
These freezer friendly spinach and cheese pockets (like pizza pockets!) or hand pies, whatever you want to call them is my version of their spanakopita (I’m using puff pastry and not phyllo sheets). These hand pies are a combination of savoury, warm, flakey, and crispy while being a great grab and go option for breakfast or as a snack.
They’re also a favourite for H so since he’s gone, he’s lucky that these are freezer friendly so they’ll be waiting for him when he comes back home! I’ll admit, it’s a little lonely with him gone and there isn’t anyone to help me eat up all the test versions of recipes I made so don’t be surprised if there’s an increase of freezer friendly recipes around since now I have to freeze a bunch of food for when he comes home haha.
Air Fryer Spinach and Cheese Hand Pies or Oven Baked Spinach and Cheese Hand Pies?
For these spinach and cheese hand pies, I’ve tested them two ways: air fryer and oven. I found that it results aren’t too far off from each other expect that the air fryer is a couple minutes faster and it browns the pies a little more. I’ll be sharing both methods today because while I personally love the colour and the sliiiightly faster cook time on the air fryer, not everyone has one!
In this post, I used the Philips Turbostar Digital Airfryer and my Cuisinart Steam and Convection Oven to make my savoury spinach and cheese hand pies.
What You’ll Need To Make These Cheesy Spinach Hand Pies
- spinach
- ricotta
- feta
- basil
- red pepper flakes
- eggs
- puff pastry
How To Fold The Hand Pies
I’m putting this before my how to make them section because I wanted to show you a photo of how I fold them first! After putting my filling onto the puff pastry, I fold the pastry in half horizontally to make a little triangle. If they aren’t perfect squares, you can either trim off the excess or fold it on top. It doesn’t really matter for this recipe to be honest, it’s just about how you want them to look. To seal them, I pressed down on the side with the tips of a fork.
How To Make Spinach and Cheese Hand Pies in an Air Fryer
- In a large bowl, mix together your spinach, ricotta, feta, red pepper flakes, and egg.
- Unroll your pastry puff sheet and cut it into 4. The ones I use are from President’s Choice and are approximately 10 x 10 inches.
- Place your filling into the sheets and the fold the puff pastry into a triangle, sealing the edge with a fork.
- Brush the top of the hand pie with an egg wash.
- Give the air fryer basket a quick spritz of non-stick.
- Place them into the air fryer at 400F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Note: Be sure they are not touching each other or layered. I had used a rack to fit more than 2 in the air fryer basket but I found that the puff pastry expands into the rack so it’s a little harder to get out afterwards. So it’s up to you what you want to do, do them in batches and have them easily lift off do more at once and take a little more time removing them.
How To Make Savoury Spinach and Cheese Hand Pies in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a large bowl, mix together your spinach, ricotta, feta, red pepper flakes, and egg.
- Unroll your pastry puff sheet and cut it into 4.
- Place your filling into the sheets and the fold the puff pastry into a triangle, sealing the edge with a fork.
- Brush the top of the hand pie with an egg wash.
- Place the hand pies onto a sheet of parchment paper in a sheet pan and then put it in your oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
How To Freeze and Reheat Frozen Spinach and Cheese Hand Pies
- To store, once your hand pies have cooled, wrap them tightly in cling wrap and store in an airtight container before freezing them.
- To reheat, unwrap your individual hand pies straight from the freezer and place on top of a paper towel before microwaving for 1 minutes.
Freezer Friendly Spinach and Cheese Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups spinach, chopped
- 3/4 cup ricotta
- 1/2 cup feta
- 1/3 cup basil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 eggs
- 2 sheets puff pastry, 10x10 inches
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together your spinach, ricotta, feta, red pepper flakes, and one egg.
- Unroll your pastry puff sheet and cut it into 4.
- Place your filling into the sheets and the fold the puff pastry into a triangle, sealing the edge with a fork.
- Brush the top of the hand pie with an egg wash (the second egg, cracked and mixed).
Air fryer Instructions
- Give the air fryer basket a quick spritz of non-stick.
- Place them into the air fryer at 400F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Oven Instructions
- Place the hand pies onto a sheet of parchment paper in a sheet pan and then put it in your oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
MORE BREAKFAST MEAL PREPS
- Breakfast Wonton Egg Cups
- Make Ahead Breakfast Taco Egg Bowl
- Freezer Friendly Winter Spice Bacon Egg Cups
- Freezer Friendly Breakfast Egg Sandwiches
- Instant Pot Pizza Egg Bites
MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES
- Korean Fried Cauliflower
- Party Snacks: Wontons 3 Ways
- Airfryer Shrimp Tempura Sushi Burrito
- Airfryer Turkey Dinner
- Boneless Pork Chops
Other places to connect with me
Instagram: @carmyshungry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: [email protected]
Vlogs/Recipe Videos: Youtube
Hannah kagan says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I’m aiming to make these for a drop off meal for my best friend who is having a baby. Could you freeze these BEFORE baking? Or would the puff pastry not cooperate after being thawed, filled and then refrozen?
Carmy says
Hi Hannah! I haven’t tried freezing them before baking. I would also be concerned about refreezing the thawed puff pastry as the box says not to!