Flaky Gluten Free & Keto Hand Pies 🥧 (2024)

These (super flaky!) gluten free and keto hand pies are packed with three super duper awesome low carb fillings, starting at just 3g net carbs a pop!

Gluten Free & Keto Hand Pies

3 Ways!

Oh you guys…! These keto hand pies make for the ideal (and easy!) low carb holiday dessert or special treat. Whipped up with our suuuper flaky pie crust, feel free to make an entire batch or just a couple (and keep the cravings at bay).

For the fillings, some of my sugar-free favorites here: pumpkin spice mascarpone, orange ‘n chocolatericotta, and blackberry almond butter.

Oh! And if you want the pie crust to go the extra mile (i.e. lower carbs etc), feel free to whip them up in your muffin pan without the tops. Mini galettes sorta thing… but same difference?!

Just One Rule

Make sure the filling is completely chilled before filling up the hand pies. Otherwise you will (quite literally) see the pastry melt before your very eyes.

And remember that, like with any pastry dough, you need to work quickly and over a cool surface. Though do note that if the dough becomes too hard to manage, you can always pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes before carrying on!

One last thing. Like with any pastry dough, make sure not to over-process the dough. The mixture ought to resemble coarse breadcrumbs rather than cookie dough.

The Deets

When rolling out you may want to use parchment or wax paper. Given the lack of gluten, the crust is more fragile and it will break easily if not handled with care. So I suggest rolling it out between two sheets of parchment paper. Easy peasy.

And talking aboutlack of gluten, this is the reason why the dough will crack slightly when baked. I’ve noticed that the cracking can be lessened by allowing the dough to rest overnight (rather than for an hour), though note that taste and texture will be the same.

I also noted that by increasing the xanthan gum you can get a silky smooth crust, but at the cost of losing a bit of flakiness. So I most definitely sacrificed some aesthetics for the sake of taste and texture.

The Sweetener

You’ve got good options here!Alluloseis my favorite for best texture and no aftertaste now (you do need to add 30% more though),Lakanto Golden (slight cooling aftertaste for some peeps), xylitol(non-corn though to avoid tummy troubles!).

And you can even use stevia drops and pure monk fruit here too. Ideal!

And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup(or kitty!) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys!

Pumpkin Spice Mascarpone🎃

Because pumpkin is always a good idea, I paired this delicious fall stable with a touch of Italian mascarpone cheese, vanilla, and (of course!) some homemade pumpkin pie spice.

Just do note that this filling expands when baked, so your hand pies may have a couple more cracks than with the other two fillings. Flakiness and taste intact, of course.

Chocolate & Orange Ricotta🍫

Ricotta hand pies are an Italian staple (i.e. bocconotti di ricotta). And a simple combination of orange and dark chocolate is my forever favorite! Though note that add-ins such as lavender work wonders here too.

Simply opt for a 90% dark chocolate or a stevia-sweetened one such as Lily’s chocolate chips.

Blackberry & Almond Butter🍓

Because PB&J!Berries and nut butters make for such killer combos, so you’ve got freereignhere. I love a blackberry & almond butter combo, but we’re equally gaga about peanut butter & raspberry, and almond & strawberry… the dream!

Just note here that you’ll need to make a quick berry preserve (i.e. cook for 10-15 minutes until softened). And allow the filling to cool completely before making these guys.

So what else can you make with our pie crust?! Empanadas, flaky crackers, (strawberry!) pop tarts, a fancy-pants baked brie… and of course, actual pumpkin pie and ‘apple’ pie!

And… the video story!