These homemade pumpkin pasties taste like they emerged straight out of the Harry Potter books! They're made with a homemade cinnamon-spiced pie crust and a cozy filling that comes together easily with canned pumpkin purée.
Pumpkin Hand Pies with a Touch of Magic
Ok friends, I swear when I eat these pumpkin pasties, I imagine I'm in the Great Hall in Hogwarts, enjoying a meal with all my classmates and friends. Or perhaps I'm at the Burrow, and Mrs. Weasley has just pulled a fresh batch of these sweet pastries from the oven.
The buttery, flaky crust is inspired by my 3-ingredient pie crust. For these pasties though, I added a tiny bit of cinnamon & sugar to keep it leaning sweet. And the creamy pumpkin filling is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger for plenty of warm flavor in each bite.
Seriously, these English-inspired hand pies are irresistible because you can basically enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie anywhere, anytime (ditto for my puff pastry apple hand pies!)
Hungry for more magical treats? Check out all of my Harry Potter-inspired recipes including vegan butterbeer and butterbeer cookies!
Let's Bake Pumpkin Pasties Together!
Baking Tips from My Kitchen
- Keep your cubed butter for the pasty crust cold. Cut the stick of butter into small cubes, then put it back in the fridge while you prepare the dry ingredients to ensure it isn't too soft when you mix it into the dough.
- Place a few ice cubes in a bowl with cold water and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to add the cold water to your dough. Warm or even room temperature water could soften and melt the butter in the pie dough.
- Don't skip cutting the steam vents into the tops of each pumpkin pasty. These vents allow steam from the filling to escape during baking to prevent soggy pastries. I love cutting a lightning bolt on top, to add just a little more magic.
Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
Pasty Crust Dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold in the fridge (1 stick)
- ½ cup ice cold water
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
Make and Chill the Dough
- Cut the stick of cold butter into small cubes, then return it to the fridge to stay cold.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, salt, granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Toss the cold cubed butter in the dry ingredients, then use your index fingers and thumbs to squish the butter until it is the size of large peas.
- Add ¼ cup of the ice cold water and mix into the dough with a fork. Continue adding the water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds its shape when squeezed in the palm of your hand.
- Press the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic cling wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Prepare the Pumpkin Filling
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine canned pumpkin, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger until it is smooth. Set aside.
Roll and Shape the Dough
- On a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out your dough with a rolling pin or large glass bottle until it's about ½ cm thick. Use cookie cutters or the rim of a drinking glass to cut out circles from the dough that are approximately 6-inches in diameter.
Fill and bake the pasties
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Transfer the dough circles to the lined baking sheet.
- Place about two tablespoons of the pumpkin filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold the circles over in half and use a fork to press down and crimp the edges, to prevent them from opening.
- Use a sharp knife to cut a few lines into the tops of the pasties to allow steam to escape. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!
Notes
- Pumpkin: Use canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling which contains immeasurable amounts of added sugar and spices.
- Water: Place a few ice cubes in a bowl with cold water and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to add the cold water to your dough. Warm water could soften and melt the butter in the dough.
- Shaping: Crimping the edges of the pasties with a fork seals the crust so the filling won't spread out while they're baking in the oven. Make sure you crimp through both the top and bottom layer of the pasties.
- Scoring: Don't skip cutting the steam vents into the tops of each pumpkin pasty. These vents allow steam from the filling to escape during baking. If the steam can't escape, your crust could end up soggy.
- Make Ahead: You can make the pastry dough in advance and store it wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to one month.
- Storing: Baked pumpkin pasties taste best fresh. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, but they may loose some of their crispy texture.
Nutrition
I originally published this post back on March 3, 2020. I posted this Harry Potter recipe to celebrate National Reading Day on March 2nd. It was an ode to my favorite book series in the entire world. The Harry Potter series remains one of my favorites, and I'm excited to update this pumpkin pasties recipe and all the photos for you!
The following photo is from when I originally posted these pumpkin pasties back in 2020. That was back when I was shooting all my photos on my iPhone!
foodinbooks says
Yum! Love pumpkin in anything, and of course love the Harry Potter series too. These would be perfect for Halloween.....just around the corner. 🙂 I actually made pumpkin pasties for an early food blog post on the same book. I made mine with New Mexico red chile sauce and goat cheese mixed with the pumpkin and they were a hit. Great post!
Humbly Homemade says
Woah! I will have to try your pumpkin pasties recipe, it sounds incredible! I love goat cheese but I've never tried New Mexico red chile sauce.
foodinbooks says
I think you would enjoy the combination.
Humbly Homemade says
I think so too! 😄
Azilde Elizabeth says
That page does sound super delicious lol I would love to try these pasties! 😋 I wonder what you would create with the chocolate frogs!
Humbly Homemade says
If I ever find a frog mold, I am totally going to make chocolate frogs!! lol
Azilde Elizabeth says
I can't wait for you to find that frog mold! 😂
Humbly Homemade says
Haha me too! I'll be scouring the internet! ðŸðŸ˜†
Jessica says
So creative!! My husband loves those movies!
Humbly Homemade says
Thank you so much! A fellow Harry Potter fan, I respect that. 🤓
ohiocook says
Thank you for following my blog!
strawberryandcream says
Your photos are so good!