Vegan Apple Turnovers – Super easy!

Warm, flaky, and buttery, these vegan apple turnovers are filled with sweet and juicy spiced apple goodness! The perfect little dessert or snack for the winter season, these easy-to-make sweet pastries are ideal for cosy gatherings, holiday treats, or anytime indulgence.

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Who else loves the smell of sweet, cooked apples wafting through the kitchen? Fresh apples are amazing, but apples cooked with sugar and spices have been my absolute favourite since I was a little kid. And there’s something magical about warm, flaky apple turnovers fresh out of the oven, don’t you agree? The combination of buttery vegan puff pastry and a sweet, cinnamon-spiced apple filling is just irresistible! Even my partner, who isn’t a fan of apples, couldn’t stop eating these turnovers. So I’m confident you’ll love them too.

These vegan apple turnovers are everything you adore about a classic apple dessert, but completely plant-based, and believe me, no one will be able to tell that these are vegan! Whether you’re in the mood for a comforting treat on a chilly day, a snack to enjoy with your coffee, or an easy dessert to impress your friends, this recipe has got you covered!

I made this batch in the pictures using my homemade vegan puff pastry, which is surprisingly simple to make and prepare for this recipe. But if you’re short on time, store-bought vegan puff pastry works wonderfully too!

Want to learn more about baking with apples?
Read this Baking with Apples Guide with 14 amazing vegan apple recipes!

Main ingredients and substitutions

To make these vegan apple turnovers, you’ll need just a handful of key ingredients that come together for a perfectly warm cosy flavour and flaky crisp texture!

*Use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise instructed.

One vegan puff pastry: Vegan puff pastry creates that golden, flaky outer layer. I used my homemade vegan puff pastry recipe for these apple turnovers which is also available on the website and super easy to make! But if you don’t have time to make it, many store-bought puff pastries like Jus-Rol are naturally vegan and ready to be used.

Apples: Fresh and crisp apples make the filling shine. I like using sweet and firm apples. I have tried this recipe with Gala, Pink Lady, Fuji, some British apples, and other types and they all work wonderfully in this recipe. Tart apples like Granny Smith would work great too if you prefer tart apples. 

Brown sugar: I used brown sugar to sweeten the apple filling and bring a rich caramel-like flavour to the apple filling. If you prefer, coconut sugar or date sugar is a great alternative to make this recipe refined sugar-free and keep the richness. Regular caster sugar and granulated sugar work perfectly too.

Cornflour: Cornflour thickens the apple filling so it stays perfectly gooey without being runny. You can sub with arrowroot flour or tapioca flour as well. Potato flour works too!

Cinnamon: A must-have in any apple dessert in my opinion! Cinnamon powder adds warmth and cosy spice to the turnovers. You can add a pinch of clove, cardamon, and nutmeg powder to add even more aroma of spices.

Soy milk: I used some soy milk for brushing the pastry, it helps create that golden, bakery-style finish on top.

Vegan butter: Vegan butter helps cook the apples and also adds buttery richness to the filling! I used Flora vegan butter and I loved the results. 

Other ingredients: A pinch of salt and vanilla extract.

Note: Substitution may change the final taste and texture of this recipe.

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

A sharp knife or pastry cutter: Use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to slice up the puff pastry into neat squares. You can use a pizza cutter too.

Pastry brush: A pastry brush is an essential item for brushing vegan egg washes onto pastries to achieve that beautiful golden finish. 

Fork: Use a regular fork you have for eating pasta to crimp the edges of the turnovers to seal in all that delicious apple filling! 

A pot: You’ll need a large pot to cook the apples. Trust me, a small pot may not be ideal here, you don’t want those delicious ingredients spilling all over the place.

Wooden spoon or silicone spatula: I prefer using a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula to mix ingredients in a pot on the hob. Metal utensils can scrape the surface of your pots and pans, which might release unwanted metal or coating particles into your food, so it’s best to avoid them.

Baking tray: Use a good sturdy baking tray with a parchment paper for these turnovers to bake evenly. Make sure there’s enough space for them to puff up beautifully without sticking together.

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make vegan apple turnovers

Step 1:Prepare the Apple Filling

Dice the apples into small even cubes, about half an inch to an inch big. This part is quite important – uneven-sized apples don’t cook evenly in the pot so you can get apples that are too soft and too firm in the turnovers when they are cooked in the pot and oven. Cutting the apples as evenly as possible is key!

Now toss the diced apples, brown sugar, cornflour, cinnamon, vanilla, and a pinch of salt into a pot and stir until the apples are evenly coated. Place the pot on a hob over medium heat, add a knob of vegan butter, and sauté the apple mixture for about 5 minutes until the mixture becomes gooey. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Step 2: Prepare the Puff Pastry

Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). When the apple mixture is cooled completely, cover and place it in the fridge while you prepare the puff pastry. To prepare your puff pastry, roll out the vegan puff pastry with a rolling pin to about a quarter an inch thick on a lightly floured surface to ensure it doesn’t stick. Cut the pastry into equal-sized squares or rectangles. Cut in any shape that you like here – be it triangles, circles, or whatever you want! You can make them smaller for bite-sized turnovers or larger for a more pie-like treat.

With my homemade vegan puff pastry recipe, you can get about 6 to 8 medium-sized turnovers, so you will get about 12 to 16 squares. Cut the puff pastry dough in half first then work with one half at a time. For the batch in the pictures, I made 8 turnovers.

Step 3: Assemble the Turnovers

Spoon about a heaping tablespoon of the cooled apple filling onto the centre of half of each pastry piece, leaving a small border around the edges. I know the apple filling is good, but don’t overfill it here, otherwise, you won’t be able to close the turnovers! Fold the other half of the pastry over the filling and cover completely. To close the edges together, press the edges gently with your fingers, then use a fork to crimp and seal them. That was really easy, wasn’t it!

Step 4: Brush and Bake

Transfer the turnovers to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the turnovers with soy milk for a lovely golden finish and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the turnovers are puffed and golden brown. Once baked, let the turnovers cool for about 5 minutes on a cooling rack before serving. I sprinkled some powdered sugar for added sweetness and to make them look pretty. I love eating them while they are warm with a cup of tea, but they’re just as delicious at room temperature. Enjoy!

Serving tips and ideas

Enjoy the apple turnovers on their own, or take them up a notch with these serving ideas!

• Pair with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream for a classic dessert combo that tastes like Grandma’s delicious apple pie! Chocolate, caramel, and other flavours would be lovely too.
• Drizzle with a simple glaze made of powdered sugar and plant milk for a bakery-style treat. Some sprinkles of hundreds and thousands would go well on top!
• Top with a dollop of plant whipped cream and more apple filling on the side! An elegant little dessert that you can serve at any party occasion.

Expert tips and tricks

Use cold puff pastry and ensure the filling is completely cooled

Make sure you take your puff pastry from the fridge right before working with it and work while it’s cold, and also ensure that the apple filling is completely cold. This is very important because warm pastry will become sticky and difficult to handle, which prevents it from puffing properly in the oven. Warm apple filling can do the same so cold ingredients is key here.

Cut the apples to the same size

Dice the apples into small, even pieces so they cook evenly and fit nicely into the turnovers without tearing the pastry sheet. If you are slicing the apples instead of dicing, slice at an even thickness.

Be careful not to overfill

I know it’s tempting to fill the pastry with as much apple filling as possible, but be careful with overfilling the turnovers. Too much filling can leak out of the pastries during baking. Trust me I have been there, it can be messy to clean up later! Aim for a balance between generous and manageable.

Extra crisp? 

For an extra crispy finish, sprinkle a little granulated sugar over the turnovers before baking instead of sprinkling icing sugar after baking! It adds a subtle crunch and sweetness.

Use a digital scale to weigh ingredients

Always use a digital scale rather than measuring cups when you are baking. It’s so much more accurate and measuring correctly is very important to achieve the best result.

Recipe variations

• Apple is great for this recipe but it’s not the only fruit that is great in turnovers, so experiment with different fruits! Replace apples with pears, peaches, or mixed berries for a new flavour twist. 
• Add chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans to the filling for extra texture and nutty flavour! I like pecans, they add such lovely flavour and texture.
• Caramel and apple combo can never go wrong, drizzle a bit of vegan caramel sauce over the filling before sealing the turnovers and make caramel apple turnovers! Mmm so delicious.
• Another combo that I love, apple and cream cheese. Need I say more. You can even do caramel apple cream cheese filling, so good!

How to store

• Room Temperature: If you plan to eat your turnovers within a day of baking them, you can store them at room temperature. Keep them in an airtight container to maintain freshness and warm up a little in a microwave before eating.

• Refrigerating: For longer storage, I place the turnovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them. They’ll stay fresh for up to 2-3 days. To reheat, warm them in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 5 minutes to restore their crispness. You can microwave them too, but using the oven is better as the microwave can make the pastry soggy rather than crispy.

• Freezing: Both unbaked and baked turnovers can be frozen for up to 2-3 months if you want to make them in advance for future events. To freeze unbaked apple turnovers, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze them until firm, and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. You can bake the turnovers directly from frozen, just add 5-10 minutes to the baking time and you will be enjoying freshly baked warm hearty turnovers! Baked turnovers can also be frozen in the same way and reheated in the oven for a quick treat.

*Although you can store this recipe in the fridge or freezer, it’s always best to consume it fresh and as soon as possible.

Q and A

You will LOVE these vegan apple turnovers because they are:

• simple and easy to make
• buttery and flaky
• taste like a hearty warm apple pie
• sweet and juicy

Want more recipes like this?

Try my other delicious apple and dessert recipes you might enjoy!

• Apple crumble cake
• Apple cinnamon muffins
• Apple crumble muffins
• Apple pie cookies
• Apple Crumble Coffee Cake

Visit the fruits recipe page and recipe page for more delicious recipes!