Gluten Free Apple Turnovers

 You need to try these delicious Gluten Free Apple Turnovers! Made with fresh, juicy apples and a crispy, flaky crust, these turnovers are the perfect snack for anyone with a gluten intolerance. Dairy & egg free options too!

Despite there now being a large range of pre-packaged gluten-free sweet treats available, finding decent gluten-free bakery items can be a bit tricky due to cross-contamination concerns.

There are few better things in life than buttery, flaky pastry. Combine that with juicy, spiced sweet apples and I think I could be in heaven. Cue my easy gluten-free apple turnovers!

I'm a big fan of Jus-Rol puff pastry and have used it in a number of my recipes such as these Vegetable Curry Pies, Bacon & Cheese Turnovers, (another bakery favourite) Vegan Pesto Pinwheels, puff pastry pizza & these Gluten Free Mini Sausage Rolls, so knew it would be ideal to use for these turnovers.

The turnovers came out brilliantly! Perfectly balanced sweetness and a hint of tartness in the apple mix, with the pastry turning out all flaky, puffy, and beautifully golden.

You can also make savoury turnovers with pastry too, my favourite is this bacon & cheese turnover, which is a Greggs copycat recipe.

These are one of my favourite baked, gluten-free desserts to make at home. There is something so comforting about them.

If you don't fancy cooking, check out these no-bake dairy-free rice krispie squares & these Gluten Free Rocky Road. I hope you love them as much as I do!

🤔 What Is An Apple Turnover?

An apple turnover is a sweet, pastry-filled dessert that is popular in many countries around the world. It consists of a crisp, flaky crust that is typically filled with sliced apples, sugar, and cinnamon, and then baked until delicious and golden. Some recipes also include a drizzle of icing or a dusting of powdered sugar on top.

The turnover is made by folding the crust over the filling and sealing the edges, which creates a pocket of deliciousness that is perfect for snacking or dessert. You can either fold the pastry into a triangle shape or like I have, a rectangle.

🥘 Ingredients You Will Need

Here is a brief overview of the ingredients you will need to make this apple turnover. They are gluten-free, but to find out how to make them dairy-free or egg-free, simply scroll down to the section below this one.

✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋

• Puff Pastry - You could make your own puff pastry dough, using gluten-free flour, but I find Jus-Rol Gluten Free Puff Pastry so good that why bother wasting your time? The sheets come pre-rolled & you can find it in all of the major supermarkets and you can also from Amazon. If you are not following a gluten-free diet, just use regular puff pastry.
• Apples - I like to use Granny Smith apples because they have a tart flavour that pops, and they don't turn mushy when heated up. Another variety that works well for turnovers is Golden Delicious apples. They're tart, juicy, and hold up well in baked goods. 
• Light Brown Sugar - This is mixed with the apples, cinnamon and butter, which when cooked makes that gorgeous syrupy coating around the apples.  Light brown sugar is unrefined, so when heated is slightly stickier and has more of a caramel flavour. 
• Butter - Block butter rather than a spread is best for this recipe. For dairy-free options see variations below.
• Cinnamon - This aromatic spice adds a sweet, spicy flavour to the apple filling. Apples and cinnamon are a match made in heaven.
• Egg - Used to seal the pastry together and also as an egg wash to give the pastry that golden brown colour once baked. For an egg-free option see the variation section below.
• Lemon Juice - This adds an undertone of tartness, which helps balance out the sweet flavour. Use fresh lemon juice as it has a totally different flavour to the bottled stuff.
• Granulated Sugar - This is sprinkled over the top of the turnovers before baking to add a sweet textured crunch to the pastry. Granulated is my preference over caster sugar as the granules are coarser but feel free to use caster sugar too.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

⚡ Variations

• ✔️ Dairy Free: Swap the regular butter for a dairy-free version. My favourite is Flora Plant Butter & I would recommend the unsalted block for this recipe.
• ✔️ Egg Free: Instead of using an egg to seal the pastry and as a glaze, use regular or a dairy-free milk instead. Just brush with an alternative like soya or almond milk.
• ✔️ Alternative Fruits:  You can make a variety of turnovers using lots of different types of fruit. Any berries like raspberries or strawberries work really well, as do cherries and peaches.

✏️ How to Make - Step-By-Step Instructions

⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️

Step 1: Firstly, preheat your oven to 180˚C / 350˚F. While your oven is heating up, unroll your puff pastry sheet onto a baking tray, keeping it on the baking parchment it comes in, so that it can come to room temperature.

Step 2: Next up, it's time to prepare the apple filling. Its essentially the same filling as you would use in an apple pie. Dice your apples into small squares and melt some butter in a saucepan on low-medium heat. 

Step 3: Add the light brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and apples, and cook everything, stirring regularly, for about 8-10 minutes until the apples have softened but are still holding their shape.

Then, remove the pan from the heat and let the apple mixture cool down.

Step 4: Once the apple mixture has cooled, it's time to assemble your turnovers! Cut the pastry sheet into four rectangles and place a spoonful of the cooled apple filling on the left-hand side of each rectangle, leaving some space around the edges for folding. 

Step 5: Brush the edges of the pastry squares with the beaten egg, then fold the pastry over the filling to create a rectangular shape.

Press the edges of the pastry together to seal the turnovers, then use a fork to crimp the edges.

Step 6: To give your turnovers a little extra texture, brush the top of each turnover with more beaten egg and sprinkle some granulated sugar on top.

Finally, use a sharp knife to cut a few small slits in the top of each turnover to allow steam to escape during baking.

Step 7: Now it's time to bake your turnovers! Place them in your pre-heated oven on the lined baking sheet for 21-24 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up. 

Once they're done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

🤔 How Do You Keep Apple Turnovers Crispy?

There are a few things you can do to keep your turnovers crispy.

1. ⚡  Avoid overfilling: Overfilling the turnovers can cause the pastry to become soggy. Be sure to leave enough space around the edges for the pastry to puff up and crisp.
   
2. ⚡  Use a hot oven: Preheat your oven to the recommended temperature in the recipe and make sure it's fully heated before baking the turnovers. This will help the pastry cook quickly and crisp up nicely.
   
3. ⚡ Let them cool before storing: After baking, let the turnovers cool completely before storing them. This will help prevent condensation from forming in the container, which can cause the pastry to become soft.

💡 Tips & Tricks

• ✔️ Don’t overstuff with filling - It can be tempting to want to fill the turnovers with as much of the yummy apple mixture as you can. Still, if you overstuff them, the mixture tends to leak out from any small gap in the pastry and creates a bit of a gooey mess, so less is more in this case! 
• ✔️ Use the pastry baking parchment paper - If you are using the Just-Rol pastry, it comes rolled up on its own sheet of baking paper so when you are un-rolling the pastry, keep it in the parchment and un-roll straight onto a baking tray,  meaning you can make up the turnovers on there easily before placing in the oven.
• ✔️ Score with a knife - cut a couple of slits in the top of each turnover to let the steam escape.
• ✔️ Leave to cool for a few minutes before eating - As much as you will want to dive in straight away, cooked apples can heat up like molten lava, so leave it a few minutes before tucking in.
• ✔️ Cool on a wire rack - Once you have removed the apple turnovers from the oven, remove them from the baking tray with a spatula and place them on a wire rack to cool. This allows the air to circulate around the whole turnover, so they will cool down quicker and also prevent a soggy bottom!

🥡 How To Store

These homemade gluten-free turnovers really are best served straight away, warm from the oven. (Do leave it a few minutes before tucking in thoughts the apples get super hot!)

If you do want to store the turnovers, you can keep them in an airtight container on the kitchen side for 3-4 days. 

Be aware that the pastry will lose its lightness and crispiness once stored.

To freeze, freeze flat on a baking tray for one hour, then place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before eating.

💬 Recipe FAQs