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!
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Do you love the taste of apple turnovers but need a gluten-free version? Then you have come to the right place!
Despite there now being a large range of pre-packaged gluten free sweet treats available, it is still hard to find gluten free bakery items.
There are few better things in life than buttery, flaky pastry. Combine that with juicy, spicy but sweet apples and I think I could be in heaven!
So I set about to re-create a gluten-free version of this bakery favourite.
I love Just-Rol puff pastry and have used it in a number of my recipes such as these Bacon & Cheese Turnovers, (another bakery favourite) & these Gluten Free Mini Sausage Rolls, so knew it would be ideal to use for these turnovers.
They came out perfectly with the right amount of sweet to slightly sour ratio in the apple mixture and the pastry was flaky, puffy and golden.
These are one of my favourite baked, gluten-free desserts to make at home alongside these Gluten Free Rocky Road. There is something so comforting about it, I hope you love them as much as I do!
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🤔 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 typically filled with sliced apples, sugar, and cinnamon, 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 a rectangle like I have.
🥘 Ingredients Needed & Notes
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
- Puff Pastry - You could make your own pastry, using gluten free flour, but I find Jus-Rol Gluten Free Puff Pastry so good that why bother wasting your time? You can find these pre-rolled pastry sheets in all of the major supermarkets and you can also buy them from Amazon.
- Apples - I like to use Granny Smith apples because they have a tart flavour that really pops, and they don't turn to mush when you heat them 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, that when cooked makes that gorgeous syrupy coating around the apples. Light brown sugar is un-refined, 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.
⚡ Variations
- To Make It Dairy Free - Swap the regular butter for a dairy free version. My favourite is Flora Plant Butter & I would recommend the un-salted block for this recipe.
- To Make It Egg Free - Instead of using an egg to seal the pastry and use as a glaze you can use 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 berry works really well, as do cherries and peaches.
✏️ How to Make Gluten Free Apple Turnovers
⬇️ For the full printable recipe, along with ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post ⬇️
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.
Next up, it's time to prepare the apple filling. Dice your apples into small squares and melt some butter in a saucepan on low-medium heat. Add the light brown sugar, cinnamon, and apples, and cook everything, stirring regularly, for about 8-10 minutes until the apples have softened but are still holding their shape. You may need to add a splash of water if the mixture is too dry. Then, remove the pan from heat and let the apple mixture cool down.
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.
Brush the edges of the pastry squares with the beaten egg, then fold the pastry over the filling to create a rectangle shape. Press the edges of the pastry together to seal the turnovers, then use a fork to crimp the edges.
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.
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.
💡 Tips & Tricks
- Don’t overstuff with filling - It can be really tempting to want to fill the turnovers with as much of the yummy apple mixture as you can, but 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 in 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, so you can make up the turnovers on there easily before placing in the oven.
- Leave to cool for a few mins before eating - As much as you will want to dive in straight away, cooked apple 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 on a wire rack to cool. This allows the air to circulate around the whole turnover, so it will cool quicker and also prevents a soggy bottom!
🔪 Equipment
Use a pastry brush to coat the pastry with the egg wash.
Cook the apple turnovers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Cool the turnovers on a wire rack once they come out of the oven.
🥡 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.
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 FAQ
There are a few things you can do to keep your turnovers crispy:
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.
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.
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.
Yes, you can make turnovers ahead of time and reheat them later. Just be sure to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat them in the oven or air fryer to help keep the pastry crispy. The pastry will become soggy if re-heated in the microwave.
📖 More Sweet Treats..
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
- 280 g Jus rol gluten free puff pastry sheet 1 x sheet
- 2 large granny smith apples or any other sharp tasting apple
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon butter can be substituted for dairy free butter
- 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
- 1 medium egg can be substituted for a plant based milk
- granulated sugar to sprinkle on top of the turnovers
- 1 teaspoon water if needed to loosen sauce.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C / 350˚F.
- Unroll the puff pastry sheet, straight onto a baking tray, keeping it on the baking parchment it comes in, to bring it to room temperature.
- Dice the apples into small squares.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan on a low-medium heat. Add the light brown sugar, cinnamon and apples and cook, stirring regularly for 8-10 minutes until the apples have softened but are still holding their shape. Add a splash of water if needed.
- Remove pan from heat and allow apple mixture to cool.
- Cut the pastry sheet into four rectangles.
- Place a spoonful of the cooled apple filling in the left hand side of each rectangle, leaving a border of pastry around the edges.
- Brush the edges of the pastry squares with the beaten egg, then fold the pastry over the filling to create a rectangle shape.
- Press the edges of the pastry together to seal the turnovers, then use a fork to crimp the edges.
- Brush the top of each turnover with more beaten egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Use a sharp knife to cut a few small slits in the top of each turnover to allow steam to escape during baking.
- Place the turnovers in the pre-heated oven and bake for 21-24 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- Don’t overstuff with filling - It can be really tempting to want to fill the turnovers with as much of the yummy apple mixture as you can, but 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 in 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, so you can make up the turnovers on there easily before placing in the oven.
- Leave to cool for a few mins before eating - As much as you will want to dive in straight away, cooked apple 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 on a wire rack to cool. This allows the air to circulate around the whole turnover, so it will cool quicker and also prevents a soggy bottom!
Let me know what you think of this recipe!