Fried Apple Hand Pies (Inspired by McDonald's, Not Official)
A copycat of the original fried fast food apple pie, inspired by McDonald's, not official: diced apples sautéed in browned butter with brown sugar and cinnamon, sealed in rectangles of pie dough and deep-fried at 375°F until golden and shatteringly crisp.
This is a copycat recipe, inspired by McDonald's fried apple pie and not the company's recipe. McDonald's introduced its apple pie in 1968, deep-fried, and replaced it on its regular US menu with a baked version in 1992, according to the copycat writer Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Recipes. Nation's Restaurant News says the baked pie was seen as healthier at a time of worry about fat, and that the fried pie began with Litton Cochran, an East Tennessee owner-operator whose wife, Jo, spent months on the recipe.
By 2023, The Kitchn's Christine Gallary wrote, the fried pie could be found in the US only at McDonald's in Hawaii, so if you wanted one you made it yourself. Then, NRN reported, McDonald's brought it back nationwide for a limited time starting June 23, 2026; ABC7's headline tied the return to America's 250th birthday. Gallary's version, built after much trial and error, uses store-bought pie dough rather than puff pastry, which she found puffed too much in the fryer, and a small batch of scratch apple filling.
🇺🇸 This one is American
A copycat of the original fried fast food apple pie, inspired by McDonald's, not official: diced apples sautéed in browned butter with brown sugar and cinnamon, sealed in rectangles of pie dough and deep-fried at 375°F until golden and shatteringly crisp.
🇬🇧 The original
England baked apple pies centuries before America: a short pastry crust filled with apples, sugar and spice, the line that settlers carried across the Atlantic. See the English Apple Pie (Cooking Apples Under a Pastry Lid) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Pie dough, not puff pastry
The Kitchn found puff pastry delicate and too puffy in the fryer, while pie dough holds the filling and fries up crunchy with just enough flake.
Cold, sealed pies
Chilling the cut dough and the filled pies keeps the butter in the dough firm and the seams set, so they hold together and crisp in the oil instead of leaking.
Watch it in 60 seconds
Step by step
- Step 1
Make the filling: peel, halve and core the apples and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces until you have 2 cups. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook until it starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the apples, cinnamon and salt and cook, stirring now and then, 5 to 7 minutes, until almost tender.
- Step 2
Add the brown sugar and water and stir until the sugar melts and bubbles, 20 to 30 seconds. Stir in the flour until absorbed, about 30 seconds, and turn off the heat. Scoop the filling onto a plate in 6 portions (about 2 1/2 tbsp each) and refrigerate until cool, at least 15 minutes.
- Step 3
Roll one crust on a lightly floured counter to 1/8 inch thick. Trim it to an 8-inch square, cut it in half, then cut each half crosswise into three 2 2/3-by-4-inch rectangles. Repeat with the second crust, lay all 12 rectangles on a lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, 15 to 40 minutes.
- Step 4
Beat the egg and brush a thin layer on 6 rectangles. Set a portion of filling on each, leaving any liquid behind and a 1/4-inch border. Top with the other rectangles and press and pinch the edges all the way around to seal. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Step 5
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat to 375°F. Set a wire rack over a second baking sheet. Check every seal and pinch again if needed.
- Step 6
Fry 3 pies at a time, turning them gently every minute or so with a slotted spoon or spider (tongs can pierce the crust), until golden brown and crisp all over, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Step 7
Drain on the rack and cool at least 5 minutes before eating; the filling is very hot.
Fried Apple Hand Pies (Inspired by McDonald's, Not Official)
Serves 6 · 6 hand pies · 1 hr total
Filling
- 2 medium Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples (about 12 oz total), or one of each
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- A pinch of kosher salt
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 tsp all-purpose flour
Crust and frying
- 1 package (14 to 16 oz) refrigerated or frozen pie dough (2 crusts), thawed if frozen, or 1 recipe homemade flaky pie dough in 2 disks
- All-purpose flour, for rolling
- 6 cups vegetable or canola oil
- 1 large egg
Method
- Make the filling: peel, halve and core the apples and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces until you have 2 cups. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook until it starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the apples, cinnamon and salt and cook, stirring now and then, 5 to 7 minutes, until almost tender.
- Add the brown sugar and water and stir until the sugar melts and bubbles, 20 to 30 seconds. Stir in the flour until absorbed, about 30 seconds, and turn off the heat. Scoop the filling onto a plate in 6 portions (about 2 1/2 tbsp each) and refrigerate until cool, at least 15 minutes.
- Roll one crust on a lightly floured counter to 1/8 inch thick. Trim it to an 8-inch square, cut it in half, then cut each half crosswise into three 2 2/3-by-4-inch rectangles. Repeat with the second crust, lay all 12 rectangles on a lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, 15 to 40 minutes.
- Beat the egg and brush a thin layer on 6 rectangles. Set a portion of filling on each, leaving any liquid behind and a 1/4-inch border. Top with the other rectangles and press and pinch the edges all the way around to seal. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat to 375°F. Set a wire rack over a second baking sheet. Check every seal and pinch again if needed.
- Fry 3 pies at a time, turning them gently every minute or so with a slotted spoon or spider (tongs can pierce the crust), until golden brown and crisp all over, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Drain on the rack and cool at least 5 minutes before eating; the filling is very hot.
Adapted from The Kitchn, "Copycat McDonald's Apple Pie" by Christine Gallary (published September 20, 2023), 6 pies. This is a copycat, not McDonald's recipe. We follow it as written: 2 cups of 1/2-inch Granny Smith or Pink Lady apple pieces (from 2 medium apples, about 12 oz) sautéed in 1 tbsp butter cooked until starting to brown, with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of kosher salt, 5 to 7 minutes, then 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 tbsp water and 1 1/2 tsp flour; the filling divided into 6 portions and cooled at least 15 minutes; a 14- to 16-oz package of pie dough (2 crusts), each rolled 1/8 inch thick, trimmed to an 8-inch square and cut into six 2 2/3-by-4-inch rectangles, chilled until firm, 15 to 40 minutes; a beaten egg brushed on half the rectangles, filling with a 1/4-inch border, tops pressed and pinched shut, chilled 30 minutes; 6 cups oil at 375°F in a Dutch oven; 3 pies at a time, flipped every minute or so with a slotted spoon or spider, 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown and crisp; at least 5 minutes on a wire rack. History from Top Secret Recipes' introduction and Nation's Restaurant News (Jonathan Maze, June 16, 2026). thekitchn.com. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (4)
Tips
- Don't add extra apple: 2 cups is the right amount; overfilled pies are hard to seal and leak in the fryer (The Kitchn).
- No thermometer? The Kitchn drops in a scrap of dough as a tester; it should sizzle hard.
- Make ahead: the filling can be made and the dough cut up to 1 day ahead (The Kitchn).
- Fried pies freeze: cool, freeze in a single layer, bag, keep up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a 300°F oven about 15 minutes (The Kitchn).
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- This is McDonald's recipe. Documented as false: it is The Kitchn's copycat, inspired by McDonald's fried pie, not an official recipe.
- McDonald's apple pie dates from 1968. Documented as Top Secret Recipes' and The Kitchn's account; NRN says only that it first appeared in the 1960s.
- McDonald's switched to baked pies in 1992. Documented by Top Secret Recipes, The Kitchn and NRN; NRN says the baked pie was seen as healthier.
- You can only get the fried pie in Hawaii. Disputed by date: The Kitchn said so in 2023; NRN reported a limited nationwide return starting June 23, 2026.
- The fried pie came from a franchisee's family. Documented as NRN's report: Litton and Jo Cochran of East Tennessee.
Every other apple pie
English Apple Pie (Cooking Apples Under a Pastry Lid)
Chunks of tart cooking apples with honey, cinnamon and mixed spice piled into a deep pie dish under a single lid of butter shortcrust, glazed with egg and baked hot at 400°F until golden and bubbling.
Wiener Apfelstrudel (Viennese Apple Strudel)
A soft egg and oil dough stretched over a floured tablecloth until it's paper thin, brushed with butter, layered with hazelnut breadcrumbs fried in butter, sliced apples, rum-soaked raisins, cinnamon and cloves, rolled up and baked at 350°F until golden.
Tarte Tatin (French Upside-Down Apple Tart)
Apple quarters packed in a skillet and softened in butter, covered with a light amber caramel cooked to 355°F, topped with a chilled disk of butter pastry, baked at 350°F until the edges bubble thick and syrupy, then flipped onto a platter.
Appeltaart (Dutch Apple Pie)
A tall springform pie with a cookie-like brown sugar crust pressed in by hand, packed with precooked Golden Delicious apples, golden raisins and speculaas-style spices, topped with a crisscross of dough strips and baked at 375°F for about 75 minutes. Served "met slagroom", with whipped cream.
Versunkener Apfelkuchen (German Sunken Apple Cake)
A buttery vanilla and lemon batter spread in a springform, topped with a ring of peeled apple quarters scored on top so they fan open and sink as the cake rises around them, baked at 350°F for about 45 minutes and brushed hot with apricot jam.
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Not a cake at all: tart apples cooked with vanilla and lemon into a chunky sauce and chilled, breadcrumbs toasted golden in butter and sugar, and lightly whipped cream, layered in glasses just before serving.
Sharlotka (Russian Apple Sponge Cake)
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Classic American Apple Pie (Double Crust)
Eight cups of thin-sliced apples tossed with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, thickened with flour and cornstarch and dotted with butter, sealed between two flaky butter and shortening crusts, baked at 425°F and then 375°F until the filling bubbles hard through the vents.
Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pie (Crumb Top)
One flaky shortening crust filled with 2 pounds of apples tossed with sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg, covered with a lumpy brown sugar and butter streusel instead of a top crust, baked at 425°F and then 350°F.
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Apples with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, molasses and butter baked between two crusts in a square pan at 425°F, then the top crust is slashed and pushed down into the juices in rough chunks, "dowdied", so it turns half crisp, half pudding.
Vermont Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust
A butter crust with grated sharp Vermont cheddar folded in, filled with sliced apples, sugar, maple syrup and apple pie spice, layered with thin slices of more cheddar under the top crust and baked at 375°F until browned. Vermont's 1999 state pie law names cheddar as one way to serve it.
Southern Fried Apple Pies (Dried-Apple Hand Pies)
Dried apples simmered soft and mashed with sugar and cinnamon, spooned onto 5-inch rounds of lard pastry, folded into half-moons, crimped with a fork and fried in lard at 350°F until blistered and lightly browned.
Skillet Apple Crisp (One-Pan, About an Hour)
Apple wedges sautéed in butter in one ovensafe skillet and coated with reduced cider, covered with a pecan, oat and brown sugar crumble made with melted butter, and baked hot at 450°F for 15 to 20 minutes until the fruit is tender and the top deep golden.
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