A flaky puff pastry filled with creamy, perfectly seasoned sweet potato filling - these Roasted Sweet Potato Turnovers are simply divine! These are my favorite treats to make when you want to impress but don't want to put in a bunch of effort in the kitchen. And you simply can't forget the sweet maple glaze to drizzle on top!
When you're craving sweet potato pie but don't want to bother with pie crusts and a crazy amount of time in the kitchen, these sweet potato turnovers are the perfect dish to make! A delicious, silky smooth filling is baked inside of flaky puff pastry sheets for a dessert that looks just as great as it tastes.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $1.17
- Total Cost (8 turnovers): $9.34
- Those Other Guys: $6.99 per turnover
Ingredients
- Frozen Puff Pastry Dough - For our Fall miniseries, we're going to use frozen puff pastry dough to shave off tons of prep time in the kitchen. I love to use the Pepperidge Farm brand because it's incredibly easy to cook with. All you do is thaw it out for about 15 minutes before you're ready to use it.
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes - Roasting your sweet potatoes gives such a beautiful, bold flavor profile that you don't get from boiling them. They become a lot sweeter & softer when roasting. Be sure to wrap your potatoes in foil because they do leak a lot of juices when baking.
- Seasonings - To really complement the roasted sweet potatoes, we're going to add ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, vanilla, and a smidge of brown sugar to our filling mixture. I've also added just a touch of ground ginger before but that's not necessary!
- Sweet Maple Glaze - The sweet maple glaze is one of the best parts of this dish! Just combine some powdered sugar, maple syrup (or maple extract), vanilla extract, and milk until it's silky smooth. You can drizzle the glaze on the turnovers as soon as they come out. Divine!
How to Make Sweet Potato Hand Pies Using Puff Pastry
These beautiful pastries are kickstarting my Fall miniseries based on all things puff pastry! This super-adaptable ingredient can be used for everything from breakfast to appetizers to desserts, and I want to show y'all how to use it. We're going to create some amazing dishes using frozen puff pastry dough and tons of Fall-inspired ingredients - it's going to be so exciting!
Step 1: Start out by roasting your sweet potato in an oven.
Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then mash with a fork in a mixing bowl. Add in brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract.
Step 2: Stir your filling together until fully mixed.
Take squares of puff pastry and spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into the center.
Step 3: After all of your pastries are filled, fold from corner to corner to create a triangle shape.
Step 4: Seal the edges by crimping them with a fork.
Step 5: Brush with egg wash, then bake at 400°F or 204°C.
They should be golden brown and puffy.
Step 6: Finally, mix together the ingredients for the maple glaze and drizzle on the top of the slightly cooled turnovers.
Serve warm or room temperature. That's it!
Recipe Pro Tips
- Don't over-stuff! These turnovers are large, but you only need about 2 tablespoons of filling inside. This avoids the sweet potatoes from spilling out of the sides during baking.
- For the glaze, don't add too much liquid. Adding too much milk or vanilla extract will make the glaze way too thin. Start out with a small amount and stir well.
Recipe FAQs
You certainly can! I love the frozen kind just for convenience, but if you have an amazing puff pastry dough recipe - feel free to use that.
So, you can definitely peel, slice, and boil the potatoes; but trust me - roasting makes this recipe so much better. It really develops a bolder and sweeter flavor than you get from boiling the sweet potatoes.
Any type of milk you have will be fine; we don't use a lot in the recipe. I use oat milk since that's generally what I have in my fridge.
What Pairs Well with Sweet Potato Turnovers?
This year, I'm excited to take part in Eat the Culture’s 2023 Holiday Recipe Exchange: Party Pairings for All the Holidays! Holidays often revolve around communal moments – sharing stories, laughter, and, of course, food. This year's roundup is all about those delightful 'lite bites' and drinks that set the tone for festive gatherings.
I had the pleasure of partnering with Chenée of Chenée Today who crafted a delicious Peppermint Espresso Martini. This cocktail pairs perfectly with my Roasted Sweet Potato Turnovers. Learn more about Eat the Culture and find a complete list of recipes from all participants on their website.
Share these recipes with your friends and loved ones and follow each participant by using the hashtags #HolidayswithETC, #PerfectPartyPairings, and #ETCHOLIDAYS2023 on Instagram!
Along with Chenée's Peppermint Espresso Martini, these sweet potato turnovers go well with a cold glass of Dairy-Free Eggnog or my festive Christmas Ornament Mimosas!
Other Fall-Inspired Desserts You'll Love!
If you tried this Roasted Sweet Potato Turnovers Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Roasted Sweet Potato Turnovers (with a Sweet Maple Glaze)
Equipment
- Fork
- Sheet Pan
- Aluminum Foil
- Mixing Bowl
- Spoon
- Hand Mixer optional - to get rid of sweet potato strings
- Chef's Knife
- Pastry Brush
- Sauce Bowl
Ingredients
Turnovers
- 1 pound large sweet potato usually 1 potato, about 1.25 cups mashed
- 1 box puff pastry dough
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 count egg for an egg wash
Sweet Maple Glaze
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Sweet Potato Turnovers
- Wash the sweet potato, poke holes all around it with a fork, then place it on a foil-lined sheet pan.
- Bake the potato at 400°F for one hour.
- Scoop the sweet potato insides into a large bowl to cool. Meanwhile, take out your frozen puff pastry and let it thaw on the counter until it's soft and pliable.
- Add your brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and vanilla extract to the sweet potatoes.
- Mix together everything until it's silky smooth.If you want to remove the sweet potato strings from the filling, use a hand mixer or food processor.
- Cut both sheets of thawed puff pastry into halves; you'll have 4 rectangles. Then cut those rectangles in half until you have 8 squares total.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the sweet potato mixture onto the puff pastry.
- Fold over the pastry from one corner to another, forming a triangle. Crimp the sides using a fork to seal everything tightly.
- Take the egg and whisk it with a bit of water to create an egg wash. Brush the turnovers with the egg wash.
- Bake at 400°F for 13 minutes. The pastries will be golden brown and perfectly flaky.
Sweet Maple Glaze
- In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir well until the glaze is smooth & thin enough to pour easily.
- Drizzle the maple glaze over the turnovers after they slightly cool off. Serve warm or room temperature. Enjoy!
Zara says
This was so amazing!! I added cashew nuts to the filling for one version.
Shani W. says
Yum - cashews in the filling is a GREAT idea! Thanks so much for trying, Zara!