Roasted Strawberry and Basil Hand Pies Recipe

At the bakery where I work, we shorten “strawberries” to “straws.” To help you make the most of the brief strawberry season, I came up with a simple acronym that offers quick, practical tips for choosing and using fresh berries.

Senses. When you shop for strawberries, use all your senses. Ripe berries are uniformly bright red, fragrant and sweet.
Temperature. Strawberries taste best at room temperature—cold fruit can mask their sweetness.
Roast. If your berries are a little tart, roasting, grilling or baking will concentrate their sugars and improve texture.
Adjust. Always taste your strawberries before adding extra sweetener, then adjust sugar or honey to suit their natural sweetness.
Wash. Don’t wash or hull strawberries until you’re ready to use them; excess moisture makes them soggy.
Spice. Enhance strawberries with herbs, extracts or complementary fruits—basil pairs especially well.

Below is a recipe for Roasted Strawberry-Basil Hand Pies. The basil brings a fresh, savory lift to the strawberries, and the pastry is naturally gluten-free, grain-free and Paleo-friendly when made with cassava and arrowroot flours.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Packed with seasonal flavor: roasting concentrates strawberry sweetness while basil adds a bright, unexpected note.
• Naturally gluten-free: the dough uses cassava and arrowroot for a tender, gluten-free crust.
• No refined sugar required: sweetened with raw honey, with optional raw sugar for a finishing sprinkle.
• Easy to customize: swap herbs or fruits to create new flavor combinations.
• Portable and picnic-ready: these hand pies are perfectly sized for lunchboxes, picnics or dessert trays.

What You Will Need

Gather these ingredients for the filling, pie dough and finishing touches.

For the filling:

• Fresh strawberries
• Raw honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Coconut oil (or another neutral fat)
• Fresh basil, minced

For the pie dough:

• Cassava flour
• Arrowroot starch or flour
• Coconut oil, at room temperature
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• Apple cider vinegar
• Raw honey
• Ice-cold water
• Salt

To finish:

• 1 egg for an egg wash
• Raw sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Tips and Variations

• Roll between parchment: gluten-free dough can be delicate—rolling between parchment makes handling much easier.
• Chill before baking: freezing assembled pies for 10 minutes helps them keep a neat edge while baking.
• Flavor swaps: use mint instead of basil, or mix raspberries with strawberries for a tangy berry blend.
• Dairy-free friendly: the recipe uses coconut oil and is already dairy-free; substitute any neutral oil if desired.
• Add a glaze: a simple powdered sugar glaze or a light honey drizzle after cooling adds extra shine and sweetness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes. Roast the strawberries and prepare the dough a day ahead. Assemble and bake when you’re ready to serve.

Can I freeze them?
Yes. Freeze assembled, unbaked hand pies on a sheet pan, then transfer to a sealed bag. Bake from frozen—add a few extra minutes to the baking time.

What can I use instead of cassava flour?
Cassava has a unique texture. You could try a blend of almond and tapioca flours, but expect some variation in texture.

How do I keep the edges sealed?
Don’t overfill. Press edges firmly with a fork and brush a light egg wash on the rim before pressing to create a reliable seal.

Roasted Strawberry-Basil Hand Pies

By Olga Miller

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Cool Time: 45 mins

Servings: 15

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1½ pounds (681 g) fresh strawberries, hulled and halved (quartered if large)
• 3–4 tablespoons (45–60 mL) raw honey, to taste
• Pinch kosher or fine sea salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) coconut oil or other fat
• 2 tablespoons (about 4 g) fresh basil, minced

For the pie dough:

• 1 cup (140 g) cassava flour
• 1 cup (128 g) arrowroot starch/flour
• ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
• ⅔ cup (158 mL) coconut oil, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) raw honey
• 4–5 tablespoons (60–75 mL) ice-cold water, as needed

For the finish:

• 1 large egg for the egg wash
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) raw sugar, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and place a rack in the middle. Spread the strawberries in a single layer in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Toss with honey, a pinch of salt and a little black pepper. Bake 45–50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until the juices thicken into a syrup. Remove from oven, stir in coconut oil and basil, and let cool completely, about 30–45 minutes.
2. Make the dough: combine cassava flour, arrowroot and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Add coconut oil and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, egg yolk, apple cider vinegar, honey and 4 tablespoons of ice-cold water. Drizzle this into the flour mixture and pulse until the dough just begins to hold together. If it is too dry, add 1–2 additional tablespoons of water, 1 at a time. Gather the dough into a ball and divide into three equal portions.
3. Working with one portion at a time, roll dough between two pieces of parchment to about 1/8-inch thickness. Keep remaining dough covered. Cut rounds about 4 inches in diameter with a biscuit cutter or glass. Spoon roughly 2 heaping teaspoons of the cooled strawberry-basil filling into the center of each round. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon and press edges with a fork to seal. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat, re-rolling scraps as needed.
4. Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush each pie with the egg wash. Cut 1–2 small slits in the top of each pie and sprinkle with raw sugar if using.
5. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20–23 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the pies are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 205 kcal • Carbohydrates: 25 g • Protein: 2 g • Fat: 12 g • Sugar: 10 g

Nutrition information is an estimate and should be used as a guideline only.

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This recipe appeared on the cover of Gluten Free & More Magazine’s March/April 2021 issue.