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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Walnut-Citrus Tuna Hand Pies

    June 4, 2021 • Updated: April 7, 2022 • by Renée B. • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Walnut-Citrus Tuna Hand Pies

    These savory Walnut-Citrus Tuna Hand Pies are easy to make, super-tasty, and can be enjoyed warm or cold. Naturally portable, they're perfect for a school lunch, quick meal, or afternoon picnic. 

    Two tuna hand pies on plate, garnished with orange slices.
    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love this Recipe
    • What Goes into this Recipe
    • How to Make this Recipe
    • Serving Suggestions
    • FAQs & Expert Tips
    • Related Recipes
    • Walnut-Citrus Tuna Hand Pies

    Why You Will Love this Recipe

    These savory tuna turnovers are just the thing when you want something special for your next sack lunch. Citrusy notes from orange and lemon complement and enhance the tuna flavor, and walnuts add both texture and rich flavor.

    These little pillows of deliciousness are fast, easy to make, just the right size, and easily portable. Once baked and refrigerated, tuna hand pies have the same "out of fridge" sack-lunch life as a standard tuna sandwich (about 2 hours). Not only are they tasty and filling, but they also provide a healthy, solid source of protein and energy to get you through the day.

    What Goes into this Recipe

    One of the great things about this hand pie recipe is how flexible the ingredient list is.

    Tuna hand pie ingredients: cream cheese, red pepper, walnuts, tuna, lemon zest, onion, celery, dill, and butter. (Not pictured: Orange juice)

    OOPS! You may notice that the orange juice in the recipe ingredient list is missing from this picture. I forgot to put it on the tray.

    Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

    Cream Cheese: We like to use flavored cream cheese sometimes. An herb and chive cream cheese blend is particularly good. 

    Fresh Dill: Dried dill weed works just fine. 

    Red Pepper: Use any sweet pepper; orange, yellow, red, or even green. 

    Red Onion: Just about any onion will work, including scallions. 

    Lemon Zest: Orange zest adds a sweeter undertone that really brightens the tuna flavors. 

    Walnuts: Sub in your favorite nuts. 

    How to Make this Recipe

    Mix Pie Filling

    Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. 

    Add the chopped vegetables - onion, celery, and peppers - and the chopped walnuts and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

    Vegetables and walnuts sautéing in small skillet.

    In a medium bowl, combine sautéed vegetable mixture, fresh dill, zest, orange juice, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper.

    The warm vegetable mix will melt the cream cheese, making it easy to incorporate into the mix. Stir until mixture is fully combined. 

    Cream cheese and sauteed vegetables, unmixed in glass bowl.

    Add tuna to the vegetable-cream cheese mixture and stir just enough to combine. You could add the tuna in the previous step with everything else, but if you add it at this point, it will maintain its "tuna texture" better. 

    Now - taste the filling! (Do not skip this step!)

    Does it need a little more salt or pepper? How about a shake of lemon pepper? This is where you can tune the seasonings to your own tastes. 

    Cream cheese and tuna, mixed.

    Form & Bake Pies

    Once you have the filling mixed up to your satisfaction, it's time to roll out the pastry dough and make hand pies!

    Roll out pastry dough about one-eight of an inch thick (about as thick as two quarters). It is important to not roll the dough too thin, or the the tuna filling will bleed through.

    Cut four 6-inch or 7-inch pastry circles, and put a heaping ¼ cup of filling in the center of each circle. 

    Hand pies formed, ready to bake, on parchment on old baking pan.

    Use your finger to lightly wet one side of each circle, and then fold the pastry in half, sealing and crimping edges with your fingers or the tines of a fork. 

    Cut a couple of vent holes in the top of each hand pie. If you are feeling extra creative, you can decorate the tops of the pies with some of the leftover pastry dough. (FYI: I cut the fish "bubbles" with the end of a drinking straw.)

    In a small bowl, whisk the egg white together with 1 tablespoon cold water. Brush the tops of the prepared hand pies with the egg white mixture right before you put them into the oven. 

    Hand pies formed, ready to bake.

    Bake prepared hand pies in a preheated 425°F | 218°C oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. 

    Tuna hand pies may be eaten immediately (let them cool first!) or refrigerated for up to one week. 

    Serving Suggestions

    Serve with orange slices on the side. We like to drizzle the hand pies with a little fresh OJ when we eat them!

    Pair these Citrus-Walnut Tuna Hand Pies with our Armenian-style Eggplant & Carrot Salad or Moroccan Carrot Salad with Harissa, Feta & Fresh Herbs for a healthy, delicious, satisfying meal!

    Close-up of tuna pie on plate with salad greens.

    FAQs & Expert Tips

    Is there an easy way to cut hand pies?

    You can use a good old pastry cutter, but I like to use a nifty little pocket pie maker for cutting and sealing my hand pies. The bottom of cuts the pastry into perfect circles, and then the crimper folds and seals them!Red pie maker/crimper filled with dough and tuna filling.

    Related Recipes

    • Classic Bay Shrimp Louie
    • Creamy Seafood Enchiladas
    • Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp (Kahuku Truck-style)
    • Smoked Salmon Crustless Quiche

    For more recipes and cozy living tips, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all of the latest updates.

    Two tuna hand pies on plate, garnished with orange slices.
    5 from 8 votes

    Walnut-Citrus Tuna Hand Pies

    These tasty, easy-to-make Walnut-Citrus Tuna Hand Pies are filled with a creamy, delicious tuna filling; perfectly portable for an on-the-go snack or light meal.
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Lunch, Main, Snacks
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time:25 minutes
    Cook Time:30 minutes
    Total Time:55 minutes
    Servings: 4 pocket pies
    Calories: 274kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 Pocket Pie Crimper

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    Filling:
    • 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
    • ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
    • 3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
    • 3 tablespoons finely chopped celery
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
    • 1½ teaspoons butter
    • 2 tablespoons orange juice
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or ½ teaspoon dried dill
    • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest or lemon zest
    • ½ teaspoon garlic salt
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon white pepper or pepper
    • 5½ - 6 ounces albacore tuna well drained
    • 1 large egg white
    • 1 tablespoon cold water
    Pastry (enough for 9” pie) - Choose 1 Option:
    • Store-bought refrigerated pie crust like Pillsbury
    • Your favorite pie crust recipe
    • ½ batch Herbed Pie Crust omit the sage and thyme and substitute in a little dill and lemon zest!

    Instructions

    • Gather and prep ingredients. 
    • Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. 
      Add the chopped pepper, celery, onion and walnuts.
      Sauté mixture for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.
    • In a medium bowl, combine sautéed vegetable mixture, fresh dill, lemon or orange zest, orange juice, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper.
      Stir until mixture is fully combined. 
    • Add tuna to the vegetable-cream cheese mixture and stir just enough to combine. 
    • Season filling to taste. (Everything in filling is fully cooked.)
    • Roll out pastry dough about one-eight of an inch thick (about as thick as two quarters). It is important to not roll the dough too thin, or the the tuna filling will bleed through.
      Cut four 6-inch or 7-inch pastry circles, and put a heaping ¼ cup of filling in the center of each circle. 
      Use your finger to lightly wet one side of each circle, and then fold the pastry in half, sealing and crimping edges with your fingers or the tines of a fork. 
      Cut a couple of vent holes in the top of each hand pie. 
    • In a small bowl, whisk the egg white together with 1 tablespoon cold water.
      Brush the tops of the prepared hand pies with the egg white mixture right before you put them into the oven. 
    • Bake prepared hand pies in a preheated 425°F [218°C] oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. 

    Notes

    Tuna hand pies may be eaten immediately (let them cool first!) or refrigerated for up to one week. 
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1hand-pie | Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 413mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 618IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

    Originally published September 4, 2014

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    About Renée B.

    Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Beth says

      June 07, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness! These are amazing and have become my hubby’s favorite. My hubby isn’t really big on tuna but he sure loved these hand pies! I will be making these again very soon!

      Reply
    2. Anjali says

      June 07, 2021 at 3:20 pm

      5 stars
      These hand pies were such a great snack for my kiddos today! We used store bought pie crust to make them and they turned out great!

      Reply
    3. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

      June 07, 2021 at 1:59 pm

      5 stars
      These sound absolutely incredible! My kids love tuna so I am definitely giving these a go!

      Reply
    4. Jeff says

      June 07, 2021 at 1:43 pm

      5 stars
      I love this alternative to the standard mince pie. Love the idea of leftover crust to put a fish design on the top.

      Reply
      • Renée says

        June 07, 2021 at 4:05 pm

        Thanks, Jeff! The pastry decorations mostly just give me a reason to play with my food!

        Reply
    5. Geoff (Steep Stories) says

      September 08, 2014 at 9:42 pm

      I've never even heard of tuna pocket pies. Now, I feel like I don't want to eat anything else. Ever.

      Reply
    6. Melinda says

      September 06, 2014 at 12:12 pm

      I like the hand pie idea, but we aren't tuna eaters (well, the hubs is...but the kids and I are not). I wonder if a similar pie could be made with chicken....

      Reply
    7. Bonnie says

      September 05, 2014 at 8:59 pm

      That's a great idea to make hand pies for school lunches! Thanks for the idea.

      Reply
    8. Marlynn @UrbanBlissLife says

      September 04, 2014 at 4:32 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my gosh. Renee. These look amazing!! My favorite tuna dish is a simple tuna salad on romaine with hard boiled eggs and lemon zest. Oh but I do also love tuna bruschetta. And I am pretty sure I would love these tuna hand pies!

      Reply
    9. Lea says

      September 04, 2014 at 4:10 pm

      ohhh yum, those look delish!!! where do you find that nifty pie edge squisher?

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        September 04, 2014 at 5:36 pm

        The pie makervis about $7 on Amazon. There is a. (affiliate) link in the post. It is a really cool little deal - cuts, forms & crimps for you.

        Reply
    10. Pech says

      September 04, 2014 at 2:42 pm

      5 stars
      Oooo I want a hand pie!

      Reply

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