These flaky reuben hand pies are filled with corned beef, sauerkraut, and swiss cheese and get dipped in a homemade thousand island dressing. It's a delicious, crispy reuben appetizer and is the perfect way to use up any leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day, or you can swing by the deli counter for corned beef to eat them at any time!
This corned beef puff pastry takes a traditional reuben and turns it into something way more fun! It's the perfect recipe to use up leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day and can be made using either homemade rough puff pastry or store-bought puff pastry.
Paired with a homemade thousand island dressing or Russian dressing, each bite contains corned beef, sauerkraut, and melty Swiss cheese. And, let's not forget about that buttery crunch from the flaky pastry!
For more ways to use leftover corned beef, try these Corned Beef Fritters or Hot Corned Beef Reuben Dip! Or, try some non-corned beef inspired St. Patrick's Day recipes like this Irish Beef Stew and Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Crispy outsides - these savory puff pastry pies have ultra crispy, flaky, buttery outsides. They remain crunchy on the outside, while holding all of the flavorful fillings you love in a reuben sandwich.
Easy reuben appetizer - these reuben bites are the perfect appetizer for lovers of corned beef!
Uses leftovers - this is a great way to use up leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day. However, you can make them any time of year simply by swinging by the deli counter!
Ingredients
- Puff pastry. Two sheets of store-bought, frozen puff pastry are used (in a thawed state). If you'd like more of a project, try your hand at making your own rough puff pastry.
- Egg. One egg is used to seal the edges of the pastry and brush over the pies before baking to create a nice, golden color.
- Corned beef. Use leftovers from St. Patrick's day corned beef or buy it sliced from the deli.
- Sauerkraut. Whatever type you prefer! Just be sure to drain and squeeze the juice out so the pies don't get soggy.
- Swiss cheese. Sliced or shredded will work, but sliced is easier to assemble.
- Caraway seeds. Don't skip these seeds! It's what replicates the flavor of the rye or marbled bread used in a traditional reuben sandwich.
- Thousand Island Dressing ingredients: yellow onion, dill pickle, mayonnaise, ketchup, paprika, sugar, salt.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use sliced pastrami or turkey in place of the corned beef.
- Make the savory pies with home pie crust (or store-bought) instead of puff pastry. Note they will not be as flaky if you use this method.
- Use store bought thousand island dressing, or Russian dressing.
- Omit the caraway seeds if you aren't a fan. However, these help to replicate the traditional rye flavor bread used in a reuben.
Reuben Sandwich Sauce
Traditionally, a Reuben sandwich is served with Russian dressing which is a creamy dressing similar to thousand island dressing, but typically has horseradish and dill in it, as well.
Thousand island dressing has mayonnaise, ketchup, onion, pickles, and spices. For this recipe, we went with a creamy thousand island dipping sauce.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Roll out both sheets of puff pastry to make it slightly thinner. Make one sheet about 1" larger than the other sheet (this will be the top).
Two: Cut each sheet of puff pastry into six rectangles using a knife or pizza cutter.
Three: Add a half slice of Swiss cheese to the center of each pastry rectangle.
Four: Add 3-4 slices of corned beef.
Five: Add the sauerkraut (that has been squeezed to remove all liquid).
Six: Add another half of Swiss cheese, then brush egg wash all around the edge of the pastry.
Seven: Gently stretch the puff pastry with your hands so it fully covers the filling, then press all around the edges to seal it.
Eight: Use a fork to crimp the edges to be sure no filling escapes.
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Hot tip! Use the pizza cutter to trim the very edges of the pastry. This creates a clean, sharp edge and allows the pastry to rise into flaky layers.
Nine: Brush additional egg wash on top of each pastry.
Ten: Sprinkle caraway seeds over the top, then pierce two small holes into the top to allow steam to escape, then bake until deeply golden.
Expert Tips
- Try to keep the filling contained in a clean, even stack. This will help you assemble the pastry the easiest.
- Gently pull the top pieces of pastry to help them fit over the filling. The dough is surprisingly stretchy!
- Work with one or two pies at a time during assembly, keeping the remaining dough in the fridge. When the dough gets warm, it can get very sticky and hard to maneuver.
- Cut the very edges off of the puff pastry after crimping. This helps them to get a nice, flaky rise.
- Don't allow the egg wash to fall over the sides of the pastry or else it will seal the sides and prevent a good rise.
- Chill the pastry in the fridge or freezer while you preheat the oven. The colder the pastry, the flakier it will be when it bakes.
Recipe FAQs
Traditional reubens are made with corned beef, though pastrami is a very similar substitute and can sometimes be used in a reuben. Using pastrami (or even thinly sliced turkey breast) on this sandwich can also sometimes be referred to as a "Rachel" and may use coleslaw in place of sauerkraut.
A traditional reuben is a sandwich made on slices or rye or marbled rye bread and is filled with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian or thousand island dressing. It then gets pan-fried in butter/fat and becomes slightly crispy.
Reubens are traditionally served with French fries or chips, and sometimes coleslaw.
The sauce that goes on reuben sandwiches is either a thousand island dressing or a Russian dressing.
Storage
Store the baked savory pies covered in the fridge for about three days. Reheat the hand pies in a 400℉ oven for about 10 minutes, then enjoy.
To freeze the reuben hand pies, assembly them fully (omitting the egg wash), then flash freeze on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Transfer to a ziptop bag and remove all of the air. Store for up to two months.
Transfer to a baking sheet while the oven preheats, then brush with egg wash and sprinkle with caraway seeds. Follow the normal baking instructions, or bake until very golden brown.
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What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
- If you'd like to make the recipe in a different pan, use the pan size converter.
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📖Recipe
Reuben Hand Pies
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Knife or pizza cutter
Ingredients
- 6 oz cooked corned beef 1 oz per hand pie
- 6 slices Swiss cheese ~½ oz per hand pie
- 1 cup sauerkraut
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 2 sheets puff pastry store-bought or homemade rough puff
- 1 large egg for egg wash
Thousand Island Dressing Dip
- ¼ cup minced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons minced dill pickle
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Slice the corned beef, cut each slice of cheese in half, and squeeze as much juice as possible out of the sauerkraut. Mix the drained sauerkraut with ½ tablespoon of caraway seeds.6 oz cooked corned beef, 6 slices Swiss cheese, 1 cup sauerkraut , 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- Roll out one sheet of puff pastry slightly and brush off any excess flour. Roll the other sheet out about 1 inch larger than the other sheet (this will be the top).2 sheets puff pastry
- Cut each sheet into 6 even rectangles. Be sure to keep the tops and bottoms separate so you know which are which.
- Whisk together the egg with a teaspoon of water, and brush it around the edges of the pastry and fillings.1 large egg
- Gently pull the pastry so it's slightly larger, then place the tops over all of them, then press down around the filling to seal, removing as much air as possible. Use a fork to press down all around the pies to fully seal.
- Note: for very clean, flaky sides, cut the very edges of the pastry off after crimping.
- Add the pan to the refrigerator or freezer and preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Use the remaining egg wash and brush it all over the tops of the pastry (try not to let it fall over the edges). Sprinkle the tops with the remaining caraway seeds and pierce two holes into the tops of each pie.
- Bake the hand pies for 25-30 minutes until very golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy with thousand island dressing dip.
Thousand Island Dressing Dip
- While the hand pies are baking, combine all ingredients for the dip and set aside until ready to enjoy.¼ cup minced yellow onion, 2 tablespoons minced dill pickle, ¾ cup mayonnaise , 2 tablespoons ketchup, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
PDW says
These Reuben hand pies have been on My Try list for some time. Today I finally made them and it was so easy! They truly elevate the traditional reuben into a fine pastry! Excellent and may be my new go to way to make a Reuben!
Julia says
These were a huge hit at my work potluck!