Hamantaschen are filled triangular cookies or pastries enjoyed during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Purim is one of my favorite holidays, but it always seems to sneak up on me each year! Luckily, these 3-Ingredient Easy Hamantaschen are one of the quickest and easiest hamantaschen recipes you can make. Using store-bought pie crust means you can skip the traditional dough and have simple hamantaschen ready in less than 30 minutes. Plus, the recipe is perfect for using lots of different flavors and fillings so you can make all your favorites!
For a more unique hamantaschen recipe, check out this Sangria Hamantaschen!
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With so much to do during Jewish holidays, this recipe is not only delicious but fun and easy to make...Thank you for sharing and helping, this recipe may be a part of our family tradition...
- Holly
🍭 Short & Sweet Recipe Overview
- ⏲️ Time: Takes just 18 minutes
- 🛒 Ingredients: Uses just 3 ingredients
- 🍽️ Servings: Makes 24 cookies
- 🥣 Difficulty: Super Simple, Kid-Friendly, Quick and Easy
- 👩🍳 Prep: Best enjoyed same-day, but can be made a day or two in advance if needed
- 😋 Flavor: Choose your favorite fillings to make these any flavor you'd like
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- The classic, traditional Purim treat, simplified
- Made from simple ingredients
- No mixing, chilling, and rolling dough like traditional hamantaschen recipes require
- So easy that the kids can get in on the fun
- Customizable to choose your favorite fillings, from poppyseed or prune to Nutella or cherry
Looking for more simple desserts for the Jewish holidays? This Passover Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is super popular, and this Flourless Chocolate Cake is so simple and so fudgy!
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Ingredients and Notes
Pie Crusts - Roll-out pie crusts usually come in packs of two, so this easy hamantaschen recipe uses one box of two crusts. If the crusts are frozen, they will need to defrost before you start making the hamantaschen. Be sure that you are using flat, roll-out pie crusts, and not the frozen pie crusts already in the pie pan.
Fillings - Poppyseed, apricot, and prune are very common hamantaschen fillings. Change up your flavors using your favorite pie filling, pastry filling, or jam. The fillings in the hamantaschen in these photos include Nutella, orange marmalade, poppyseed pastry filling, and cherry pastry filling.
If you prefer the fruity desserts, you'll love this Peach Cobbler with Canned Peaches and Cake Mix or these Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients.
Substitutions & Variations
Pie Crusts - To keep these hamantaschen as easy as possible, I use store-bought, roll-out pie crusts as a pre-made dough, however you can certainly make your own pie crust if you prefer!
Fillings - These quick and easy hamantaschen are easiest to make with store-bought fillings, but you could certainly make your own jam or pie filling!
Small Batch - These can be made into just 12 hamantaschen by using only one pie crust and ¼ cup of filling.
How to Make Easy Hamantaschen
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Step 1: Unroll the pie crust and use a cookie cutter or the top of a glass to cut out approximately 3" circles.
- Step 2: Pipe or spoon about ½ - 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of each circle.
- Step 3: Brush egg around the edges of the circle.
- Step 4: Pinch one part of the circle together and press together until fully sealed.
- Step 5: Fold the opposite edge of the circle in toward the filling and pinch together the two corners that form. Make sure they are fully sealed around the filling. If needed, add a bit more egg to the outside of the hamantaschen shell.
- Step 6: Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes, until the hamantaschen shell is golden brown.
Three-Ingredient Hamantaschen Tips & Tricks
Tip #1: The most important tip I can give you is to be careful not to overfill your hamantaschen! Too much filling will cause the seams of the pie crust to split open as they bake. I found about ½ - ¾ teaspoon to be the perfect amount, but I would strongly suggest not putting more than 1 teaspoon of filling on each circle of dough.
Tip #2: To further ensure that the edges of these easy hamantaschen don't open while baking, dip your fingers into the egg and use the egg to pinch the corners of the cookies together. The egg will help seal the pie crust.
Tip #3: Some jams or preserves may be thinner than others which could cause them to seep out the seams. Add 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch to the ½ cup of filling if the jam seems too thin or is leaking when baked.
Tip #4: Take your pie dough out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before you're ready to start making your hamantaschen. It will unroll more easily if it's not as cold. If your dough is frozen, you'll need to give it time to defrost.
Recipe FAQs
Haman is the villain in the Purim story who attempts to destroy the Jewish people. The word hamantaschen translates to Haman's pockets or pouch, so these cookies form a pouch in the middle that is stuffed with filling. It's also told that they are triangle-shaped to represent Haman's three-cornered hat.
Poppyseed is the original flavor, and prune and apricot have become very popular flavors. Chocolate, raspberry, and Nutella are also fairly common. More recently, lots of creative flavors have emerged ranging from sweet to savory.
If Nutella is your favorite filling (it's definitely mine!), check out this Nutella Whipped Cream and these Nutella Cupcakes!
Be sure that you're not over-filling your hamantaschen! This is most often the reason that hamantaschen open up while baking. The other step that helps prevent them from opening is the egg. We brush the edges of the dough with egg wash before pinching the corners closed, but additional egg can be used on your fingertips when pinching the corners closed so that they are sealed with egg wash on both the inside of the cookie and the outside.
These super easy hamantaschen are best enjoyed the same day, but they can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
More Jewish Holiday Recipes to try!
👩🍳 If you tried these Easy Hamantaschen or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Three-Ingredient Hamantaschen
Equipment
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 roll-out pie crusts
- ½ cup filling of choice
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pre-heat oven to 400℉.
- Unroll pie crust, and using a cookie cutter or the top of a glass, cut out approximately 3" circles of pie dough.2 roll-out pie crusts
- Spoon ½ to 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of each 3" circle. Brush the beaten egg around the outside edge of the dough circle.½ cup filling of choice, 1 egg
- Pinch together a spot on the edge of the circle. Press it together well to ensure it's sealed. Then fold the opposite side of the circle up toward the filling and pinch together the two bottom corners to form a triangle. (See process shots above.) If needed, add bit more egg to the outside of the hamantaschen shell.
- Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cookie is golden. Cool completely, then enjoy! Chag Purim sameach!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated so should only be used as an estimate. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Holly says
With so much to do during Jewish holidays this recipe is not only delicious but fun and easy to make. By the way, Cool Whip is an excellent toppingThank you for sharing and helping this recipe may be a part of our family tradition. It’s now part of my cookie rotation where I deliver late night treats to restaurant staff in my neighborhood. They love them as as my family.
Liz Pollio says
I'm so glad you liked them, Holly! The goal is definitely to take away some of the stress of the holidays by keeping it easy, and I love the idea of a Cool Whip topping! It means so much to hear that they're becoming a family tradition, and I love so much how you're spreading love with your cookies, it's such a beautiful (and I'm sure much appreciated) gesture!
Ellen Morrow says
I'm looking at this recipe, and don't see where the egg comes in.
Liz Pollio says
Hi Ellen, thank you so much for catching that! The egg is used to help the corners stay together. It's brushed around the filling on the edges of the dough, and you can also add a little bit to your fingers when you're pinching the corners to help seal them. I have update the recipe to fix this. I hope you enjoy!!