Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The beef empanadas are positively rich and oh so savory.
Texture: The crust is ridiculously buttery, flaky, and tender. The meaty filling inside with chunks of soft potatoes is to die for.
Ease: Assembling is the most involved part. Luckily, every step can be done ahead of time!
What You’ll Love About This Recipe: It’s SO tasty, completely customizable, and freezes beautifully.
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Oh am I excited to share how to make empanadas with you! What is better than savory goodness encased in pastry that you don’t even need a fork and knife to eat?
These baked beef empanadas are filled with a savory beef-and-potato filling and wrapped in my surprisingly easy homemade dough that bakes up buttery and flaky.
You could totally use chicken or veggies only. These empanadas are completely customizable!
Reader Love
Outstanding. Perfect dough, perfect filling. Loved by all! Thank you for this great recipe!
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This is my favorite way to make homemade beef empanadas. There are SO many ways to make them, and practically every Latin country has its own variation.
Sprinkle of Science
Homemade Empanada Dough (Easy Method)
- This dough recipe is very similar to a basic French choux pastry, but without the eggs.
- Start by heating water + butter until melted.
- Pour into the dry ingredients.
- Mix until combined. The dough will feel greasy and may have some visible streaks of butter. Don’t add extra flour!
- Chill for at least 2 hours (this is truly the hardest part!).
Beef Empanada Filling Tips
Feel free to omit or change practically anything, from the veggies to the spices – it’s meant to be customized!
- The empanada filling recipe makes a generous amount. If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge and serve in a bowl over rice, in wraps, scramble with eggs, or fill a burrito.
- I’m not a big fan of olives, but feel free to add in about 1/2 cup pitted chopped rinsed green olives.
Not into the beef filling?
- Leftovers from other meals (like cooked meat or even mashed potatoes) also make great empanada fillings.
- Check out my other recipes for Breakfast Empanadas and Chorizo Empanadas!
How to Assemble Empanadas (Filling & Sealing Tips)
This is definitely the most time-consuming part of making empanadas, so get your friends and family involved in the process to make it fun and fast!
- Tear off golf-ball-sized pieces of the chilled dough and roll into balls.
- On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the balls into 1/4-inch thick, 5-inch diameter circles.
- Place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center of each dough circle. Add ½ teaspoon scallions to each circle, and sprinkle lightly with cheese, if using.
- Important: Be sure not to overfill your empanadas as you assemble, which is easy to do. Use a little less than you think, to prevent any holes or tears in the dough and to prevent them from bursting open as they bake.
- To seal the filling and prevent leaks, brush a small amount of egg wash lightly over one half edge’s border. Fold over the dough to create a half-moon shape and press edges firmly to seal. Crimp edges with the back of a fork (I prefer this over a rope crimp, which is more time consuming).
- Brush with an egg wash and bake on a rimmed baking sheet.
What to Serve with my Beef Empanada Recipe:
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Pickled red onions
- Mexican street corn
Make Ahead & Storage
Refrigerate leftovers either plastic wrapped or stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 400°F oven until the crust has re-crisped and the filling is warmed through, about 5 to 7 minutes.
To Make Ahead of Time:
- The dough can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the fridge for two days before using.
- The filling can also be cooked and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a day.
- The assembled unbaked empanadas can also be covered in plastic and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Brush with egg wash before baking, no need to change the baking time.
To Freeze:
Fully baked empanadas can also be frozen, though they lose a bit of their flaky texture. To prevent freezer burn, wrap them individually in plastic wrap. To reheat, unwrap as many empanadas as you want and warm in a 300°F oven or toaster oven, about 10 minutes.
Freeze the sheet of unbaked empanadas until solid, then transfer into a freezer bag. Frozen empanadas will keep for up to three months and can be baked straight from the freezer. Add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
FAQs
What is an empanada?
An empanada is a crescent-shaped pastry filled with your choice of savory or sweet filling, popular throughout Latin America. Super customizable and easy to make ahead of time. It makes a delicious party appetizer but is also a great dinner idea!
Is it better to bake or fry empanadas?
I prefer baking for ease but also for perfectly crispy and flaky empanadas. Plus, you don’t have to worry about stinking up your kitchen with the aroma of frying oil. No cleaning up the mess of deep frying!
Can I air fry this recipe?
I haven’t tried that, but some readers have tried and reported success with this. You may need to experiment a little with bake times and temperatures, as this will vary based on your air fryer.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes! Simply double all ingredients, but use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to combine the wet and dry dough ingredients. Combining such a large amount of flour by hand results in an uneven dough that won’t roll out or hold its shape as nicely. If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply make two batches of the dough as written separately.
What country are empanadas from?
I’m certainly not the person to settle this debate! Most Latin American countries have some variation of an empanada. My dad is Dominican, and in the Dominican Republic, empanadas are often called pastelitos.
Every country has their own way of filling, shaping the empanadas, and cooking. I’m not a big fan of olives or raisins, which are often included in many savory empanada fillings. Nor do I have much time to hard boil eggs, another ingredient you’ll frequently find. However, if you prefer to add those ingredients, then feel free to!
Can I use store-bought empanada dough?
Yes, feel free to use a product like Goya discos frozen empanada wrappers. Prepare according to the back-of-the-package instructions, being sure not to overfill.
Can I use ground chicken or turkey instead?
You can, but note the filling will taste less rich and savory.
Beef Empanadas
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Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 3/4 cups (349 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- Pinch of paprika
For the Beef Filling:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound ground beef (85-90% lean)
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced
- ½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
- ½ green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste, to preference
- 1 small russet potato, peeled, finely diced, and boiled*
- 3 scallions, trimmed and chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (or “Mexican blend” cheese), optional
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
For the dough:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the water and butter, heating until butter has fully melted. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and paprika and make a well in the center. Pour a little of the warm butter mixture in and mix with your fingertips to make a wet paste. Pour in remaining liquid, and work the dough with your hands until you get a wet, oily dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
For the filling:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the beef, cooking until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of drippings.
- With the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons of drippings, sauté the yellow onion until translucent, 10-15 minutes. Then add the bell peppers, peas, garlic and seasonings.
- After a few minutes, deglaze the pan with ¼ cup of beef broth, then add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste (to preference).
- Once the tomato paste has dissolved, mix in the beef and potatoes. Remove from heat.
To assemble:
- Tear off golf-ball sized pieces of the chilled dough and roll into balls. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the balls into 1/4-inch thick, 5-inch diameter circles. Once your dough has been rolled out, place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center of each dough circle. Add ½ teaspoon scallions to each circle, and sprinkle lightly with cheese, if using. Brush a small amount of egg wash lightly over one half edge’s border. Fold over the dough to create a half-moon shape and press edges firmly to seal. Crimp edges with the back of a fork.
- Place empanadas onto the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat together the egg and water. Brush the empanadas gently with the egg wash.
- Bake empanadas until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
- Refrigerate leftovers either plastic wrapped or stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze cooked empanadas plastic wrapped in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. To reheat, unwrap as many empanadas as you want and warm through in a 300°F oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes.
Recipe Notes
This post was originally published in 2015 and updated with new photos and recipe improvements in 2022. Photos by Joanie Simon.
I used this recipe for the empanada dough and absolutely LOVED it!!! I’m Puerto Rican and love empanadas/pastelillos and was looking for a dough that I didn’t have to fry and this was it! I make my own picadillo with cheese but this recipe is similar to how I make mine. Thankful I came across an easy to make dough that didn’t need to be done with cold butter and handling–this was easy to make and came out PERFECT! Thank you
So happy to hear how much you loved it, Jessica!
Loved this! It’s a bit labour intensive but not tricky at all. My family went through these so fast I didn’t even get to take a picture. Even my picky toddler enjoyed them. Thank you for an amazing recipe, I can’t wait to try more filling combinations!
My family loved these — and My six year old ate TWO full ones! Incredible flavor, great recipe.
So happy to hear that these empanadas were a hit for you, Adam! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment 🙂
. I hate rolling pin cooking and anything with dough……not good with it at all. I tried some of the Goya Empanada discs, but they had no flavor at all and was kind of bland. The filling was superb, but the shells made it unpleasant. Before I break down and start making them from scratch, I wanted to ask: What is the difference between Flour Fajita Tortillas and Empanada shells ? or frozen pie crust shells? pizza crust mix ? Just trying to avoid the doughboy thing.
Is it okay to make these a day before I bake them? I want to get them ready today, refridgerate them, and bake them tomorrow.
Sorry for the delayed response! Hopefully you noticed our make-ahead instructions shared above the recipe 🙂 How did they turn out?
Can I make these ahead of time and cook them a few hours later?
Sure! Allowing the brownie batter to sit (in the fridge) for a longer period of time (up to two days) will thicken the batter and improve its texture, taste, and appearance! Learn more here.
This was the best empanada recipe I’ve ever used. The pastry is phenomenal!!! Do you think I could add some sugar and use it to make poptarts?:)
Glad you enjoyed them! We haven’t tried this pastry with pop tarts, but you’re welcome to give it a go! Or, if you’d rather make a tested recipe, check out our Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts or our Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts 🙂
I made these but used frozen empanada rounds. Turned out wonderful! I’ll make them again! Thank you for the great recipe!
These empanadas were delicious! Making them was somewhat time-consuming but still easy just the same. For filling, I used 2 cans black beans, 1 red bell pepper, and seasonings and there was just enough filling for all the dough. I love how this recipe doesn’t use pie dough since it is so expensive. It made 23 empanadas total. I can’t wait to make this again!!!
I followed the recipe 4 different times and the dough is always way too runny. I could drink it it’s so runny. I’ve reduced the water by half a cup and in one batch and added an extra 1 and 1/2 cups of flour to the last batch I made and it finally worked. And I’ve left it in the fridge for more than 8 hours and it did nothing.
Sorry to hear you’re experiencing issues, Scarlett! Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? The dough should be slightly wet and oily, but not runny. It sounds to me like too much of an ingredient is being used. To troubleshoot further, what brands of ingredients are you using for the dough? Did you make any substitutions?
I had the same problem, way way too wet. I added quite a bit of flour to make a dough, in the frig now. We will see the result. I used a gram scale for all measurements. The only thing I could think of causing the wetness it the butter/water mixture was too hot when I added it??
I followed the recipe exactly. It was good except for the dough, it was salty. 2tsp salt is too much.
I am ready to trying your recipe,thank you 👍