Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Savory with a small kick of spice.
Texture: The pastry crust is buttery and slightly crisp while the feeling is ultra satisfying.
Ease: Both the dough and the filling are incredibly easy to make.
Pros: Perfect for serving a crowd, taking to a potluck, or a perfect game day appetizer.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? 100% yes.
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These baked Vegetarian Empanadas are my new favorite savory snack. Or lunch. Or appetizer!
Perfectly flaky pastry. Black bean and corn filling packed with flavor. What’s not to love about these beautiful little pockets of heaven?!
Make sure to check out the pink tip box below, where I share all my tips for how to make empanadas of your dreams!
How to Make Vegetarian Empanadas
How to make vegetarian empanada filling:
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- 1 jalapeño (feel free to include as much or as little of the seeds as you prefer)
- Corn
- Black beans (rinse and drain first if using canned)
- Russet potato
- Seasonings: salt, paprika, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, and ground cumin
- Celery
- Red bell pepper and green bell pepper
- Optional: shredded cheese (Monterey jack, Mexican blend, or pepper jack cheese would all be delicious)
To make the veggie empanada filling, start by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the jalapeño and sauté. Once fragrant, add corn, black beans, potato and seasonings and stir together in the pan. After the mixture has come together, add the diced celery and bell peppers. Cook until tender.
How to assemble vegetarian empanadas:
- 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. Sprinkle lightly with cheese, if using. 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.
- 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.
- Brush with an egg wash and bake.
How can I make these vegetarian empanadas vegan-friendly?
We haven’t tested this ourselves, but feel free to omit the cheese and use a vegan butter in the dough if you prefer to make these empanadas vegan. For the egg wash, try using a non-dairy milk instead, just note the empanadas may not get as brown.
How long to bake vegetarian empanadas recipe?
I baked mine for 20 minutes, until golden brown. If you make empanadas that are smaller or bigger than the size created in the recipe, make sure to adjust the baking time accordingly.
What to serve with Veggie Empanadas:
- Green or red salsa
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Spanish rice
- Salad
How to store empanadas:
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.
How to make Vegetable Empanadas ahead of time:
The empanada dough can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the fridge for one day 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, no need to change the baking time.
How to freeze vegetarian empanadas:
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.
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.
More Empanada Recipes:
Vegetarian Empanadas
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 salt
- pinch paprika
For the Vegetable Filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) corn
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans
- 1 small russet potato, peeled, finely diced, and boiled*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
- ½ green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
- 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 olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté jalapeño. Once fragrant, add corn, black beans, potato and seasonings. After the mixture has come together, add the diced celery and bell peppers. Sauté for about 2 minutes, or until tender.
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. Sprinkle lightly with cheese, if using. 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
Photos by Joanie Simon.
June 2022 Baking Challenge
This recipe was the June 2022 selection for our monthly baking challenge! Every month you can join the challenge by baking the recipe and snapping a photo for a chance to win prizes! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here. Check out everyone’s empanadas:
I absolutely loved this recipe! The dough was so flaky and tender and flavorful, definetly going to make this recipe again. It already became a family favorite!! Thank you for sharing this recipe
Woohoo! So great to hear that, Susana!
I love them! They have so much so flavor! And the dough is so smooth! I’ll make them again definitely!
Wonderful to hear that, Cristina!!
This was my first time making empanadas, and they were so delicious! The veg filling was hearty, and I even had some left over. My only negative would be that they are rather time consuming to make.
So happy you enjoyed these, Ellen! They are a little time-consuming, but you can always encourage family members or friends to help, and start an assembly line – or make ahead sometime when you have extra time, and freeze for a much quicker dinner next time 🙂
These were amazing. I loved being able to customize my filling and flavor profile. These got rave reviews for the whole family. It came together very easily. Will definitely make them again.
Woohoo! Love to hear that, Robin!! 🙂
The vegetarian empanadas were boring, in my opinion.
Hi Elizabeth! I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love these empanadas! Did you use all the spices mentioned in the recipe? I’m not sure if you like things spicy, but I found all the spices, plus the jalapeño, to be really delicious! The greatest thing about these empanadas is that you can totally customize the filling; so you could add more spices, different spices, or change the fillings entirely if you wish! I hope you give them another try and change up the fillings to suit your personal preferences! 🙂
These are delicious! I’ve been trying to add more vegetarian dinners to my Rostin. When I wrote this on my meals board for the week my hubby didn’t seem thrilled they were without meat. They made enough for two nights of meals for the two of us and he couldn’t stop making positive comments both nights. He loves them and wants them on the menu every month. I topped mine with an avocado crema and they are so good. I did have to bake mine about 30 minutes but ovens can vary. Thank you for a vegetarian meal that got the husband stamp of approval.
Hooray! Love it when we change our husbands’ minds about something haha! So happy you both loved these empanadas!
Hit as usual!!!
So yummy! Perfect crust, savory filling… all amazing things per usual
So thrilled to hear this, Gwen!!
I used m leftover veggies from a crudité platter, chopped them up and oven roasted them with some garlic salt, seasoned pepper, lemon pepper and garlic pepper. Lots of carrots and peppers were in the roasting pan and I added diced onions and about 6 cloves of chopped garlic. The roasted veggies had a nice char, good flavor and they were soft. I added cheddar, Gouda and Gruyère to the empanada for some additional flavor. They were really tasty, even the non vegetable eaters liked them!
Hi Kelly! I love the idea of using delicious cheeses to these! Your empanadas sound so delicious!! So happy everyone enjoyed them 🙂
This is something I’ll definitely make again! It was surprisingly simple and so delicious! We made a couple of variations with the fillings (spinach, cheese, and toasted walnut for one example), and I’m definitely going to try out some other ideas. This recipe also made enough that I froze a batch to bake another day. Super happy with this recipe!
Hi Michelle! So excited that you loved these empanadas, and enjoyed the customizable fillings! The combinations are endless!! Enjoy 🙂
These empanadas were beyond amazing! The texture and buttery flavor was perfect. We couldn’t stop but finishing them all! You’ve got to try em’!
Hi Saarah! So wonderful to hear that you loved these empanadas! 🙂
I was skeptical in the beginning because I had never tried vegetable empanadas. Given my Latinix background, (savoring sweet empanadas) I was unsure what these would taste like. To make story short, these empanadas were very delightful and lightweight. They had a kick of spice to them and the plus side is that they are not fried. Give this recipe a try and you will not be disappointed. ♥️ Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
We are so excited you enjoyed your empanadas, Sandra! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts 🙂