Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Savory and delicious, with a hint 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.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Perfect for serving a crowd, taking to a potluck, or a perfect game day appetizer.
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These baked Vegetarian Empanadas are my new favorite savory snack. Or lunch. Or appetizer. Or dinner!
A plate of these Vegetarian Empanadas, some Soft Pretzel Bites, and a bowl of Beer Cheese Dip, and you’ve got yourself a party!
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 tip box below, where I share all my tips for how to make empanadas of your dreams!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Vegetarian Empanadas
Can I Customize This Filling?
Absolutely! Feel free to switch out any of the vegetables and spices in the filling recipe below to suit your needs and preferences. These Empanadas also make for a fun way to use up leftovers, so get as creative as you like with what you have on hand.
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.
What to Serve with Veggie Empanadas:
- Green or red salsa
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Spanish rice
- Home Fries
- Salad
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.
Vegetarian Empanada FAQs
We haven’t tested this ourselves, but feel free to omit the cheese in the filling. Use a vegan butter in the dough, and try using a non-dairy milk instead of the egg wash – just note the empanadas brown as much as pictured here.
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.
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.
Yes! 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.
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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 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 fine sea 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.
Notes
Photos by Joanie Simon.
We have a vegetarian in our household so we made both the beef empanadas AND the veggie ones! Both were soooo delicious! The pastry was so buttery and flaky! None of us were very skilled at beautifully perfect Empanada crafting, but what they might have lacked in looks, the more than made up for in excellent taste! Super fun family project to do together!
So happy to hear that, Maggie!! 🙂
These were amazing! The only issue I had was the time. The recipe said 20 minutes for prep, and I trusted that a little too much. As a first time empanada maker, it took me almost 2 hours to prep and saute the veggies and then assemble. These weren’t ready for dinner, but they made a great bedtime snack! Next time I’m sure it will go faster.
I’m sorry these empanadas took so much longer than you expected, Kaitlin, but I’m glad you still enjoyed them!!
The dough was extremely easy to work with. I can’t wait to use it again with a variety of fillings. The black bean and corn combo was delicious. I added extra pepper plus onion and garlic.
Hi Kelly! So happy to hear you enjoyed these empanadas! 🙂
I made these and the beef empanadas, both we’re delicious, but I liked these better, they packed so much flavor!
Hi Maribel! So happy you enjoyed these so much!! Thanks for the comment 🙂
The dough alone is amazing. Any filling will taste amazing, but this is a great starter recipe.
So happy you enjoyed these empanadas, David!!
This was delicious! Both the dough and filling had great flavor! It’s easy to make. It just takes time to roll out the dough and to fill it.
Hi Esther! So happy to hear you enjoyed these empanadas!!
It’s been a couple of years since I made empanadas and I had forgotten how easy they were to make. I love the hint of spice from the jalapeno – plus it means the kids won’t eat too many 🙂
Haha sounds like a win-win, PJ!!
This was an easy and fun recipe. I love cheese, so I did add extra. The versatility of the recipe is great, making it easy to add to the mixture (green chiles). I may try with a fruit dessert mixture next time. 🙂
So happy to hear these were such a hit, Cindy!
Fabulous! Just so delicious! I made the filling and dough the day before and baked them the newt day and they were amazing!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed these empanadas so much, Andrea!
These were easy and fun to make. I made 20 Empanadas with each dough ball weighing about 34.5 grams each. I also used extra cheese in my filling.
We’ll never say no to extra cheese around here, Cindy!! So happy you enjoyed these 🙂
Absolutely delicious!!! I added some shrimp to the mix and my husband could hardly stop eating them!
So happy you enjoyed these empanadas, Cecilia!
Dough and filling super easy to make and delicious. The empanadas themselves take more time (and patience) to put together.
Totally worth it and so delicious.
So happy you enjoyed these empanadas, Kiersten!!