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Baked Empanadas Recipe
5 from 51 votes

Baked Empanadas Recipe

This baked empanadas recipe includes a homemade dough made from flour, salt, butter, water, and egg, chilled before rolling. The filling features ground beef cooked with onion, red bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, olives, and spices for a savory, well-seasoned picadillo. The empanadas are assembled with an egg wash for a golden crust when baked.

Prep Time
1 hr 20 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Chilling Time + Freezing Time
1 hr 15 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 50 mins
Servings: 9 empanadas (depending on the size of your cutter)
Calories: 377 kcal
Course: Appetizer, Dinner
Cuisine: American, Argentinian

Ingredients

Empanada Dough:
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup butter frozen, unsalted
  • 1/4 cup water cold
  • 1 egg large
Empanada Filling:
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • kosher salt
  • 1/2 yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper diced
  • 3 garlic peeled and minced, cloves
  • 5 green olives minced
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • kosher salt to taste
For Assembly:
  • 1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

To Make the Dough:
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Using a box grater, grate the cold butter atop the flour mixture. Working quickly, and using your hands, break the butter bits into the flour until they're evenly distributed and resemble the size of small peas.
  2. In a measuring cup, measure out the water and whisk in the egg. Pour the liquid into the flour; the mixture will be shaggy at this point. From here, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the dough comes together (I usually need to about 1 more tablespoons). Flour your counter and dump the dough onto it. Knead a few times more until it comes together. Form into a disc. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.
To Make the Filling:
  1. In a medium saucepan, set over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the ground beef. Break up the ground beef using a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Cook the meat until mostly browned. Add the diced onion, red bell pepper and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the green olives, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, crushed red pepper and a few pinches of salt. Give it a good mix and cook about 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. If the mixture seems a bit dry (this will depend on how much fat your ground beef has), add a splash of water.
To Assemble the Empanadas:
  1. Roll out the disc of dough into a 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 6-inch round cutter (or you could use a bowl and trace out circles with a sharp paring knife), cut out as many circles as you can. Re-roll the scraps and cut out a few more.
  2. Transfer the rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly brush each dough round with egg wash. Add a tablespoon of the meat filling to one side of the circle of dough; fold the dough over, creating a half-moon shape. Using the tines of a fork, seal the empanada's seam together by pressing them together. Repeat until you've worked through all of the empanadas.
  3. Transfer the baking sheet of empanadas to the freezer to chill for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the empanadas with egg wash and using a knife, pierce the top to allow steam to escape. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Eat immediately or room temperature. Serve with salsa or chimichurri.

Notes

  • Extra filling can be saved and served over rice or cauliflower rice later.
  • Filling also pairs well with cooked sweet potatoes.
  • Chilling the dough for at least an hour, ideally overnight, improves handling and texture.

Nutrition Information

Calories 377kcal (19%) Carbohydrates 29g (10%) Protein 14g (28%) Fat 23g (35%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Cholesterol 86mg (29%) Sodium 511mg (21%) Potassium 267mg (6%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 717IU (14%) Vitamin C 10mg (11%) Calcium 29mg (3%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 9 empanadas (depending on the size of your cutter)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 377

% Daily Value*

Calories 377kcal 19%
Carbohydrates 29g 10%
Protein 14g 28%
Fat 23g 35%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 86mg 29%
Sodium 511mg 21%
Potassium 267mg 6%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 717IU 14%
Vitamin C 10mg 11%
Calcium 29mg 3%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.