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Fried cheese empanadas // Empanadas de viento
4.8 from 813 votes

Fried cheese empanadas // Empanadas de viento

These Fried Cheese Empanadas, also called Empanadas de viento, use a delicate, thin homemade dough rolled out and filled with a melting cheese blend such as quesillo or mozzarella. After shaping into discs, the empanadas are fried until golden and crispy on the outside, yielding a light, airy texture inside. The optional sprinkle of sugar on the surface adds a subtle touch of sweetness, complementing the savory cheese filling in this classic snack or light meal.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Additional Time
1 hr
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 15 medium size empanadas or up to 25 small empanadas
Course: Breakfast, Appetizer, Brunch
Cuisine: South American, American, Ecuadorian

Ingredients

  • 15 empanada dough recipe below or store bought empanada discs, medium size or 25 small discs; can use homemade dough
For the homemade empanada dough:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon sugar if you want a hint of sweetness in the dough, optional
  • 1 butter 4 oz, cut in 8 pieces, stick
  • ¼ cup orange juice or 4 tablespoons
  • water add more if needed, ~2/3 cup; sparkling or still
For the cheese filling and cooking:
  • cheese you can use quesillo, mozzarella, monterey jack, Oaxaca or any other cheese that melts well or a combination of your favorites, ~2 ½ cups grated
  • 1 cup onion optional, finely chopped; white onion
  • ½ cup sugar for sprinkling
  • cooking oil for frying

Instructions

To make the empanada dough:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Mix the flour, salt, sugar (if using), and baking powder in a food processor.
  2. Add the pieces of butter and pulse until mixed.
  3. Add the orange juice and sparkling water – start with ½ cup of water and then add more as needed, pulse and mix until clumps of dough start to form.
  4. To make the empanada dough by hand, follow the same instruction but use your hands to mix the ingredients together.
  5. Form a ball with the dough and knead lightly.
  6. Place the dough in bowl, coat with small amount of oil, cover and let rest at room temperature for about an hour.
  7. To make the empanada discs or rounds, you can either roll out the dough into a thin layer and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate). Or you can make several small balls of dough, about 1.5 oz to 2 oz in weight, then use a tortilla press or a rolling pin to roll them out – they don’t need to be perfectly round. It's really important to get the discs very thin since they cook very quickly when you fry them, if after cutting out the round shapes or pressing them with a tortilla press, they are still thick, try rolling each disc a little more until it is very thin. Some people also use a pasta machine to get the dough very thin.
  8. The empanada discs can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator or freezer to use later.
  9. You can find more details and step by step photos on the process for making empanada dough for frying here.
To fill, assemble, and fry the empanadas:
  1. Mix the grated cheese and chopped onions together.
  2. Spoon the cheese filling on the center of the each empanada disc.
  3. Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges, first pressing gently with your fingers, next use a fork to press down and seal, finally twist and fold the edges of the empanadas and then use the fork again for the final sealing.
  4. Chill the empanadas for at least an hour, this will help them seal better and prevent leaks.
  5. Fry the empanadas either in a deep fryer or in a frying pan, if using a frying pan add enough oil to cover at least half of the empanada, let the oil get very hot and fry each empanada until they are golden on each side or about a minute per side.
  6. Place the empanadas on paper towels to drain any excess oil, sprinkle generously with sugar and serve warm.