Easy Beef Empanadas
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Bring a little flavor-packed fun to your kitchen with this easy beef empanada recipe—golden, cheesy, and ready in under an hour.
Empanadas! Just the name sounds festive. This empanada recipe is inspired by the savory turnovers popular across Spain and Latin America, traditionally filled with beef, cheese, chicken, or veggies. Baked or fried until golden, they’re the ultimate finger food. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning “to wrap or coat in bread,” which pretty much sums them up.
Traditional empanadas are made with homemade dough, but I use store-bought empanada wrappers, found in the freezer aisle of most supermarkets. They make this beef empanada recipe a breeze to whip up.
If you’re cooking with kids, let them help with the wrapping—it’s fun! This recipe yields 10 to 12 empanadas, perfect for a quick dinner or an easy appetizer. If you’ve got a crowd, go ahead and double the batch.
Want sides? Try grilled Mexican street corn, guacamole, or a simple black bean salad with lime vinaigrette. And if you’re a dipper, salsa make a great accompaniment!
“Delish—love the convenience of store-bought wrappers! I doubled recipe—extras are in a freezer bag for the next football game. Total time was spot on!”
What You’ll Need To Make Beef Empanadas
- Ground beef, shallot, and garlic – This combo forms the base of the filling. 85% lean beef stays juicy without being too greasy, and the shallot and garlic add great flavor.
- Tomato paste, salt, cumin, and chili powder – These amp up the flavor with richness, a little tang, and warm, smoky spice.
- Shredded Mexican blend cheese – Melts like a dream and and adds a creamy, savory layer to the filling.
- Fresh cilantro – Adds a pop of freshness and ties it all together.
- Egg – Just one, for sealing the empanadas before baking.
- Empanada dough – The flaky wrapper that holds it all in (see photo and note below).
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
When making empanadas, it’s important to choose the right type of wrapper for your preferred cooking method. Goya sells three different kinds of empanada wrappers: Empanada Dough for Frying, Empanada Dough for Baking, and Empanada Puff Pastry for Baking.
For this recipe, be sure to get the puff pastry version for baking pictured below. If you can’t find them, frozen puff pastry (like Pepperidge Farm) works well too. Standard pie dough is fine in a pinch, but puff pastry will be flakier.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the beef filling. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the beef, shallot, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until it’s no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add the water and cook for 1 minute more.
Pro Tip: Cooking the spices with the beef allows their flavors to bloom, making the filling more aromatic and flavorful.
Step 2: Cool the filling. Transfer the beef mixture to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes (pop it in the fridge to speed things up). It’s important to let the mixture cool; cooling it completely before assembling prevents the pastry from softening too much, which can make it difficult to handle.
Step 3: Add cheese and cilantro. Once the filling has cooled, stir in the cheese and cilantro.
Step 4: Fill the empanadas. Working with one piece of dough at a time, place about 1½ tablespoons of filling in the center and brush the edges with the egg wash.
Pro Tip: Be careful not to overfill—too much filling can make sealing difficult and may cause the empanada to burst open while baking.
Step 5: Seal the edges. Fold the dough over to enclose the filling. Starting at one end, pinch the edges together.
Step 6: Crimp the edges. Pinch and twist along the edges to create a rope-like crimped pattern.
Pro Tip: This traditional “repulgue” technique (repulgue translates to “stitch” in Spanish) not only looks great but also ensures a tight seal, preventing leaks during baking. If you find this technique challenging, you can use a fork to crimp the edges instead.
Step 7: Prep for baking. Transfer the unbaked empanadas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Step 8: Bake and serve. Bake in a preheated 425°oven for 15 to 17 minutes, until puffed, golden, and flaky. Let the empanadas cool for about 10 minutes before serving. You can assemble them up to 1 day ahead and chill, or freeze for up to 3 months before baking.
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Beef Empanadas
This beef empanada recipe is a keeper: quick to make, fun to eat, and packed with deliciousness—serve them with your favorite dips and sides.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 ounces 85% lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoons minced shallot, from 1 shallot
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¾ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 package Empanada Dough-Puff Pastry for Baking, thawed but cold
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13x18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the beef, shallot, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until the beef is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add the water and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes (speed this up in the refrigerator if necessary).
- Once the filling is cooled, stir in the cheese and cilantro.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, place about 1½ tablespoons of the filling in the center of the dough. Brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg, and then fold over to seal. Starting at one end of the pastry, use your fingers to pinch and twist the edge of the pastry into a small rope-like shape. Continue to pinch and twist the edge of the pastry, working your way around the empanada until you reach the other end. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until puffed, golden brown, and flaky. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then serve.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The empanadas can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time before baking. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze empanadas before baking, first assemble the empanadas and then lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet without overlapping. Freeze for 1 to 2 hours, then transfer to freezer bags and store for up to three months. When ready to bake, you can cook them straight from the freezer, just add a few extra minutes to the baking time. If you're freezing already baked empanadas, ensure they're fully cooled, then follow the same freezing process. When you're ready to enjoy, reheat them in the oven until warmed through; no need to thaw.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 empanada
- Calories: 185
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 125 mg
- Cholesterol: 32 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I just made these tonight with puff pastry and it was absolutely delicious. It is a keeper
So yummy! I’ve made it several times with both ground beef and ground turkey and they were both delicious. Once substituted parsley because I didn’t have cilantro also very yummy. My 4 and 7 year olds love them and asked for them for lunch. Couldn’t find the empanada pastry so I have just used puff pastry. Not having the precut pastry definitely adds time, but it is worth it and the leftovers are the best! Thank you!
Absolutely love ALL of your recipes!! This one gave me a hard time as the puff pastry didn’t turn out as flaky as I had hoped. I wonder whether regular puff pastry would work better?
Hi Raphaela, I’m sorry you struggled with the pastry here. I’m not sure if it will necessarily be easier to work with, but you can definitely try this with puff pastry instead. Hope you have an easier time of it!
These were fabulous! Easy to follow directions and cooked perfectly. I added egg wash to the whole empanada b4 putting in oven. Fam devoured them in 5 minutes. Will make again fer sure 🙂
Yum, yum, yum! Much easier than I thought to make (and I had to cut circles from regular pastry dough)! We serve our 20+ harvest crew something warm and nourishing after every all – night harvest ( winegrapes). I will quadruple or quintuple the recipe and make ahead to pop in the oven so they’ll be warm at serving time. Thank you Jenn!
Hi
Does anyone know where can I purchase the Empanada Dough-Puff Pastry for Baking in the UK or what would be the nearest substitute ? as I would love to try this recipe
Thank you in advance
Lynn
in the UK
Hi Lynn, I’ll let other readers from the UK weigh in on where to find the empanada dough, but if you’re unable to find it, puff pastry will work here as a substitute.
Good to know…I was about to ask about a substitute, since I can’t find empanada dough anywhere in my neck of the woods.
I haven’t had these since visiting a friend in New Mexico. This recipe was wonderful. Made a double batch so I could freeze them. My husband & Dad loved them! Easy! Thank you!
Relatively easy and delicious! Found the Goya wrappers in the Latino frozen food section of my Philadelphia-area Acme supermarket. After assembling the first couple, I did the rest assembly line style, which speeded up the process. Used the extra egg wash on the tops for extra shine. Might try adding chopped green olives for additional piquantcy another time. Will make often.
Hi Jenn,
I made these empanadas with grass fed mince beef, they were quite a hit. Thank you, it was very quick and easy, I’ll be doing this more often.
Happy cook.
Lynda
Jenn,
Since I will be using regular puff pastry dough, what is the diameter of the circles I should cut? Thank you!
Hi Margaret, I’d estimate about 5 inches. Hope you enjoy!