Excellent recipes for Empanadas or filled bags from Latin America. Taste this goodness!

These are the best empanadas recipes you will ever taste!

One bite transports you to colorful Spain or Buenos Aires.

Try both the salty version and the sweet one.

Empanada with chicken

The chicken empanada recipe is a delicious, buttery and flavorful little pillow with caramelized onions.

What will we need

For the dough

• 330 g plain flour
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• a pinch of granulated sugar
• 90 ml of melted butter
• 60 ml of cold water

For filling

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, diced or thinly sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 500g boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground red chili
• 120 ml of hot water

For smearing

• 1 beaten egg

Method

• To prepare the dough, mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Slowly add the melted butter followed by enough water to make a soft, smooth dough.
• Shape the dough into a loaf, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 1 hour.
• To prepare the empanada filling, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, 15-20 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Stir in the chopped chicken and season with paprika, cumin, salt, black pepper and ground chili.
• Add water, bring to a boil, and cook, uncovered, until most of the water has evaporated, 20-30 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line two trays with baking paper or lightly grease them.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin sheet. Use a circle cutter to cut out.
• Place about 2 tablespoons of the cooled chicken mixture in the center of each circle.
• Lightly brush the edges with a little beaten egg, fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together to seal.
• Seal completely with the tines of a fork. Repeat with remaining empanadas.
• Place the empanadas spaced apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush them with beaten egg and bake until golden for 20-25 minutes.

Empanada with ground beef

A great recipe for great Spanish bagels filled with tender beef. Try this treat at home too!

What will we need

For the dough

• 350 g plain flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 40 g butter (cut into cubes)
• 40 g vegetable fat (cut into cubes)

For filling

• 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 225 g of lean ground beef
• ½ red pepper (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 150 ml of beef broth
• 2 spoons of soy sauce
• beaten eggs

Method

• Add baking powder and paprika and fat to the dough, knead until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Mix in enough water to make a dough and knead until smooth. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate.
• Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion and garlic. Add beef and brown.
• Add red pepper, fry for 3 minutes, then sprinkle with coriander and chilli.
• Pour in the stock and soy sauce and cook for 15 minutes until the stock has evaporated. Leave to cool.
• Roll out the dough and cut out six 15 cm circles.
• Spoon the filling onto half of each round, brush the edges with egg and fold to seal.
• Brush the tops with egg.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and bake the empanadas for 15-20 minutes until golden.

Apple bags with caramel

Did you know that empanadas can also be sweet? Try her delicious apple version in this mug recipe. You will only need one 250 ml mug!

What will we need

For the dough

• 2 ¾ cups plain flour
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• ¾ cup butter (chilled and diced)
• ½ cup cold water

For filling

• 4 apples (diced)
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• ⅓ cup caramel (condensed milk)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon of ground cloves
• pinch of salt

For the frosting

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon of water
• Cinnamon sugar
• Caramel sauce for drizzling

Method

• To make the dough, mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
• Stir in the chopped butter and knead the dough, which has a crumbly texture.
• Mix in enough water to bring the pieces together to form a smooth dough. Shape the dough into a bun, wrap it in plastic and put it in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
• To make the filling, mix the chopped apples with lemon juice.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the diced apples and caramel.
• Once the mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the apples begin to soften, 15-20 minutes.
• Stir in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Once the filling has cooled to room temperature, remove the dough from the refrigerator.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out circles.
• Place 1-1 ½ tablespoons of the apple filling in the center of one of the circles.
• Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together to seal. Seal completely with the tines of a fork.
• Repeat with remaining empanadas.
• Place the empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Put in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and water. Brush the tops of the chilled empanadas with egg. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
• Bake them in the preheated oven until the empanadas are golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Cuban empanadas with pork and picadillo filling

These Cuban-style pork empanadas are filled with a tasty mix of vegetables that is used in Latin America. They are great for breakfast, brunch or as a midday snack.

What will we need

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 1 carrot (finely chopped)
• 1 celery stalk (finely diced)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 500 g of minced pork
• 30 ml of white wine
• 250 g of tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons of beef broth
• 60 g pitted olives (halved or sliced)
• 10 Empanada wheels
• 1 beaten egg

Method

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are golden, stirring often.
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, add the ground pork, salt, pepper, cumin and oregano to the pan.
• Stir to combine the ingredients well and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the wine and cook for about 1-2 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring often.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add the tomato sauce, beef stock and olives, tossing to combine.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook the picadillo for about 15-20 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally. Keep at a moderate temperature.
• If the picadillo is still too juicy after the cooking time is up, uncover the pan and let it cook for a few minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.
• Line several trays with baking paper to place the empanadas on.
• Prepare a small bowl with the beaten egg.
• Add 2 heaping tablespoons of the picadillo to the center of the empanada.
• Moisten the edges of the dough with egg and fold the circle in half, gently pressing the edges together.
• Use a fork to press the edges together to seal.
• Place the empanada on the lined baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the ingredients.
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
• Add 1-2 empanadas, depending on the size of the pan. Fry them for 1-2 minutes until golden on both sides.

What are empanadas and where did they come from?

The origin of the empanada is not entirely clear, but it seems most likely that they first appeared in Argentina in the kitchens of immigrants from northern Spain.

Once empanadas were in South America, they were baked or fried filled with whatever was available in the region at the time.

In Buenos Aires, empanadas are usually filled with ground or ground beef, ham and cheese, chicken, or Swiss chard, often prepared with a béchamel-like sauce called salsa blanca.

You’re also likely to see a greater variety of shapes there, as the empanadas are shaped to let empanada lovers know what kind of filling they have inside. It’s a kind of culinary code.

Once you leave the capital, empanada competition becomes fierce. Each province claims to have the best filling and the richest, softest dough.

The province of Tucumán is so proud of its empanadas that the National Empanada Festival is held here every year, where the traditional filling is mondongo, i.e. tripe or cow’s stomach.

The province of Entre Rios north of Buenos Aires has an empanada that is filled with rice soaked in milk.

Up in the far north of Argentina, in Jujuy, you’ll find empanadas filled with goat or llama meat.

In the lush central province of Cordoba, they are made sweet and salty, often containing sugar, beef, raisins, potatoes and olives.

Argentinians are extremely proud of their empanadas, so they will want you to experience the best empanada possible – let them guide you to the best one.