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Beef Empanadas

September 3, 2024

Tender, flaky empanada dough surrounding a mixture of warmly-spiced ground beef and veggies, our beef empanada recipe is the best ever.

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a plate of homemade beef empanadas filled with potato, onion, carrot, celery, peas and spices

An Easy Homemade Beef Empanada Recipe

Empanadas are crescent-shaped, savory pastries made of dough and filled with a variety of ingredients. Empanada fillings can include anything from ground or shredded beef, chicken, pork, cheese, or vegetables, seasoned vibrantly, then baked to perfection. Our favorite beef empanada recipe is most closely related to Chilean empanadas, because they are baked and use ground beef instead of shredded. They feature a buttery, easy homemade empanada dough, wrapped around hearty beef filling, these easy beer empanadas are pure hand-held perfection. For more fun party food recipes, try our Pigs In A Blanket or our Sausage Rolls, and if you prefer chicken, be sure to try our Chicken Empanadas.

flour, butter, eggs, ground beef potato, onion, carrot, celery, peas and spices in prep bowls

Empanada Ingredients

  • Ground beef
  • Potatoes.
  • Vegetables! Onion, celery, peas, and carrots.
  • Garlic
  • Spices! Cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves — yum.
  • Beef stock. Just a little, to keep the ground beef empanada filling from drying out.
flour, salt, butter, eggs and ice water in a food processor
flour, salt, butter, eggs and ice water being pulsed in a food processor
diced potatoes being boiled in a pot of water
ground beef, onions, carrots and celery being cooked in a skillet

How To Make Empanada Dough

The internet claims that you can use store-bought pizza dough as a stand-in for homemade empanada dough. We’re usually all for shortcuts, but in this case we’re firmly in favor of making your own empanada dough. Homemade empanada crust is really just a simple pastry dough, like pie crust, and you can make it a few hours or even a few days ahead of time. To make empanada dough, you’ll need:

  • Flour
  • Ice water
  • Salt
  • Chilled butter
  • Egg
beef stock being added to a skillet with ground beef, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes and spices
ground beef, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, spices and beef stock being stirred together in a skillet
the edge of a circle of empanada dough with beef filling being brushed with egg wash on the edges
a beef empanada with rolled edges on a bread board

How To Make Beef Empanadas

  1. Make the empanada dough. We like to use a food processor to mix up the dough. Shape the dough into a ball, tightly cover in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

  2. Prepare the empanada filling. Boil the potatoes until tender, brown the beef in a large skillet along with the onions, celery and carrots. Add the potatoes and ground beef mixture to the pan and cook until browned and tender.

  3. Season the filling. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and beef broth. Then add the peas and cook, stirring until everything is well incorporated and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Roll out the dough. Divide it into 10 equal parts. Use your favorite rolling pin to roll each piece out into a circle of dough that’s roughly 7” wide.

  5. Fill the empanadas: Add about one-third of a cup of the ground beef filling onto one side of each of the rounds of dough. Brush with egg wash along the exposed edges (this is your “glue”) and fold the dough over.

  6. Seal the empanadas! Use a fork to firmly press the edges of the dough together to seal the beef filling inside of the empanada. Repeat this process with remaining dough and filling and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet.

  7. Bake the empanadas! Brush those beautiful pouches of beefy goodness with egg and bake them until they're golden brown.

raw beef empanadas on a baking sheet being brushed with egg
homemade beef empanadas filled with potato, onion, carrot, celery, peas and spices on a baking sheet

How to Store Homemade Empanadas + Tips

  • To freeze your beef empanadas: freeze them right before you’d bake them. Once you’re done filling and sealing the empanadas, lay them on a baking sheet like you’re about to bake them, but instead of putting the sheet in your oven, pop it in your freezer. Freeze overnight, then transfer to an airtight, zipper-top freezer bag and store for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat the empanadas, just lay the frozen empanada directly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes at 400°F.

  • To make empanadas ahead of time: cover the tray of unbaked empanadas and refrigerate for up to two days. When you’re ready to eat, bake them at 400° for 40 minutes. They’ll emerge perfectly golden and steaming from the oven just as if you had baked them the same day.

  • Leftover empanadas will keep, stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

a plate of homemade beef empanadas filled with potato, onion, carrot, celery, peas and spices

The Best Beef Empanada Recipe, Hands Down

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Beef Empanadas

  • Serves:  10
  • Prep Time:  30 min
  • Cook Time:  55 min
  • Calories:  310

Ingredients

Empanada Dough

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into ¼- inch cubes
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup ice water, plus more as needed

Beef Filling

  • 1 medium russet potato, peeled, ⅓ -inch diced (about 1½ cups)
  • ¾ pound 80/20 ground beef
  • ½ medium yellow onion, grated
  • 1 medium carrot, grated
  • 1 celery rib, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
  • ¾ cup beef stock

Method

  1. Make the empanada dough. Add the flour and salt to a food processor and pulse until combined, about 5 pulses. Add the butter, 1 egg and the ice water. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 20 pulses. If the dough won’t come together add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until incorporated. Shape the dough into a ball. Tightly cover the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.

    flour, salt, butter, eggs and ice water being pulsed in a food processor
  2. Meanwhile, make the filling. Fill a medium size saucepan with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potato and boil until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain.

    diced potatoes being boiled in a pot of water
  3. To a large skillet set over medium-high heat, combine the beef, onions, carrots and celery and cook, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until the beef is browned and the vegetables are softened, 8-10 minutes.

    beef stock being added to a skillet with ground beef, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes and spices
  4. Stir in the potatoes, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, peas and beef stock. Cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.

    ground beef, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, spices and beef stock being stirred together in a skillet
  5. Prepare the dough. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 10 equal pieces—roughly 2.2-ounces each. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough very thin into a circle roughly 7-inches wide. Add a heaping ⅓ cup of the beef mixture onto one side of each of the dough rounds.

    the edge of a circle of empanada dough with beef filling being brushed with egg wash on the edges
  6. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center position.

    a beef empanada with rolled edges on a bread board
  7. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg on the exposed edge of the dough. Fold the dough in half over the filling. Using a fork, firmly press and seal the edges together. Alternatively you can make empanada pleats. Repeat this process with remaining dough and filling, arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet.

    raw beef empanadas on a baking sheet being brushed with egg
  8. Stir 1 tablespoon of water into the bowl with the remaining egg. Lightly brush each empanada with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve warm.

    homemade beef empanadas filled with potato, onion, carrot, celery, peas and spices on a baking sheet
  9. Leftover empanadas will keep in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 3 days. To freeze, cool the empanadas to room temperature, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To reheat, place in a 300°F oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes, or until warmed through.

    a plate of homemade beef empanadas filled with potato, onion, carrot, celery, peas and spices

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 310
  • Protein 12 g
  • Carbohydrates 28 g
  • Total Fat 16 g
  • Dietary Fiber 2 g
  • Cholesterol 64 mg
  • sodium 284 mg
  • Total Sugars 2 g

Beef Empanadas

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Ruth

    What kind of dipping souse is used for Empanads, Thank you

    We often serve ours with guacamole but you could look up a traditional empanada sauce if you prefer, we don't have a recipe on our site for that yet.

  • Ruth

    I have the reicpe for Empanadas , From your site ,Thank you. I will be looking for more reicpies . Like fried Zuccini

    Thanks Ruth!

  • Shery

    I can't wait to try these. I've always loved empanadas, but never made them myself. Anxious, thanks for an easy sounding recipe.

  • Stacey

    Can you substitute gluten free flour for the dough in this recipe and still get a good result?

    We haven't tested this with gluten free flour but it should work fine. It won't be the same as gluten empanada dough but if you are used to gluten free baking you should be ok.

  • Anna

    can i use the empanada discs as a substitute for the dough? and if so would i still bake them

    Yes, if you buy raw empanada discs you can use those and will still bake as instructed. Hope you enjoy Anna!

  • Kari

    SOOOO GOOOOD! so simple to make and very flavorful! I didnt even use beef broth just added some water and still had lots of flavor. my 5 year old is really picky about eating things and whined about it the moment he looked at it. He eventually tried it and when I asked everyone if it was a keeper her gave me a big thumbs up!

    YAY! So happy to hear that. Thanks kari!

  • Stephen

    Amazing

    Thanks Stephen, so glad you loved it!

  • Marlen

    I have been using your recipe for a few years now and thought you deserved a compliment! These are so delicious and always a popular dish when I make it. Thanks for sharing!

    Aw, thank you so much Marlen. We are so happy you love these!

  • Sue

    Fixed the broccoli salad last night. Since I am diabetic I substituted monk fruit for sugar. It was really good. Really easy to follow. My son who never makes a comment about food said he really liked it and hoped I’d fix it again. The 3 of us ate almost all as a sude with dinner.

    Thanks Sue, this is so great to hear. We are so happy you all loved it!

  • Tamster

    Flavor was spot on but the filling and crust were both a bit dry. They were fun to make though and I may tweak it if i decide to try again.

    Thanks Tamster, glad you enjoyed these. You can always try adding a bit of water to the dough if it turns out too dry.