20 Delicious Empanada Recipes to Master the Art of Hand-Held Perfection

Empanadas, those delightful pockets of joy, are a culinary staple cherished across many cultures, particularly in Latin America and Spain. These savory or sweet pastries, with their origins tracing back to the Spanish word “empanar” meaning “to coat or wrap in bread,” offer an unparalleled combination of flaky, buttery dough and an endless array of delicious fillings. Whether you’re seeking a quick snack, a satisfying appetizer, a hearty meal, or a decadent dessert, empanadas provide a versatile and truly hand-held perfect solution for any occasion.

The beauty of empanadas lies in their simplicity and incredible adaptability. They can be crafted in various sizes, from bite-sized delights perfect for entertaining to larger, more substantial versions that make for a fulfilling main course. The dough, often a simple mixture that bakes to a golden brown crisp, serves as the ideal vessel for a world of flavors. From succulent meats and vibrant vegetables to sweet fruits and rich chocolates, there’s an empanada filling to satisfy every palate. This collection features 20 incredible empanada recipes designed to inspire your next kitchen adventure, demonstrating just how diverse and exciting these pastries can be.

Why Empanadas Are a Must-Try Culinary Experience

Empanadas stand out not just for their taste but also for their convenience and adaptability. They are the ultimate grab-and-go food, perfect for picnics, lunchboxes, or a casual dinner party. Their individual portions make them easy to serve and enjoy, eliminating the need for cutlery and encouraging a relaxed dining experience. Beyond their practicality, empanadas offer a fantastic opportunity for culinary creativity. You can experiment with different doughs, spices, and filling combinations, making each batch uniquely yours. They are also a wonderful way to utilize leftovers, transforming last night’s dinner into an exciting new dish.

Furthermore, empanada making can be a fun and engaging activity for the entire family. Gathering around the kitchen to fill and crimp these pastries fosters a sense of togetherness and creates lasting memories. From beginners to seasoned chefs, everyone can enjoy the process of creating these delicious parcels. So, whether you’re craving something hearty and savory or a sweet treat to end a meal, these empanada recipes are your gateway to a world of flavor and fun.

The Heart of Empanadas: Dough and Fillings

The foundation of any great empanada is its dough. While some prefer to make their own from scratch, enjoying the process of kneading and rolling, store-bought pie crusts offer a convenient shortcut without compromising on flavor or flakiness. The goal is a delicate yet sturdy pastry that can hold its filling without breaking, baking up to a beautiful golden hue. A good empanada dough should be buttery, tender, and provide a satisfying contrast to the interior.

When it comes to fillings, there truly are no rules. This collection explores a vast spectrum, including classic beef, succulent chicken, flavorful pork, delicate shrimp, and robust crab options. For those seeking plant-based alternatives, there are wonderful vegetarian options featuring spinach, cheese, black beans, and sweet potatoes. And for a delightful finish, don’t miss the dessert empanadas, with fillings like caramel apple, pumpkin cheesecake, and chocolate s’mores. Each recipe offers a unique flavor profile, encouraging you to dive in and discover your next favorite empanada.

Our Top 20 Empanada Recipes

1. Chicken Empanadas

Chicken empanadas are a universal favorite, celebrated for their comforting and adaptable flavors. This simple recipe features tender shredded chicken, rich cheeses, and a blend of aromatic spices, all encased in a deliciously flaky pie crust. It’s a perfect balance of savory notes and satisfying textures in every bite. This recipe is also an excellent way to repurpose leftover chicken, transforming it into a brand new, exciting meal that your family will love.

2. Homemade Beef Empanadas

Indulge in the rich, savory goodness of homemade beef empanadas. This popular filling combines seasoned ground beef with sautéed onions and garlic, creating a deeply flavorful mixture. The addition of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses melts into an irresistible, gooey delight, making these empanadas exceptionally satisfying. Each bite delivers a burst of robust flavor, promising a truly delectable experience that’s hard to resist.

3. Pork Empanadas

Utilize any leftover pulled pork with this ingenious recipe for pork empanadas. The rich, mouthwatering flavors of carnitas naturally lend themselves to a minimal ingredient approach. Simply sauté some onions, add a touch of cilantro, and you have created small pockets bursting with big, satisfying flavors. These empanadas are a fantastic way to elevate leftovers into a gourmet experience, offering a delightful twist on traditional pork dishes.

4. Shrimp Empanadas

Prepare to fall in love with this exquisite traditional Portuguese recipe for shrimp empanadas. Featuring a vibrant lemon-infused pastry dough, these empanadas are filled with a creamy, perfectly seasoned shrimp mixture. This unique and classic recipe is surprisingly simple to make, requiring just 45 minutes from start to finish, and delivers an incredible, sophisticated flavor. For any shrimp enthusiast, this recipe is an absolute must-try, promising a memorable culinary journey.

5. Spinach And Cheese Empanadas

These delightful pockets of spinach and cheese deliciousness are incredibly easy to prepare. Fresh spinach is gently sautéed in butter with fragrant onion, then combined with a sublime blend of cheeses. The result is a divine meatless appetizer or snack that’s perfect for any time of day. Once you taste these irresistible pastries, you’ll find it nearly impossible to stop at just one, making them a crowd-pleasing addition to any spread.

6. Crab Empanadas

Elevate your empanada-making prowess with this exquisite crab recipe. This refined dish starts with a homemade empanada dough, which is then generously filled with an amazing ceviche-style crab mixture. The vibrant and fresh flavors of the crab, combined with the delicate pastry, create an upscale empanada that is sure to impress even the most discerning crab lover. It’s a sophisticated treat that brings gourmet flair to your table.

7. Tuna Empanadas

Experience the authentic taste of Spain with these flavorful Spanish-style tuna empanadas. The filling is a harmonious blend of flaky tuna, sweet onion, savory garlic, ripe Roma tomatoes, vibrant red pepper, and a medley of traditional seasonings. These rich and delicious ingredients are generously loaded into homemade dough, creating individual pockets of culinary heaven. Each bite transports you to the heart of Spanish cuisine with its robust and captivating flavors.

8. Black Bean Empanadas

This vegetarian empanada recipe features a delicate, flaky crust encasing a uniquely cozy and savory-sweet filling. The warm spices evoke the comforting essence of autumn, yet these empanadas are delightful to enjoy throughout the year. Black beans and sweet potato are expertly combined with aromatic onions, garlic, and seasonings, resulting in alluring and incredibly tasty vegetarian empanadas that are both wholesome and satisfying.

9. Chicken Chorizo Empanadas

Bring a delicious Tex-Mex kick to your table with these vibrant chicken chorizo empanadas. Shredded chicken and spicy chorizo are mixed with an enticing blend of seasonings and colorful veggies, creating an incredibly appetizing empanada filling. This recipe is a guaranteed party favorite and consistently proves to be a huge hit at any gathering, offering a burst of bold flavors that will keep everyone coming back for more.

10. Salsa Verde Empanadas

These easy empanadas draw inspiration from classic chicken enchiladas verde, offering a delightful twist. The filling features succulent shredded chicken, vibrant green chiles, and zesty salsa verde, all combined with melted cheese. These traditional Mexican flavors create an impressive and incredibly tasty hand-held pocket of goodness. They are perfect for a casual meal or as a crowd-pleasing appetizer, delivering authentic taste in a convenient package.

11. Vegetarian Empanadas

Savor a flavorful meatless meal with these exquisite vegetarian empanadas. Roasted poblano peppers, sweet corn, tender onions, a medley of cheeses, and carefully selected spices unite to create an exceptional blend of flavors. For a complete and satisfying dining experience, serve these vegetarian empanadas alongside a generous portion of Mexican rice. This combination offers a delicious and wholesome meal that delights the senses.

12. Street Corn Empanadas

Transform the beloved flavors of elote, traditional Mexican street corn, into a convenient and tasty empanada filling with this easy recipe. These street corn empanadas are spicy, creamy, and undeniably delicious, offering a real treat for your taste buds. Skip the messy cob and instead enjoy these flavorful little pillows of heaven, packed with all the vibrant essence of Mexican street food in a portable form.

13. Caramel Apple Empanadas

Revolutionize dessert time with these enchanting caramel apple empanadas. They represent a sublime culinary mash-up, combining the best attributes of a classic caramel apple with the comforting flavors of an apple pie. Tender apples are simmered to perfection with rich caramel and aromatic spices, then lovingly wrapped in buttery, flaky dough. Topped with a delightful sugar and cinnamon blend, these empanadas truly offer the best of both worlds in every sweet bite.

14. Potato And Chorizo Empanadas

Potato and chorizo empanadas represent the ultimate “meat and potatoes” of the empanada world. The flavorful chorizo infuses them with a spicy kick, while the tender potatoes add a comforting starchiness and satisfying substance. Aromatic onion, garlic, and a blend of seasonings complete the delicious flavor profile. These hearty empanadas make fantastic game-day snacks or party appetizers, guaranteed to be a hit with any crowd.

15. Breakfast Empanadas

Start your day with a delightful twist! These breakfast empanadas are proof that adding an egg can transform almost any dish into a morning delight. The delicious filling features a savory blend of spicy chorizo, tender potatoes, fragrant onions, colorful peppers, and a mix of seasonings, perfectly complemented by scrambled eggs. Honestly, these are so incredibly good and versatile that you’ll want to enjoy them any time of day, not just for breakfast.

16. Chili And Pork Empanadas

Hatch chiles, renowned for their distinctive smoky and mild-to-medium heat, are the undisputed stars of this exceptional pork empanada filling. Combined with savory ground pork, a vibrant array of spices, and creamy cheese, they create a truly scrumptious and well-rounded flavor. The culinary highlight is the fresh herb dipping sauce, which perfectly complements these fabulous empanadas. It’s a masterful blend of flavors that you absolutely do not want to miss.

17. Air Fryer Cheese Empanadas

In need of a quick and satisfying snack or a light meal? Air fryer cheese empanadas are your delicious solution. Much like a classic grilled cheese sandwich, they boast a wonderfully crispy, buttery exterior and a warm, creamy, cheesy interior. Using the air fryer, these empanadas cook incredibly fast. In just about 8 minutes, from start to finish, you can enjoy a perfectly golden and flavorful treat, making them ideal for last-minute cravings.

18. Pumpkin Cheesecake Empanadas

Elevate your dessert game with this truly sweet and decadent recipe. The comforting flavors of the autumn season are exquisitely captured within these rich pumpkin cheesecake empanadas. These are the perfect individual desserts or bite-sized treats for holiday parties and gatherings. We recommend making a double batch, as these irresistible dessert empanadas are a delightful indulgence you’ll want to enjoy regularly throughout the fall season.

19. S’mores Empanadas

These decadent dessert empanadas deliver everything you could possibly desire from a S’mores experience. A tender pie shell is generously filled with miniature marshmallows and chocolate chips, then baked until golden. The crust emerges wonderfully flaky, while the chocolate and marshmallows melt together to create that quintessential S’mores taste. They are so incredibly good, tasting even better than you can imagine, you’ll undoubtedly be reaching for “S’more!”

20. Ham And Cheese Empanadas

Forget your typical ham and cheese dish; these little pockets of deliciousness far exceed the expectations of a regular sandwich. A masterful blend of various cheeses, savory ham, and tangy Dijon mustard, expertly seasoned, creates an exceptional empanada filling. These are incredibly good and undeniably crazy delicious—a recipe you absolutely do not want to miss. Perfect for game nights or any casual gathering, they’re sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

For a complete and well-rounded meal, don’t forget to explore our comprehensive list of what to serve with empanadas. From fresh salads to hearty sides, these pairings will elevate your empanada experience.

How to Store Leftover Empanadas

Proper storage ensures your delicious empanadas remain fresh for future enjoyment. Once cooked, allow them to cool completely to room temperature. Transfer the cooled empanadas to an airtight container or a resealable bag and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to enjoy again, reheat them in the oven or an air fryer to restore their crispy texture and warm, flavorful filling.

For longer storage, empanadas can also be frozen. After cooking and cooling, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer for 2-3 hours, or until they are completely solid. Once frozen, transfer the solid empanadas to a freezer-safe bag or container. They will maintain their quality for up to 3 months. When you’re ready for a quick meal, simply reheat them directly from frozen in the oven or air fryer until thoroughly warmed through.