Beef Empanadas
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Baked Beef Empanadas made with puff pastry, so easy and so delicious. Don’t underestimate puff pastry, it’s quite versatile and makes some delicious empanadas.
Beef Empanadas
Beef Empanadas are perfect little appetizers and great for any occasion which is why I like to make them as much as possible! The key to a flavorful juicy filling is to use a bit of beef broth and some heat, brought to the dish through chili powder or hot sauce. I wrapped these morsels in puff pastry to achieve flaky buttery layers!
What Are Empanadas?
Empanadas are a baked or fried Latin American savory pastry. They’re even popular in the Philipines too! They’re stuffed full of veggies, cheese, and sometimes beef, so feel free to get creative with this hand held delicacy.
What Is Puff Pastry?
This is a light and flaky pastry that involves placing butter within the dough, rolling out the dough and folding it over itself repeatedly. This achieves thin light layers sandwiched with lots of melty butter once it has cooked. If you like pastry dough that is crisp, flaky, and melt in your mouth good then puff pastry is for you.
Ingredients In Beef Empanadas
- Olive oil – We want a nice neutral tasting oil for this dish.
- Beef – We want extra lean ground beef so that we don’t have to drain the fat out of it.
- Spices – Cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder.
- Onion – We want an onion that cooks down well such as white or yellow.
- Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
- Oregano – I used dried today as I want something that holds up to heat well and packs a great herby flavor concentrate.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
- Liquid ingredients – Beef broth that is low sodium and any hot sauce of your choice.
- Sugar – Yes we need some sugar in this recipe. I used brown sugar today as the molasses notes cooks down and add complexity to our dish.
- Puff pastry – Believe me you’ll want to use store bought for this recipe, it’ll save you time and energy.
- Egg – We’re using an entire egg for an egg wash to top our Beef Empanadas.
How To Make Beef Empanadas
- Brown the beef: In a medium skillet heat the olive oil and add the ground beef. Saute the ground beef until no longer pink, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and garlic to it and continue sautéing until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Create the flavor base: Add the oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, beef broth, brown sugar and hot sauce to the skillet and stir. Cook for a couple more minutes then remove from heat and let the meat mixture cool until it comes to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven: To 425 F degrees.
- Prepare the puff pastry: Working with one puff pastry sheet at a time, roll it out so that it’s long enough to cut 6 circles, 2 on each row, see video. Using a 4 inch cookie cutter or bowl, cut 6 circles, 2 per row.
- Assemble the empanadas: Fill each with about a tablespoon of meat mixture in the middle of each pastry round. Brush half of the pastry round edge with egg wash, then fold the dough over into a half-moon shape so the edges meet and then press them together with your fingers to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edge. Place it onto a baking sheet and repeat with remaining ingredients. You should get around 40 empanadas.
- Finish the empanadas: Poke holes in each empanada using a fork then brush the empanadas with the egg wash and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm with salsa or salsa verde.
What Else Can I Fill My Empanadas With?
There’s many things that can go in your delicious empanadas, whether it be traditional or not these Spanish delicacies work great with lots of flavors!
- Ground beef and cooked cubed potato.
- Cooked shredded chicken.
- Browned mushrooms and cheese.
- Argentinian style with ground beef, olives, and hard boiled eggs.
- Beans and corn for a vegetarian style empanada.
- Chocolate, dulce de leche, and cinnamon.
- Blueberries and goat cheese.
Want To Make Your Own Puff Pastry?
For the sake of keeping things easy I used store bought puff pastry for this recipe which tastes just fine. If you’d like to make every element of this recipe from scratch however check out my Blueberry Goat Cheese Empanadas, which details how to make your own for this dish!
How To Make Salsa Verde
This is a perfect bright and acidic accompaniment for our little hand held treats, here’s how to make it!
- Roast veggies: Roast tomatillos (little green tomatoes from Mexico) and jalapeños under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Flip them over with tongs and broil for another 4 – 6 minutes.
- Combine salsa ingredients: Place diced white onion, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon, and 2 tablespoons of lime juice in a food processor and combine. Place the roasted peppers and tomatillos and their juice in the food processor and blend all ingredients together. Place in the fridge to allow to thicken and you have your own salsa verde!
What To Serve With Empanadas
These meaty morsels pair well with lots of side dishes and sauces, although if you’re an empanada purist feel free to eat these treats all on their own!
Salad
- Mexican Chicken And Rice Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Kale And Quinoa Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette
- Avocado Salsa Shrimp Salsa
Sauce
- Salsa verde, store bought is fine but the recipe up further is fresh and delicious.
- Queso Dip
- Enchilada Sauce
- Strawberry Salsa
- Homemade Salsa
Want To Make Empanadas Ahead?
Fridge
This dish can be stored in an airtight container and placed in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer
If you’d like to make these empanadas a few months ahead of time, arrange them unbaked on a baking sheet and place in the freezer till frozen through. Place them in a freezer bag or in an airtight container and this dish will keep for up to 3 months. When ready to eat just pop these on a baking sheet and bake straight from frozen!
More Delicious Mexican Inspired Dishes To Try:
- Chicken Enchilada Quesadillas
- Taco Lasagna
- Pork Carnitas
- Shrimp Avocado Salsa
- Tres Leche Cake
- Albondigas Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Beef Empanadas
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef (extra lean)
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon oregano (dry)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (ground)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- ½ cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (packed)
- 2 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Sriracha)
- 4 sheets puff pastry ((2 packages, 2 sheets per package))
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- In a medium skillet heat the olive oil and add the ground beef. Saute the ground beef until no longer pink, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the onion and garlic to it and continue sautéing until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, beef broth, brown sugar and hot sauce to the skillet and stir. Cook for a couple more minutes then remove from heat and let the meat mixture cool until it comes to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 425℉.
- Working with one puff pastry sheet at a time, roll it out so that it’s long enough to cut 6 circles, 2 on each row, see video. Using a 4 inch cookie cutter or bowl, cut 6 circles, 2 per row. Fill each with a about a tablespoon of meat mixture in the middle of each pastry round. Brush half of the pastry round edge with egg wash, then fold the dough over into a half-moon shape so the edges meet and then press them together with your fingers to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edge. Place it onto a baking sheet and repeat with remaining ingredients. You should get around 40 empanadas. See notes.
- Poke holes in each empanada using a fork then brush the empanadas with the egg wash and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm with salsa or salsa verde.
Notes
- After cutting rounds from each pastry sheet, re-roll the leftover dough and cut it into more rounds, you should get about 10 rounds in total from each pastry sheet.
- This dish can be stored in an airtight container and placed in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- If you’d like to make these empanadas a few months ahead of time, arrange them unbaked on a baking sheet and place in the freezer till frozen through. Place them in a freezer bag or in an airtight container and this dish will keep for up to 3 months. When ready to eat just pop these on a baking sheet and bake straight from frozen!
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Hi! I was wondering if these can be fried instead of baked?
Yes, you can definitely fry these instead of baking. Heat oil in a deep fryer or a deep pan to about 350°F (175°C). Fry the empanadas in batches until golden brown, which usually takes a few minutes per side. Just be sure they’re sealed well to prevent leaking.
Great recipe. My granddaughter and I made this for her Spanish Fiesta class and the empanadas were a hit! Now another granddaughter and I are making
again today but have a question. If we freeze some uncooked, do you still
brush them with egg wash before freezing? Also, the first time we made them,
we were a bit hesitant to add 2T hot sauce so did not add enough although
they were still delicious. Just need reassurance that 2T is not too hot. Heat is good for me but dealing with finicky teenagers. Just trying to find a balance between me and them.
I’m so glad you liked them! For freezing uncooked empanadas, you can apply the egg wash just before baking them after they’re thawed, not before freezing. Regarding the hot sauce, 2 tablespoons should add flavor without being too spicy, but it’s always safe to start with less and adjust to taste, especially for those who are sensitive to heat.
Thank you so much for your prompt reply. This time we became braver and used 1.5T hot sauce. Next time (and there will be soon) we’re going for the gusto with the stated 2T.
These turned out beautifully! Using puff pastry takes the hard part out of these creations. My own dough leaves much to be desired! I had plenty of dough and made 9 out of each sheet of dough. I found that putting the dough in the freezer for a few minutes before rolling it out made it easier to handle. Sealing with egg is essential. I had 2 open up because they didn’t get the egg brush. So delicious. Nice spice mixture too! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed them!
Really good! I didn’t have full sheets of puff pastry, but the squares, so I just made triangles. They’re great with salsa but also sweet chili sauce. Garlic sauce isn’t bad but I didn’t care much for ketchup 😂 yes, we tested several sauces to see which we liked best! But this recipe will definitely be made more often.
They look great! So glad you liked it!
The recipe says to re-roll leftover dough to make more. Since it’s puff pastry dough, how can I do that?
Puff pastry can indeed be re-rolled, though you want to be careful not to overwork it, as that could make it tough. Just gently gather the leftovers together, press them into a ball, then roll it out again with a rolling pin. Keep in mind, re-rolled dough may not puff as much as the first roll, but it will still be tasty!
Thank you!
Gonna make it looks great
Can I add a bit of grated cheese to these?
Yes, absolutely!
Just made them.. Followed recipe and they turned out great and delicious!
I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious! My husband and I both loved it.
These were easy to make and delicious!! Thank you!
This was delicious! Served it with techina.
This recipe is very good! I used pastry puff dough for the first batch and for the remaining meat I ate it with some naan bread I had on hand, both ways were really good. The meat mixture is seasoned just right, I didn’t need to tweak the ingredients. Thank you!
Does the pastry sheet have to thawed before using?
Yes!
Can i make these the day before and keep them in the fridge till I amready to bake them?
Yes, for sure!
This is the exact same puff pastry technique my mom use to do and I’ve been trying to find it all over the internet! We made it using a Thai curry filling. It never occurred to me that I could make these in advanced. I do have a question about the cooking process. When baking them from frozen, what temperature did you use to cook them? Does it alter the cooking time/temperature when baking them fresh verses frozen? Would love to hear your thoughts, I’m definitely wanting to make this for my company potlock!
You can use the same temp! Every oven is different so add time in 5 minute intervals until they turn nice and golden brown.