Baked Empanadas

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My Puerto Rican-style Baked Empanadas, also known as pastelillos de carne, can be made in a big batch in under an hour! Perfect for lunch, dinner, and snacking, these beef empanadas are a must-try.

Jump to:

• Baked Empanada Recipe
• What is an Empanada?
• Empanadas Baked Ingredients
• Baking Empanadas Instructions
• Expert Tips for Baking Empanadas
• How to Parboil Potatoes for Empanadas
• Empanada Recipes FAQ
• Can you freeze empanadas?
• How to Reheat Empanadas
• What to Serve with Empanadas
• Baked Empanadas
• Reviews

Baked Empanada Recipe

I have been making these incredible beef baked empanadas for years for my family as lunchbox treats and after-school snacks. They're delicious hot or cold, and are honestly so good I sometimes even serve them for Sunday dinner.

My beef empanadas are Puerto Rican-style empanadas. They're amazing for sharing and make a great party appetizer. I love them for game day!

Pair them with my other empanada recipes, like my chicken empanadas for dinner and my pumpkin or apple empanadas for dessert.

My kids thought these were better than the ones we buy from a restaurant. Thank you for this delicious and easy to follow recipe.

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What is an Empanada?

To put it simply, an empanada is basically a hand pie. They're half-moon shaped pastry shells packed with a filling; you can make empanadas using everything from savory fillings like beef, chicken, and beans, to sweet fillings like pumpkin and caramel apple.

Empanadas are easy to make at home using either homemade pastry dough or store-bought Goya empanada discs (also referred to as discos). You can either bake or fry empanadas, based on your preference!

Empanadas Baked Ingredients

For Dough

• All-Purpose Flour
• Butter
• Egg
• Water
• Salt

For Filling

• Ground Beef: I prefer to use an 80/20 mix ground chuck beef. The fatty content enhances the flavor.
• Potato: You will need to peel, parboil, and dice your potatoes small. I prefer Yukon gold potatoes, but you can also use russet potatoes.
• Sofrito: This is an aromatic sauce consisting of onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, and spices.
• Tomato Sauce: Any tomato sauce will do, but if you can find El Pato hot tomato sauce, I recommend it.
• Sazón con Azafran: This is a unique seasoning containing Mexican saffron, garlic, salt, and a handful of other ingredients. Look for Goya sazon con azafran.
• Spanish Olives: I know olives aren't for everyone; leave them out, if you prefer. But, they add great flavor to the mixture if you do like olives or aren't sure yet if you do!
• Water: Both for parboiling potatoes and adding to the pan.
• Salt: Kosher salt or sea salt flakes work best. I recommend avoiding table salt.
• Cheese: I'm using Monterey Jack cheese. You can use pre-shredded cheese or grate your own.

Baking Empanadas Instructions

Empanada Dough

If you want to make your own empanada dough, follow the instructions included in my recipe for empanada dough. You can also use pre-made empanada dough. Goya discos are a great choice and are typically sold in the frozen food section at most supermarkets.

Beef Empanada Filling

1. Bring a pot of water on the stove to a boil and add potatoes. Boil the potatoes for 7 to 10 minutes, then allow them to cool enough to handle. Peel and dice into small pieces.
2. Mince Spanish olives into small pieces if using.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat on the stove. Once hot, add ground beef. Cook until completely browned, chopping it into pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess grease once finished cooking.
4. Add potato, sofrito, and water to the pan with the ground beef. Cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent the potatoes from sticking.
5. Add tomato sauce, a packet of Sazon con Azafran seasoning, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
6. Toss the olives into the pan and stir.

Filling Empanadas

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F if you haven't already preheated it.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Or, spray with cooking spray. You can also use one baking sheet and bake in batches if you prefer.
3. Place the pastry rounds onto a clean surface.
4. Spoon meat filling into each pastry round. Top with a sprinkling of Monterey Jack cheese.
5. Rub the edges of each pastry round with a little bit of water.
6. Pull one side of the pastry over to the opposite side. Press the edges together using your fingers.
7. Seal the edges tightly, and crimp them together using your fingers or a fork. Try not to over-stuff the pastry rounds, or they'll break open as they bake.
8. Repeat with the remaining pastry rounds.

Baking Empanadas

1. Place half of the empanadas on each prepared baking sheet.
2. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.
3. Remove the baking sheets from the oven when the empanadas are finished baking. Serve, and enjoy!

Expert Tips for Baking Empanadas

• You can either make your own dough or use frozen Goya pastry rounds. Make sure to thaw the dough for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
• Goya Sofrito and Sazón con Azafran can be found in the international aisle of most grocery stores. Sofrito is a Puerto Rican cooking base consisting of tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, and spices, while Sazón con Azafran means "seasoning with saffron", and it's a seasoning packet using salt, pepper, garlic or garlic powder, coriander, cumin, and other seasonings.
• Parboiling the potatoes makes it easier to peel and chop them. They cook more quickly in the filling this way, which will save you time overall.

How to Parboil Potatoes for Empanadas

Parboil, meaning to partly cook food by boiling, is a technique used to soften foods (like potatoes) before cooking with them. I parboil the potatoes before using them for the empanada filling.

1. Place your potatoes in a pot and cover them with cold water.
2. Add a pinch of salt, cover the pot with a lid, and turn the stove on high heat.
3. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat slightly to keep it from boiling over. Continue boiling for approximately 5-10 minutes. Shorter if you diced the potatoes and longer if you left them whole.
4. Test your potatoes with a fork, if it goes in with only a little resistance, you’re done.
5. Remove the boiled potatoes from the heat and drain your pot. Let the potatoes cool a little, and you're done!

Empanada Recipes FAQ

Turned out really well. Very flaky and buttery. Used some of the dough to make berry tarts.

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Can you freeze empanadas?

Yes! To freeze baked pastelillos, place them next to each other on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Be careful they aren’t touching or they’ll wind up sticking together.

Keep them in the freezer until frozen solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag or other freezer-safe container. I recommend bags so they don't get any freezer burn. Label with the freezing date.

How to Reheat Empanadas

For frozen empanadas, you can bake them straight out of the freezer. Add approximately 5 minutes to the baking time.

What to Serve with Empanadas

• Mexican Cream Sauce
• Mexican Style Corn
• Avocado Cream Sauce
• Rice and Beans Recipe

This recipe was a hit and it was something different for dinner. Thank you!

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