Beef Empanada Recipe

These crispy, cheesy, 30-minute easy beef empanadas are so simple to make with refrigerated pie crust and a savory beef and cheese filling. Whip up these yummy empanadas and serve with creamy, authentic Mexican guacamole for a delicious meal!

Looking for more Mexican recipes? Check out my popular posts for Instant Pot Chicken Taquitos, Super Easy Mexican Rice, and Fiesta Lime Shrimp Salad.

I’m always on the lookout for easy recipes to make that can double as an app/snack or as part of a meal. That way, I always have an arsenal of recipes that I can make for guests, take for picnics or potlucks, or have on hand when we want to have a snacky dinner in front of the latest new animated film.

These Mexican empanadas check alllll the boxes: budget-friendly, easy and fun to make (even more so if you have little helpers like I did), filling, and delicious to eat, especially when topped with HERDEZ® authentic Mexican guacamole or dipped in salsa.

Cheesy Beef Empanadas

Upgrade your dinner game with this recipe for cheesy beef empanadas from Delish.com! They’re hard to resist.

Prep: 20min

Total: 2h

Yield: 15

Nutrition Facts: calories 4783 Calories, Fat 300 g, Saturated Fat 153 g, Trans Fat 11 g, Cholesterol 1030 mg, Sodium 4137 mg, Carbohydrate 302 g, Fiber 18 g, Sugar 14 g, Protein 198 g

Ingredients:

• 3 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. cold butter, cut into cubes
• 3/4 c. water
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 c. chopped pickled jalapeños
• 1 1/4 c. shredded Cheddar
• 1 1/4 c. Shredded Monterey Jack
• Egg wash, for brushing
• Freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish
• Sour cream, for serving

Instruction:

1. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Garnish with cilantro and serve with sour cream.
3. Garnish with cilantro and serve with sour cream.

Beef Empanada Recipe

These crispy, cheesy, 30-minute easy beef empanadas are so simple to make with refrigerated pie crust and a savory beef and cheese filling. Whip up these yummy empanadas and serve with creamy, authentic Mexican guacamole for a delicious meal!

Prep: 5min

Total: 30min

Yield: 4

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 629 kcal, Carbohydrate 47 g, Protein 21 g, Fat 40 g, Saturated Fat 15 g, Trans Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 96 mg, Sodium 964 mg, Fiber 4 g, Sugar 2 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/4 onion (diced)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or chipotle chili powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces diced green chiles
• 4 ounces diced pimento peppers
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or Mexican blend)
• 2 refrigerated pie crusts
• 1 egg (whisked)
• HERDEZ™ Traditional Guacamole (for serving)

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper.
2. Unroll pie crusts on a clean, flat surface. Use a 3-inch round pastry cutter to cut circles from the dough. (If desired, combine scraps, roll out, and cut again.)
3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef.
4. Stir in onions, cumin, chili powder, salt, green chiles, and pimento peppers. Saute 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in tomato paste, followed by the cheese. Remove from heat.
6. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture into the center of each pie crust circle.
7. Fold dough over and use a fork to seal the dough all along the curved edge.
8. Arrange in a single layer, not touching, on prepared baking sheet. Brush empanadas with egg wash.
9. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Allow to cool slightly before serving with HERDEZ™ Traditional Guacamole. Enjoy!

Easy Beef Empanadas

These Easy Beef Empanadas use flaky pie crust and ground beef to create the perfect dinner. Ready in about 30 minutes, they make a great weeknight meal!

Prep: 15min

Total: 30min

Serving Size: 1

Nutrition Facts: calories 409 calories, Carbohydrate 17 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 118 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 24 grams fat, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 29 grams protein, Saturated Fat 10 grams saturated fat, servingSize 1, Sodium 433 milligrams sodium, Sugar 2 grams sugar, Trans Fat 0 grams trans fat, unSaturated Fat 11 grams unsaturated fat

Ingredients:

• 1 package of pre-made pie crust (2 rolls)
• 1 pound of lean ground beef – I use 90% lean, however 80% or less will work – just drain off the excess fat before continuing.
• 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 medium diced bell pepper, any color
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cup Mexican blended cheese
• 1 egg

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F
2. Prepare a cookie sheet with a baking mat, non-stick foil, parchment paper or oil. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet cook ground beef, onions and bell pepper until beef is cooked through, onions are translucent and peppers are soft.
4. Drain any excess fat.
5. Add cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili powder to ground beef mixture and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Remove from hot burner.
7. Roll out pie crusts. Using a bowl similar to a cereal bowl, trace circles onto each pie crust. I can get 3 per crust. A smaller bowl will result in more circles.
8. With leftover pie crust, mix together and roll out and continue cutting circles, until all dough is used. I can get 8 total.
9. Lay a pie crust circle down. on prepared cookie sheet. Add 2 – 3 Tablespoons of filling to the middle of the circle. Top with 1 Tablespoon a cheese.
10. Fold pie crust circle in half, keeping the filling inside, and press edges down with a fork.
11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 for all empanadas.
12. Arrange empanadas on cookie sheet.
13. Beat egg in a small bowl and brush on top of each empanada.
14. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until tops are golden.
15. Remove from oven and serve with your favorite salads, salsas and guacamole.

Puerto Rican Empanadas

Puerto Rican Empanadas made with seasoned beef, potatoes, and cheese! Easy and so delicious. These are the best beef empanadas!

Prep: 10min

Total: 55min

Serving Size: 1 g

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 g, calories 298 kcal, Carbohydrate 21 g, Fat 18 g, Saturated Fat 8 g, Cholesterol 64 mg, Sodium 477 mg

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups All purpose flour plus more for sprinkling
• 1 stick butter
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium potato (parboiled, peeled, and diced small)
• 1/4 cup Goya Sofrito plus 2 additional Tablespoons
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 packet Goya Sazón con Azafran
• 20 Spanish olives roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded

Instruction:

1. Add 2 ½ cups AP flour, 1 stick of cold butter cut into small pieces, 1 egg, ¼ cup cold water, and a pinch of salt to a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour dough mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form mixture into a ball with your hands. Wrap the ball of dough tightly in the plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes, remove dough from the fridge. Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface. Roll the dough out with a floured rolling pin as thin as possible. Place a 5-6 inch round bowl or plate onto the dough. Run a knife along the edges of the bowl until you have cut a round disc. Remove the dough round and set aside.Repeat with the rest of the dough. The dough will need to be formed into a ball and rolled out a few more times to cut the rest of the dough rounds. Repeat until all the dough has been cut into rounds.
3. Parboil a medium potato for 7 to 10 minutes, then peel and dice into small pieces. Mince 20 Spanish olives.Heat a large skillet to medium and add ground beef. Cook completely and chop it into pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess grease when finished cooking. Add the potato, sofrito, and ¼ cup water to the pan.Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent the potatoes from sticking. Add tomato sauce, 1 Sazon con Azafron seasoning packet, ¼ cup water, and a pinch of salt.Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often. Toss the olives into the pan and stir.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Place the pastry rounds onto a clean surface. Spoon 2 Tbsp. or so of the meat filling into a pastry round. Top it with a sprinkling of Monterey Jack cheese. Rub the edges of the pastry round with a little bit of water.Pull one side of the pastry over the other and press the edges together with your fingers. Seal the edges tightly and crimp them together with your fingers or a fork.Try not to over-stuff the pastry rounds or they will break as they cook. Repeat with the remaining pastry rounds.
5. Spray a baking sheet(s) with cooking spray. Place half of the empanadas on each pan. Place the pan(s) in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. You can use two separate pans or bake them in two separate batches. Serve, and enjoy!

The Ground BEEF Empanadas everyone should learn how to make, Easy empanada recipe

FAQ

Is it better to fry or bake empanadas?

What is empanada filling made of?

What is the difference between Spanish empanadas and Mexican empanadas?

What kind of dough do you use for empanadas?