Flaky, crispy, and filled with meat, potato, veggies, and sometimes rice, empanadas are as easy to make as pie dough.
It’s hard to beat the combination of tender pockets of dough stuffed with yummy filling inside. From Central and South America, we are gifted the empanada — flaky crust filled with meat, potato, veggies, and sometimes rice. Here’s how to make the dough, stuff it with your choice of filling, and bake it.
What Is Empanada Dough Made Of?
The technique to making empanada dough is very similar to that of making pie dough. It conveniently uses pantry staples and ingredients you probably already have on hand. Butter is cut into flour and salt, then mixed with olive oil and a bit of cold water to bind.
Is Empanada Dough the Same as Pizza Dough?
Pizza dough and empanada dough are different for one significant reason: Pizza dough uses yeast to allow it to rise, whereas empanada dough does not. Empanadas don’t require resting time or lots of kneading. In fact, the less you work the dough, the better, as it leaves the pastry tender and flaky.
Are Empanadas Better Baked or Fried?
It depends on who you ask! Baking empanadas versus frying them is definitely a matter of preference. For a large batch and hands-off cooking, we prefer to bake them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brushed with a bit of egg wash for that signature glossy look.