A few years ago, I visited Puerto Rico with my best friend. Food was the highlight of our trip, and we still reminisce about the amazing mofongo, tostones, and pina coladas we had while in San Juan. For me, though, empanadas were the star of the trip, and something I tried to replicate as soon as we got back to Texas. Since then, I've experimented with different fillings and cooking methods, but air frying empanadas is definitely my preferred way of making them, as it's quicker than frying or baking them in an oven.
Continue reading below to learn how to make empanadas in the air fryer. If you're looking to make them in the oven, see my baked beef empanada recipe instead!
Why You'll Love These Air Fried Empanadas
- Versatile - While the instructions below use ground beef picadillo as the filling for the empanadas, they can be filled with whatever you'd like! Shredded chicken, pulled pork, and vegetables are some common substitutions.
- Resourceful - Have leftover picadillo or Thanksgiving turkey? Consider using your leftover protein as a filling for these empanadas.
Recommended Tools for This Recipe
- Rolling Pin - A rolling pin will help you spread the dough out, so you can add more filling.
- Air Fryer - I use the "Bake" setting on my Instant Vortex 6-quart, 4-in-1 air fryer, which I got for $50 many Black Fridays ago and allows me to cook large batches. If you're using a smaller air fryer, you may have to cook the empanadas in batches to ensure they have enough space while air frying.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Goya Empanada Dough - You can find frozen empanada discs in the freezer aisle of most supermarkets. I used the 5-inch Criolla Discs for Baking & Frying.
- Empanada Filling - While this recipe calls for ground beef, you can easily swap the filling for ground turkey, shredded chicken, or ground pork.
- Egg - Brush your empanadas with an egg wash before air frying, so they have a shiny, golden finish. Don't have an egg? Use cooking spray to achieve a similar finish and keep the dough from sticking to your air fryer basket.
