Baked Beef Empanadas Recipe

A couple years ago, my best friend and I visited San Juan, Puerto Rico, where beef empanadas were an appetizer available at almost every restaurant! While we did our best to try as many dishes as possible — mofongo, tostones, habichuelas — we always found our way back to empanadas. Served with a mayo-ketchup sauce bursting with garlic flavor, beef empanadas are handheld meat pies that you can enjoy while sitting down or on the go. The recipe below is inspired by those amazing empanadas we had in Puerto Rico, which I hope to savor again soon. Enjoy!

Short on time? Check out our air fryer empanadas recipe to cut down on cooking time!

Why You’ll Love This Beef Empanada Recipe

• Versatile – While this recipe is for ground beef empanadas, you can substitute the filling with whatever your heart desires! Some common empanada fillings include shredded chicken, shredded pork, ground turkey, or vegetables.

Recommended Tools for This Recipe

• Rolling Pin – Use a rolling pin to roll out your empanada dough and make more room for the fillings.
• Sheet Pan – You’ll need a large sheet pan to bake your empanadas on.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

• Goya Empanada Dough – Save time making dough and use Goya empanada discs. I used the 5-inch Criolla Discs for Baking & Frying.
• Ground Beef – Use finely ground beef to fill your empanadas, or substitute with your preferred filling.
• Egg – Before baking the empanadas, brush them with an egg wash to give them a shiny, golden brown finish.
• Green Olives – A staple of Cuban picadillo, green olives help add a nice tangy flavor to the empanada filling.
• Cooking Spray – Avoid your dough sticking to the pan by spraying with cooking spray before placing your empanadas.

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Print Recipe

Baked Beef Empanadas Recipe

Courses: Dinner Recipes, Entree Recipes

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 35 mins Total Time 50 mins

Servings: 12

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Beef Empanada Ingredients

Servings

• 1.5 lbs ground beef

• 12 Goya Dough for Baking & Frying

• 1 egg (large)

• 2 tbsp beef bouillon

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp paprika

• 3 oz olives

• 1 roma tomato (diced)

• 1 oz cooking spray (olive)

How to Make Baked Empanadas

1. Cook ground beef

   Add ground beef to a large pan, along with beef bouillon, cumin, garlic powder, and paprika. Cook for 10 minutes on medium.

1. Drain beef

   Drain ground beef and return to heat.

1. Mix in vegetables

   Mix in diced tomatoes and sliced olives. Cook ground beef for another 5 minutes or until browned.

1. Prepare egg wash

   While the empanada filling cools, pre-heat oven to 375F. Crack the egg and whisk in a small bowl to create an egg wash.

1. Spread empanada dough

   Spread empanada dough out using a rolling pin.

1. Fill empanadas

   Place 2-3 tbsp of filling on one half of dough. Fold in half to form a semi-circle.

1. Seal edges

   Seal edges by pressing with a fork or your fingers.

1. Brush empanadas

   Place sealed empanadas on a greased baking sheet. Brush with egg wash.

1. Bake

   Bake empanadas in the oven for 18-20 minutes at 375F or until golden.

2. Serve

   Serve with your preferred dipping sauce, and enjoy!