We start with a tender, flaky homemade empanada dough and wrap it around a hearty mixture of ground beef and cheese and bake them till golden perfection. Let me show you how to make the best Cheesy Beef Empanadas you’ve ever tasted!
An Easy Beef Empanadas Recipe
Now that I’ve shared my homemade empanada dough recipe with you, it’s time to fill up those wrappers! You can fill empanadas with anything from chicken to shellfish, but today is all about Cheesy Beef Empanadas.
These flaky, golden-brown pastries are packed with melted Colby Jack cheese and juicy ground beef – each crispy bite is absolutely divine. Every Spanish family makes them a little differently, but this is Jorge’s favorite way. Sometimes I do add olives to mine, but he prefers the classic cheese and beef combination!
Besides the fact that they’re delicious, I love these empanadas because they’re so versatile. You can serve them as an appetizer, a pre-dinner snack, dinner itself, etc. I won’t judge if you decide that they’re good for breakfast too, so long as you get in on this cheesy action!
Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients for these homemade beef empanadas are pretty standard, especially if you decide to make your own dough. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Olive Oil: for cooking the onion and ground beef; canola oil will also work.
- Onion: use 1 small white onion, diced.
- Jalapeño: just 1, deseeded and diced. If you’re not a fan of heat, feel free to leave this out.
- Garlic Cloves: I used 2 cloves, minced.
- Ground Beef: feel free to reduce the fat content by using extra lean ground beef.
- Seasonings: I used salt, ground black pepper, cumin powder, and ground oregano.
- Empanada Wrappers*: 12-15 of them (6-inch round).
- Colby Jack Cheese: you’ll need about 8 oz, freshly grated.
- Egg: to brush on the empanada wrappers before baking.
- Water: for the egg wash.
*You can make homemade empanada dough or use store bought uncooked pie crust for this, simply cut the pieces into 6-inch round pieces and adjust the baking time to 20-25 minutes or until light and golden on top.
How to Make Cheesy Beef Empanadas
Prepping these beef empanadas won’t take you more than 10 minutes. There’s just 3 easy steps that go into cooking the seasoned ground beef filling:
Prep Work: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, a silicone baking mat or spray with non-stick spray.
Cook Onion, Jalapeño & Garlic: Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion once hot. Cook, stirring often, until the onion becomes translucent. Then add the jalapeño and cook for another three minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, or until it becomes fragrant.
Cook Ground Beef: Add the beef and sprinkle in the salt, pepper, cumin and oregano and stir to combine. Cook, breaking up the beef and stirring often, until the beef turns a dark brown color and has cooked through. Drain off the rendered fat, set the pan aside and let it cool for 10 minutes.
How to Fill and Press the Edges
Once you have the filling ready, you can start to fill and fold the empanada wrappers. I actually look forward to this part because I think it’s super fun, but maybe that’s just me. ;)
Fill the Empanada Wrappers: Once cooled, add a spoonful of it to the center of an empanada wrapper and add a tablespoon of cheese on top.
Pinch the Edges of the Dough: Fold it in half, pinch the edges around the border and twist the edges into a classic empanada border or use a fork or empanada press to press in the edges to seal.
Arrange on Baking Trays: Add empanadas to the two baking trays, leaving room for spreading. Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl and brush it over the empanadas.
Bake Empanadas: Bake empanadas for 25 to 27 minutes or until light and golden on the top. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips for Success
Not too difficult, right? Here are some tips to get you even more prepared to make the perfect beef empanadas:
- Don’t Skip the Egg Wash: this is what gives the empanadas their golden-brown, crispy exterior.
- Empanada Dough Substitutes: if you don’t want to use store bought or homemade dough, you can also use uncooked pie crust, puff pastry, or even canned biscuits in a pinch.
- Use Up Leftover Beef: you don’t have to stick to ground beef if you’ve got some leftover pot roast or something, sitting in the fridge. We stuff all different kinds of leftover meats in empanadas!
- Add in Vegetables: corn and chopped carrots add some extra nutrition and texture to these yummy empanadas.
What Goes with Cheesy Beef Empanadas?
While golden empanadas are delicious all on their own or as an appetizer, you may want to serve them with other sides to create a full meal:
- Arroz Con Gandules: also known as Puerto Rican Rice with Pigeon Peas is our favorite side dish to serve with empanadas if we are making a meal out of them!
- Corn: Treat yourself to some buttery grilled corn on the cob!
- Salad: A big green salad is a good addition to lighten up this meal.
- Sweet Plantains: As everyone knows, no meal is complete without some sweet Fried Plantains!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
These cheesy beef empanadas can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container or in a large Ziploc bag for up to 1 week. When you want to eat them again, just put them in the oven again for a few minutes until they reach the desired temperature.
Can You Freeze Empanadas?
You can definitely freeze empanadas. After you’ve filled them and pressed the edges of the dough together, place them on a baking tray and freeze them for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Then you can store them in a freezer bag or an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Additional Add-Ins:
Depending on your families’ background and history, there are many different common additions added to the filling of beef empanadas. You can feel free to add any of them to your beef empanadas!
I love adding green olives to mine like so many of our Puerto Rican friends do, but Jorge’s Puerto Rican family never added olives! There are no wrong choices, add what you like to yours. Here are a few popular options:
- Salty: green olives, pimentos, and capers
- Vegetables: potatoes, celery, peas, carrots and even tomato paste
- Spicy: fresh or pickled jalapeños
- Herbs: marjoram, oregano and thyme
Cheesy Beef Empanadas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño, deseeded and diced (optional)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon ground dried oregano
- 12-15 6-inch round empanada wrappers*
- 8 oz Colby jack cheese, freshly grated
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, a silicone baking mat or spray with non-stick spray.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion once hot. Cook, stirring often, until the onion becomes translucent. Then add the jalapeño and cook for another three minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, or until it becomes fragrant.
- Add the beef and sprinkle in the salt, pepper, cumin and oregano and stir to combine.
- Cook, breaking up the beef and stirring often, until the beef turns a dark brown color and has cooked through. Drain off the rendered fat, set the pan aside and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Once cooled, add a spoonful of it to the center of an empanada wrapper and add a tablespoon of cheese on top.
- Fold it in half, pinch the edges around the border and twist the edges into a classic empanada border or use a fork to press in the edges to seal.
- Add empanadas to the two baking trays, leaving room for spreading. Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl and brush it over the empanadas.
- Bake empanadas for 25 to 27 minutes or until light and golden on the top. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Categories:
More Must Make Latin Recipes
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice with Pigeon Peas)
- Cheese Enchiladas
- Pernil
- Puerto Rican Fried Plantains
- Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
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These were nice and they looked cool. I’m from New Zealand and we don’t really have these kind of things. I used your recipe for the dough too, kneading it was hard and I was worried but it rested in the fridge and rolled out easy.
I added a little tomato sauce just because someone said they were dry and I didn’t want to risk all the effort.
I want to try this recipe. I remember my Mom made them when I was little. She used a red sauce with ground beef. Then she fried them lol. All I can say that they were amazing! I know the frying was so fattening! I will have to try these and see how they turned out. Sadly my Mom passed away when I was young and I don’t have any of her recipes.
Hi Marilyn! What is your families background? I may be able to help you figure out what the red sauce she used was!
I had such high hopes. Made the empanadas wrappers from scratch using the link, then followed recipe. They were super dry. Not sure what I did wring.