Beef Empanadas Recipe

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5 from 31 votes

Beef Empanadas Recipe

Beef empanadas are crispy, airy tacos made from dough and filled with shredded beef. They are a favorite Mexican dish!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Let dough set4

Total Time4 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Author: Lil' Luna

Ingredients

Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
½ cup lard, or shortening
1¼ cups water

Filling

2½ pounds roast beef, cooked and shredded (store-bought or homemade)
1-2 cups red enchilada sauce, to taste (store bought or homemade)
½ cup diced black olives
vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients for the dough together with a wooden spoon until well combined and a little sticky. Pinch away golf ball–sized pieces of dough and roll each one into a ball. Place dough balls on a glass or ceramic plate and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 4–6 hours (we usually make ours in the morning to be ready for dinner).
In a medium bowl, combine shredded meat, red enchilada sauce, and diced olives. Mix and set aside.
When dough is ready, fill a medium saucepan with ¾ inch oil. Heat over medium heat to 365°F.
Roll out each dough ball on a floured surface into a 5–6-inch round.
Add ¼ cup of roast beef mixture to one side of each dough circle. Fold the other half over and pinch around the entire edge.
Working in batches, fry empanadas in oil for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead: We don’t suggest making any fried foods ahead of time, but you can make the filling in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.

Variations: We love to change it up and make pork or chicken empanadas.

o Pork: Use Pulled Pork and mix with your favorite green chile sauce.

o Chicken: Use the chicken mixture from our Flautas recipe in place of the beef.

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