Beef Empanadas Recipe
Beef empanadas are crispy, airy tacos made from dough and filled with shredded beef. They are a favorite Mexican dish!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ cup lard, or shortening
- 1¼ cups warm water, 110-115 degrees F
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 sliced black olives
- vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: 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).
- Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, combine meat, red enchilada sauce, and sliced olives. Mix and set aside.
- When dough is ready, fill a medium saucepan with ¾ inch oil. Heat over medium heat to 365 degrees 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1empanada | Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 2268mg | Potassium: 405mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 231IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 320mg | Iron: 4mg