What I love about empanada dough is that it is essentially a vessel for whatever filling you’re feeling. Leftover taco meat, chicken tinga, fajita mix? Make empanadas! Empty fridge? Ham and cheese = a satisfying meal. Want to impress dinner guests? Go gourmet (these caprese empanadas do the trick).
Jump to Recipe
Empanadas are originally from Spain, but today, you will find variations of this hand-held street food in Mexico, Central and South America. Be as traditional or get as creative as you wish!
And while store bought empanada discs work in a pinch, I promise, a good homemade dough is worth it. Your empanadas will be flakier, more tender, more flavorful. And when it comes to dough, it’s one of the easiest ones there is. A pliable dough with minimal kneading and virtually zero resting time.
Ingredients
- Flour
- Salt
- Butter
- Egg yolk
- Water
How To Make Empanada Dough
Mix flour and salt and then add butter.
Mix it into the flour mixture until the dough is crumbly.
Stir in egg yolk.
Add water and stir everything together with a wooden spoon or a spatula. Once the dough starts to come together, take over with your hands and knead until you have a smooth ball, adding 1-2 tablespoons more water if the dough is tough or dry.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes and then section into 14 pieces.
Roll into balls.
On a lightly floured surface, flatten one by one and use a rolling pin to roll them into a circle.
Place 2 tablespoons of filling into the middle of the circle.
Wet along the edges, fold and seal, removing air.
Curl (repulgue technique) the seam with your fingers or crimp with a fork.
Brush with egg yolk and bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
📖 Recipe
Empanada Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (56 g) butter melted
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ¼ cups (220 grams) very hot water
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt and then add butter.
- Mix butter into the flour mixture until the dough is crumbly.
- Stir in egg yolk.
- Add water and stir everything together with a wooden spoon or a spatula. Once the dough starts to come together, take over with your hands (test the dough to make sure it's not too hot to handle) and knead until you have a smooth ball, adding 1-2 tablespoons more water if the dough is tough or dry.
- Let the dough rest for 15 minutes and then section into 14 pieces.
- Roll into balls.
- On a lightly floured surface, flatten one by one and use a rolling pin to roll them into a circle.
- Place 2 tablespoons of filling into the middle of the circle.
- Wet along the edges, fold and seal, removing air.
- Curl (repulgue technique) the seam with your fingers or crimp with a fork.
- Brush with egg yolk and bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
