Pork Empanada Recipe (2024)

Pork Empanada is a type of pastry that has been stuffed with pork. In this pork empanada recipe, we’ll be making pork picadillo, which be stuffed into our homemade empanada dough. Isn’t that interesting? Here’s the good news, making empanada dough does not need to be all-manual and labor intensive. We can use a food…

Jump to Recipe

By: Vanjo Merano 7 Comments Updated: 9/2/18

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Pork Empanada is a type of pastry that has been stuffed with pork. In this pork empanada recipe, we’ll be making pork picadillo, which be stuffed into our homemade empanada dough. Isn’t that interesting? Here’s the good news, making empanada dough does not need to be all-manual and labor intensive. We can use a food processor to speed-up the process.

Pork Empanada Recipe (1)

Let’s talk about the pork picadillo first, or what I call pork giniling with carrot, green peas, and potato. The way I call it sums up the components of the dish. It is simply made-up of ground pork cooked with the vegetables mentioned, along with raisins and Worcestershire sauce. The filling can be a main dish by itself. I often have it with rice and fried egg. However, we will be using it as an empanada filling,or stuffing, for this recipe.

The idea of making your homemade empanada dough is always interesting, especially if you have not made one before. Although it can be challenging at first, your hard work and perseverance will be rewarded with a feeling of accomplishment. This pork empanada recipe is all about making quality empanadas in the easiest and most convenient way possible.

Pork Empanada Recipe (2)

What are kitchen equipment for if we won’t utilize them? For this reason, I will be using a food processor as my assistant to make the empanada dough. This will eliminate the hard labor needed to blend the pastry, which is what we used in ourchicken empanada recipe. Instead of manually blending the flour and other components using a pastry blender, we only need to add the ingredients inside the equipment, one after the other, and let it pulse until all are well blended. There is a bit of manual work needed in flattening the dough, which requires the use of a rolling pin – but that’s it.

Pork Empanada Recipe (3)

I suggest that you watch the video below to see how I quickly secure the stuffing in the empanadas. There is no fancy technique involved, only a straightforward method that requires the tip of a fork.

Pork Empanada Recipe (4)

For questions, suggestions, and feedback, feel free to drop me a comment.

Try this Pork Empanada Recipe. Let me know what you think.

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!

Pork Empanada Recipe (5)

Pork Empanada Recipe

This is a recipe for Pork Empanada Recipe

Prep: 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 45 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Print RecipeRate Recipe

6

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 1 small carrot cubed
  • 1/2 cup green peas
  • 1 small baking potato cubed
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cups beef broth
  • 3 tablespoons cooking oil
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Empanada Dough

  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 10 tablespoons fresh milk

Eggwash

  • 1 Egg egg white only
  • 2 tablespoons fresh milk

Instructions

  • Prepare the pork filling by heating oil in a cooking pot. Add ground pork and cook until light brown.

  • Add the chopped onions. Stir and continue to cook until the onion becomes soft.

  • Add raisins, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Cover the pot, adjust the heat to medium, cook for 10 to 12 minutes.

  • Add peas, carrots, and potato. Cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes Note: Add more beef broth or water, if needed

  • Put the brown sugar into the pot and season with salt and ground black pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Set aside.

  • Preheat oven to 400F.

  • Meanwhile, prepare the dough using a food processor. Put flour in a food processor and then add salt. Pulse until both ingredients are blended.

  • Slice the butter into small pieces. Add into the food processor. Continue to pulse until the butter blends well with the flour mixture.

  • Add egg and gradually pour the milk 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, while pulsing. Continue to process the mixture until all the ingredients are well blended.

  • Transfer the dough into a flat surface. Mold a large sphere out of it. Separate in half, and then create a disk shaped figure on each piece of dough. Chill the dough for at least 20 minutes.

  • Flatten one piece of dough on a flat surface using a rolling pin. Note: Watch video below for more information.

  • Cut a part of the flatten dough using a circular mold, or anything with a circular tip such as a bowl. Remove the circular dough and set aside.

  • Assemble the pork empanada by placing 1 to 2 tablespoons of the pork filling in the center of the circular dough.Secure it by folding both sides of the dough towards each other. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch the sides for it to cling to each other. Secure it even more by pressing the tip of a fork on the sides of the empanada.

  • Arrange the empanadas on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven.

  • Prepare the egg wash by combining egg white and milk in a bowl. Beat the mixture until blended. Brush the egg wash all over the empanadas.

  • Put the pork empanada back into the oven. Continue to bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until it turns medium brown.

  • Remove from the oven. Let it cool down.

  • Serve. Share and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 6g

© copyright: Vanjo Merano

Watch the Video on How to Cook Pork Empanada

Pork Empanada Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should empanadas be baked or fried? ›

Both cooking methods produce delicious empanadas. If you want a healthier merienda, bake them in the oven. If you're working with less time, frying them is the way to go. Try both and ask your loved ones to vote on their favorite.

What are 3 types of empanadas? ›

Some popular empanada styles are:
  • Argentine empanadas with beef, cheese, or chicken.
  • Chilean empanadas with beef, cheese, or seafood.
  • Mexican empanadas with spicy beef, potato, or pumpkin.
  • Colombian empanadas with beef, chicken, cheese or corn.

What is empanada filling made of? ›

Empanadas are crescent-shaped, savory pastries made of dough and filled with a variety of ingredients. Empanada fillings can include anything from ground or shredded beef, chicken, pork, cheese, or vegetables, seasoned vibrantly, then baked to perfection.

Is empanada dough the same as tortilla? ›

There's not a lot of difference — chief one being that you use ice water with empanada dough, and hot water for tortillas. Another difference is the flour. It is a lot less important to use a soft wheat flour like Sonoran or Lily flour for empanadas than it is for flour tortillas. Any all-purpose flour will work.

How do you keep empanadas crispy? ›

How do you keep empanadas crispy? Baking them helps. But dependent upon how much wet meat filling is in the center makes a difference. If fried they tend to absorb moisture from the oil in the crust a bit faster.

Can I bake goya empanadas instead of frying? ›

Easily prepare them with a delicious filling of GOYA® Black Beans, GOYA® Whole Kernel Golden Corn, spices, and the rich flavor of GOYA® Queso Blanco cheese, all wrapped in convenient GOYA® Empanada Dough-Puff Pastry for Baking. Bake them in the oven for just a few minutes, and they'll be ready to enjoy!

What is the American version of empanadas? ›

Empanadas are the traditional Latin version of the hot pocket (Hot Pockets, natch, are the traditional American version). When I was little, my grandmother, who lived for years in South America, used to make a version with meat, golden raisins, olives, and hard-boiled egg.

What is the best substitute for empanada dough? ›

What Can You Substitute for Empanada Dough? If you're looking for a shortcut, store-bought pie dough can be used to make empanadas. You may need to roll the dough out slightly thinner—it will produce a flakier result than typical empanada dough and is better for baking than frying.

Is empanada dough the same as pastry dough? ›

While pie dough is designed to be flaky, empanada dough is meant to be more tender. Pastry for empanadas has a higher flour-to-fat ratio, making it sturdy and perfect for wrapping around meaty fillings. Some recipes use lard or an additional egg as the fat source, but our recipe keeps it simple and easy with butter.

What nationality makes the best empanadas? ›

Argentina has become world-famous for their empanadas which are widely available in Buenos Aires and across the country as fast-food options and restaurant staples. As with many recipes, that of empanadas was shared through generations and carried to many other nations.

Why put vinegar in empanada dough? ›

Adding a little vinegar to your dough will result in a tender, pliable, and flaky crust because it slightly inhibits gluten development, leading to a crust that is flakier and easier to work with. The great thing about vinegar is that you really only need a little bit of it to help your pie/empanada dough.

Why does my empanada dough crack? ›

The main ingredients are water and corn flour. If you don't work quickly, the dough will dry out and start to crack.

Can you buy dough for empanadas? ›

Here's a delicious, flaky wrapper that's perfect for capturing all your favorite flavors: GOYA® Empanada Dough. Our line of ready-to-use flour dough discs are the #1 ingredient for preparing a wide variety of empanadas, a favorite in Latin America and around the world.

What is the fancy name for empanadas? ›

These are a few of the known names: Meat Pies (American) Empanadas (Latin/Spanish) Pastelillos (Latin/Spanish)

What is the difference between Spanish empanadas and Mexican empanadas? ›

The Spanish recipe was made with bread dough, the Mexican recipe with corn masa dough. This is where Mexican empanada history takes over. Each region in Mexico has their own version of the empanada.

Are baked empanadas healthy? ›

Empanadas usually are served hot and blistered from the deep fryer, but home cooks will be glad that these baked healthier handpies offer similar pleasures without a trip into a vat of bubbling oil. The simple dough, similar to pie crust, comes together in a jiffy in the food processor.

How long do baked empanadas last? ›

If empanadas have been baked, shelf-life up to 7 days refrigerated (we don't recommend freezing them after baking.)

Can you bake frozen empanadas instead of frying? ›

Cooking directions for frozen empanadas

Place tray on center oven rack for best results. 4. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until the dough turns golden brown. 5.

How long to heat empanadas in oven? ›

Reheating your Empanadas

Empanadas should be nice and hot empanadas, crispy and tasty as they were the night before. Preheat your oven to 300°F and place the empanadas inside to warm through for 10 minutes. Preheat your toaster oven to 300°F and place the empanadas inside to warm through for 10 minutes.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Horacio Brakus JD

Last Updated:

Views: 6297

Rating: 4 / 5 (71 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Horacio Brakus JD

Birthday: 1999-08-21

Address: Apt. 524 43384 Minnie Prairie, South Edda, MA 62804

Phone: +5931039998219

Job: Sales Strategist

Hobby: Sculling, Kitesurfing, Orienteering, Painting, Computer programming, Creative writing, Scuba diving

Introduction: My name is Horacio Brakus JD, I am a lively, splendid, jolly, vivacious, vast, cheerful, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.