Baked Empanadas with Mexican Picadillo and Cheese

My Baked Empanadas are flaky pastry pockets filled with a flavorful Mexican picadillo made from ground beef, potatoes, and tomatoes plus a slice of creamy Monterey Jack cheese.

These from-scratch beef empanadas are made using economical ingredients in about an hour, making them totally approachable for any home cook. 

What Are Beef Empanadas?

Essentially the Mexican version of British pasties, beef empanadas are savory hand pies filled with picadillo beef. (Empanadas can be made sweet, savory, or spicy.)

What is Mexican Picadillo Beef?

Picadillo (made from ground beef and potato) is an economical Mexican dish that is typically served as a filling in crispy tacos. Depending on where you go in Latin America, picadillo can also include ingredients like raisins, olives, and hard-boiled eggs. While I’m probably biased, I think Mexican picadillo is the most approachable since it doesn’t include any of these potentially divisive additions.

Why I Love this Recipe

While I love pretty much every empanada I’ve ever tried, I’m particularly partial to this from-scratch recipe. The homemade empanada dough is made with stout beer and salted butter, making the empanadas light, flaky, and flavorful. The texture is perfect and does not get soggy after baking, even after a couple of days in the refrigerator.

The use of beer in the dough adds a slightly malty, yeasty flavor and the carbonation contributes to a lighter texture. Feel free to use stout (my beer of choice) or any dark beer, as the carbonation is part of the leavening for the pastry. You can also use non-alcoholic beer or even club soda if you prefer, but you only need a small amount of beer for the dough and the alcohol will burn off during cooking.

Perhaps the best part of this empanada dough recipe is that the butter is creamed at room temperature. That means there is no need to have ice cold butter or to chill the dough, and you also don’t have to worry about over-mixing it like you would with other short, flaky pastry recipes. When making your own empanada dough is so simple, why ever bother with the frozen discs you get at the store?

All in, this easy recipe for baked picadillo empanadas comes together with just 20 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of bake time. So, what are you waiting for? Flaky, buttery, meaty deliciousness awaits!

Ingredients & Substitutions

You only need 13 ingredients to make a big tray of these cheesy, beefy baked empanadas. Here’s what to grab:

• Olive Oil – Your normal cooking oil is perfect here.
• White Onion – You can also swap in yellow or red if you prefer.
• Ground Beef – I typically reach for 85/15 and drain off excess fat. You can also use leaner 93/7 beef or lean ground bison, or swap in ground poultry like chicken or turkey if you prefer.
• Garlic Salt – Or garlic powder and kosher salt.
• Black Pepper – Freshly cracked pepper will give you the best flavor.
• Tomatoes – I prefer using meaty varieties like romas. You can also use drained canned tomatoes if needed.
• Potato – I suggest using either starchy varieties like Russet potatoes, or “in-betweeen” varieties like Yukon gold potatoes.
• Monterey Jack Cheese – Feel free to swap in any white melty cheese you like including Oaxaca, Asadero, or pepperjack.
• Salted Butter – You can also use unsalted butter and add a bit extra salt to compensate.
• Egg – For binding the dough.
• All-Purpose Flour – I typically use regular white flour for my empanada dough.
• Salt – For seasoning.
• Dark Beer – I typically like the flavor that a dark porter gives the dough, but any dark beer will do.

How to Make Baked Empanadas

As promised, this easy recipe for empanadas is simple enough for any home cook. Here’s what to do:

Step 1: Make Picadillo. Sauté onion until translucent. Add ground beef and brown. Drain off excess grease. Add garlic salt, pepper, tomatoes, and potato and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are done. Salt to taste.

Step 2: Make Empanada Dough. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, place the butter in the bowl and turn the mixer on medium-low speed and cream. Add the egg and combine. Combine flour and salt in a bowl and add to mixer and combine. Add the beer, as needed, to ensure the dough is soft and smooth.

Step 3: Make Egg Wash. Crack an egg into a bowl and beat it thoroughly with a fork. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Stir until combined.

Step 4: Assemble. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Divide empanada dough into 14 pieces and roll into small round circles. Place a small dollop of filling on one side of each of the dough circles. Place a slice of cheese over the filling.

Step 5: Seal. Wet the bottom edge of the circles with egg wash to help seal the two halves. Fold over the dough to cover filling and seal off the edges with a fork pressing down along the edges or using a pastry cutter. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Step 6: Bake Empanadas. Brush each empanada with egg wash and puncture with a fork. Place the empanadas on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, then broil until golden brown. Enjoy hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Optional Variations

While I love this easy method for making baked beef empanadas, there’s always plenty of room for customization. Here are a few variations to consider:

• Air Fryer Empanadas – Keep your kitchen cooler by using your countertop air fryer instead of the oven. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F, then, working in batches as needed, cook empanadas for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
• Dairy-Free Empanadas – Swap in plant-based butter or shortening in the dough and either opt for vegan cheese or omit it altogether.
• Vegan Empanadas – Follow the instructions for dairy-free empanadas above, but also swap in meatless crumbles (like Beyond or Impossible) for the picadillo and your favorite store-bought egg replacement (like JUST Egg or Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer) for the dough. Brush assembled empanadas with melted vegan butter in place of the egg wash before baking.

Expert Tips

• Use room temperature beer so that the empanada dough is easier to knead. If the beer is cold, the dough will seize up.
• Make-Ahead: If you want to make these picadillo empanadas ahead of time, I suggest waiting to assemble them until you’re ready to bake them off or they will become soggy. You can make the dough and picadillo the day before and refrigerate them.

How to Store Leftover Empanadas

Keep baked empanadas at room temperature for 2 hours on a plate or baking rack covered with a paper towel or cloth linen. When they are fully cooled, place them in a sealed container and refrigerate them for up to a week or freeze them for up to 2 months.

Serving Suggestions

I recommend serving these empanadas warm with a dollop of salsa verde or your salsa of choice. For a spicier kick, serve empanadas with a chile toreado.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Empanada Recipes

• Hatch Green Chile and Cheese Empanadas
• Chorizo and Black Bean Empanadas with Grilled Corn Salsa
• Arrachera (Flank Steak) and Mushroom Empanadas
• Molotes (Masa Empanadas) filled with Mushrooms, Roasted Green Chiles, and Cheese 

Photography by Jenna Sparks
Originally published: July 2020.