What are empanadas? A simple guide with easy recipe

An empanada is a baked or fried turnover made by folding dough around a savoury or sweet filling, then sealing the edges to create a self-contained, hand-held parcel. Think of it as Latin America’s answer to the humble pie, except far more personal, far more portable, and far more varied. Whether you pick one up from a street stall in Buenos Aires or pull a tray from your own oven in Sydney, the principle is the same: a golden, crimped casing wrapped around something delicious.

A few quick facts to orient you:

• Savoury or sweet: fillings range from seasoned beef and chicken to guava and cheese or dulce de leche
• Baked or fried: both methods are traditional, and the choice shapes the dough formula
• Portable by design: the sealed crust protects the filling and makes them ideal street food, party snacks, or picnic fare

Table of Contents

• Where do empanadas come from?
• How do empanadas differ around the world?
• What goes in an empanada?
• How are empanadas made?
• Easy 5-ingredient empanada pastry recipe
• When and how should you serve empanadas?
• How does an empanada compare to similar pastries?
• Key takeaways
• Why empanadas matter more than most people realise
• Authentic empanadas in Australia, ready when you are
• Useful sources
• FAQ

Where do empanadas come from?

The word empanada comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread or dough. Cambridge Dictionary lists it as an established English noun, which tells you how thoroughly this dish has crossed cultural borders.

The earliest documented roots trace to Galicia, in north-western Spain, and neighbouring Portugal, where medieval records describe filled pastry parcels eaten by pilgrims and labourers on the road. The practical logic was simple: a sealed crust keeps filling fresh, protects it from dust, and requires no utensils. Long before the age of takeaway containers, the empanada was the container.

Scholars trace an even older lineage to the Persian sanbusag, a filled pastry that spread through the Islamic world into North Africa and then into the Iberian Peninsula during the Moorish period. Catalan cookbooks from the 16th century record seafood empanadas and large communal pies, suggesting the dish was already well established across the Mediterranean before Spanish colonisers carried it to the Americas. Once it arrived in Latin America, local staples shaped it into dozens of distinct regional forms, each one a small portrait of its place.

How do empanadas differ around the world?

Regional variety is where the empanada story gets genuinely exciting. Culinary experts note that dough, shape, filling, and cooking method all shift from country to country, and even from town to town within the same country. The table below captures the most recognisable styles.

Recipes and names vary within countries too. In Argentina alone, the salteña from Salta differs markedly from the tucumana, which is fried and filled with a spiced potato-and-meat mix. That local specificity is part of what makes empanadas so endlessly interesting.

What goes in an empanada?

The short answer: almost anything. The longer answer is that fillings follow regional logic, seasonal availability, and personal preference, which is exactly why the dish has survived for centuries.

Savoury fillings are the most common:

• Seasoned ground beef with cumin, paprika, and onion (the classic Argentine mix often adds hard-boiled egg, green olives, and roasted peppers)
• Shredded chicken with tomato, capsicum, and herbs
• Ham and cheese, a crowd-pleasing combination popular across Latin America and in Australia
• Fish and seafood, particularly in coastal regions of Spain, Colombia, and Peru

Vegetarian and vegan options are plentiful:

• Corn kernels with cheese or cream
• Mixed roasted vegetables with herbs
• Black beans with plantain and spices
• Spinach and ricotta, which translates beautifully into a baked empanada

Sweet fillings turn the same dough into dessert:

• Guava paste with cream cheese, a beloved Cuban and Colombian pairing
• Dulce de leche, the caramel spread that defines Argentine baking
• Fruit preserves: apple, peach, or quince paste all work well

The beauty of the empanada is that the dough is neutral enough to carry any of these without competing. A well-seasoned filling and a properly sealed crust are the only non-negotiables.

How are empanadas made?

Understanding the technique helps you see why recipes differ so much, and why swapping one dough for another can go wrong quickly.

Dough types

Wheat flour dough is the most common base across Spain and most of Latin America. Fat content and the type of fat matter: baking doughs use more solid fat, typically butter or lard, to produce a flaky, tender crust that holds its shape in a hot oven. Frying doughs use less fat and often include a small amount of baking powder, which encourages a light puff in hot oil. Corn-based dough (masa), traditional in Venezuela and parts of Colombia and Mexico, produces a denser, slightly chewy crust with a natural golden colour and is naturally gluten-free.

Assembly and sealing

Roll the dough to roughly 3–4mm thickness and cut into rounds, typically 12–15cm in diameter. Place a generous tablespoon of filling in the centre, leaving a clear border. Fold the dough over to form a half-moon, press the edges firmly, then crimp. That crimping technique, known in Argentina as the repulgue, is more than decorative: different crimping patterns historically identified the filling inside, so a baker could pull the right empanada from a tray of mixed varieties without opening one. It is a small piece of non-verbal kitchen communication that has been passed down through generations.

Baking versus frying

Baked empanadas at 200°C for 20–25 minutes produce a golden, flaky crust with a drier texture. Fried empanadas cooked in oil at around 180°C for 3–4 minutes per side develop a crispier, more blistered exterior with a slightly richer flavour. The practical rule: use your dough formula to match your cooking method, not the other way around.

Pro Tip: Rest your pastry wrapped in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling. This relaxes the gluten so the dough stays tender rather than springing back as you work. For fried empanadas, keep the filling cool before sealing — a warm filling creates steam that can break the seal in hot oil.

Easy 5-ingredient empanada pastry recipe

This pastry suits baking and works beautifully with any savoury filling. It yields approximately 12 empanadas and takes around an hour from start to finish. For a deeper dive into dough formulas and fat ratios, the authentic pastry recipe guide covers every variation in detail.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 125g cold butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• ½ cup cold water (add gradually)

Method:

1. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
2. Beat the egg lightly and add it to the flour mix. Pour in cold water a little at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork it.
3. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 3–4mm thickness. Cut into rounds using a 12cm cutter or a small plate as a guide.
5. Place one tablespoon of your chosen filling in the centre of each round. Fold over, press the edges firmly, and crimp with a fork or use the repulgue fold.
6. Brush with egg wash and bake at 200°C for 20–25 minutes until deep golden.

Variations:

• For a corn dough alternative, replace half the flour with fine masa harina and reduce the butter slightly
• For a gluten-free version, see the complete gluten-free dough guide
• Fried empanadas: add ½ tsp baking powder to the flour and reduce butter to 80g; fry at 180°C for 3–4 minutes per side

If you prefer to skip the dough entirely, the dough alternatives guide covers eight practical swaps for Australian home cooks.

When and how should you serve empanadas?

Empanadas are genuinely one of the most versatile foods you can put on a table. They work as street food, party snacks, picnic fare, or a proper weeknight dinner, and they travel well because the sealed crust keeps everything contained, just as it did for medieval pilgrims centuries ago.

For gatherings, allow two to three empanadas per person as a starter, or four to five as a main. They reheat well: ten minutes in a 180°C oven restores the crust without drying the filling. Avoid the microwave if you can, as it softens the pastry.

Classic accompaniments that suit Australian tables:

• Chimichurri: the Argentine herb sauce of parsley, garlic, oregano, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. It cuts through rich beef fillings beautifully.
• Ají sauce: a Colombian-style fresh chilli sauce, bright and lively alongside chicken or vegetable empanadas.
• Simple tomato salsa or a dressed green salad for lighter balance.
• Pickled vegetables for acidity and crunch.

Pro Tip: For catering or parties, bake empanadas on a wire rack rather than a flat tray. Air circulation underneath keeps the base crisp and prevents the soggy bottom that plagues flat-tray baking.

How does an empanada compare to similar pastries?

Empanadas are often confused with other filled pastries, and the confusion is understandable: the concept of wrapping filling in dough is universal. What sets an empanada apart is the combination of dough texture, sealing technique, and the regional culinary tradition behind it.

The key distinctions: empanadas use a non-leavened or lightly leavened dough (unlike calzone), are sealed with a characteristic crimp rather than a thick pastry rope (unlike the Cornish pasty), and carry a far wider range of regional fillings than any of the others. Culinary experts are clear that technique and local convention define each item, not just the shape.

Key takeaways

Empanadas are one of the world’s most adaptable filled pastries, shaped by centuries of regional tradition, local ingredients, and the simple human need for portable, satisfying food.

Why empanadas matter more than most people realise

There is a tendency to treat empanadas as a novelty snack, something you try at a Latin food festival and then forget about. We think that undersells them considerably. What makes an empanada genuinely remarkable is not the dough or even the filling in isolation, but the relationship between the two: a crust calibrated to its cooking method, a filling balanced to its region, and a sealing technique that communicates before a single bite is taken.

The repulgue is a perfect example. In a busy bakery producing six different fillings, the crimp pattern is a silent inventory system, a practical code developed long before printed labels. That kind of embedded intelligence in a humble food object is worth pausing on.

We also think the authenticity conversation around empanadas is often framed too narrowly. People ask which country makes the “real” one, as though there is a single correct answer. There is not. Authenticity here is regional rather than singular: the best empanada is the one made with local ingredients, the right dough for the cooking method, and genuine care for the balance of flavours inside. At Senor Empanada, that is the standard we hold ourselves to, whether we are filling a catering order or packing a single serve for someone’s lunch.

Authentic empanadas in Australia, ready when you are

If you love the idea of a perfectly crimped, golden empanada but would rather leave the pastry-making to someone else, Senor Empanada has you covered. We produce traditional-recipe empanadas in Sydney using premium ingredients, available for direct purchase, event catering, and wholesale supply to retailers and hospitality venues across Australia.

Our Traditional Beef Empanada and Cheesy Empanada are made to the same standards described in this guide: the right dough for the cooking method, fillings seasoned with care, and that characteristic crimp that tells you exactly what is inside. For home cooks who want to go further, our authentic pastry recipe guide walks you through every dough formula in detail, and our 10 authentic Latin American recipes cover regional styles from Argentina to the Philippines.

Ready to order or enquire about catering? Visit empanadas.au to place an order, check catering availability, or get in touch about wholesale options.

Useful sources

The following sources informed this article and are recommended for further reading.

“An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spain, Portugal, other Southern European countries, Latin American countries, and the Philippines. The name comes from the Spanish empanar (to bread, i.e., to coat with bread).”
— Wikipedia: Empanada

1. Empanada | Britannica — authoritative definition, regional dough types, crimping traditions, and filling varieties.
2. Cambridge Dictionary: empanada — confirms the English-language definition and loanword status.
3. History of the Galician empanada | Pilgrimaps — detailed historical account of medieval Galician origins and the dish’s role as portable food for pilgrims and workers.
4. Types of empanadas | Serious Eats — expert culinary guide to regional varieties and the distinctions between similar pastries.
5. Empanadas | Bake from Scratch — practical baking guide covering dough formulas, fat ratios, and the technical differences between baking and frying doughs.
6. From ancient Persia to the Andes | Google Arts & Culture — traces the long cultural journey of the empanada from Persian filled-pastry traditions through to the Andes.

FAQ

What are empanadas called in English?

Cambridge Dictionary lists empanada as an established English noun, so the Spanish name is used directly. Informally, they are sometimes described as “filled turnovers” or “Latin pastries,” though neither captures the full range of regional styles.

What is normally in an empanada?

The most common filling is seasoned beef, often with onion, cumin, and paprika. Argentine versions typically add hard-boiled egg, green olives, and roasted peppers. Chicken, ham and cheese, and vegetarian options are also widely made.

Is an empanada like a meat pie?

They share the same basic concept, dough wrapped around a filling, but differ in dough texture, sealing method, and cultural tradition. An empanada uses a thinner, crimped pastry and is hand-held, whereas a meat pie typically has a thicker pastry shell and is eaten from a dish or foil tray.

Are empanadas gluten-free?

Traditional wheat-flour empanadas are not gluten-free, but corn-dough versions made with masa harina are naturally gluten-free. For a full guide to gluten-free dough options, see the gluten-free empanada dough guide.

Can you bake empanadas instead of frying them?

Yes, and baking is the more common method in Argentina and Spain. The key is using a dough with sufficient solid fat (butter or lard) to produce a flaky, golden crust in the oven. A frying dough baked instead tends to turn out tough and dry.

Recommended

• Easy empanada pastry: a 5-ingredient home cook guide
• Best pastry for empanadas: the authentic recipe guide
• Latin American empanadas: 10 authentic recipes to try
• Masa para empanada gluten free: the complete guide