Vegetarian Empanadas: Recipe, Variations, and Cooking Tips
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Sep 2, 2024 • 4 min read
There are a variety of flavorful vegetarian fillings that any home cooks—meat-eating and otherwise—will be able to master with just a little practice. To start, try making these vegetarian empanadas filled with peppers, corn, and black beans.
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What Are Vegetarian Empanadas?
Vegetarian empanadas are savory handheld vegetable pies consisting of pie crust or puff pastry dough folded over a meat-free filling into a half-moon shape, then baked or fried. Like the samosa or pedakiya in India, the British pasty, or the Russian pirozhki, diners typically enjoy vegetarian empanadas as appetizers, a quick lunch, or a street-food snack.
10 Vegetarian Empanada Variations
Popular variations of vegetarian empanadas include:
- 1. Bean empanadas: Add protein to your veggie empanadas with fillings of refried, black, and pinto beans. Combine the filling with corn and sautéed vegetables for a satisfying main dish.
- 2. Breakfast empanadas: Fill your empanada pastry dough with scrambled eggs, potatoes, and cheese for a tasty handheld breakfast.
- 3. Cauliflower empanadas: Tender roasted cauliflower—dressed with different sauces, seasonings, and toppings—is the perfect neutral empanada base.
- 4. Cheese empanadas: For an extra-cheesy take on a vegetarian empanada, combine a variety of cheeses—like pepper jack, cheddar, feta, mozzarella, or cream cheese—in an empanada shell.
- 5. Jackfruit empanadas: Jackfruit empanadas make an easy and flavorful plant-based meal reminiscent of pulled pork carnitas.
- 6. Meat alternative empanadas: For a traditional beef taste without the animal products, make vegetarian empanadas with a store-bought vegan meat alternative like soy protein or tempeh.
- 7. Mushroom empanadas: Fill your veggie empanadas with any hearty mushroom variety, including cremini, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms, for a meaty texture.
- 8. Squash empanadas: Depending on the season, add various types of baked or sautéed squash—like zucchini in the summer and butternut squash in the fall—to your empanadas for a filling dish.
- 9. Sweet potato empanadas: Roasted sweet potatoes make a hearty and versatile empanada filling, pairing well with ingredients like black beans, corn, cheese, and avocado.
- 10. Tofu empanadas: Marinate tofu in various ingredients—from soy to barbecue sauce—for a flavorful and versatile empanada base.
4 Tips for Making Vegetarian Empanadas
Follow these tips to master vegetarian empanadas:
- 1. Refrigerate your dough. Refrigerating the empanada dough before baking produces a crispy, flaky pastry crust. Store-bought pie dough will also work in a pinch if you don’t have the time to make and chill homemade dough.
- 2. Let the filling cool completely. Before assembling and cooking your pastry pockets, let your filling come to room temperature to avoid soggy empanada shells.
- 3. Make the elements in advance. For easy day-of prep, make the empanada dough and veggie filling up to 2 days before cooking. Assemble and bake the empanadas shortly before you plan to enjoy them.
- 4. Store properly. Let the empanadas cool to room temperature before storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, pop the pockets in a toaster oven or convection oven until warmed through.
Homemade Vegetarian Empanadas Recipe
makes
prep time
1 hrtotal time
1 hr 45 mincook time
45 minIngredients
For the empanada dough:
For the fillings:
For assembly:
Note: The total time does not include 2 hours and 30 minutes of inactive time.
Make the empanada dough:
- 1
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Pulse once or twice to blend, then add the chilled butter, eggs, and ice water. Pulse again until the dough resembles coarse crumbs.
- 2
On a lightly floured work surface, turn out the dough and knead one or two times, just enough to form a neat ball (it won’t be smooth).
- 3
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Make the empanada filling:
- 1
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil.
- 2
Add the onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and jalapeño to the hot skillet and cook until the onions are slightly translucent and the peppers have softened, about 4–5 minutes.
- 3
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- 4
Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, and cayenne pepper and stir to incorporate.
- 5
Stir in the black beans and corn kernels, and season the filling with salt and pepper to taste.
- 6
Remove the skillet from the heat and let the filling cool to room temperature, about 30–45 minutes.
Assemble and bake the empanadas:
- 1
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll it out into an even, thin rectangle.
- 3
Using a 5–7 inch round pastry tin or cookie cutter, press out 10 circles of dough.
- 4
Working quickly so the dough doesn’t warm too much in your hands, portion a heaping spoon of the cooled empanada filling into the center of each circle of dough and top with a sprinkling of cotija cheese.
- 5
Gently fold over the dough until the edges meet. Crimp with a fork, or fold small pleats to seal.
- 6
Space out the assembled empanadas evenly on the prepared baking sheet, laying them flat on their sides, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash.
- 7
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 8
Remove the empanadas from the refrigerator, and brush each with egg wash.
- 9
Bake the empanadas until golden brown all over, about 30–35 minutes.
- 10
Remove the empanadas from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes before serving.
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