Puerto Rican Empanadas – Empanadillas

Nothing screams home to me more than Puerto Rican Empanadas aka Empanadillas. Similar to other Latin American countries, Puerto Rican Empanadillas are commonly referred to as empanadas in the U.S mainland.

Empanadas can be filled with savory or sweet ingredients. But for this recipe, I made the Puerto Rican classic picadillo filling with potato.

Some of my other favorite Puerto Rican Empanada varieties are: chicken, cheese, and pizza.

Empanadillas vs Pastelillos

Ah, the great debate. Depending on where you were raised on the island, Puerto Ricans refer to U.S mainland Empanadas as Empanadillas or Pastelillos.

Some say the difference is in the seal of the empanada – whether braided or closed by fork. Others argue the size is different, or that the dough is thinner.

As you can tell, what to call authentic Puerto Rican Empanadas raises intense opinions and stances, but for the purpose of this recipe, I’ll say all names are right. Consider me peace maker.

Ingredients & Seasonings

The heart of an empanadilla is the beef picadillo filling, and any good picadillo includes homemade sofrito. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it forever – Sofrito is King!

When made from scratch with fresh herbs and spices, homemade sofrito truly enhances any dish. Pairing my sofrito with the right spices, ensures this empanada filling is super authentic and flavorful. My favorite spices to season the picadillo are:

• Cumin
• Oregano
• Adobo
• Homemade sazon
• Red pepper flakes (optional)
• Diced potatoes

Once the meat is brown and crumbled, I add in the small diced white potatoes and cover with a lid. Since they’re diced small, the remaining liquid from the beef will quickly steam the potatoes until tender.

Nata Tip: A drier filling is crucial for a perfect empanada seam.

Preparing the Empanadillas

While making Empanadillas may seem simple, there a few tips and tricks that truly make this recipe a crowd favorite.

• Use lean ground beef; because if the filling contains too much grease it can cause the empanadas to burst when frying.
• For a quick and easy assembly, you can use frozen empanada discs. I prefer my dough with some color, so I use discos with achiote. Just make sure to control your salt levels since some pre-made brands include sodium.
• Work with cold-ish dough. Roll the dough discs flat on a floured surface once 70-90% defrosted.
• For a crisper, flakier dough, roll the discs thin. This promotes more filling too, and who doesn’t love that?!
• Make sure to not overfill. A tablespoon of filling is more than sufficient.
• To ensure a true no-leak proof seam, fold the dough over and firmly press the edges with your thumbs. I call this the pre-seam. Then, crimp the edges with a fork.

Nata Tip: Defrost frozen empanada dough for 2-3 hours in a cool refrigerated area.

Frying Method

The great thing about this recipe is you can use various cooking methods. With the rise of air-frying, these empanadas work great baked in an air fryer too.

For a true flavor and texture without the excess oil, I opt for shallow frying a skillet. Below are the recommended cooking times based on your desired frying method.

• Deep Fried – 3 to 4 minutes in 350 degrees (F) hot vegetable oil
• Shallow/Pan Fry – 1 to 2 minutes on each side in hot vegetable oil.
• Air Fried – 15 minutes on 350 degrees (F)

Puerto Rican Empanadas – Empandillas

Puerto Rican Empanadas, sometimes known as Empanadillas or Pastelillos are turnovers filled with beef, chicken, cheese or even pizza toppings. These crispy empanadas can be fried or oven baked.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Snacks, Street Food

Cuisine Puerto Rican Cuisine

Servings 12 servings

Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1/3 cup of homemade sofrito
• 1/3 cup of tomato sauce
• 1 packet of sazon con achiote
• 1 tablespoon of adobo all purpose seasoning
• 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 2 1/2 cups of small diced potatoes (frozen potatoes work too)
• 1 package of Goya Brand- Empanada Discos con Achiote

Instructions

 

• Defrost frozen empanada dough for 2-3 hours.
• On medium heat cook homemade sofrito with tomato sauce until fragrant. Then add lean ground beef.
• Crumble the meat and season with sazon, adobo, cumin, dried oregano and red pepper flakes.
• Once meat is brown add diced potatoes and allow remaining liquid to steam potatoes until tender. Cool your mixture.
• On a flat surface, sprinkle some all purpose flour and lay out your empanada dough.
• Add a tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center of the dough. Fold over the dough and firmly press with your thumbs. To properly seal the seam, crimp the edges with a fork.
• In hot oil, fry the empanadas for 1 minute on each side. Let them rest on a paper-towel and enjoy!

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