By J. Kenji López-Alt
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus cooling
- Rating
- 4(670)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Colombian empanadas are typically quite small — a couple of bites each — and have a crisp corn crust. There are a wide range of fillings you’ll find across Colombia, but this meat-and-potato mixture is the most common. Small yellow potatoes called papas criollas are the potato of choice here, but they are nearly impossible to find in the United States, so I use Yukon Gold instead. My wife’s family typically keeps the seasonings simple — salt, pepper and a dash of paprika — though many recipes include cumin or Triguisar, a powdered seasoning mix that contains ground cumin, paprika, achiote, turmeric and garlic. I season my filling with a little chicken bouillon, but you could use plain salt instead. The filling uses half an onion and half a tomato, so save the other half for the fresh, cilantro-based ají, to serve with the empanadas.
Featured in: A Colombian Chef Shares His Secret to Better Empanadas
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Include recipe photo
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:About 24 small empanadas (serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer)
- 1medium Yukon Gold potato (about 6 ounces), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (1 heaping cup)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ripe beefsteak tomato
- 1tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½pound lean ground beef or pork
- ½small white or yellow onion, finely minced
- 1scallion, finely minced
- ½teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½teaspoon granulated chicken bouillon, plus more as needed (optional)
- 1recipe Popcorn Masa or Standard Masa
- 2quarts vegetable, canola, peanut or soybean oil
- Kosher salt
- 1recipe ají
For the Filling
For the Assembly
For Serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Prepare the filling: Place potato cubes in a medium saucepan, cover with water and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until cubes are completely tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl. Set aside.
Step
2
Meanwhile, using a flat palm, press the cut side of the tomato against the large holes of a box grater and grate the tomato until you’re left with just the skin. (The skin should protect your hand from the grater.) Discard the skin, then transfer the tomato and any juices to a small bowl. Set aside.
Step
3
In a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat vegetable oil until shimmering. Add beef or pork, and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until the pieces are quite small and completely cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Step
4
Add onion, scallion, paprika, bouillon (if using), and a few grinds of black pepper, and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Immediately add the grated tomato and its juices, and cook, stirring, until the mixture is quite dry, about 5 minutes.
Step
5
Transfer meat mixture to the bowl with potatoes and stir together with a fork, letting the potato get roughly mashed up. (The filling should form cohesive balls when gently packed.) Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, bouillon and pepper to taste. Allow to cool completely. Spreading it out on a large plate or tray and placing it in the fridge will speed up this process.
Step
6
Assemble the empanadas: Divide masa into 24 golf-ball-size balls. Working one ball at a time, place inside a plastic zip-top bag and press down with the bottom of a skillet to form a circle about 3 inches in diameter. Carefully remove from the bag and transfer to a clean cutting board or tray. Repeat with remaining dough balls, laying them out side by side. Cover the disks with a clean, lightly damp kitchen towel.
Step
7
Working one empanada at a time, place about 2 teaspoons of meat mixture in the center of the disk. Lift the front and back edges and seal them at the top by gently pushing them together. Seal the empanada, working from the center outward until both ends are completely sealed. Gently curve the empanada to form a slight crescent with the sealed edge at the top. Repeat with remaining empanadas.
Step
8
In a large Dutch oven or wok over high, heat 2 quarts oil until it registers 375 degrees on an instant-read or frying thermometer. Using a metal spider or slotted spoon, lower empanadas into the hot oil one at a time. You should be able to cook about six empanadas per batch. Cook empanadas, adjusting heat to maintain an oil temperature of 325 to 375 degrees, until empanadas are crisp and golden, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or metal spider, transfer empanadas to a paper-towel-lined plate or bowl and immediately season with salt.
Step
9
Serve empanadas hot, with a bowl of ají and a spoon to drizzle the sauce over the empanadas and into them as you eat.
Ratings
4
out of 5
670
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
SFO Roberto
Has anyone tried these in an air fryer? I probably wouldn't cook them if I need to use and dispose of 2 quarts of oil.
Elizabeth
I generally make my Empanadas with a dough of flour and lard/butter and bake them. It's not authentically Columbian without the Masa, but it is a little easier and super tasty
María
You can also cook them in the oven for 20 minutes medium heat temperature. We do that in Argentina and Uruguay.
Seth
If you have not overheated the oil it is reusable. Do not use canola, canola oil gets a weird flavor even during the first use. Oil a large strainer. Place coffee filter in it and make sure it sticks to the strainer. Place in canning funnel over a mason jar. Slowly pour oil into filter paper. You may have to change filters if it is clogged - filters cost a lot less than oil. Put lid on jar. Refrigerate. Reuse.Waste not want not.
Heather
Found this on another site: For air fryer I usually put them on a tray in the freezer for at least 20min so they won’t stick in the air fryer. Spray a little bit of oil so they get golden color. I prefer air fryer, you get the crunchy part without the oily part.
Vee
These are exceptional, and are even better (and less work) when baked rather than fried. Set them on a silpat- or parchment-covered baking sheet and bake at 425 until brown and crispy.
Margot G
I use a skillet and less than a cup of oil. Just turn to fry both sides. Yes. There is oil that ends up in the trash bin, but you certainly don't need 2 quarts.
Paul
We have this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NQ7QFGM/?tag=dwym-20 (not sure if the link will work, but it's the T-Fal Model FR8000) and it lets you just filter the oil into a plastic container under the fryer unit. We generally get 6-8 uses out of the oil before having to toss it. You still have to ditch nearly a gallon of oil, but it really works well for the occasional deep frying. Just store the oil in the plastic container and pour back into the fryer when you want to re-use it!
Doug K.
No need to discard the oil, do you think restaurants discard their oil after every use? Let the oil cool, then strain and refrigerate for next use. This can be done numerous times. You can tell when the oil has had enough by color, smell and if it foams when food is added.
Trish
I am Colombian. I have memories of these small empanadas and have seriously yearned for them. The recipe is very good. The grated tomato didn’t really yield much. Next time I would adjust the spices and maybe add some cumin. I did add a tablespoon of oil to the masa mixture worried about the crumbliness people noted. I did three batches. One in oven,one in air fryer,one in oil. Oil clearly the best. I used a 24 oz bottle of canola in a Le Creuset Dutch oven. Worked perfectly.
Desiree
I make Colombian emapanadas a few times a year. These blow other empanadas out of the water.
GA
COLOMBIAN. Decicioso
grammy em
we reuse frying oil by filtering after use and then storing in a glass jar in the frig. we have one jar for chicken frying fat, one for fish, and a third for fried sweets: donuts, little pies, churros, etc.
Lauren
These are delicious and the aji is a keeper. I used Beyond Beef and pan-fried the empanadas in a little bit of oil - you just have to make sure all sides have pan contact until seared. I kept everything in a hot oven (350) until ready to serve.Caveats:1. With no fat, the dough is impossible to fold into perfect, crackless empanadas. You're basically working with polenta.2. If you refrigerate the dough, you have to get it to room temp and whiz again in the processor with a little hot water.
Patricia Ochoa
You can use an air fryer but the will never come out as crispy, but then again it is better that none at all. By the way is Colombia not Columbia.
Susan
This was delicious! I used smoked paprika and caldo de tomato instead of chicken bouillon and it was very flavorful.
Alana
With minimal spices listed, I knew I’d need some more flavor. I added the suggested s&p, boullion & paprika, but also added cumin, turmeric, chili powder and garlic with a Tblsp of tomato paste cooked in with the onion and spices prior to adding ground beef to build flavors. Everything else I followed to a T. Turned out delicious, and that Aji was a lovely way to brighten it up. I added lime juice instead of water like he said some do. Family devoured these.
michelle
Was in the middle of making these and POOF! The power went out. I was not going to let all that fabulousness go to waste. So…I put a cast iron skillet on the grill, sprayed the empanadas with avocado oil, and just made sure all sides of the empanadas were cooked. So good. I’m making them again. Hopefully without the power outage.
C Kelly
May 2023: made as written, baking i/o frying. They looked lovely, but I didn't care for the texture of the Standard Masa nor the taste of the filling. Unsure if frying would have improved the texture? Not a repeat.
Kirsten
Made these on a day where I had plenty of time to undertake the different steps without feeling rushed. The results were worth the effort. Served with a crunchy side salad dressed with the aji sauce with a little oil and extra lime juice added. Delicious!
Peter
You can find papas criollas in many supermarkets with a Latino frozen foods section.
Eileen Davis
Very good recipe as written. I used white masa because that is what I had. Definitely need the sauce. Yummy.
Beth
If you make them with a flour dough, they aren’t real Colombian empanadas anymore, and you are missing out on one of the most delicious snacks in the world.
Nicole
I've seen some notes on the dough being too dry without fat. I don't normally use lard or shortening, would butter or margarine work (kind of like arepas?) I'm leaning towards margarine, as it shouldn't splatter as much in the oil.
Emk
The only thing an air fryer can cook to perfection is disappointment.
Elizabeth
Like the Elizabeth from last year, I bake empanadas relying on a rich dough with lard and butter and bake them. The result is flakey and delicious
Michelle M
OK! I improvised for ease and what I had on hand. I used ground turkey instead of beef and I used eggroll wrappers instead of masa because the store didn't have masa. They were a success! I used my dutch oven and fried them in about 2" of canola oil. I find that these eggroll wrappers can be a great substitute for samosas as well. I served the empanadas with the aji sauce suggested with this recipe. So yummy!
Sarah
Used oil can be cleaned of off tastes by adding some thick sliced raw potato while oil is still hot. Then, filter and refrigerate. Old fashioned trick from my mom.
Faliron
I made them as per recipe except that I baked them at 425 degrees (convection setting) for 40min turning them after 30.Came out out perfectgolden and crunchy.Also made a Greek version with spinach,leek and feta.Either way these empanadas are addictive,can't stop making and eating them.
Trish
I am Colombian. I have memories of these small empanadas and have seriously yearned for them. The recipe is very good. The grated tomato didn’t really yield much. Next time I would adjust the spices and maybe add some cumin. I did add a tablespoon of oil to the masa mixture worried about the crumbliness people noted. I did three batches. One in oven,one in air fryer,one in oil. Oil clearly the best. I used a 24 oz bottle of canola in a Le Creuset Dutch oven. Worked perfectly.
Private notes are only visible to you.
