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Sweet, Savory, and Spicy Empanadas

By Yvette Marquez

4

Updated Jun 17, 2024, Published Jan 24, 2018

Empanadas, also known as hand pies, are tiny pockets made of dough, baked or fried, and stuffed with a delicious filling. These tasty Latin-American-style turnovers originated in Spain back in the 1500’s but can now be found enjoyed all over the world, from Indonesia to Italy to the U.S., with each region putting their own spin on the recipe.

I prefer my empanadas baked, but I do like molotes fried (see recipes below). I take full advantage of their versatility when it comes to what goes inside the dough. I have made empanadas with sweet fruit preserves, savory roasted green chiles, and spicy chorizo. Empanadas are even great as leftovers as they can be conveniently and individually wrapped and frozen for months.

Feeling inspired to make one of these tiny irresistible treats? Keep reading on for a list of some of my favorite empanada recipes – there’s one for every occasion. So if you’re looking for big flavor without the fuss then look no further. One tip though…better make plenty, as your empanadas will disappear fast.

Sweet Empanadas

Pumpkin Empanadas Recipe

4.44 (62 ratings)

This dough is a classic family recipe used by my grandmother, my mother and now my sister and I. We love this dough because it makes just enough to bake two dozen sweet empanadas. A sweet pastry pocket filled with pumpkin. These sweet treats are perfect with a cup of Mexican coffee before breakfast or after dinner. Our children love them because they are small enough and sweet enough to call dessert.

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Baked Pineapple Empanadas (Mexican Empanadas de Piña)

4.64 (11 ratings)

Sweet, tart and perfectly spiced, my delicious Pineapple Empanadas recipe is a family favorite all year long. With a gorgeously golden and flaky homemade pastry crust and deeply flavorful fruit filling, you'd never guess these from-scratch dessert empanadas are made with just 11 ingredients and 25 minutes of prep work.

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Empanadas de Manzana (Apple Empanadas)

4 (11 ratings)

These flaky pastry empanadas are baked (not fried) and filled with tart warm apples, with a coating of sugar and cinnamon that lends an irresistible crunch to the crust.  Such a great alternative to apple pie!

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Cherry Empanadas (Cherry Hand Pies)

5 (6 ratings)

Delicious sweet cherry pies you can hold in your hand – what could be better? That's right – we are talking about Cherry Empanadas. There’s nothing quite like a good cherry pie—and these cherry hand pies are perfect for novice and seasoned bakers.

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Empanadas de Membrillo (Quince Empanadas)

5 (4 ratings)

Membrillo is delicious on its own, or paired with cheese, but even yummier when you take the time to encase it in a lightly sweet and flaky empanada. Floral quince makes a lovely deep orange filling for these little hand pies.

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Empanadas de Camote | Sweet Potato Empanadas

5 (3 ratings)

If you’re looking for a fun and festive addition to your holiday dessert table, you need to try this recipe for Empanadas de Camote. These sweet potato hand pies are warmly spiced and encased in a deliciously flaky dough, perfect for ending any fall or winter meal. As a bonus, there’s no need to deal with the fuss of slicing and serving a whole pie!

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Guava Empanadas

5 (3 ratings)

 My friends over at Melissa’s Produce sent me guavas and cinnamon for our Friendsgiving Tamalada and since I had some leftover we decided to make empanadas filled with homemade guava preserves.

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Persimmon Empanadas

5 (1 rating)

For this dessert empanada recipe,  I simmered the persimmons in canela and piloncillo similar to the way we make fresh homemade pumpkin purée and these tomato empanadas. The delicious combination with persimmons was an explosion of fall and winter holiday flavors all in one delicious bite.

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Heart-Shaped Strawberry Empanadas

5 (1 rating)

These clever heart-shaped empanadas are filled with strawberries slowly simmered in piloncillo. The preserves are sweet but not overly sweet making these flaky baked empanadas delicious and comforting.

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Empanadas de Durazno (Peach Hand Pies) à la Mode

5 (1 rating)

These empanadas taste like winter with a hint of summer and remind me of a peach pie or peach cobbler. Trying to make this more of a summer treat we added a scoop of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with a pinch of ground cinnamon. The sweetness of the peaches wrapped in a light pastry and topped with cold creamy ice cream is my idea of a perfectly sized rustic classic great any time of year.

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Huckleberry Empanadas

5 (1 rating)

These empanadas are warm and perfect for a chilly fall night sitting in front of a cracking fireplace.

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Empanadas de Ate y Queso Crema (Fruit Paste and Cream Cheese Hand Pies)

5 (1 rating)

These hand pies are layered with bright ate de membrillo (quince paste), ate de guayaba (guava paste), and a layer of thick cream cheese. 

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Sweet Tomato Turnovers (Empanadas)

5 (1 rating)

If you are swimming in tomatoes give this recipe a try. You will be pleasantly surprised with its tangy and sweet dual flavor.

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Savory and Spicy Empanadas

Baked Empanadas with Mexican Picadillo and Cheese

5 (11 ratings)

Cheesy Picadillo Empanadas are filled with ground beef and stuffed with potatoes, tomatoes, and a slice of creamy Monterey Jack cheese.

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Hatch Green Chile and Cheese Empanadas

5 (3 ratings)

The key ingredient in this delicious empanada dough recipe is beer. It’s tender and flaky, but not overly flaky and combined with roasted green chiles and cheese making these empanadas heavenly.

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Arrachera (Flank Steak) and Mushroom Empanadas

5 (1 rating)

These empanadas are made with Marcela Valladolid Beef Flank Steak for Arrachera, which is a thinly cut flank steak rubbed with a bright blend of lemon, lime, oregano, rosemary, and thyme.

Chorizo and Black Bean Empanadas with Grilled Corn Salsa

5 (1 rating)

These empanadas are savory filled with a mixture of chorizo, refried black beans, and colorful bell peppers. As if that weren’t enough deliciousness, the mixture is topped with gooey Oaxaca cheese—a mild, white melting cheese. Slightly spicy, these empanadas are sure to be a hit!

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Molotes (Masa Empanadas)

Chicken Tinga Molotes

5 (3 ratings)

Molotes (the food) are a common street food, found in Oaxaca during Easter and Christmas time. They are made with a disk of fresh masa then usually filled with a chorizo and potato filling, fried, then topped with salsa, crema, queso fresco, and garnished with sliced radishes. Molotes make the perfect party appetizer or main dish as they can be made ahead of time and frozen up to one month prior to frying.

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Molotes (Masa Empanadas) filled with Mushrooms, Roasted Green Chiles, and Cheese

4.50 (4 ratings)

Molotes are basically empanadas made with a disk of fresh masa then filled with your filling of choice. These molotes are little savory pockets filled with an earthy and spicy filling of sautéed mushrooms, roasted green chiles, and Oaxaca cheese. They taste great as is, but also taste fantastic drizzled with crema Mexicana, red chile sauce, or your choice of salsa. Molotes can be filled with any zesty filling you can think of. Authentic molotes are fried, but I baked them for a healthier alternative and then wrapped these mouth-watering hand pies in parchment paper for easy grabbing.

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Cochinita Pibil Veal Molotes with Pickled Onions

5 (1 rating)

Think of this empanadas filling as veal “a la Mexicana”. After preparing the veal I added the cochinita pibil to our molotes recipe, which is a common street food, found in Oaxaca.