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This empanada recipe is the easiest! So simple, even with the homemade dough.
I warned y’all that this would be a Mexican-y week. I totally wasn’t lying.
Our little fiesta this weekend included these amazing empanadas.
I debated just using store bought pie crusts for the dough, but I decided to tough it out and make my own dough at the last minute.
I am beyond happy that I did. The dough for these was unbelievably easy to make and the flavor and texture was just perfect. I’ve been dreaming about stuffing this dough with all kinds of delicious goodies.
These empanadas are packed withe flavor! 
This time around I filled the empanadas with some spicy chorizo, potatoes, and a little bit of sharp cheddar. That’s it.
I didn’t even season the meat or potatoes. The chorizo is already so full of great flavor, that these just don’t need anything else.
I believe empanadas are more of a snack food, but I served them alongside the Chicken and Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers, Spanish rice, homemade salsa, and guacamole and chips.
Chorizo Empanadas
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- pinch paprika
For the filling:
- 16 ounces chorizo
- 3 yukon potatoes peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar
Instructions
For the dough:
- Heat the water and butter together over low heat in a medium saucepan until the butter is melted. Allow to cool a few minutes, until cool enough to touch.
- Mix flour, salt, and paprika in a large mixing bowl, making a well in the center. Pour the butter/water mixture into the center of the flour and mix with your hands until you get a wet, oily dough.
- Shape dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
For the filling:
- Place the diced potatoes in a sauce pan with enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- In a large skillet, cook the chorizo, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. When the chorizo is cooked through turn off the heat and add the potatoes to the chorizo and stir well.
- To assemble to empanadas, break off about 20 golf ball sized balls of dough and roll them out in a thin, flat disc about 5 inches in diameter on a lightly floured surface.
- Place a few tablespoons of filling in the center of each disc of dough, sprinkle with a bit of the cheddar cheese, and fold over to make a half moon shape. Press edges firmly to seal them and crimp with a fork or your fingers.
- Place empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition Information:
adapted from Handle the Heat
Jeanette Ortega says
Mine is more of a question. What kind of chorizo do you use?usually I don’t care for the mexican chorizo. Can I use Diana’s cured dry sausage?
Karly says
Hi Jeanette! I’m not sure what Diana’s cured dry sausage is, but a cured sausage that is fully cooked isn’t probably going to work well here. We use a Mexican chorizo that we cook before using, similar to a ground beef in texture.
Tom Michalisko says
These really are full of flavor! I used white potatoes since that’s what I had on hand but I can definitely see where the Yukon gold would’ve been a great choice. The dough has to be one of the funkiest I’ve ever worked with but it was awesome! I usually have trouble stuffing and sealing empanadas but not so much this time. They are even good out of the refrigerator the next day
Lisa says
This crust was delicious. I’m not one for potatoes in a crust, so I substituted with 1/4 onion, 1/4 red bell pepper and 1/2 jar of Trader Joe’s Cowboy Caviar. It was scrummy. Thanks for sharing!