These baked beef empanadas feature an easy-to-make dough that is stuffed with a delicious and flavorful beef filling! Perfectly hand-sized, they are great for a casual family dinner with a Mexican-flavored theme! Add your favorite Mexican condiments and side dishes and get ready to enjoy!
Oven Baked Beef Empanadas
I love empanadas, and these oven-baked beef empanadas are no exception! They are quick, simple to prepare, and packed with flavor.
I like to serve them as the main course for dinner when I'm in the mood for Mexican food. They would also make a great party appetizer, too!
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🥘 Baked Beef Empanadas Ingredients
Both the empanada dough and the beef filling only use a handful of ingredients. Feel free to toss in anything else you may like in your filling!
Empanada Dough
- Lard - ¼ cup of lard (or try a lard substitute).
- Water - ⅓ cup of water that is very warm/hot.
- Flour - 1½ cups of all-purpose flour, plus a few extra tablespoons for dusting your work surface.
Beef Empanadas
- Lard - ¾ tablespoon of lard.
- Onion - ½ cup of minced white onion.
- Ground Beef - 1 pound of lean ground beef.
- Seasonings - A pinch of salt and pepper, as well as ¼ teaspoon of both ground cumin and smoked paprika.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Baked Beef Empanadas
You can use store-bought empanada discs if the idea of making the dough intimidates you (but it is super simple!) Go ahead and grab a saucepan, your measuring utensils, a large skillet, your food processor, and a baking sheet.
This recipe will yield 6 empanadas.
Prepare The Empanada Dough
- Melt. In a small to medium saucepan, melt ¼ cup (51 grams) of lard over low heat. Immediately add a pinch of salt and ⅓ cup (79 milliliters) of very warm water to melted lard, and stir to dissolve the salt. Place 1½ cups (213 grams) of all-purpose flour in a food processor or the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Combine. If using a food processor, with the food processor on add half the melted lard through the feed tube. Add the remaining half of the melted lard and pulse to combine.
If using a stand mixer, turn the mixer to the low setting and slowly add the liquid until thoroughly incorporated. - Knead. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead just enough to form a smooth dough. Shape into a flat round disc, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until cool.
Make The Beef Empanadas
- Heat. Melt ¾ tablespoon (10 grams) of lard in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add ½ cup (26 grams) of minced onion and saute until turning lightly golden, then add 1 pound of lean ground beef and seasoning, including a pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, ¼ teaspoon of cumin, and ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika. Cook until the ground beef is lightly browned and no longer pink inside.
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C/Gas Mark 6) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll. Roll out the chilled empanada dough as thin as possible, at least ⅛ inch in thickness. Cut rounds that are about 6 inches in diameter (and I usually make mine a bit oval rather than round). If needed, you can re-roll the dough once and cut out more rounds.
- Assemble. Portion out the meat mixture between your 6 cut-out rounds, placing on one side of the dough and leaving a ½ inch border around the filling to seal the empanadas. Fold the dough over the meat filling and crimp the edges together. You can also use a bit of water on the edges to help seal the edges. I used the tines of a fork to also crimp the rounded edge of the empanadas.
- Bake. Place the beef empanadas on your baking sheet and bake at 400°F (205°C/Gas Mark 6) for 10 minutes. Turn the empanadas and cook the opposite side for an additional 10 minutes or until both sides are a light golden brown.
- Serve. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
🥗 Sides
Serve your empanadas with some pico de Gallo and homemade guacamole. Add a side of Mexican rice and refried beans for a full Mexican-themed meal. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- You may be able to find empanada discs at a grocery store near you. These are thin, round discs of dough that you can use to make your empanadas if desired. Defrost before using.
- Feel free to add anything else you may like to your beef filling. Some great options are cheese, mushrooms, or beans!
- You can brush your empanadas with an eggwash before baking for an extra golden crust.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Place any leftover empanadas into an airtight container and then store them in the refrigerator for 3 days at most.
Freezing Empanadas
If desired, you can freeze your empanadas in either a sealed container or food storage bag for up to 2 months.
Reheating Empanadas
Reheat your beef empanadas in the oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) for 10-15 minutes (or a few minutes longer if they are frozen). You could also heat them up in your air fryer.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Sure! Simply assemble your empanadas as directed and then freeze them for up to 2 months. When ready, you can bake them straight from frozen by just adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
These tasty handheld snacks can be stuffed with so many different things! Add some cooked potatoes, use shredded chicken, mushrooms, cheese, beans, corn, or even chopped hard-boiled eggs!
Sure! Add a few tablespoons of cooking oil to a large skillet and fry your empanadas for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden in color.
😋 More Delicious Mexican Recipes
- Birria Tacos - Bold and delicious goat stew meat can be used to make some amazing tacos.
- Flour Tortillas - Soft homemade tortillas can be used for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more.
- Elotes - Roasted corn is covered with a garlic chipotle sauce, smoked paprika, and queso fresco.
- Salsa Roja - Classic salsa that uses tons of fresh veggies.
- Albondigas Soup - Beef broth, veggies, and Mexican meatballs make for a hearty and tasty soup.
- Slow Cooker Beef Cheek Tacos - A flavorful and delicious hands-off meal for any day of the week.
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📖 Recipe Card
Baked Beef Empanadas
Ingredients
Empanada Dough
- ¼ cup lard
- ⅓ cup warm water (very warm/hot)
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (+ a few tablespoon for dusting your work surface)
Beef Empanadas
- ¾ tablespoon lard
- ½ cup white onion (minced)
- 1 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 pinch each, salt & pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Empanada Dough
- In a small to medium saucepan, melt the lard over low heat. Immediately add salt and the very warm water to melted lard, stir to dissolve the salt. Place the all-purpose flour in a food processor, or the bowl of your stand mixer.
- If using a food processor, with the food processor on add half the melted lard through the feed tube. Add the remaining half of the melted lard, and pulse to combine. If using a stand mixer, turn the mixer to low setting and slowly add the liquid until thoroughly incorporated.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead just enough to form a smooth dough. Shape into a flat round disc, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until cool.
Beef Empanadas
- Melt the lard in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the minced onion and saute until turning lightly golden, then add the lean ground beef and seasoning including salt, pepper, cumin, and smoked paprika. Cook until the ground beef is lightly browned and no longer pink inside.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the chilled empanada dough as thin as possible, at least ⅛ inch thick. Cut rounds that are about 6 inches in diameter (and I usually make mine a bit oval rather than round). You can re-roll the dough once and cut out more rounds if needed.
- Portion out the meat mixture between your 6 cut out rounds, placing on one side of the dough and leaving a ½ inch border around the filling to seal the empanadas. Fold the dough over the meat filling and crimp the edges together. You can also use a bit of water on the edges to help seal the edges. I used the tines of a fork to also crimp the rounded edge of the empanadas (as I did, and as seen in the photos).
- Place the beef empanadas on your parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F (204°C) for 10 minutes. Turn the empanadas and cook the opposite side for an additional 10 minutes, or until both sides are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You may be able to find empanada discs at a grocery store near you. These are thin, round discs of dough that you can use to make your empanadas if desired. Defrost before using.
- Feel free to add anything else you may like to your beef filling. Some great options are cheese, mushrooms, or beans!
- You can brush your empanadas with an eggwash before baking for an extra golden crust.
Frances says
how much salt for the dough, please? thank you!!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Sorry, 1/4 tsp I will update this recipe ASAP
Linda at Mixed Kreations says
Oh this look so yummy! I've been wanting to make some of these but haven't because I thought that they had to be fried, and we dont eat fried foods. Pinned so I can try these! Thanks for sharing!
Delectable Cooking and Baking says
They are fantastic when oven baked! I see no need to fry these, ever 🙂 Hope you get a chance to try them soon!