These easy to make vegan empanadas are the perfect hand-held meal. Wrapped in a golden-brown gluten-free crust; filled with hearty soy crumbles, loaded with vegetables and savory spices. They make a great appetizer or dinner.
Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. However you can find important tips/tricks in the post.
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An empanada is a type of handheld baked or fried turnover. Fillings can vary from beef, chicken, cheese and/or vegetables.
While their fillings, size, and cooking techniques vary from one Latin American country to the next, they all begin by filling pastry dough with savory ingredients. Fillings encased in pastries, are common in Spanish & Latin American cuisines both sweet and savory.
Craving more Mexican inspired vegan recipes? Try our easy to make mushroom fajitas, pecan taco bowl, salsa and breakfast quesadillas.
Equipment
- Parchment paper
- Baking Sheets
- Pan with lid
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- Empanada Dough - see options below
- Plant-based ground beef substitute - like Beyond, Impossible or soy crumbles - if not vegan or vegetarian replace with a ground protein selection.
- Veggies - Yukon white potatoes, onion, bell pepper, carrots and peas - diced
- Seasoning - cumin, chili powder, oregano and garlic
- Tomato paste
See recipe card for quantities.
FAQ
Yes, to make these vegan empanadas in advance. Prepare filling and place in airtight container. Refrigerate filling for one to two days or freeze. When ready prepare dough, fill and bake.
If you don’t have the time to make a delicious homemade gluten-free empanada dough like the one by blogger Gluten-Free On A Shoestring, there are a few alternatives.
1. store-bought refrigerated pie dough
2. puff pastry
3. pizza dough
4. pie crust dough
5. crescent roll dough
Instructions
Make or unthaw dough (thawing takes at least 4 hours or overnight in the bottom of refrigerator).
Dice onion, potato and bell peppers into small cubes to ensure all the ingredients cook at the same rate.
Preheat your oven to 400 F.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers let cook until onions start to soften; about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium low. Add potatoes and garlic. Place lid over pan. Cook for 10 minutes. Until potatoes are fork tender.
With heat still on medium low. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, crumbles, peas & carrots, tomato paste, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, oregano, seasoned salt, salt and ⅓ cup of water. Cook for 10 more minutes.
The cooked mixture should be moist but not dripping wet.
Assemble The Baked Empanadas
Lightly grease baking sheet and set aside.
Cut 12 squares of parchment paper and set aside.
Sprinkle surface with gf flour. Roll out the dough. Divide into 12 pieces. Roll flat, being carefully to not roll too thin. Place on squares of parchment. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.
It’s important to freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes before assembling.
This helps the gluten-free dough to not be so sticky and easier to work with. The firmer dough also creates a better seal and helps with preventing the filling from leaking out.
Now we are ready to fill the empanadas.
Don’t Overfill. Be careful not to overfill your empanadas when assembling them, as this can result in the dough bursting open when baked.
Add a teaspoon or two of filling to each circle of dough.
Seal The Edges. Use a fork to create crimped edges or you can purchase an empanada press. Place onto baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
If the dough becomes warm due to being out too long when adding the filling, just place it back in the fridge for a few minutes before baking.
Then bake! Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until golden brown. Eat immediately or at room temperature. Serve with salsa or chimichurri.
Air Fryer Cooking Instructions
We have a oven style type of air fryer. You do not need to spray the top with oil. Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until dough is fully cooked.
Storage, Reheating & Preparing In Advance
To Store. Keep cooked empanadas in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To Freeze. Three ways to freeze. First you can freeze already prepared but unbaked empanadas. Make sure to freeze the empanadas on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid before transferring them to an airtight bag or container. Secondly, you can freeze the filling for up to three months and then proceed preparing and filling the dough when ready to bake. Lastly, you can freeze already-baked empanadas.
To Reheat. To bake frozen, uncooked empanadas, let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before and then bake until golden and heated throughout (you’ll need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time). To reheat frozen cooked empanadas, let them thaw completely and then pop them into the oven at 400º to crisp up!
Prepare In Advance. If you prepared in advance and froze you can cook from frozen. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cook for 16 to 20 minutes or until dough is fully cooked.
Best Dishes To Serve With
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower rice
- Black Beans and Rice
- Guacamole & Salsa
📖 Recipe
Vegan Empanada Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 12 oz Ground crumbles - Impossible or Beyond crumbles
- 1 Yukon white potato 6 oz about 1 cup
- 5 oz Onion - diced about 1 cup
- 1 Orange Bell pepper - diced about 1 cup
- 3 cloves Garlic - minced
- ¾ cup Carrots and peas
- 2 tablespoons Tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ cup Water
- 2 packages Wholly Wholesome Gluten-Free Pizza Dough - is vegan & gluten-free
Instructions
- Make or unthaw dough (thawing takes at least 4 hours or overnight in bottom of refrigerator)
- Dice onion, potato and bell peppers into small cubes to ensure all the ingredients cook at same rate.
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers let cook until onions start to soften about 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Add potatoes and garlic. Place lid over pan. Cook for 10 minutes. Until potatoes are fork tender.
- With heat still on medium low. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, crumbles, peas & carrots, tomato paste, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, oregano, seasoned salt, salt and ⅓ cup of water. Cook 10 more minutes.
- The cooked mixture should be moist but not dripping wet.
ASSEMBLE THE BAKED EMPANADAS
- Lightly grease baking sheet and set aside. Cut 12 squares of parchment paper and set aside.
- Sprinkle surface with gf flour. Roll out the dough. Divide into 12 pieces. Roll flat being carefully to not roll too thin. Place on squares of parchment. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.It’s important to freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes before assembling. This helps the gluten-free dough to not be so sticky and easier to work with. The firmer dough also creates a better seal and helps with preventing the filling from leaking out.
- Now we are ready to fill the empanadas.
- Don’t Overfill. Be careful not to overfill your empanadas when assembling, as this can result in the dough bursting open when baked. Add a teaspoon or two of filling to each circle of dough.
- Seal The Edges. use a fork to create crimped edges or you can purchase an empanada press. Place onto baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.If the dough becomes warm due to being out too long when adding the filling, just place it back in the fridge for a few minutes before baking.
- Then bake! Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until golden brown. Eat immediately or room temperature. Serve with salsa or chimichurri.
Notes
Nutrition
These nutritional figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe.
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Anna Lynn
So excited to try these gluten-free empanadas. Using the pre-made gf pizza dough is such a good idea.