There are lots of ways to make empanadas, but my favorite is with a wheat flour-based dough that is then fried in oil or lard. Low fat? Nope. But fried empanadas are craveable snacks or appetizers you’ll want to learn how to make. Here’s how.

The key to fried empanadas is learning how to make a good empanada dough for frying. It’s a lot different from my masa empanadas, where the dough is solely corn masa, as well as, say, puff pastry empanadas, which are always baked.

If you know how to make homemade flour tortillas, you know how to make empanada dough for frying. There’s not a lot of difference — chief one being that you use ice water with empanada dough, and hot water for tortillas.

Another difference is the flour. It is a lot less important to use a soft wheat flour like Sonoran or Lily flour for empanadas than it is for flour tortillas. Any all-purpose flour will work.

Many recipes ask you to roll out dough and cut circles with something to make your empanadas, but I find that wasteful and, well, just harder than it is to make your dough, measure out balls about 50 grams, which is a little less than 2 ounces, set those balls in a plastic bag for an hour or two, then using a tortilla press to make perfect rounds every time.

The rest time lets the gluten in the empanada dough relax, which allows you to make the rounds with a press. If you don’t wait, they will contract dramatically.

You can find tortilla presses in pretty much any Latin market, as well as online. I am partial to this tortilla press from Masienda, although admittedly it’s expensive. Just make sure whatever kind you buy, it’s heavy. Iron, not aluminum.

Also keep in mind that while this is an empanada dough for frying, it will work if you decide to bake empanadas instead. You will want to mix a beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of milk or cream and brush that on top of each empanada, so it will get pretty and golden.

But let’s face it: Fried empanadas are better. They just are — if you fry them correctly.

That means using enough oil or lard so they will float in it (you can strain and reuse the oil several times, so you don’t waste it) and that oil needs to be at least 325F, and 350F is better. Oil that is too cool will make your fried empanadas greasy and sad.

I normally use canola oil for fried empanadas because it’s flavorless and has a high smoke point. Lard tastes better, but you end up frying very close to lard’s smoke point, which is tricky; when oil gets too hot it will taste acrid.

Fillings

Up to you. Really. Anything goes.

Chorizo and potatoes is classic, but leftovers are the classic filling for empanadas. Just be sure to chop whatever the filling is small, because you don’t want to tear into one and have a big chunk of your filling pull out with one bite.

Here are some recipes that would be good as fried empanada fillings:

• Barbacoa, with venison or whatever.
• Mexican chorizo and shredded cheese.
• Carnitas, either pork or turkey.
• Pork with green chiles, chopped small.
• Sonoran picadillo may be my favorite, especially mixed with melty cheese.

I’ve also made fantastic empanadas filled with smoked or shredded fish or crab, as well as mushrooms and other vegetables.

Fried Empanadas and Refried Empanadas

Empanadas are quite possibly the perfect make-ahead food.

First off, they are usually delicious cold or at room temperature, so carrying a few on a fishing trip, a hike or in the deer stand is always a good call. Many cultures have this sort of “hand pie,” and I have recipes for venison pasties and Appalachian squirrel pies elsewhere on this site.

But if you do want to reheat fried empanadas, you can of course simply refry them for a couple minutes. That re-crisps them really well.

Popping them in a toaster oven at 350F for 15 minutes or so will do the trick, too.

Other Meat Pies to Try

I have a wide selection of other fantastic meat pies you might want to try. Some are bready, others use pie crust, some use other doughs. Keep in mind the filling meat can really be whatever you have lying around.

• Venison pasties. Cornish meat pies filled with ground or diced beef or venison, carrots and rutabagas in a bready crust.
• Finnish lihapiirakka. Another bready dough. These have rice, meat and lots of onions.
• British mincemeat pies. Classic British mini pies filled with a Christmas-y mix of dried berries, spices and venison, or other meats.
• Mexican masa empanadas. This is a corn masa dough, a little more fragile than a wheat dough, but lighter and crispier.
• German bierocks. Imagine a nice bread roll stuffed with meat, onions and sauerkraut.
• Plantain empanadas. This gluten-free dough mixes masa flour with mashed plantains. Delicious, and it browns nicely.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below; I’d love to hear how everything went. If you’re on Instagram, share a picture and tag me at huntgathercook.