empanadas Archives - My Latina Table

Homemade Baked Beef Empanadas

Charbel Barker — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 17:56:34 +0000

Classic homemade empanadas made with a simple dough and a seasoned beef filling with eggs and olives. Golden outside and flavorful inside.

Leer en Espanol

These empanadas are more South American in style than Mexican. The dough is a traditional baked butter dough, and the filling includes classic ingredients like hard-boiled eggs and olives — elements commonly found in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.

I grew up making Mexican empanadas, which are often more boldly seasoned, sometimes fried, with flavors that instantly take me back to my childhood. And while these are different, I truly love them. They carry the same homemade warmth and sense of tradition.

For me, making empanadas is always something meaningful. The style may change and the ingredients may vary, but the purpose stays the same: bringing people together around food made by hand. These connect me to South America, while still reminding me of the delicious Mexican empanadas I’ve been making since I was a child.

Time

Prep time: 40 minutes
Rest time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 10–12 minutes
Total time: About 1 hour

Yield: 12–14 empanadas
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Latin American
Category: Main Dish / Appetizer

Ingredients

For the dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour
14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) room temperature butter
½ cup water
1 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

½ pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small bell pepper, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
6 olives, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

To finish:

1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

Make the dough by combining flour, salt, room temperature butter, and water until incorporated. Knead for 15 minutes until smooth. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Cook the filling by sautéing onion and bell pepper. Add ground beef and cook through. Season with spices and salt. Remove from heat and mix in eggs, olives, and green onions. Let cool.
Assemble by dividing the dough, rolling into discs (use an Empanada Press to make it easier), filling, sealing tightly, and crimping the edges.
Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes until golden.

Let cool slightly before serving.

Baked Beef Empanadas

Classic homemade empanadas made with a simple dough and a seasoned beef filling with eggs and olives.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine latin

Keyword empanadas

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 15

Total Time 50

Servings Empanadas

Calories 297kcal

Author Charbel Barker

Equipment

1 empanada press

Ingredients

For the dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour
14 tablespoons room temperature butter
½ cup water
1 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

½ pound ground beef
1 small onion finely diced
1 small bell pepper finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
2 hard-boiled eggs chopped
6 olives chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

To finish:

1 egg beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

Make the dough by combining flour, salt, room temperature butter, and water until incorporated. Knead for 15 minutes until smooth. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Cook the filling by sautéing onion and bell pepper. Add ground beef and cook through. Season with spices and salt. Remove from heat and mix in eggs, olives, and green onions. Let cool.
Assemble by dividing the dough, rolling into discs, filling, sealing tightly, and crimping the edges. Brush with the egg wash.
Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes until golden.

Nutrition

The post Homemade Baked Beef Empanadas appeared first on My Latina Table.

Authentic Empanadas de Manjar Recipe (Manjar Empanadas)

Charbel Barker — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 15:03:05 +0000

Inside: Empanadas de manjar, or manjar empanadas is a sweet version of a Mexican classic, originating in Veracruz. Check out the recipe below!

Empanadas de manjar blanco, or manjar empanadas is a simple and traditional recipe from the state of Veracruz in Mexico. You can easily make them at home and they are sure to be a hit with everyone.

What are Empanadas de Manjar?

This recipe is a delicious dessert that your taste buds will enjoy. It is a sweet variation of normal empanadas, which traditionally are filled with cheese or meat. The word empanada comes from the verb “empanar” in Spanish, which means to wrap in bread or dough. They were originally made by travelers who liked to pack them when they went out to work or to travel since they were easy to carry.

This version of empanadas de manjar is how they are prepared in Veracruz, Mexico and they are very popular year-round, but even moreso during the Christmas holiday season. There are different types of manjar, but today I will share how to make manjar de arroz (rice manjar). There is nothing better than enjoying these delicious empanadas with creamy hot chocolate on a cold afternoon. It has a perfect combination of flavor, aromas, and textures that people of all ages will enjoy.

You can follow the same instructions for making these empanadas, and fill them with something else such as dulce de leche, jam, caramel, cream cheese, or fruit. There are so many options, and you will have fun finding what you enjoy the most!

How do you make Manjar Empanadas?

This is a simple recipe that anyone can make. The secret is in the masa, or dough, of the empanadas. It is important to knead it well and let it rest for about an hour before filling and frying them.

You will need the following ingredients to get started – the first set of ingredients are for the manjar and the next set are for the empanadas:

Rice
Evaporated milk
Whole milk
Sweetened condensed milk
Sugar
Water
Cinnamon stick
vanilla extract
raisins (optional)
ground cinnamon

Flour
Sugar
Olive oil
powdered milk (optional)
Salt
warm water
Oil (for frying)

To make this, you will need to make the manjar in advance by following these steps.

Manjar

Rince the rice first, and add it to a large bowl of water and the cinnamon stick for at least 3 hours and let it soak.

When the rice is softened, blend it in the blender with half of the water that you used to soak it and the cinnamon. Next, add the rest of the soaking water to a large pot with a small piece of cinnamon stick and let it boil before lower the heat and letting it simmer.

Add the blended rice mixture to the pot a little bit at a time, stirring constantly so it doesn’t stick to the pot. When it starts to thicken slightly, add the whole milk and stir for about five minutes. Add the evaporated milk and condensed milk and the sugar and continue stirring. If you are using raisins, you can add those at this point also.

Let it cook for about 5 more minutes and set aside to use in the next part of the recipe.

Empanada Dough

Add the flour to a large bowl or baking dish and make a large hole in the middle (like a volcano). In the center, add the sugar, salt, powdered milk, and olive oil. Add the water a litle bit at a time as you slowly mix the ingredients together until it reaches a smooth and pliable texture. You will know it is done when it doesn’t stick to your hands anymore.

Add the dough to a bowl that is coated in a small amount of oil and cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rest for about an hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl at this point and knead it for a few seconds and then stretch it out into a tube shape and cut it into equal portions before rolling each portion into a ball shape.

On a floured surface, using a rolling pin, flatten each ball into a thin tortilla. Add the manjar to the center and fold in half. Close the empanada by lightly pressing down on the joined edges, making sure that it is sealed well so they do not open when you fry them.

Fry each empanada in a frying pan with oil for about two minutes each. Remove and place on a paper towel, sprinkling sugar over the top. Serve warm with hot chocolate!

Check out these other recipes

Empanadas de Manjar

Empanadas de manjar, or manjar empanadas is a sweet version of a Mexican classic, originating in Veracruz. Check out the recipe below!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Manjar

Prep Time 6

Cook Time 20

Servings Empanadas

Calories 337kcal

Author Charbel Barker

Ingredients

For the Manjar

1 Cup Rice
1 Can Evaporated Milk 8 oz
2 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tbsp sugar
1 liter water
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp vanilla extract
100 grams raisins optional
1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the Empanadas de Manjar

4 cups flour
6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp powdered milk optional
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups Manjar from previous steps

Instructions

For the Manjar

Rince the rice first, and add it to a large bowl of water and the cinnamon stick for at least 3 hours and let it soak.
When the rice is softened, blend it in the blender with half of the water that you used to soak it and the cinnamon. Next, add the rest of the soaking water to a large pot with a small piece of cinnamon stick and let it boil before lower the heat and letting it simmer.
Add the blended rice mixture to the pot a little bit at a time, stirring constantly so it doesn't stick to the pot. When it starts to thicken slightly, add the whole milk and stir for about five minutes. Add the evaporated milk and condensed milk and the sugar and continue stirring. If you are using raisins, you can add those at this point also.
Let it cook for about 5 more minutes and set aside to use in the next part of the recipe.

For the Empanadas

Add the flour to a large bowl or baking dish and make a large hole in the middle (like a volcano). In the center, add the sugar, salt, powdered milk, and olive oil. Add the water a litle bit at a time as you slowly mix the ingredients together until it reaches a smooth and pliable texture. You will know it is done when it doesn't stick to your hands anymore.
Add the dough to a bowl that is coated in a small amount of oil and cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rest for about an hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl at this point and knead it for a few seconds and then stretch it out into a tube shape and cut it into equal portions before rolling each portion into a ball shape.
On a floured surface, using a rolling pin, flatten each ball into a thin tortilla. Add the manjar to the center and fold in half. Close the empanada by lightly pressing down on the joined edges, making sure that it is sealed well so they do not open when you fry them.
Fry each empanada in a frying pan with oil for about two minutes each. Remove and place on a paper towel, sprinkling sugar over the top. Serve warm with hot chocolate!

Nutrition

The post Authentic Empanadas de Manjar Recipe (Manjar Empanadas) appeared first on My Latina Table.