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These ground beef empanadas are made with beef, cheese, spices, and store-bought empanada discs. They’re crunchy, flavorful, and super easy to make!
I love serving these with hot sauce or chimichurri! For more empanada recipes, check out these delicious chicken empanadas and air fryer empanadas.
These empanadas can be served as an appetizer, snack, or main course! If serving as a main course, feel free to serve it with Spanish rice or a simple salad.
INGREDIENT NOTES
See the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and complete instructions.
- Ground Beef – I used 90/10 ground beef but feel free to use 80/20 beef or ground turkey instead.
- Capers – Olives work as well.
- Sazon – A spice blend that can be found in the Hispanic section at your local supermarket.
- Vino Seco – Dry white wine, completely optional.
- Empanada Discs – I used store-bought empanada discs, these can be found in the frozen section at your local supermarket.
TOP TIPS
- Allow the beef mixture to cool for at least 10 minutes before assembling the empanadas otherwise, the dough may tear.
- Fry in vegetable oil for 3 minutes on each side but keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly.
- Serve with hot sauce and chimichurri for extra flavor!
CAN I MAKE THESE IN THE AIR FRYER?
Yes, of course!
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. for 5 minutes. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Place the empanadas in the air fryer basket, brush the empanadas with egg wash and cook for 4 minutes.
- Once the 4 minutes are up, flip the empanadas, brush them with egg wash and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes and enjoy warm!
STORAGE
Have any leftovers? Place them in an air-tight container and keep at room temperature for 1-2 days or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, air fryer, or oven until heated through.
GROUND BEEF EMPANADAS VIDEO
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. And consider following me on Facebook or Pinterest!
Ground Beef Empanadas
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ small onion, finely diced
- ½ green bell pepper , finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons vino seco , dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon sazon
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons capers, or olives
- ¼ cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 Empanada discs
- mozzarella cheese
- oil, for frying
Instructions
- Break up the ground beef using a wooden spoon and brown completely over medium-high heat, this should take about 5 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently.
- Add the onions and peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, oregano, cumin, sazon, capers, vino seco, water, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes. Allow the ground beef to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Place each empanada disc on a lightly floured surface. Put about 2 tbsp of the beef mixture and 1 tbsp of cheese in the center of each disc.
- Wrap the dough around to form the empanada and press the edges together. Use a fork to press down on the edges.
- Fry the empanadas in vegetable oil for 3 minutes on each side or until they're a golden color.
- Allow the empanadas to cool for a few minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- Allow the beef mixture to cool for at least 10 minutes before assembling the empanadas otherwise, the dough may tear.
- Fry in vegetable for 3 minutes on each side but keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly.
- Serve with hot sauce and chimichurri for extra flavor!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
