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Made with a flaky and buttery homemade dough and filled to the brim with pepper jack cheese, these cheese empanadas are simply delicious.
I'm a big fan of empanadas - from shrimp empanadas to vegetarian empanadas to even dessert-themed ones like apple empanadas.
And the latest in greatest is the simplest. I mean it's just cheese in the middle. It may sound boring but who doesn't love cheese.
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple - With just 5 ingredients, it doesn't take much to prepare this.
- Cheese lovers - If you are a fan of cheese, you'll love these. It just explodes in your mouth in every bite.
- Party Food - One of the benefits of these cheese empanadas is you can walk around and enjoy it on the go or at a party.
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Ingredient Notes
- Empanada dough - Homemade dough is very simple to make. Just use a food processor to blend together the flour, salt, butter, egg and water. This recipe creates a super buttery and flaky crust that melts in your mouth. However you can use store-bought pie dough if you prefer.
- Cheese - For me I like the meltiness and kick of heat from pepper jack cheese, but you can use your favorite - from Monterey jack to sharp cheddar to mozzarella.
Step-by-Step Photos
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
To combine the flour and salt, use a food processor and pulse them together.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture reaches a coarse meal consistency, which should take about 15 pulses.
Take a small bowl and mix the egg and water together. Afterward, pour the egg mixture into the food processor and pulse it until the dough begins to form into clumps.
It's important to avoid pulsing the dough until a ball is formed. Instead, aim for a crumbly texture with noticeable large clumps.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Cut the ball in half and gently flatten each half into a disk shape. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Roll out dough to ⅛ inch thickness before cutting into 5 inch circles.
Place about 2 tablespoons of cheese in the center of each circle. Dampen the edges of the dough with water to ensure it sticks together when folded.
Then, wrap the dough around the cheese filling to form an empanada, pressing the edges firmly to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges and place the empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the empanadas with an egg was before baking at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
FAQs
The word "empanadas" comes from the Spanish phrase "to wrap in bread". It refers to a pastry and filling dish that is either baked or fried and is commonly known as a turnover. Empanadas can be either sweet or savory, but are generally considered a savory dish.
While the dough is easy enough to make if you're short on time you can use a pre-rolled pie crust. Canned biscuits or crescent rolls pressed and rolled thin also work.
Yes. You can make the dough and store in the fridge for up to 1 day. You can also assemble the unbaked empanadas and cover in plastic in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
More than likely, you overstuffed them which means there is no space for the air the expand. A couple of ways to prevent this are to make sure the empanadas are sealed well and chilled for at least 30 minutes. You can also cut a small slit on top.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the cheese empanadas to baking sheet and reheat for 10-15 minutes or until the filling is warmed through. If they are starting to brown, just cover with aluminum foil
Bake vs Fried
I personally like baking these empanadas as they are a little healthier and you don't have to deal with the oil, but you can also fry them.
Add oil to a deep pan or pot so that it reaches 1 inch in depth. Heat oil to between 365°F. Fry in batches, 3 at a time, 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown.
You can also air fry at 400°F for 3-4 minutes per side.
Best Side Dish Options
Empanadas are one of those meals that work great as an appetizer or main course. There are quite a few recipes that work great with these empanadas:
Equipment
The equipment you use is important to how the cheese empanadas turn out. What is needed is the following:
- Food processor - Used to make the dough.
- Empanada dough press - Makes it super easy to add the filling and fold.
- Baking sheet - What you use to bake the empanadas on.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use an empanada dough press to make life easier when filling and folding.
- Do not overfill or the filling will come out. Add a max of 2 tablespoon of cheese.
- Make sure the edges are sealed well to prevent the filling from leaking out.
- If the dough is becoming a little warm due to being out too long when adding the filling, just place the filled empanadas back in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.
- Use an egg wash on the outside of the dough to get the empanadas golden brown.
- Leftover empanadas can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Similar Recipes
If you’ve tried these cheese empanadas or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Cheese Empanadas
Ingredients
Empanadas
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup ice cold water
- 1 lb pepper jack cheese, shredded
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Using a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes coarse meal, about 15 pulses.
- In a small bowl, combine egg and water. Add the egg mixture to food processor and pulse until it starts to clump together. DO NOT pulse until ball is formed. It should be crumbly with large clumps of dough.
- Turn dough only a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Cut in half and flatten each ball slightly to form a disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- When ready to make empanadas, heat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough to ⅛ inch thickness. Cut into circles about 5 inches in diameter using a ring cutter or small bowl.
- Put about 2 tablespoons of the cheese in the center of each circle. Put some water around the entire edge, so once folded it will stick together. Wrap dough around filling to form empanada, pressing edges together. Crimp with a fork. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Notes
- Use an empanada dough press to make life easier when filling and folding.
- Do not overfill or the filling will come out. Add a max of 2 tablespoon of cheese.
- Make sure the edges are sealed well to prevent the filling from leaking out.
- If the dough is becoming a little warm due to being out too long when adding the filling, just place the filled empanadas back in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.
- Use an egg wash on the outside of the dough to get the empanadas golden brown.
- Leftover empanadas can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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