Added to Basket
The Pantry
Recipes
Guides
News & posts
Published 20/02/2026
1:35
Serves 10
Medium

Delicious beef empanadas

Impress guests with homemade empanadas with flaky pastry and a deliciously tender and warmly spiced beef filling.

This popular Latin American pastry has become a favourite throughout the world – and it’s easy to see why once you’ve bit into the tender pastry and tasted the flavourful ground beef filling. There’s nothing quite like fresh empanadas straight out of the oven, and our beef empanada recipe is super easy and utterly delicious.

We’ve kept our empanadas simple with a traditional ground beef filling that’s lightly spiced. However, you can add potatoes, peas and even chorizo if you wish!

What you'll need...

For the pastry

  • 500g plain flour
  • 200g unsalted butter, cubed and cold
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • A pinch of salt

For the beef filling

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tbsp if needed
  • 400g minced beef
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, diced
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 250ml beef stock
  • 1 egg, for the egg wash

Method

  1. Start by making the pastry. Put the flour and cubed butter in the bowl of a food processor and add a pinch of salt. Pulse until the ingredients combine and resemble breadcrumbs. 

  2. Add the beaten egg into the breadcrumbs and pulse until the dough starts to form into a ball. If the dough is looking a little dry, add a splash of cold water. 

  3. Gather the dough and shape into a rough ball. Wrap in clingfilm and chill while making the filling. 

  4. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat and add the mince. Fry for 5 minutes, breaking up the large chunks into smaller pieces. Once it’s browned and caramelised, remove from the heat and place the beef into a glass bowl. 

  5. Add a splash of olive oil to the pan and add the onion and pepper, cooking over a low-medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, dry spices and tomato puree – cook for 4 minutes. 

  6. Pour in the beef stock and add the beef mince back into the frying pan. Simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the stock has evaporated. The mixture should be thick and not watery. Season with salt and pepper before taking it off the heat to cool. Chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator. 

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/gas 6. 

  2. Line baking trays and remove the dough from the fridge. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (you can use a scale to check this) and roll each piece out into an 18cm x 18cm square. Cut a 14cm circle from each piece of square, rolled-out dough. 

  3. Spoon 3 tsp of the mince mixture onto one half of the circle, making sure to leave space around the edge for easy closing. Using a pastry brush, brush a small amount of cold water across the edge then fold the pastry over. Use a fork to press down on the pastry edge until fully sealed. Move the empanada onto the baking tray and repeat the process with the remaining dough. 

  4. Once all empanadas are made, sealed and on the baking trays, brush the top of each pastry with the beaten egg.  

  5. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until each empanada is a golden brown colour. Leave to cool on the tray before tucking in.

Shop the tools you will need

Secondary image for image of Stainless Steel Baking Tray 24 x 36cm Main image for image of Stainless Steel Baking Tray 24 x 36cm

£20.00

Secondary image for image of Silicone Pastry Brush Blue Main image for image of Silicone Pastry Brush Blue

£5.00

Secondary image for image of Food Processor 3L Main image for image of Food Processor 3L

£179.00

Secondary image for image of Non-Stick Baking Tray Set 4 Piece Main image for image of Non-Stick Baking Tray Set 4 Piece

£34.00

    Other Recipes

    Bread machine wholemeal bread

    Bread machine wholemeal bread

    We’ve added a little strong white flour to our wholemeal dough mix for a lighter, but just as nutritious loaf.

    Read More
    Air fryer chips

    Air fryer chips

    Cook up deliciously fluffy yet crispy chunky chips with our air fryer grill.

    Read More

    Building a sustainable future

    B Corporation Certified

    ProCook is proud to be certified as a B Corp™, joining a select but growing group of companies committed to using business as a force for good.

    Learn more

    ProCook is honoured to be recognised as a Which? Recommended Provider for Furniture and Homewares. When you purchase from us, you can rest assured that you're getting a truly exceptional product that has been carefully crafted to meet your every need.

    Life's A Beach

    ProCook is dedicated to supporting our long-term charity partner's mission to inspire action to reduce single use plastics. Together, we're striving to make a positive impact on the environment and create a sustainable future.

    Learn more