Description
Delightful Air Fryer Beef Empanadas with a flaky pastry and seasoned beef filling, perfect for a snack or hearty meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 cup chopped pickled jalapeños
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar
- 1 1/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack
- Chopped fresh cilantro and sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, salt, and baking powder until combined.
- Cut butter into flour with your hands or a pastry cutter until pea-sized pieces form.
- Add the egg and 3/4 cup water, mixing with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil.
- Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Stir in the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Drain excess fat from the skillet.
- Return the pan to medium heat and stir in tomato paste, mixing well with the beef.
- Add oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper; stir to combine.
- Mix in the chopped jalapeños and tomatoes, cooking until warmed through, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let filling cool slightly.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide the chilled dough in half.
- Roll one half to 1/4 inch thick, then cut out rounds using the cookie cutter.
- Repeat with the other half of the dough, rerolling scraps if necessary to cut out more rounds (you should have about 15).
- Lightly moisten the outer edge of a dough round with water.
- Place about 2 tablespoons of the beef filling in the center of the round.
- Top with a sprinkle of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses.
- Fold the dough in half over the filling and crimp the edges together using a fork.
- Repeat with the remaining filling, dough, and cheese.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Working in batches, place empanadas in a parchment-lined air fryer basket, ensuring they don’t touch.
- Cook empanadas for about 10 minutes until golden brown and the filling is warm.
- Top with chopped cilantro and serve with sour cream on the side.
Notes
Customize your empanadas with different fillings such as shredded chicken or vegetables. Ensure the filling cools before adding it to prevent a soggy dough.
- Prep Time: 75 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Air Frying
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 empanada
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
Keywords: empanadas, air fryer, beef, Mexican, snack, comfort food