Colombian Empanadas are a popular snack or appetizer in Colombia and are served by most Colombian restaurants in the United States with ají sauce.
Empanadas are popular in Spain and Latin America. Every country has an empanada recipe and even in Colombia we have different versions depending on the region and the cook.
Serving Suggestions
These empanadas are usually serve with Colombian ají sauce and lime wedges on the side. You can serve them as an appetizer, snack or as a meal with a salad on the side.
What are Colombian Empanadas Made of?
Traditionally, these fritters are made with precooked corn flour and filled with meat, potatoes, vegetables and spices. Some people use shredded pork and beef to make their empanadas, but in my family we always make them with ground meat.
Ingredients to Make the Filling
You will find the printable recipe card with exact amounts and cooking directions below.
Vegetables: Potatoes, white onions, scallions, red bell pepper, tomato and garlic.
Spices: Sazón with azafran, chicken or vegetable bouillon, salt and black pepper.
Oil: Olive oil
Herbs: Fresh cilantro or parsley.
Meat: Ground pork and beef.
Ingredients for the Dough
Masarepa: Yellow precooked cornmeal.
Water: Lukewarm
Oil: I recommend using vegetable or canola oil.
Spices: Sazon with azafran and salt.
How Can I Make Meatless Colombian Empanadas?
In Colombia, empanadas are also sold outside of the churches. Those are usually very small and just have a potato filling, a great alternative for vegetarians and absolutely delicious. They are known as "empanaditas de iglesia".
For the vegetarian version of these empanadas, follow all the ingredients and instructions in the recipe card below. Just omitting the beef and pork.
How to Make Colombian Empanadas
To make the dough, place the masarepa in a large bowl. Add the sazón and salt, and stir to mix well. Add the water and oil and mix to form dough. Pat the dough into a ball and knead for 2 minutes or until smooth. Cover with plastic and set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile make the filling.
To make the filling, place the potatoes in a pot with water and the bouillon tablet for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain and gently mash the potatoes. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, green onions, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro, salt and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes.
Add the ground pork and beef. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is fairly dry.
Transfer the meat mixture to the mashed potatoes bowl and mix well to combine.
To assemble the empanadas, break small portions of the dough, about 1 ½ tablespoons each one, and form each portion into a ball by rolling between the palms of your hands.
Place the balls of dough between two pieces of plastic and roll each out very thinly to form a circle. Remove the top plastic and place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each.
Then using the plastic underneath, fold the dough over to enclose the filling, forming a half circle. Tightly seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork.
Fill a large pot with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to 360° F.
Carefully place 3 or 4 empanadas at the time in the heated oil and fry for about 2 minutes until golden on all sides. Using a slotted spoon transfer the empanadas to a plate lined with paper towels.
How to Store
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them on a baking sheet and spray with cooking oil. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes or until they are warm and crispy. You can reheat them in the microwave, but the dough will be softer.
You can freeze these empanadas before frying. After filling them and pressing the edges together, transfer them to a lined sheet pan and freeze them until solid. Transfer the frozen empanadas to a freezer-safe container or bag and store them for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge before frying them.
Cooking Notes and Tips
*You can make smaller empanadas for a party or make them bigger if you prefer, just double the recipe.
*Yo can make the empanadas filling one day ahead, store in the fridge until ready to use.
*For the vegetarian version of this Colombian Empanadas recipe, follow all the instructions and just omitting the beef and pork.
*Colombian empanadas are traditionally served with aji colombiano.
Depending on how much your vegetables cook down and the size you cut them, you may have a little leftover filling. The leftover filling makes an excellent quesadilla or taco filling.
You can also freeze the filling for up to 3 months when the cravings strike for a quick and easy batch of empanadas.
More Traditional Colombian Recipes to Try:
Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)
Ajiaco Santafereño (Colombian Ajiaco)
Tamales Colombianos (Colombian Tamales)
Bistec a la Criolla (Steak with Creole Sauce)
Colombian Empanadas Recipe
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Lime and ají for serving
Dough
- 1 ½ cups precooked yellow cornmeal masarepa
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ tablespoon sazon Goya with azafran
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Filling
- 2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
- 1 chicken or vegetable bouillon tablet
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped white onions
- 1 cup chopped tomato
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- 1 chopped garlic clove
- 2 tablespoon chopped red bell pepper
- ½ pound ground pork and beef
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sazón with azafran
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Place the masarepa in a large bowl. Add the sazon Goya and salt and stir to mix well. Add the water and oil and mix to form dough. Pat the dough into a ball and knead for 2 minutes or until smooth. Cover with plastic and set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile make the filling.
Filling
- Cook the potatoes in a pot with water and the bouillon tablet for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain and gently mash the potatoes. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, green onions, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro, salt and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes.
- Add the ground pork and beef. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is fairly dry.
- Transfer the meat mixture to the mashed potatoes bowl and mix well to combine.
- Break small portions of the dough, about 1 ½ tablespoons each one, and form each portion into a ball by rolling between the palms of your hands.
- Place the balls of dough between two pieces of plastic and roll each out very thinly to form a circle. Remove the top plastic and place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each.
- Then using the plastic underneath, fold the dough over to enclose the filling, forming a half circle. Tightly seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork.
- Fill a large pot with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to 360° F.
- Carefully place 3 or 4 empanadas at the time in the heated oil and fry for about 2 minutes until golden on all sides.
- Using a slotted spoon transfer the empanadas to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with ají and lime on the side.
Marisol
Finally the recipe I've been looking for! Empanadas encased in arepas. My husband and kids will eat these up so fast. And if they don't, I will!!!
Muchisimas Gracias!
Kimberly
Hi, my son loves empanadas de pollo. Shall I replace the beef with 1/2 pound of cooked shredded chicken? Thanks. I'm looking forward to making these. La Casona can be greasy.
Erica
Kimberly- You can replace the beef for chicken!!!
Enith
Hola Erica, yo soy Cartagenera Y me encanta que tengas estas resetas en Ingles para todos los estrangeros gue les gustan nuestra comida Colombiana.FELICITACIONES!!!!
connie caballero
Would you recommend a certain oil as mine we very oily but delicious.My son loved them
Erica
Connie- Just vegetable oil, but it has to be at the right temperature. Drain them on paper towel.
Claire
I made these last night and we loved them! They were crispy and perfect!
Torie
Yum! Thanks for a great recipe! I made these for a party, and they were a hit. Best empanadas I've ever made!
Erica
Torie- Thank you so much for your feedback! I really appreciate it.
C
Hi Erika, great recipe. I do have a question though. Can you bake the empanadas instead of deep fried them? if yes, then at what temperature oand and for how long? Thanks!
Erica
C- You can try baking them. In Colombia we always fry them.
Pam
Do you always have to use the pre cooked cornmeal? What about adding regular cornmeal and some flour to the dough recipe for baking purposes?
thanks!
Erica Dinho
It is different.
Carmen
Wow, I am so glad I just found your website. I have searched high and low to find the real deal Colombian empanadas like the ones I have had with my mother's family in Colombia. These look almost identical to the favorites I come back to when I am in Medellin. I watched them being in made in Medellin at my mother's house and they did not use bell pepper, so might omit that. Thank you so much!
Dulce Maria
I just found out your recipe in this web very exicited to know that our Empanadas are well recognized.
I lived in Miami starting a minicompany that making empanadas of meat and chiken just to find some information, if you let me know if you by any chance know any restaurants or private company want to get involved with me for large orders, at the presente time I have only few merchants wants to expand.
thanks very much.
Dulce
Milena McComas
Dear Erica,
Just wanted to share with you that thanks to this recipe "quede como una reina". As you know, these days we Colombians celebrate the "novena", it was at my house today and I made the empanadas and the rice pudding... everyone was literally licking their fingers!!!
Thank you ver much for these wonderful recipes!
Hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful Happy New Year!!
Erica
Milena-Thank you so much for the feedback and the wonderful comment!
Rob
Thanks for the reply Erica !
My main concern was when i tried to fold the meat in the masa it seemed like the masa would rip and tear and not hold the meat inside.
Will try it again like you suggest.
Have a Merry Christmas !
Rob
Question ?
Added 2 cups of water to the Dough or Masa and it was very soft.I mean kinda like oameal soft. Let it stand 20 minutes but still very soft. Paniced and added more precooked yellow cornmeal (masarepa) to make it thicker. Was i wrong by adding more cormeal or did i worry for no reason ?
Thanks
Erica
Rob-That was perfect!I do the same thing with my masa when is thin.
Caroline
Hi Erica, this is Caroline (the author of the comment posted on December 11). I finally made empanadas con aji last night, and we loved it! My husband was very happy. Thanks again.
Nancy
Por fin, durante a;os trate de prepararlas, pero solo con tu receta fue posible que mis hijos las comieran y me dijeran, estas si son empanadas Colombianas mami. Gracias mil !!!!!!!!!
Erica
Nancy- Muchas gracias por tu comentario! Me alegra que te gustaron 🙂
Caroline
I am Filipina, and my husband is Mexican. Empanadas are eaten in both of our cultures, and its neat to see (and eat!) different variations. Mexican empanadas are filled with fruit; Filipino empanadas are filled with ground beef, potatoes, and other vegetables.
I ate Colombian empanadas at a Hispanic heritage festival (many years ago), and I've been looking for the recipe since. I bought masarepa the other day, and I can't wait to try this. Thank you so much for sharing!
Martha
Tu blog esta super chevere. Podrias poner unos Buñuelitos? Para navidad.
Gracias