How to Make Empanada Dough (Masa Para Empanadas) in 6 Easy Steps (2024)

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Latin American Food
South American Food
South American Appetizers

Marian Blazes

Marian Blazes is a freelance writer and recipe developer with a passion for South American food. She wrote a cookbook focusing on the cuisine of Brazil.

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Updated on 06/18/24

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Tracy Wilk

Tested byTracy Wilk

Tracy Wilk is a professional pastry chef, recipe developer and chef instructor, and, most importantly, a firm believer in sprinkles.

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Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 0 mins

Chill: 60 mins

Total: 80 mins

Servings: 10to 12 servings

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326 ratings

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If you've wanted to learn how to make empanada dough, then you've come to the right place. This recipe produces a slightly sweet pastry that contrasts perfectly with savory fillings. Empanada dough is less flaky than pie crust (although you can substitute frozen pie crust dough in a pinch). It has a more tender texture that soaks up the filling without becoming soggy.

How to Make Empanada Dough (Masa Para Empanadas) in 6 Easy Steps (2)

This dough can be used for baked or fried empanadas, which are both great handheld dishes. The term empanada roughly translates to "wrap in bread," a fitting name as they are made by wrapping the dough around a filling.

Empanadas are originally from the northwest of Spain, but many Latin American countries have their own recipes. Empanadas can have many different fillings including beef, chicken, beans, cheese, and yes, even pizza toppings. Some restaurants make sweet empanadas by filling them with fruit pie filling or chocolate. Once you've made this dough, you can choose to go as traditional or creative with the filling as you please.

What Can You Substitute for Empanada Dough?

If you're looking for a shortcut, store-bought pie dough can be used to make empanadas. You may need to roll the dough out slightly thinner—it will produce a flakier result than typical empanada dough and is better for baking than frying.

Tips for Making Empanada Dough

No leaks! - Seal the empanadas tightly so they don't leak in the oven.
Keep it crispy - To keep fried empanadas crispy, let them drain over a cooling rack set on a baking sheet, which allows the air to circulate all sides, preventing sogginess.

What You'll Need to Make This Masa Para Empandas Recipe

A Handy Dandy Flour Sifter

A Great Whisk

A Nice Rolling Pin

"What I love about this dough is it’s essentially a vessel to make any kind of dish you’d like. You could turn them into sweet pastries or utilize leftover rotisserie chicken to make shredded chicken empanadas. Whatever you’re looking for would work great. To get flaky pastry, be careful not to overwork your dough." —Tracy Wilk

How to Make Empanada Dough (Masa Para Empanadas) in 6 Easy Steps (6)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup lard or vegetable shortening, chilled
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
3/4 to 1 cup water

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Sift 4 cups all-purpose flour into a bowl. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3 tablespoons sugar.
Cut 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter and 3/4 cup lard (or shortening) into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with 2 butter knives until fairly well blended.
Whisk 2 large egg yolks with 3/4 cup water. Stir in 1/2 cup of the water-egg mixture, a little bit at a time, until the dough starts to come together smoothly, adding more as needed.
Keep kneading the dough, adding more of the water-egg mixture as needed (you may need a few tablespoons extra of water), until the dough is smooth. The dough will seem a bit shaggy until it has thoroughly chilled.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour. When ready to use, the dough should be soft and smooth, not elastic. If you poke the dough with your finger, the indentation should remain.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into desired thickness before cutting.
Use in your desired recipe and enjoy.

How to Store and Freeze

If you decide you'd like to make the dough in advance, it can be kept wrapped in the refrigerator for up to two days.
You can freeze empanada dough, tightly wrapped, for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before rolling out and using.
You can also freeze unbaked filled empanadas. Place on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer to a zip-top freezer bag and use within two months. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time. Don't fry frozen empanadas.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

When frying the empanadas - omit the egg yolk, and roll the dough out slightly thinner (less than 1/4 inch thick).
Sweet or savory - We recommend using 1 teaspoon of salt for sweet empanadas and 1 1/2 teaspoons for savory, or to taste.

Empanadas de Pollo (Chicken Empanadas)

South American Appetizers
Pastries
Latin American Food
South American Food

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
313	Calories
16g	Fat
35g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10to 12
Amount per serving
Calories	313
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g	21%
Saturated Fat 7g	33%
Cholesterol 64mg	21%
Sodium 305mg	13%
Total Carbohydrate 35g	13%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 14mg	1%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 58mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

dough
empanada dough
snack
latin

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