These Beef Empanadas are so tasty, hyper yummy and very simple to make.  Made with a corn masa dough and a savory beef filling.  Love, love empanadas!!

Empanadas de Res

♦

How do you make empanadas with beef?

Beef Empanadas are so, so good! ????

It’s a comfort mexican appetizer/snack and a big staple food in Mexico.

Think about making these for a small gathering of friends.  But know this ahead of time, you will have to double or triple the recipe cause I promise you, your friends will not be able to just have one!

As you already know I make quite a few recipes with masa or cornflour dough.  And I know that maybe the idea of making dough for these beef empanadas may seem a little scary if you have never made masa before but, do not let your hesitation stop you.

Why miss out on making homemade beef empanadas only because you are afraid of giving it a try or scared that they won’t turn out right.

Like anything we want to learn in life, it may take some practice.  But I promise you, you won’t need much of it at all, as a matter of fact, I’m sure your fist batch will turn out perfectly delicious! ????

And think about these here that I made, they didn’t come out perfectly shaped and I’ve been making them forever. But you know, honestly, I believe it gives them character!

Trust me when I say to you, you will get it and believe me, in the end, a deliciously flavored beef, is what truly matters!

Easy beef empanada recipe

Every time I make these beef empanadas, it’s like everyone remembers once again how much they love these and I find myself making them on a run of two weeks!

Thank goodness this is an easy beef empanada recipe or I don’t know what would be of me!  ????

But seriously, they are just so tasty!

They’re savory little meat pies begging you to eat them!  And you know me, I could not sit back and let them feel unwanted and undesired!  🙂  So I chose to show them love and devour them, expressing all my love and appreciation to them. 🙂

One of the best things about beef empanadas is once they are made you can freeze them for future yumminess.

Cooked or uncooked they can be frozen.   Just wrap them individually in wax paper and then put them in a plastic container or ziploc bag.

So if you’re in the mood to make big batches one afternoon, just freeze them for an afternoon snack or appetizer, this is a great alternative. Use that extra Saturday energy to make a big batch for future consumption!!

NOTE:  For this recipe you can use any hot dipping sauce you would like but…… if you like you can make this salsa verde or green sauce that I made for my other Mexican Empanadas with Green Sauce recipe….it also includes the steps to forming the tortilla discs and hence empanadas!  

Although, I have also included the empanada steps here of course.

There is one exception, when you get to the picture of adding the empanada filling this picture will show you a picture of the ground beef I used in the Mexican Empanadas with Green Sauce not the beef chuck I used for this recipe of beef empanadas.

Follow masa recipe steps from recipe:

After mixing dough (masa) form into a size a little bigger than golf balls.

Get a large Ziploc bag and open sides so that you have two flaps. Place one ball on top of one side and cover with the other side of the plastic.

With a heavy pot or cast iron skillet press down to form a disc.

Add empanada filling (remember for this recipe I used beef chuck not the ground beef you see below)

Fold plastic flap over to connect with the other side of dough.  Seal by pressing down or pinching dough together with fingers.

Now remove the Ziploc cover and continue with the rest of the masa balls.

All done?!

Now let’s fry these babies up!

Also, you can bake these in a 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.  Just make sure to seal empanada really well using a fork instead or you stand the chance of having them open and leaking all the yumminess out during cooking.

Looking for a vegetarian empanada recipe?  You may like this recipe by Plant and Plate → Vegetarian Empanada.

Print

Beef Empanadas

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 mins

Total Time

1 hr 45 mins

 

These Beef Empanadas (recipe) are so tasty, hyper yummy and very simple to make. Made with a corn masa dough and a savory beef filling. Serve with salsa verde, red guajillo sauce or simply hot sauce. Absolutely delicious!

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 6

Calories: 303 kcal

Author: Mexican Appetizers and More

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups vegetable oil for frying

DOUGH (MASA) FOR EMPANADAS

• 2 Cups Maseca Corn Flour found in the Latin section of most supermarkets
• 1 1/2 Cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Ziploc bag for forming empanadas

RED SAUCE FOR MEAT

• 6 Guajillo peppers stem and seeds removed
• 2 Arbol peppers stem and seeds removed
• 3 garlic cloves peeled
• 4 roma tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• water

BEEF

• 1 Pound beef chuck or sirloin
• 2 garlic cloves peeled
• 1 onion peeled and quartered

Instructions

Cook Beef

1. Cut beef into small 2 inch cubes. Cook over medium heat with 2 cups of water, onion and garlic cloves for 1 1/2 hours or until tender.

Make Sauce

1. While beef is cooking, place all chile peppers and tomatoes in a sauce pan with enough water to almost submerge (3 cups). Cook for 20 minutes over medium heat until softened.
2. Remove peppers and tomatoes from sauce pan and place in a blender with garlic, cumin blend, salt and 1 cup of the water the peppers and tomatoes were cooked in. Blend until smooth.
3. Finally strain sauce through a strainer to remove extra pepper skin and seeds. Press down with a spoon to get as much sauce as possible (could even add a little water through strainer to make it easier).
4. Add sauce to the beef (can reserve a little to use for dipping once the empanadas are done). Once beef is cooked, shred beef with a fork if needed so its not in chunks.

Make Dough

1. Mix corn flour, warm water and salt (optional) together in a bowl. Knead dough until smooth. Divide dough into 6 to 12 balls depending how big you want your empanadas to be. (form balls in between both hands).
2. Cover with a damp cloth or paper towels so the dough doesn't dry while you start to make the empanadas.

Forming Empanadas

1. Take the Ziploc bag and open sides (with scissors or just pull apart with hands) so that you have two flaps (refer to pictures).
2. Now place one ball in between the 2 pieces of plastic (could also use wax paper) and with a heavy pot, press down to form a round disc.
3. Remove top wrap and spoon 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture to the center of it. Make sure to leave enough space to be able to seal the empanada. Fold over plastic to form a half moon. Press down on the edges.
4. Remove empanada from plastic and set empanada aside on a tray. Cover with a damp cloth or paper towel. Repeat process with the other balls.

Frying Empanadas

1. Add oil to a skillet and heat until hot. Fry empanadas until golden brown on both sides. (About 2 minutes on each side).

2. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with any hot sauce of your liking or serve with the optional sauces.  Enjoy!!

Nutrition Facts

Beef Empanadas

Amount Per Serving

Calories 303

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Leave me your comments and let me know what’s your favorite beef empanada recipe or if this one is one you will be making anytime soon.