Empanada Dough Recipe Made With 5 Ingredients

This empanada dough recipe makes tender and flaky empanada discs from scratch with just 5 simple ingredients. You can fill them with anything you want for a quick and tasty appetizer or main meal. And you can save them for another time since this empanada dough is totally freezer-friendly!

THE BEST EMPANADA DOUGH

This empanada dough is just what you need to whip up fast and effortless empanadas whenever you want.

If you've ever had empanadas, then you already know that they're one of the most versatile and delicious pastries you can make.

They're wonderfully flaky, packed with savory or sweet fillings, and are just so delicious to eat for a variety of different occasions like celebrations or just a weeknight dinner.

Plus, they're a guaranteed crowd favorite - both adults and kids love them. Seriously, every time I make this empanada dough,  everyone devours whatever it's used for! 

And this recipe comes together with just 5 ingredients and only takes about 15 minutes of work - the rest is just letting your dough sit. Then, just freeze it, and you'll have dough for frying anytime you want!

You can use it to make these chicken empanadas, beef empanadas, and apple empanadas! Every one of these filled empanadas can be cooked three different ways - fried, baked, or air fried. And they are all delicious fillings, so I highly suggest you try them all!

INGREDIENTS FOR EMPANADA DOUGH

As I mentioned, I really love this homemade empanada dough because it literally has just 5 ingredients.

And on top of that, they're all super common pantry staples, so there's a pretty good chance you have everything in your kitchen already. This means nothing is stopping you from making empanadas for dinner tonight!

With that being said, here's what you'll need for making empanada dough:

• Wheat Flour
• Milk
• Vegetable Oil
• Egg
• Salt

As I said, super simple stuff to make these empanada molds.

But if you do have to go to the grocery store to restock on any of these ingredients, be sure to pick up a packet of dry instant yeast. Then you'll have everything you need to make this Instant Pot bread or Turkish bread next!

By the way, if you want to make gluten free empanada dough, just use any gluten free flour!

HOW TO MAKE EMPANADA DOUGH

So, this homemade empanada dough is as straightforward as it gets. Like most pastry doughs, all you have to do is combine the ingredients, knead and rest the dough, then roll it out and cut out each empanada disc.

Now, because this recipe is so easy, I like to make extras and store them in the freezer for quick empanadas anytime. So if you love empanadas as much as I do, I highly recommend doubling or tripling this easy dough recipe.

Anyway, let's dive into the details and get into making homemade empanada dough!

STEP 1: PREPARING THE DOUGH

First, sift the wheat flour into a bowl to eliminate any clumps. Then, make a hole in the middle of it and add the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and salt to the hole and mix the flour with these ingredients to incorporate everything until it is well-combined.

Now, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 5 minutes - or until the dough is completely smooth and a little sticky.

Then, place the dough back into the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it sit for about 2 hours.

STEP 2: ROLLING AND CUTTING

Once you've rested the pastry dough, take it out, and transfer it to a flat working surface with some flour on it. Then, sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll the dough until it's ⅕ inch or ½ centimeter thick.

Now you can use a round cutter to cut the pie dough. And the number of empanada dough discs you make will depend on the size of your cutter - I used a 3-inch diameter cookie cutter, and that made make 24 discs.

Oh, and if you still have dough left over after cutting your discs, you can just roll it up and flatten it out again so you can cut more out.

And there you have it! You can fill them and use your homemade empanada dough for frying right away or freeze them for later.

FREEZING EMPANADA DOUGH

So, if you're not using all of this homemade empanada dough immediately, you can freeze it and fill the discs whenever you want!

To freeze empanada dough, cut some parchment paper into squares and place them between the discs to prevent them from sticking together. 

Then, transfer your leftover pie dough into a freezer bag, and you can freeze for up to 3 months!

FAQS ABOUT THIS EMPANADA DOUGH RECIPE

DO YOU HAVE TO DEFROST THIS EMPANADA DOUGH?

Yes, you'll want to defrost your empanada dough before using it. However, it should only take around 15 minutes to thaw the dough if it's out at room temperature.

By the way, the discs can get pretty sticky, so you might want to put the discs on a tray lined with parchment paper while you thaw them - and avoid stacking them while they defrost.

CAN YOU BAKE THIS EMPANADA DOUGH?

Yes! You can either bake the empanada dough after filling it, make fried empanadas on the stovetop, or, my favorite method, use the air fryer.

WHAT CAN YOU FILL EMPANADA DOUGH WITH?

The best thing about empanada dough is that you can fill it with practically anything. Seriously, you can make any empanada recipes with this homemade empanada dough. My favorite savory fillings are chicken empanadas and beef empanadas, particularly the two savory filling recipes I mentioned earlier. And my favorite sweet empanadas have to be my apple cinnamon one I mentioned earlier as well. So if you missed those, you'll want to go back to the first section of this recipe for my filling ideas!

WRAPPING IT ALL UP

Making homemade empanada dough has never been easier! Seriously, this is one of the easiest dough recipes you can make, and it's also one of the most versatile.

I always like to have a batch of the prepared dough stored in my freezer to whip up some quick and easy empanada recipes whenever the cravings hit.

They're perfect for busy weeknights or big parties too! And, honestly, whether I use the dough to make savory or sweet empanadas, they're always a huge hit with family and friends.

Well, I hope you like this easy empanada dough recipe as much as my family and I do. If you make it, be sure to let me know in the comments how it went. I'd also love to know what you filled it with!

More Easy Recipes

Looking for more delicious recipes to try next? Well, I hope so because we have a ton of easy recipes on the blog!

Check out all of these:

• Fideo soup
• Birria tacos
• Dumplings
• Sweet corn cake
• Quesadilla burger
• Beef pot pie
• Taco casserole with Doritos

Oh, and for more easy recipes, make sure to check out our Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

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