Those extremely flavorful vegan empanadas have a flaky, crispy wrapper encasing a savory filling of black beans, potatoes and extra veggies. They’re baked, now not fried. Serve with a zesty tomato salsa or salsa verde for a filling snack or meal!

It’s arduous for just about somebody to withstand an empanada, a crescent, turnover-like pastry made through stuffing a flaky, crispy wrapper with a highly spiced, mouthwatering filling.
In Spain and within the Latin American international locations, the place empanadas have been born and popularized, the filling is continuously made with red meat, red meat or cheese. However nowadays I’ve for you an excessively vegan however simply as scrumptious empanada with a delectable, highly spiced filling of black beans and veggies.
Empanadas are continuously deep-fried however those vegan black bean empanadas are baked, which, at the side of the wholesome filling, additionally makes them a long way higher for you.
In case you are feeding choosy eaters who flip up their noses at beans and veggies, it is a nice meals to lead them to start to love them. The crispy wrapper makes those empanadas impossible to resist, particularly while you serve them with a zesty salsa for dipping.
Desk of Contents
Why you’re going to love this recipe
- Crispy, flaky and highly spiced. The pie-crust-like pastry wrapper crunches deliciously as you chew into the empanadas, making a fantastic foil for the delicate beans and veggies. You’ll make those empanadas as highly spiced as you favor through reducing down at the cayenne and floor black pepper.
- Simple. You are going to be making the dough for the wrappers and the filling from scratch. However this vegan empanada recipe isn’t difficult whatsoever and even though you could be just a little slower when you are making those empanadas for the primary time, you’re going to style candy luck as long as you practice directions.
- Wholesome and filling. You are going to want flour and vegan butter for the empanada dough, however the filling is so, so excellent for you as a result of it’s loaded with beans and veggies. Simply the sort of massive, six-inch empanadas is slightly filling and will make a small meal. It has simply 329 energy, 9 grams of protein and 7 grams of nutritional fiber.
- Soy-free, nut-free and vegan. See Recipe FAQs under for recommendations on making the wrapper gluten-free.
Elements
Take a look at recipe card under for precise measurements and amounts of elements.
For the empanada pastry dough
- All-purpose flour. You’ll change part the all-purpose flour with complete wheat flour for a more fit empanada.
- Corn starch. You simply desire a tablespoon and it is helping stay the wrapper very flaky within the absence of lard, which is used historically to make empanada wrappers.
- Vegan butter. You’ll change this with delicate coconut oil that is forged at room temperature.
For the black bean filling
- Greens: onions, celery, carrots and potatoes.
- Garlic. I love a lot of garlic on this recipe.
- Spices: floor cumin, chili powder, floor black pepper, cinnamon and cayenne or paprika (smoked paprika, when you’ve got it, would upload a pleasant hit of smokiness). You’ll tweak the spices to make the filling much less highly spiced.
- Black beans. Use canned black beans or get started with dried black beans and cook dinner them till delicate. If the usage of canned beans rinse them underneath operating water.
- Tomato paste. This provides scrumptious umami and ties the entire flavors within the filling in combination.
- Raisins. Those are non-compulsory however they upload a pleasant taste variation within the highly spiced filling.
The right way to make vegan empanadas

Warmth olive oil in skillet or frying pan over medium warmth. Upload onions, carrots and celery.

Upload a teaspoon of salt and floor black pepper to style. Saute till the veggies start to flip comfortable.

Stir in garlic and saute for a minute.

Upload the potatoes and tomato paste and blend neatly.

Stir within the spices–ground cumin, chili powder, cayenne and cinnamon. Quilt and cook dinner till potatoes are delicate, over low warmth. You’ll upload a tablespoon or two of water if the greens start to stick.

As soon as the potatoes are delicate, upload the black beans and blend them in.

Proceed cooking the filling till warmed thru. There will have to be no visual moisture.

Stir within the raisins and switch off warmth.

To make the dough wrapper, position the flour, cornstarch and salt in a meals processor or bowl. Pulse for 5 seconds to combine. If the usage of a bowl, whisk in combination.

Upload the cubed butter to the meals processor or bowl.

Pulse for a couple of seconds till the flour is crumbly with the butter frivolously dispersed. In case you are the usage of a bowl, lower the butter in with a fork till the flour appears crumbly.

With the feed tube open, trickle in water into the meals processor till a dough comes in combination. Check out to not overmoisten the dough–there will have to nonetheless be a couple of dry bits on the backside. Temporarily shape the dough right into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for quarter-hour.

Divide the dough in part. Operating with one part of the dough, roll it out on a floured floor to a thickness of ¼th of an inch. Use a six-inch bowl or cookie cutter to chop out a disc. I would not have a cookie cutter that massive so I used a bowl.

Position two heaping tablespoons of the filling just a little off-center within the disc. Moisten the perimeters of the disc with water.

Fold the dough to encase the filling. Press the perimeters in combination to seal and fold over for a fluted, ornamental edge, or press the perimeters with the tines of a fork. Both means you wish to have to create a good seal.

Position the empanadas on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375-degree Fahrenheit/190-degree Celsius oven for 40 mins or till golden brown. For higher colour, you’ll brush some olive oil at the empanadas sooner than striking them within the oven.

Useful guidelines
- In case you are cooking black beans from scratch, get started with 1 cup dried beans. I cook dinner the dried beans with 4 cups water within the Quick Pot set to the “beans” serve as or for 35 mins on guide power. It makes the easiest black beans with out a soaking wanted.
- If the usage of canned beans, rinse them totally underneath operating water first.
- Be sure to upload tired beans to the pot with out a moisture. You need the filling to haven’t any visual moisture.
- If you wish to make smaller empanadas, use a four-inch cookie cutter or bowl. You will have to get 12-14 empanadas.
- You’ll upload different veggies to the filling, however ideally upload veggies that would possibly not categorical an excessive amount of moisture. Candy potatoes could be a pleasant selection, as would cauliflower, spinach, inexperienced peas or bell peppers. For those who upload mushrooms or zucchini make sure to cook dinner out the entire moisture.
- Reduce the veggies in a small cube and ensure they’re delicate. That means they would possibly not stick out of the wrapper after you’ve got shaped the empanadas.
- For a pleasant golden-brown colour at the empanadas, brush the empanadas simply sooner than they cross into the oven with some olive oil. Or make a vegan egg wash through blending a tablespoon of non-dairy milk with a tablespoon of oil and brush it over the empanadas.
Serving tips
Recipe FAQs
You probably have some filling left over, use it as a filling for tacos or burritos. Or make extra empanada wrapper dough and make extra empanadas!
I have never attempted making the recipe with gluten-free flour however I have had luck up to now creating a pie dough with gf flour (just like the crust for this vegan gluten-free French onion tart). You’ll use that recipe to make a gf empanada wrapper.
Garage directions
- Refrigerate: The empanadas may also be refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze the empanadas in a freezer-safe bag or container for as much as 4 months.
- Reheat: Reheat the empanadas immediately out of the refrigerator or freezer in a 350-degree oven till warmed thru.
Extra scrumptious Latin American recipes
For those who love those vegan enchiladas, take a look at extra Mexican recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!


Vegan Empanadas Recipe
Those extremely flavorful vegan empanadas have a flaky, crispy wrapper encasing a highly spiced filling of black beans, potatoes and extra veggies. They’re baked, now not fried. Serve with a zesty salsa for a filling snack or meal!
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Overview Recipe
Servings: 10 six-inch empanadas
Energy: 329kcal
Elements
For the empanada pastry duvet
For the black bean filling
Save you your display screen from going darkish
Directions
Make the black bean filling
-
Warmth olive oil in skillet. Upload onions, carrots and celery.
-
Upload a teaspoon of salt and floor black pepper to style. Saute till the veggies start to flip comfortable.
-
Stir in garlic and saute for a minute. Then upload the potatoes and tomato paste and blend neatly.
-
Stir within the spices–ground cumin, chili powder, cayenne and cinnamon. Quilt and cook dinner over low warmth till potatoes are delicate. You’ll upload a tablespoon or two of water if the greens start to stick.
-
As soon as the potatoes are delicate, upload the tired black beans and blend them in. Proceed cooking the filling till warmed thru. There will have to be no visual moisture. Stir within the raisins, take a look at salt and upload extra if wanted, and switch off warmth.
Make the empanada dough
-
Position the flour, cornstarch and salt in a meals processor or bowl. Pulse for 5 seconds to combine. If the usage of a bowl, whisk in combination. Upload the cubed butter to the meals processor or bowl.
-
Pulse for a couple of seconds till the flour is crumbly with the butter frivolously dispersed. In case you are the usage of a bowl, lower the butter in with a fork till the flour appears crumbly.
-
With the feed tube open, trickle water into the meals processor till a dough comes in combination. Check out to not overmoisten the dough–there will have to nonetheless be a couple of dry bits on the backside. Temporarily shape the dough right into a disc, wrap in hold wrap and refrigerate for quarter-hour.
Collect the vegan empanadas
-
Preheat oven to 375 levels Fahrenheit/190 levels Celsius.
-
Divide the dough in part. Operating with one part of the dough at a time, roll it out on a floured floor to a thickness of ¼th of an inch. Use a six-inch bowl or cookie cutter to chop out a disc. I would not have a cookie cutter that massive so I used a bowl.
-
Position two heaping tablespoons of the filling just a little off-center within the disc. Moisten the perimeters of the disc with water.
-
Fold the dough to encase the filling. Press the perimeters in combination to seal and fold over for a fluted, ornamental edge, or press the perimeters with the tines of a fork. Both means you wish to have to create a good seal.
-
Position the empanadas on a baking sheet and bake for 40 mins or till golden brown. For higher colour, you’ll brush some olive oil at the empanadas sooner than striking them within the oven.
-
Serve scorching or heat.
Recipe notes
- In case you are cooking black beans from scratch, get started with 1 cup dried beans. I cook dinner the dried beans with 4 cups water within the Quick Pot set to the “beans” serve as or for 35 mins on guide power. It makes the easiest black beans with out a soaking wanted.
- If the usage of canned beans, rinse them totally underneath operating water first.
- Be sure to upload tired beans to the pot with out a moisture. You need the filling to haven’t any visual moisture.
- If you wish to make smaller empanadas, use a four-inch cookie cutter or bowl. You will have to get 12-14 empanadas.
- You’ll upload different veggies to the filling, however ideally upload veggies that would possibly not categorical an excessive amount of moisture. Candy potatoes could be a pleasant selection, as would cauliflower. For those who upload mushrooms or zucchini make sure to cook dinner out the entire moisture.
- Reduce the veggies in a small cube and ensure they’re delicate. That means they would possibly not stick out of the wrapper after you’ve got shaped the empanadas.
- For a pleasant golden-brown colour at the empanadas, brush the empanadas simply sooner than they cross into the oven with some olive oil.
Garage directions
- Refrigerate: The empanadas may also be refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze the empanadas in a freezer-safe bag or container for as much as 4 months.
- Reheat: Reheat the empanadas in a 350-degree oven till warmed thru.
Vitamin
Serving: 1empanada | Energy: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 9g | Fats: 11g | Saturated Fats: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 3g | Monounsaturated Fats: 5g | Trans Fats: 2g | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 1g | Nutrition A: 1674IU | Nutrition C: 9mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg