Empanadas Criollas (Argentine Baked Empanadas)

About This Recipe

Argentine empanadas criollas are the gold standard of the global empanada family: a buttery, flaky dough crimped in the repulgue (the decorative rope edge that identifies the filling) and packed with a deeply spiced beef picadillo made fragrant with cumin, paprika, and oregano, studded with chopped hard-boiled eggs and green olives. Every province of Argentina has its own version — Salta uses potato and chilli; Tucumán adds raisins; Mendoza uses a malbec-braised filling — but the iconic version from Buenos Aires and the Pampas uses pure beef, the two eggs, and the olives, seasoned with a brick-red colour from sweet paprika. Empanadas are made for sharing: a dozen on a tray at the centre of the table, eaten by hand, the repulgue pattern telling guests what's inside (one fold = beef; two folds = cheese; three = ham and cheese, etc.). They are baked in hot ovens until the dough blisters and browns, creating a contrast between the shatteringly crisp exterior and the juicy, aromatic filling that collapses with every bite.

Ingredients

Serves 24

• 500 gplain (all-purpose) flour
• 100 gcold lard or unsalted butter, diced
• 1 tspfine salt
• 150 mlwarm water
• 1 largeegg, lightly beaten (for glazing)
• 500 gbeef mince (15–20% fat)
• 2 largewhite onions, finely diced
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 2 tspsweet smoked paprika
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1 tspchilli flakes(optional)
• 3 largehard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
• 80 ggreen olives, pitted and sliced
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 100 mlbeef stock or water

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Rub cold lard or butter into flour and salt with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add warm water gradually, mixing until a smooth, pliable dough forms. Knead gently 2 minutes. Wrap in plastic and rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

2. 2

   Cook the filling

   Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté onions 8 minutes until soft. Add garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, and chilli; cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add beef mince, breaking up with a spoon, and cook until no pink remains. Add stock and simmer 5 minutes until the filling is juicy but not wet.

   The filling must be cooled completely before filling pastry — a warm filling steams the pastry and makes it soggy.

3. 3

   Finish the filling

   Remove from heat. Fold in chopped hard-boiled eggs and olives. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until completely cold.

4. 4

   Roll and cut

   On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 3 mm thickness. Cut rounds using a 12–14 cm cutter or the rim of a large cup. Re-roll scraps once.

5. 5

   Fill and seal

   Place 2 heaped tablespoons of filling in the centre of each round. Fold in half to form a half-moon. Pinch the edges firmly together, then crimp using the traditional repulgue: fold and twist the edge in a rope-like pattern.

   Press firmly — any gap in the seal will leak filling and filling leak burns onto the tray.

6. 6

   Glaze and bake

   Preheat oven to 220°C. Arrange empanadas on lined baking trays. Brush generously with beaten egg. Bake 20–25 minutes until deeply golden and blistered.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Rest 5 minutes before serving — the filling inside is molten. Serve with chimichurri or a salsa criolla (tomato, onion, capsicum).

Variations

• •

  Tucumán style: add 2 tbsp raisins and 1 tsp sugar to the beef filling.

• •

  Salteña: add diced potato and less chilli; slightly more moist filling.

• •

  Caprese: fill with fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomato, and basil for a vegetarian option.

Storage

Baked empanadas keep at room temperature up to 4 hours or refrigerated up to 2 days. Reheat in a 180°C oven for 8 minutes — never microwave. Raw assembled empanadas freeze well for up to 3 months; bake from frozen at 200°C for 30 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions