Flaky hand-crimped pastry half-moons filled with spiced beef, hard-boiled egg, and green olives — Argentina's most beloved savoury snack, baked golden.
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.
Serves 24
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Rest 5 minutes before serving — the filling inside is molten. Serve with chimichurri or a salsa criolla (tomato, onion, capsicum).
Lard produces a superior flaky texture compared to butter — if you can source it, use it. If you must use butter, freeze it first and grate it into the flour.
The filling improves overnight: make it the day before and refrigerate; the flavours meld and the texture firms up for cleaner filling.
Mark the empanadas by fold count to distinguish fillings at parties — this is the traditional Argentine code.
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.
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.
Empanadas arrived in Argentina with Spanish colonisers from Galicia, where empanadillas had been eaten since at least the medieval period. The criollo adaptation developed through the 18th and 19th centuries as local ingredients — beef from the Pampas, olives from Mendoza, local spice blends — replaced Iberian originals. Regional variations proliferated, and today empanadas are both a national pride and a source of intensely local loyalties: Salta argues its version is superior; Buenos Aires disagrees.
Yes — fry in oil at 175°C for about 4 minutes per side until deep golden. Fried empanadas are crispier outside but denser. In the northern provinces (Salta, Jujuy), fried empanadas are actually preferred.
Either the filling was too wet, the dough was too thin, or the seal wasn't pressed firmly enough. Ensure filling is cold and not dripping before filling, and press the crimped edge with conviction.
Yes — assemble and refrigerate unbaked for up to 24 hours, or freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from the refrigerator or add 5 minutes if coming from frozen.
Per serving (90g / 3.2 oz) · 24 servings total
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