Empanadas de Carne Colombianas (Colombian Fried Beef Empanadas)

About This Recipe

Colombian empanadas de carne are categorically different from their Argentine or Chilean relatives: the shell is made from masarepa (precooked corn flour), not wheat pastry, making them naturally gluten-free and producing a thinner, crispier, more translucent crust when fried. The filling is a papas-y-carne mixture — spiced ground beef cooked with potatoes, hogao, and cumin until tender — that is starchy and savoury, with the potato adding body and substance. Colombian empanadas are always fried (never baked in the traditional street version) in hot oil until the corn shell blisters into a deeply golden, almost brittle crust. They are folded into half-moons, the edges crimped firmly, and fried in batches at street stalls across Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín. The obligatory accompaniment is ají verde — a bright, herbaceous, slightly spicy green sauce made from cilantro, spring onion, lime juice, and ají peppers. Eating a Colombian empanada means: bite, dip in ají, continue. They are sold by the dozen at office doorways, university canteens, and corner tiendas — the original Colombian fast food.

Ingredients

Serves 20

• 400 gmasarepa (precooked corn flour, e.g. P.A.N.)
• 480 mlwarm water
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbspneutral oil
• 300 gbeef mince
• 300 gwhite potato, peeled and finely diced
• 2 mediumwhite onions, finely diced
• 3 mediumripe tomatoes, finely diced
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspsazon or annatto powder
• 2 tbspfresh cilantro, chopped
• 700 mlneutral oil for frying
• 1 bunchcilantro (for ají verde)
• 3spring onions (for ají verde)
• 2ají verde or jalapeño chillies (for ají verde)
• 2limes, juiced (for ají verde)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the filling

   Sauté onion and garlic in a pan with 1 tbsp oil until soft. Add diced potato, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Add tomato, cumin, and sazon; cook 8 minutes to a hogao base. Add beef mince, breaking up finely. Cook until dry and browned, 10 minutes. Season with salt and stir in cilantro. Cool completely.

2. 2

   Make the corn dough

   Mix masarepa, salt, oil, and warm water until a smooth, pliable dough forms. Rest 5 minutes. The dough should feel like soft playdough and hold together without crumbling.

3. 3

   Portion dough

   Divide dough into 20 balls (about 50 g each). Keep covered with a damp towel to prevent drying.

4. 4

   Shape empanadas

   Press each ball between two sheets of plastic wrap into a thin round, about 12 cm in diameter and 2–3 mm thick. Place 1.5 tbsp of filling on one half.

   Thinner dough means crispier empanadas. Use a tortilla press or a smooth heavy pan for even thickness.

5. 5

   Seal

   Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon. Crimp the edge firmly by folding and pressing with a fork or your thumb. Check for cracks or gaps and patch — any opening will let oil in and filling out.

6. 6

   Make ají verde

   Blend cilantro, spring onions, chilli, lime juice, salt, and 2 tbsp water to a bright green sauce. Adjust heat and salt.

7. 7

   Fry

   Heat oil to 180°C in a deep pot. Fry empanadas in batches of 4, turning, until golden and blistered, about 4–5 minutes total. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with ají verde.

Variations

• •

  Empanadas de pipián: fill with a pumpkin-seed-based green sauce instead of beef.

• •

  Vegetarian: fill with lentils, diced potato, and hogao.

• •

  Baked version: brush with oil and bake at 220°C for 15–18 minutes — less crispy but lighter.

Storage

Fried empanadas must be eaten immediately — they soften within 30 minutes. Assemble raw empanadas ahead and refrigerate up to 12 hours before frying. Freeze assembled unbaked for up to 1 month; fry from frozen at 170°C for 7–8 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions