Traditionally a beautiful Argentinian delight, you’ll find these gluten free and keto empanadas to be bursting with flavor and all wrapped up in a suuuper flaky low carb pie crust!
Gluten Free & Keto Empanadas
Suuuper Flaky!
That’s right, empanadas are a true delight, which we’ve adopted here in Mexico as our own (a no-brainer!).
This version, however, is a bit more on the traditional Argentinian side; with the addition of green olives being non-negotiable!
Bonus: they’re very filling! So you can easily get 8 empanadas out of a batch of dough (they’re not very big traditionally), bake them up, freeze, and warm up as needed.
Alternatively, they also freeze quite well unbaked. So if you’re all about fresh empanadas, simply bake them straight from them freezer when the need (i.e. desire) arises.
Bonus numero dos: they’re easy. The filling is stupidly simple (like most great things in life!), and while working with the pie crust does take a little practice- freshly made empanadas are hard to beat!
The Deets
Many of you already know and love my gluten free & keto pie crust. Suuuper flaky and a breeze to make, I’ve already used it anywhere from strawberry pop tarts to quiche and numerous keto pies (think pumpkin and ‘apple’!!).
The one trick is to work quickly and in a cool place. And if at any moment the dough feels unmanageable, simply pop it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Note: a few of you have reported back that using an ‘empanda press‘ to handle the dough makes the process absolutely seamless (and I’m dying to try!).
And do keep in mind that as the filling expands while baked, it will crack your pastry slightly. Honestly don’t sweat it, as the only way around this would be to increase the xanthan gum to make up for the lack of gluten. But that would mean less flakiness, and I’m just not into sacrificing taste and texture for looks.
And… the video story!
Gluten Free & Keto Empanadas (with a flaky pie crust!)
Ingredients
Special equipment
- empanda press optional
For the pie crust
- 1 batch gluten free & keto pie crust *
For the beef filling
- extra virgin olive oil for cooking
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/3 onion very finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon xylitol or sweetener of choice
- 1/2 cup pitted green olives rinsed well and halved lengthwise
- 1 egg lightly beaten for egg wash
Instructions
- See recipe video for guidance on the pie crust!
- Make a batch of our keto pie crust and chill while you make the filling.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook beef, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned but not completely cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat in pan as possible.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook onion and bell pepper, stir- ring, until tender but not browned, 6–8 minutes; season with salt and black pepper. Add cumin, paprika, oregano, and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and reserved beef along with any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in sug- ar and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until most of the liquid is evaporated, 15–20 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, allow to come to room temperature, cover, and chill at least 3 hours
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C and line a baking tray with a mat.
- Roll out dough between parchment paper and cut out 8 rounds. Place 2-3 tablespoons filling (depending on the size of your em- panadas) in the center of each round and top with a couple olive halves. Fold round over filling and pinch edges to seal, using a fork to crimp the edges. Transfer empanada to prepared tray, spacing 1” apart. Repeat with remaining rounds (you’ll get about roughly 8 large empanadas out of a batch).
- Note: a few of you have reported back that using an 'empanda press' to handle the dough makes the process absolutely seamless (and I'm dying to try!).
- Brush with egg wash and bake, rotating tray halfway through, until golden brown and slightly darker around the edges, 25–35 minutes.
My food processor broke. Think i could mix the dough for the crust w a stand mixer and get the same results?
Empanadas are from Chile
I used the empanada press and they stuck to it. I tried again but using the parchment paper on the press and it worked much better.
Empanadas are not only an Argentine delicacy, but they are also of Spanish origin, adopted throughout the Latin American continent, Empanadas are the epitome of colonial cuisine with different versions in each country.
Loved the recipe
I air fried them for about minutes and they came out delicious
Made this. The dough was GREAT. Tried rolling between parchment paper and then cling film. Struggled with the parchment as dough would stick, but cling film worked like a charm. Did not even need to cool it first.
Tried these for the first time… I filled them with pizza sauce and mozzarella and shredded Parmesan cheese… they were delicious! Obviously the texture isn’t exactly like empanadas, but it does get crunchy as long as you bake them at a high enough temp. The dough was easy to make but difficult to work with… definitely get an empanada press to make these… you have to sprinkle extra coconut flour while rolling them out and cutting/pressing them. You have to keep the Dough in the freezer. I’d take out just enough dough to make one empanada at a time because as soon as the dough got even slightly warm it started to stick and become impossible to work with. Also, in my experience if you roll them too thin they break them way too much. I definitely recommend! These hit the spot for my empanada craving.
Tried these for the first time… I filled them with pizza sauce and mozzarella and shredded Parmesan cheese… they were delicious! Obviously the texture isn’t exactly like empanadas, but it does get crunchy as long as you bake them at a high enough temp. The dough was easy to make but difficult to work with… definitely get an empanada press to make these… you have to sprinkle extra coconut flour while rolling them out and cutting/pressing them. You have to keep the Dough in the freezer. I’d take out just enough dough to make one empanada at a time because as soon as the dough got even slightly warm it started to stick and become impossible to work with. Also, in my experience if you roll them too thin they break them way too much. I definitely recommend! These hit the spot for my empanada craving.
I am obsessed with this dough!!! Made savoury and sweet!!! Love love love it.
I was wondering, could I make the empanadas a head of time and then freeze for a quick weeknight dinner?
I try and prep as many meals a head of time as possible because of my work schedule
To what thickness to roll out dough for empanadas?
Still need to work on these. I’m thinking I over-processed the dough as it came to a ball in my food processor before I could stop it. Was trying to make Nigerian meat pies. Putting it all together was a struggle and lesson in patience, ha! I didn’t think my kitchen was too warm but the crust would just fall apart as I tried to mold into the pies. Had to work between 5-10 minutes in freezer and 5 or less minutes to form. Gave up on folding and used dough as halves to make circular pies, smh.
….BUT. taste is 10/10. After bringing my ugly, sad-form pies out of the oven and taking the first bite, couldn’t even tell the difference from traditional meat pie. Dough was crisp, buttery, and flakey as desired. So..more practice it is. Thank you, Paola.
I am so happy with this recipe! I found the empanada maker too difficult and was more successful without it. I baked them in an air fryer at 330 degrees for 8 minutes–perfection! I feared I would never eat an empanada again, but these are wonderful and I am so grateful.
Hi could I omit the cream cheese? Maybe use more butter in place of the cream cheese?. For some reason my son cannot do cream cheese but he can do butter.
Oh my growling stomach! These are gorgeous and irresistible.
Hope you’re feeling better.
MW
Thank you Mary!! I am doing a lot better thank you for asking (physical therapy has been a bit overwhelming, but so grateful to start moving more :)!!) big kiss friend
Can you tell me how to convert to cups?
Click on US Cups below the ingredients Merc 😉
I cant see the cup conversion either? normally I do just not this time?
There’s no conversion for this one :-S. I just did it in cups! I figured we don’t need that much precision for the filing as we do in baking xo!
I finally got around to making these and they are soooo good! I’ve made the chili empanadas numerous times using left over chili, never really seeing any point in making a separate filling. OMG! I had no idea what I was missing! Wonderful stuff! I used a full pound of beef and doubled everything else as well, then froze what was left of the meat mixture after making 8 empanadas. I’m pretty sure I’ll use it to make more empanadas once these are gone, but I think it would be also great on a bed of lettuce, topped with cheese, avocado, sour cream or crema, salsa, etc. to make a taco salad. Sorry, just came off a 12 day egg fast and craving anything crisp and green! 😂
Could you possibly update this recipe with photos of the filing? It’s pretty difficult to tell how it’s supposed to look, especially when you say to keep all the oil in the pan… you also don’t specify how small to chop the bell pepper. Thanks for reading.
Does the meat need to chill for three hours before making it?
I usually just refrigerate it for an hour and I have never has an issue
I have really been missing empanadas since I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. Thank you for this super delicious recipe!!! I made it and froze some. They are soooooo delicious and the crust is nice and flaky!!! Thank you Paola! You made my day!
Liz
I just made these empanadas and they turned out great!! The dough is very difficult to handle and I’m in awe at how yours turned out so pretty. I egg washed mine, but because of the coconut flour used to keep them from sticking, the egg was soaked up like a sponge. They final empanada was flakey, tender and delicious. I also baked for about 15 min and then used the convection oven feature for another 10 min. They were nicely browned and the edges we’re buttery yum yum! Thanks for the great recipes!! Oh, one question, could you add sugar to this for some cookie yumminess?
I have only recently discovered your website and I am not overstating it that this is life changing. I’ve now made your pasta and pastry dough (two things I’ve missed since going keto 2-ish years ago) and will be working my way through the other recipes. I am so grateful for your hard work creating these recipes and I will be purchasing your cookbook as my way of supporting you and saying thank you.
Hi Paola, I‘m relative new to your website, and I have already tried a couple of recipes. My husband was skeptical at the beginning with these empanadas, and thrilled after tasting them. I love your website and the recipes, I‘ll post them in my Pinterest account!
How big are the circles of crust cut? This doesn’t seem like enough dough to cut 8. My dough also still has big clumps of butter and looks streaky. Maybe I didn’t process the butter enough before adding the egg?
What size Empanada press = 8 rounds? It comes in 4,5,6 ”
If you know, it will save me time.
Thanks
Zoe
Im wondering the same thing
Perfect recipe…. Thank you so much…
My pleasure!
I made these empanadas last night, they were delicious. First time working with pie crust. It was a bit tricky, I would recommend letting the dough chill for more than an hour. I was in a time crunch and only let mine chill for a hour which made it difficult to work with but the end product was well worth it. Thank you for a great recipe.
Paola so sorry to read you had an accident. Hope you are recovering to your full self. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes. Pray for continued good health.
Your fan, Jane Augustine
These were tasty, well… I only had one my son ate the rest. 🙁
😂!! That’s awesome to hear Genia!
Paola,
I’ve noticed that this empanada recipe was re-released today as a new recipe, as well as your flakey pie crust was re-released last month as a new recipe. I’m wondering what has been changed in either recipe from when you originally posted them? I can’t figure it out, and don’t see that it’s identified in the new posting. For the pie crust especially, it would help me to know how it’s been changed because it’s become my go-to, but I never wrote the recipe down! :/
Thanks! Cheryl
Hi Cheryl! The filling of the previous empanadas was with leftover chili, and it was very requested by you guys to do a ‘from scratch quick’ filling, so I’ve republished it today with a brand new filling.
And the pie crust was just the general post that got a makeover- the recipe is the same. Also I suffered an accident a couple months ago, so you guys have been getting less new posts than before. I’m getting back on my feet now, so brand new posts are coming next week (I just still need to figure video out, as my mobility is a bit impaired).
xo and thanks so much for reading Cheryl, love reading your comments ;)!
Thanks for the quick reply, Paola! (and the compliment :)) I didn’t think to double check the filling on the empanadas, since I was so focused on the “crust.” This new filling reminds me very much of the “pastelitos” that I grew up with in the DR! Gotta have those olives and that little bit of sweet (which traditionally for us came from raisins). Praying for your continued recovery! As an RN (nurse) I cringe whenever I think about your accident and the repercussions. *hugs*
Thank you, Paola! I wrote a reply a few days ago, and for some reason it’s not showing, so wanted you to know I appreciate your responses! And the new filling looks delish!
Do you have a cheese type filling for theses?
I’d love to see a desert version!
Search the site for the hand pies 😉