How to Make Peruvian Empanadas (You Must Try)
Don’t you love the feeling you get when you bite into a nice, hot, meat-filled snack? I’m definitely a huge fan! One thing I love about empanadas is that they literally satisfy any cravings for meat and carbs. Anyway, what I have for you today are several recipes for Peruvian empanadas. You should DEFINITELY consider making them because they are just SO delicious! Keep reading as I tell you how to make Peruvian empanadas that you’ll TOTALLY enjoy eating!
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What Are Empanadas?
Ok, well let’s first start off by asking what are empanadas?
Empanadas are sweet or savory half-moon-shaped pastries (or turnovers) that are often filled with meat or fruits. Also, they are normally either fried or baked, depending on what kind of empanada they are.
There are so many countries all over the world that have their own empanada versions.
These are the different names for types of empanadas (or foods that are similar to empanadas) in different countries:
- Pastelillos (Puerto Rico)
- Pachuqueños (Mexico)
- Salteña (Bolivia)
- Llauchas (Bolivia)
- Tucumanas (Argentina)
- Pastel de Forno (Brazil)
- Catibias or Cativias (Dominican Republic)
What Are Peruvian Empanadas?
Peruvian empanadas, in particular, are usually baked. This is a good thing because it’s healthier than the deep-fried versions that are popular in other Latin American countries.
Keep in mind, that the recipes for empanadas from Peru are unique depending on each family recipe.
For example, I have seen some Peruvian empanada recipes that use Peruvian aji de gallina. This is a shredded chicken dish that’s cooked in a spicy yellow pepper sauce.
However, I have seen most Peruvian recipes use beef.
All this to say, Peruvian empanadas are a VERY typical Peruvian snack (or a full meal for some)!
Most people either make them at home or buy them on the street as they are very popular Peruvian street foods.
Ingredients for Peruvian Empanadas
These are some of the most basic ingredients that many Peruvian empanadas recipes require:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter
- Water
- Black pepper
- Cumin
- Eggs
- Aji amarillo or aji panca hot pepper paste
- Beef (ground or cubed)
- Onions
- Garlic
- Green olives (or Kalamata or Peruvian black olives)
- Vegetable oil
- Cilantro
- Lime or lemon
To be honest, I’ve noticed that a lot of Peruvian recipes use ground beef, olives, and boiled eggs. This seems to be a popular filling for empanadas as well as other foods, too. One example of this is Peruvian papas rellenas (stuffed potatoes… SO delicious… you MUST try them!).
How to Make Empanadas from Peru
Although each family makes them differently, these are the basic steps for making some of the best empanadas from Peru.
- Mix together sifted flour, salt, baking powder, and softened butter in a bowl.
- Form a hole in the center.
- Gradually add water to the hole while mixing.
- Knead the newly formed dough.
- Place the empanada dough in a covered bowl.
- Keep the covered dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. Cook the onions until they are translucent.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for about another 30 seconds.
- Next, add the meat, seasonings, and olives and cook.
- Add the aji amarillo and/or aji panca paste.
- Mix, cook a little longer, and then set the meat mixture aside.
- Boil the eggs and then cut the eggs into quarters once they are cooled.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator.
- Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough on a floured surface.
- Then, use a small bowl to cut out circles from the dough.
- Take one of the circular dough disks and place some meat, a quarter of the egg, and an olive on top.
- Fold the dough over the meat, egg, and olive to create a half-moon shape.
- Using your fingers, pinch the edges to seal the empanada dough.
- Crack open an egg and mix it in a bowl.
- Brush the egg wash over the empanadas.
- Place the empanadas on a greased baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until they are a golden color.
- Take the empanadas out of the oven.
- Wait for them to cool.
- Eat and enjoy!
Peruvian Beef Empanadas Recipe #1
To get a better understanding of how to make Peruvian meat pies, please take a look at the video below by Eating With Andy.
This video shows us how easy it is to make this DELICIOUS South American Peruvian empanadas recipe.
FYI, these are the empanadas ingredients you’ll need to make this particular meat-filled empanada recipe:
- All-purpose flour
- Unsalted butter
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cold water
- Rump steak
- Vegetable oil
- Red onions
- Garlic cloves
- Ground pepper
- Cumin
- Aji Panca paste
- Aji Amarillo paste (Yellow chili paste)
- Eggs
- Kalamata olives (you can also use Peruvian black olives)
- Powdered sugar
- Limes
Peruvian Beef Empanadas Recipe #2
Here’s a great page that was written to show us how to make authentic Peruvian meat-filled empanadas.
Also, you’ll learn from the page that Peruvians like to sprinkle their empanadas with powdered sugar.
Interesting, right?
Also, what I like about this written Peruvian empanada recipe is that it is SUPER thorough and there are step-by-step instructions AND pictures that make it easy to follow.
They offer some EXCELLENT tips, too.
I highly recommend you check it out!
Peruvian Chicken Empanadas Recipe #3
So, what if you don’t want to use beef in your Peruvian-style empanada? Well, then you can always use chicken!
To learn more, I highly recommend you check out this video by Cocinando con Wendy. She’ll show you how to make traditional Peruvian chicken empanadas.
Don’t worry… even though the narrating is in Spanish, there is plenty of information written in English, too.
Anyway, these are the ingredients you’ll need for these Peruvian chicken empanadas:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Aji Panca paste
- Aji Amarillo paste
- Chicken breast
- Tomatoes
- Fresh parsley
- Salt & pepper
- Boiled eggs
- Olives
- Flour
- Softened butter
- Water
(Notice how they don’t use baking powder in this recipe).
Also, FYI, although this recipe asks for olives, the content creator is not using them in this video. This is simply because she didn’t have any on hand.
OH! Also, what I really like about this empanada recipe video is that they show you how to make twisted, or braided, edges on your empanada.
It makes it look SUPER fancy 😉
Now, without further ado, here’s the video for how to make Peruvian chicken empanadas by Cocinando con Wendy:
Can I Use Pre-Made Dough?
Ok, so what if you don’t want to go through all the hard work of making the dough?
(It’s not really hard… just takes some time).
That’s totally understandable!
Well, if that’s the case with you, you can TOTALLY just buy premade dough for empanadas! My family and I usually do this when we make Puerto Rican pastelillos, which are basically Puerto Rican-style empanadas.
Our favorite brand is Goya. You can normally find these in the refrigerated section of a Latin American grocery store. Or, you can sometimes find them at Walmart if you live in an area with a large Hispanic population.
What to Serve With Peruvian Empanadas
Peruvian empanadas go well with any of the following drinks.
- Chicha Morada (Peruvian purple corn drink)
- Inca Kola (Peruvian soft drink)
- Peruvian coffee
Frequently Asked Questions for Empanadas Recipes From Peru
Here are some FAQs and answers related to Peruvian empanadas.
What are Peruvian empanadas made of?
Most empanadas from Peru are made of the following empanadas ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Butter
- Salt
- Cold water
- Beef
- Vegetable oil
- Red onions
- Garlic cloves
- Ground pepper
- Cumin
- Aji Panca paste
- Aji Amarillo paste
- Eggs
- Olives
- Powdered sugar
- Limes
Do Peruvians eat empanadas?
Yes! Empanadas are a very popular Peruvian food. Many people enjoy eating them on their way to or from work as they are common street food. Also, there are many who enjoy making them at home, too.
What are 3 types of empanadas?
- Beef empanadas
- Chicken empanadas
- Aji de gallina or lomo saltado empanadas
Related Articles:
- Peruvian Papas Rellenas (Stuffed Potatoes That Are Fried)
- Green Spaghetti from Peru (Recipes)
- Hot Yellow Pepper Aji Amarillo Recipes from Peruvian Cuisine
- Peruvian Quinoa Recipes (You’ll Love)
Final Thoughts on Recipe for Peruvian Empanadas
I seriously hope you consider making one of these delicious empanadas from Peru. They’re savory and very filling. Also, they go well with just about any Peruvian drink you can find (or make). You should definitely consider trying them!
What are your thoughts on Peruvian empanadas? Have you ever had them? Please let me know in the comments below!
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