These vegan empanadas are filled with zesty black beans and wrapped in flaky puff pastry. They're packed with flavor and surprisingly easy to make!
I've wanted to share a recipe for vegan empanadas on this site forever! Seriously, for years and years now they've been on my to-make list.
So, what held me back? Like many delicious recipe ideas, I figured they'd be complicated and a huge pain to make.
If you're unfamiliar with them, empanadas are little pastry pockets that are stuffed with savory fillings and deep fried. They originated in Spain, but now you'll find different versions all over Latin American. And as for me, I needed a vegan version in my life.
But anything involving homemade pastry dough and frying is a bit of a pain as far as I'm concerned.
I was just getting ready to tell myself to suck it up and make those fancy empanadas already when an awesome shortcut occurred to me: use puff pastry. It's ready to go and doesn't require frying in order to get crispy!
Jump to:
Puff Pastry
I used store-bought vegan puff pastry in place of the from-scratch pastry you'd find in most empanada recipes. Is this an authentic way of making empanadas? Hell no! Is it easy and delicious? You bet!
Puff pastry is French, for one thing, while empanadas are Latin American. The texture of puff pastry isn't exactly the same as that of empanada dough, but for my purposes, it works!
Black Bean Filling
Although I don't think there's a specific filling that makes an authentic empanada, most recipes I've seen call for beef and cheese. Obviously we can't have that here.
Black beans are my go-to substitute for meat filling in lots of Latin American-inspired recipes. They work great in burritos and tacos. They're delicious, satisfying, and go great with the spices you'd normally find in this cuisine. So that's what I used as the primary ingredient in my vegan empanada filling.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
The Filling
- Heat up some oil in a large skillet and add some onion and red bell pepper.
- Cook the veggies until they start to soften up, and then add some garlic and spices. Cook everything for a minute more, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.
- Add the beans, some water, and tomato paste. Let everything simmer for a few minutes until the beans soften up and most of the water cooks off.
- Finally, stir in some (thawed) frozen corn, scallions and cilantro. Season your filling with some salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
Tip: Make ahead option! The filling for these can be made up to two days in advance. However, I recommend leaving the scallions and cilantro out and adding them just before stuffing the empanadas.
The Pastry
Note: We're using frozen puff pastry here, so try to remember to let it thaw out before getting started. If you forget, try microwaving it in 20 second increments until it's thawed. Not ideal, but it works!
- Grab one of your puff pastry sheets and roll it out with a rolling pin. You're going to want it large enough to cut six circles, about 4 ½ inches each in diameter.
- Cut those circles. If you have a pastry or cookie cutter of the right size, great — use that! If not, take a look around your kitchen to find something you can trace with a knife. I found a little bowl that worked perfectly.
Assemble the Empanadas
- Grab one of your pastry circles and place a couple of spoonfuls of bean filling in the center.
- Use a finger to smooth some water over the edges of the circle, then fold it over and pinch the dough to seal.
- Use a fork to crimp the edges.
- Arrange your uncooked empanadas on oiled baking sheets as you assemble them.
Tip: For cheesy vegan empanadas, place a little bit of vegan shredded cheese over the filling before folding and sealing your pastry.
I like to brush my vegan empanadas with a bit of almond milk before popping them into the oven, which functions as a vegan egg wash. Then I'll brush them with a tablespoon or so of olive oil or vegan butter about 5 minutes before they're done baking. This helps them to develop a beautiful golden brown color while baking!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan empanadas will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months. The pastry will soften during storage, but it can be made crispy again to some degree by placing the empanadas under a broiler briefly during reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's probably right there in your regular supermarket's freezer. Lots of brands happen to be accidentally vegan. Just check the ingredients lists! I used Pepperidge Farm.
I haven't found a brand of puff pastry that's vegan and gluten-free, though I think vegan gluten-free pie crust (which is more widely available) will work. Keep an eye on them as the baking time may vary.
More Latin American Vegan Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Easy Black Bean Vegan Empanadas
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 2 tablespoon, olive oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch ground cloves
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup frozen corn, thawed
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce. such as Cholula (Note 1)
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 (8.7 ounce or 245 gram) sheets vegan puff pastry (Notes 2 and 3)
- 1 tablespoon unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil and place it over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the pepper and onion. Cook them for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pepper is tender and the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, and cloves. Stir everything and cook the mixture for about 1 minute, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.
- Add the beans, water, and tomato paste. Stir everything to blend the tomato paste with the water.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, until the beans have softened up a bit and most of the liquid has cooked off.
- Remove the skillet from heat.
- Stir in the corn, hot sauce, scallions, and cilantro. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and oil two large or three medium-sized baking sheets.
- Place one of your puff pastry sheets on the counter, and use a rolling pin to roll it into a 9x14 inch rectangle.
- Cut six circles in the dough, about 4 ½ inches each in diameter. To do this you can use a large cookie or biscuit cutter, or find an appropriately-sized bowl and use a knife to cut around it. You can also just eyeball it, if you're comfortable doing that.
- Repeat the process until all of your dough has been rolled and cut. You should have eighteen circles.
- Fill a small bowl with water.
- Grab one of your dough circles and spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center.
- Wet a finger with the bowl of water, then spread a thin layer of water around the edges of the circle. Fold the dough in half to enclose the filling, and pinch the edges tightly to seal. Place it on a baking sheet and crimp the edges with a fork.
- Repeat until all of the filling and dough circles are used, arranging the empanadas evenly on the baking sheets with about an inch separating them.
- Use a fork to poke a few holes in each empanada, then brush the tops of the empanadas with the milk.
- Place the empanadas into the oven (you can bake them in batches if they don't all fit), and bake them for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the baking sheets from the oven and brush the empanadas with the remaining tablespoon of oil.
- Bake the empanadas for about 5 minutes more, until golden brown.
- Let the empanadas cool for just a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- I don't recommend skipping the hot sauce, as it adds a lot of flavor. If you absolutely must omit it, try adding a dash of vinegar or lime juice to help balance the flavors.
- Pepperidge Farm brand puff pastry is vegan.
- You'll need 1 ½ packages if you use Pepperidge Farm brand puff pastry.
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I would like to make these for a group get-together. That means they would be at room temperature when served. Do you think that would work, or would the pastry become wet and soft after it sits? Thanks!
I think they'll be fine! The pastry is always crispiest when it first comes out of the oven, but I've eaten them as leftovers and they didn't get soggy. Enjoy!!
Definitely a winner! I've been wanting to make these for a while and finally did tonight. They did not disappoint. I had to use pintos because I forgot to check to see if I had black beans but they were excellent. I only used one box of pastry since there's only two of us but I have a container of the delicious filling to use in tacos later in the week. I may make just the filling again for that purpose because it is really tasty.
Just made them and they are so beautiful and golden and the taste is perfectly delicious! My nephew and his wife are vegan and I'm excited to give these to them for New Year's Eve! How do you store them overnight?
Glad you like them! Store them in a sealed bag or container in the fridge, then reheat them under a broiler for a few minutes on each side.
Is the pastry vegan? You did not mention if it was or not.
Thanks for asking! I had mentioned it in the post but forgot to add notes on vegan puff pastry in the recipe card. I just updated it to add that and recommend a brand.
I need to quadruple this recipe. Any hints? Can I freeze them overnight and cook the next day?
I have some fresh corn to use up. Would you recommend sauteeing the corn first? Any tips? Ty!
I would. I think the easiest thing to do is to add it to the skillet in step 3. This should get it lightly cooked, which is about where frozen corn is when you buy it. Enjoy!!
would this work just as well with a simple pie crust type dough?
It should, but I haven't tried it myself. I'd recommend just keeping a close eye on them when they bake in case they need a little more or less time.
This was good, simple and quick. Most ingredients are staples, nothing too eccentric. This recipe is very forgiving! I used mixed veggies that I let steam in water and better than bouillon, hash browns lightly sea salted and black beans I had in the fridge already. I added daisy veggie cheese first and piled ingredients on top of it. Talk about yum!!! Thanks for a great recipe 😊
Hello!
I would love to try your recipe, I wanted to know, how many would you serve per person if this is the main dish?
Thanks very much!
Candice
I'd serve about 3 per person. I hope you enjoy them!
These were good. We wound up with a lot of extra filling, I’m thinking nachos. I’m not sure if I should have stuffed them more but I could barely get the dough around them as they were. I am grateful for a vegan recipe that my husband likes. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed them! I think the extra filling would be great on nachos.
Could I make these ahead and then freeze them before thawing and baking
I think so! I haven't tried this, but I can't see why it wouldn't work. Enjoy!
I live in South America where empanadas are everywhere, and even though there are lots of vegans, I have never seen an empanada like this!! I can’t wait to make them. I have to comment that meat empanadas traditionally used cumin, so that might be a good addition. THANK YOU for the recipe!!!
I forgot to mention that here it is common to prepare empanadas and freeze before cooking. That way you could prepare a small amount at a time in a toaster oven.
Genius!! I was dreading making empanadas, the dough, the effort, lol, then I saw your recipe! I'm going to sub French Puy Lentils that I have leftover in fridge, other than that, I'll follow your recipe!! Thanks!
These were a big hit for dinner tonight!!! I was worried it wouldn't be enough for my family of five (three teens) but it was! I used two boxes of pastry sheets and increased the beans and corn by a few more ounces ( I used a can of corn) and adjusted the spices, etc. Served them with jarred salsa and blue corn tortilla chips. Will definitely make these again!!!
So so good!!! I just made a simple sriracha mayo dipping sauce and cut up some avocadoes too and it went so well with them! Thanks!
Wow, it’s amazing. Thanks for sharing such information with us!!
What type of sauce did you serve this with? I see a tomatoe based sauce but do not see a recipe. What do you recommend?
Salsa or hot sauce are both great with these. In the photo that's just some salsa that I had hanging out in the fridge.
Your filling sounds great will give it a try. FYI Goya now makes a puff pastry empanada shells that can be purchased at most supermarkets in the frozen food aisles. They’re very good and are exactly the right size for baking empanadas. In addition they also sell regular empanada shells that can be fried or baked. The pastry ones are better for baking. I’m a native of Argentina and have grown up with homemade dough from my mom but I can easily testify you can save yourself time by using these premade shells.
I didn't know about the Goya shells - thank you so much for sharing! I'll have to give them a try next time.
Hi Alissa! Your recipes are fantastic. My hubby went vegan almost a year ago with some coaching from me, a 12+ year vegan. You have helped inspire so many creations in our kitchen, all of them delicious. I can't wait to make this for him! It just so happens we have an unopened pack of puff pastry in our freezer left over from an overly ambitious New Years feast. We ended making General Tso seitan that day instead of Wellingtons. I love your style and creativity! Thank you for being awesome!
Awww...thank you so much Katey! I'm so glad you and your husband are enjoying the recipes. I hope you love the empanadas!
This is something i want and i like the most. Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe with us.
What sauce did you serve it with? I didn’t see a recipe for it? Any suggestions?
That's just jarred salsa in the photos. Hot sauce works well too!
I bet the filling for your cheesy beef taquitos would be really good in this as well!