These incredibly flavorful vegan empanadas have a flaky, crispy wrapper encasing a savory filling of black beans, potatoes and more veggies. They are baked, not fried. Serve with a zesty tomato salsa or salsa verde for a filling snack or meal!
It is hard for nearly anyone to resist an empanada, a crescent, turnover-like pastry made by stuffing a flaky, crispy wrapper with a spicy, mouthwatering filling.
In Spain and in the Latin American countries, where empanadas were born and popularized, the filling is often made with beef, pork or cheese. But today I have for you a very vegan but just as delicious empanada with a tasty, spicy filling of black beans and veggies.
Empanadas are often deep-fried but these vegan black bean empanadas are baked, which, along with the healthy filling, also makes them far better for you.
If you are feeding picky eaters who turn up their noses at beans and veggies, this is a great food to make them begin to love them. The crispy wrapper makes these empanadas irresistible, especially when you serve them with a zesty salsa for dipping.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- Crispy, flaky and spicy. The pie-crust-like pastry wrapper crunches deliciously as you bite into the empanadas, making a wonderful foil for the tender beans and veggies. You can make these empanadas as spicy as you like by cutting down on the cayenne and ground black pepper.
- Easy. You will be making the dough for the wrappers and the filling from scratch. But this vegan empanada recipe is not complicated by any means and although you might be a little slower when you make these empanadas for the first time, you will taste sweet success so long as you follow instructions.
- Healthy and filling. You will need flour and vegan butter for the empanada dough, but the filling is so, so good for you because it is loaded with beans and veggies. Just one of these large, six-inch empanadas is quite filling and can make a small meal. It has just 332 calories, nine grams of protein and seven grams of dietary fiber.
- Soy-free, nut-free and vegan. See Recipe FAQs below for tips on making the wrapper gluten-free.
Ingredients
Check recipe card below for exact measurements and quantities of ingredients.
For the empanada pastry dough
- All-purpose flour. You can substitute half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a healthier empanada.
- Corn starch. You just need a tablespoon and it helps keep the wrapper very flaky in the absence of lard, which is used traditionally to make empanada wrappers.
- Vegan butter. You can substitute this with refined coconut oil that’s solid at room temperature.
For the black bean filling
- Vegetables: onions, celery, carrots and potatoes.
- Garlic. I like lots of garlic in this recipe.
- Spices: ground cumin, chili powder, ground black pepper, cinnamon and cayenne or paprika (smoked paprika, if you have it, would add a nice hit of smokiness). You can tweak the spices to make the filling less spicy.
- Black beans. Use canned black beans or start with dried black beans and cook them until tender. If using canned beans rinse them under running water.
- Tomato paste. This adds delicious umami and ties all the flavors in the filling together.
- Raisins. These are optional but they add a nice flavor variation in the spicy filling.
How to make vegan empanadas
Heat olive oil in skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery.
Add a teaspoon of salt and ground black pepper to taste. Saute until the veggies begin to turn soft.
Stir in garlic and saute for a minute.
Add the potatoes and tomato paste and mix well.
Stir in the spices–ground cumin, chili powder, cayenne and cinnamon. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, over low heat. You can add a tablespoon or two of water if the vegetables begin to stick.
Once the potatoes are tender, add the black beans and mix them in.
Continue cooking the filling until warmed through. There should be no visible moisture.
Stir in the raisins and turn off heat.
To make the dough wrapper, place the flour, cornstarch and salt in a food processor or bowl. Pulse for five seconds to mix. If using a bowl, whisk together.
Add the cubed butter to the food processor or bowl.
Pulse for a few seconds until the flour is crumbly with the butter evenly dispersed. If you are using a bowl, cut the butter in with a fork until the flour looks crumbly.
With the feed tube open, trickle in water into the food processor until a dough comes together. Try not to overmoisten the dough–there should still be a few dry bits at the bottom. Quickly form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Divide the dough in half. Working with one half of the dough, roll it out on a floured surface to a thickness of ¼th of an inch. Use a six-inch bowl or cookie cutter to cut out a disc. I don’t have a cookie cutter that big so I used a bowl.
Place two heaping tablespoons of the filling a little off-center inside the disc. Moisten the edges of the disc with water.
Fold the dough to encase the filling. Press the edges together to seal and fold over for a fluted, decorative edge, or press the edges with the tines of a fork. Either way you want to create a tight seal.
Place the empanadas on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375-degree Fahrenheit/190-degree Celsius oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown. For better color, you can brush some olive oil on the empanadas before placing them in the oven.
Helpful tips
- If you are cooking black beans from scratch, start with 1 cup dried beans. I cook the dried beans with 4 cups water in the Instant Pot set to the “beans” function or for 35 minutes on manual pressure. It makes the perfect black beans with no soaking needed.
- If using canned beans, rinse them thoroughly under running water first.
- Make sure you add drained beans to the pot with no moisture. You want the filling to have no visible moisture.
- If you want to make smaller empanadas, use a four-inch cookie cutter or bowl. You should get 12-14 empanadas.
- You can add other veggies to the filling, but preferably add veggies that won’t express too much moisture. Sweet potatoes would be a nice choice, as would cauliflower, spinach, green peas or bell peppers. If you add mushrooms or zucchini make sure you cook out all the moisture.
- Cut the veggies in a small dice and make sure they are tender. That way they won’t stick out of the wrapper after you’ve formed the empanadas.
- For a nice golden-brown color on the empanadas, brush the empanadas just before they go into the oven with some olive oil. Or make a vegan egg wash by mixing a tablespoon of non-dairy milk with a tablespoon of oil and brush it over the empanadas.
Serving suggestions
Recipe FAQs
If you have some filling left over, use it as a filling for tacos or burritos. Or make more empanada wrapper dough and make more empanadas!
I haven’t tried making the recipe with gluten-free flour but I’ve had success in the past making a pie dough with gf flour (like the crust for this vegan gluten-free French onion tart). You can use that recipe to make a gf empanada wrapper.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: The empanadas can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days.
- Freeze: Freeze the empanadas in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to four months.
- Reheat: Reheat the empanadas straight out of the fridge or freezer in a 350-degree oven until warmed through.
More delicious Latin American recipes
If you love these vegan enchiladas, check out more Mexican recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!
Vegan Empanadas Recipe
These incredibly flavorful vegan empanadas have a flaky, crispy wrapper encasing a spicy filling of black beans, potatoes and more veggies. They are baked, not fried. Serve with a zesty salsa for a filling snack or meal!
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Servings: 10 six-inch empanadas
Calories: 332kcal
Ingredients
For the empanada pastry cover
For the black bean filling
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Instructions
Make the black bean filling
-
Heat olive oil in skillet. Add onions, carrots and celery.
-
Add a teaspoon of salt and ground black pepper to taste. Saute until the veggies begin to turn soft.
-
Stir in garlic and saute for a minute. Then add the potatoes and tomato paste and mix well.
-
Stir in the spices–ground cumin, chili powder, cayenne and cinnamon. Cover and cook over low heat until potatoes are tender. You can add a tablespoon or two of water if the vegetables begin to stick.
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Once the potatoes are tender, add the drained black beans and mix them in. Continue cooking the filling until warmed through. There should be no visible moisture. Stir in the raisins, check salt and add more if needed, and turn off heat.
Make the empanada dough
-
Place the flour, cornstarch and salt in a food processor or bowl. Pulse for five seconds to mix. If using a bowl, whisk together. Add the cubed butter to the food processor or bowl.
-
Pulse for a few seconds until the flour is crumbly with the butter evenly dispersed. If you are using a bowl, cut the butter in with a fork until the flour looks crumbly.
-
With the feed tube open, trickle water into the food processor until a dough comes together. Try not to overmoisten the dough–there should still be a few dry bits at the bottom. Quickly form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Assemble the vegan empanadas
-
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 degrees Celsius.
-
Divide the dough in half. Working with one half of the dough at a time, roll it out on a floured surface to a thickness of ¼th of an inch. Use a six-inch bowl or cookie cutter to cut out a disc. I don’t have a cookie cutter that big so I used a bowl.
-
Place two heaping tablespoons of the filling a little off-center inside the disc. Moisten the edges of the disc with water.
-
Fold the dough to encase the filling. Press the edges together to seal and fold over for a fluted, decorative edge, or press the edges with the tines of a fork. Either way you want to create a tight seal.
-
Place the empanadas on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. For better color, you can brush some olive oil on the empanadas before placing them in the oven.
-
Serve hot or warm.
Recipe notes
- If you are cooking black beans from scratch, start with 1 cup dried beans. I cook the dried beans with 4 cups water in the Instant Pot set to the “beans” function or for 35 minutes on manual pressure. It makes the perfect black beans with no soaking needed.
- If using canned beans, rinse them thoroughly under running water first.
- Make sure you add drained beans to the pot with no moisture. You want the filling to have no visible moisture.
- If you want to make smaller empanadas, use a four-inch cookie cutter or bowl. You should get 12-14 empanadas.
- You can add other veggies to the filling, but preferably add veggies that won’t express too much moisture. Sweet potatoes would be a nice choice, as would cauliflower. If you add mushrooms or zucchini make sure you cook out all the moisture.
- Cut the veggies in a small dice and make sure they are tender. That way they won’t stick out of the wrapper after you’ve formed the empanadas.
- For a nice golden-brown color on the empanadas, brush the empanadas just before they go into the oven with some olive oil.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: The empanadas can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days.
- Freeze: Freeze the empanadas in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to four months.
- Reheat: Reheat the empanadas in a 350-degree oven until warmed through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1empanada | Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 2g | Potassium: 515mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1723IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg
