Crispy Colombian Empanadas with Beef and Potato Filling
These Colombian Empanadas have a crispy masarepa shell filled with seasoned beef, pork, and creamy potatoes. They’re flavorful, satisfying, and perfect as an appetizer, snack, or make-ahead treat.
Ingredients for Colombian Empanadas
For the Filling: Potatoes, ground beef, ground pork, onion, garlic, tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, bell pepper, cumin, and achiote create a rich, savory filling.
For the Dough: Masarepa, warm water, cumin, and seasoning create the traditional crisp corn-based shell.
For Frying: Use a neutral oil such as vegetable, canola, or peanut oil.
Easy Variations
Try shredded chicken, add cheese, make them spicy with jalapeño, or use potatoes and vegetables for a meat-free version.
Keesha’s Tips & Tricks
- Use warm water: It helps the masarepa dough stay soft and easy to shape.
- Seal them well: Press the edges firmly so the filling doesn’t escape while frying.
- Fry in batches: Avoid overcrowding the pan so the oil stays hot and the empanadas remain crisp.
Should I Bake or Fry Empanadas?
Frying gives empanadas their classic crispy texture and golden color. If you want a lighter option, you can bake or air-fry them, but they will be slightly less crisp than the traditional fried version.
What to Serve with Colombian Empanadas
Serve Colombian empanadas with Corn Salad, one of my Mexican Rice dishes, or a refreshing Horchata de Arroz for a complete meal.
How to Store Colombian Empanadas
Store cooked empanadas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer at 350°F (175°C) to help restore their crisp texture.
FAQs about Colombian Empanadas
More Delicious Snacks
If you loved this recipe, you must try my other snack recipes like Beef and Cheese Empanadas, Eggplant Parmesan Slices, or Kronk’s spinach puffs.
Colombian Empanadas
Ingredients
Empanada Dough
- 2 cups Yellow Masarepa precooked cornmeal
- 2 cups Hot water
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/8 tsp. Cumin (optional)
- 1/4 tsp. Achiote Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
Beef Filling
- 2 medium Potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
- 1/2 lb. Ground beef
- 1/2 lb. Ground pork
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 3 cloves of Garlic, chopped or grated
- 2 Tomatoes, diced
- 1 Green Onion, diced
- 1 bunch of fresh Coriander, finely chopped
- 1 Green Pepper, diced
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Cumin
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Achiote powder or Saffron seasoning
- 2-3 cups Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Preperation of Dough
- Whisk together the Masarepa, salt, cumin, achiote powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Add 1 3/4 cups of water to the mixture and stir to combine. Always check first before adding the remaining water, keep adding little by little.
- Knead the Empanada dough until a smooth, slightly sticky dough forms,
- Place the finished Empanada dough into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
Preparation of the Beef Filling
- Take a medium-sized pot and fill it with water. Place the diced potatoes inside and set it over medium-high heat. Boil the potatoes for about 10-12 minutes or until they are tender.
- Once the potatoes are done, drain them. In a large bowl mash the potatoes and set aside for later.
- Place both the ground beef and ground pork into a skillet and cook it for 8-10 minutes, breaking the ground meat up into small pieces with a cooking spoon. Cook until browned.
- Stir in the onion, garlic, tomatoes, coriander, green pepper, salt, cumin, black pepper, and achiote powder, and cook for 15 minutes until most of the fat evaporates.
- Add the meat mixture to the mashed potatoes and mix to combine.
Making the Empanadas
- To assemble the empanadas, divide the dough into portions that are about 1 1/2 tablespoons.
- Roll each portion into a ball. Place each dough ball between two pieces of parchment paper square and roll it out into a circle that is 1/4 inch in thickness.
- Remove the top parchment paper and add 1 tablespoon of the filling to the center of each round.
- Fold the other half of the dough over the meat filling to form a half-circle. Dip a fork in flour and press it around the edges to seal the Empanada.
- Add the vegetable oil to a large pot or deep skillet and heat it over medium-high heat until it has a temperature of 360°F.
- Gently lower the Empanadas into the oil, 3-4 at a time, and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the Empanadas over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until golden.
- Remove the Empanadas from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them onto a papertowel lined plate or a wire rack.
- Serve with Salsa Verde, Pico de Gallo, or your favorite sauce, and enjoy!
Nutrition
So happy that you promote my country’s delicious foods like these empanadas. I noticed you made reference to Colombia as Columbia and wanted to make you aware of this common mistake.
Gracias!
Hey there! I just want to offer you a huge thumbs up for your excellent info you have here on this post. Ill be coming back to your blog for more soon.
Hi Keesha. Thank you for the recipe and all the wonderful information. One thing, you say that normal cornmeal does not work but I made some yesterday with regular cornmeal and they turned out fine. I’m from Colombia and I do know how they should be. Other recipes indicate using Polenta but I can’t find it in our supermarket (remote area of BC – in Vancouver Island). I did them in the Air Fryer instead of fried in oil … they were pretty good.
Keesha, I omitted to comment that I did pre-cook the cornmeal for my empanadas.