{"id":21276,"date":"2023-02-27T17:44:17","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T16:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthylittlecravings.com\/?p=21276"},"modified":"2024-08-30T16:41:34","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T15:41:34","slug":"best-vegan-empanadas-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthylittlecravings.com\/en\/best-vegan-empanadas-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Vegan Empanadas Recipe (Baked Or Fried)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You may think I am too confident if I say this is the best vegan empanadas recipe<\/strong>. Well, I am VERY confident indeed. When I tested and then tried these for the first time, I couldn't believe how much they tasted like the real beef empanadas<\/strong> that I always eat at my favorite Argentinian restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They're made with a mix of spices, jalape\u00f1o, bell pepper, and obviously fake meat. Actually, plant based burger patties that I crumbled. Ready to fall in love?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fried or baked? You choose!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You'll LOOOOVE this empanadas recipe because...<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Look, I am not vegan but me and my boyfriend are constantly looking for ways to reduce meat consumption<\/strong>. These vegan empanadas are PERFECTION both for my vegan friends and...well, meat lovers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I won't say they taste identical to beef empanadas (and they're clearly not \"authentic\") but they're EXTREMELY similar <\/strong>so you won't be missing the \"real ones\". I worked on recreating the flavor of the ones I ate several times at an Argentinian restaurant, I am super proud of the result. And you'll love them for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You'll love them because of their rich complex flavor<\/strong> and crunchy dough. Because they're not difficult <\/strong>to make and you can also involve kids<\/strong> (in case you're a mom\/dad) and make them seal the empanadas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You'll love them because you can decide to fry or bake<\/strong> them. And you'll fall in love because of their versatility: they can be a perfect appetizer, but they can be also part of your meal together with some veggies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Look at how beautiful and crunchy the empanada \"shell\" is!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients For Vegan Empanadas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I am always very proud of my recipes because I try to always use ingredients that everyone has in their pantry\/fridge. Same here. Except you may have to buy vegan \"meat\"\/burgers if you\u2019re not used to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what you'll need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Simple Dough<\/strong>. Made with flour, oil, water and salt. This dough is simply perfect: a bit sticky at the beginning but when you roll it and dust with a bit of flour it will be perfection.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    For the empanada filling:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Vegan meat.<\/strong> You can use the one you can find where you live. Here I can rarely find minced meat, so I have bought \"burgers\" and crumbled them. Works well.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. EVO oil and onion<\/strong>. I like to add onion, in general, because it adds lots of flavor that will be \"released\" into the hot oil.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Bell pepper.<\/strong> Argentinian empanadas usually have it, so who am I to skip this ingredient?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Garlic, smoked paprika, oregano, cumin.<\/strong> There are too many versions of empanadas to say what they're usually seasoned with. I've used these and loved them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Tabasco<\/strong>. To add spiciness of course. I love adding Jalape\u00f1o tabasco to my dishes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. Jalape\u00f1o<\/strong>. I love using it, it does not only add spiciness but also flavor. I usually freeze fresh jalape\u00f1os, then grate it over my dish when needed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Next time I'll try adding green olives, must be a nice addition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Substitutes <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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      1. Vegan meat.<\/strong> What if you cannot find vegan meat\/burgers? Then I recommend trying the crumbles tofu I've used for my vegan tacos (here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Bell pepper<\/strong>. If you don't like it, omit it (but it adds flavor!). If you don't have it, go buy it!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Garlic, paprika, oregano, cumin<\/strong>. Use at least cumin and smoked paprika. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Tabasco and jalape\u00f1o<\/strong>. Add your favorite spicy ingredients, like chili flakes, sriracha, habanero sauce... Just make sure you taste and adjust.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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        Yummy hot filling made with fake meat and lots of flavor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        How To Prepare Empanadas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        Preparing empanadas may seem difficult, because they also look super cute, don't they! Instead you will only need about 10 minutes to prepare the filling, the dough and a bit of time to shape them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. Prepare the dough<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Into a medium bowl, combine flour, oil, water and salt. Knead with your hands just until you get a nice dough. Simply cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        2. Prepare the filling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Into a non stick pan add oil, heat. Add onion and bell pepper, both minced so it'll take less time to cook. This will take about 5-10 minutes, at medium high heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Then add garlic, paprika, oregano, cumin tabasco (or other spicy ingredient like chili flakes), stir. Add a piece of jalape\u00f1o or, if it's frozen like mine, grate it. Taste and adjust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Add vegan meat or burger. If you, like me, use the latter simply crumble with a spatula or potato masher<\/a>. Cook at medium heat for about 3 minutes (or follow the meat box's instructions). Set aside and let cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        Looks like meat, doesn\u2019t it?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        3. Assemble the empanadas <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        On a lightly dusted work surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 2 mm (I use a rolling pin with thickness rings<\/a>). Use a round cutter to cut the circles (you can decide the diameter of it, I generally use a 9 cm cutter (4 inches).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Add about a teaspoon of filling in the center then seal the empanadas (read below how). Place them on a baking tray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Cook (bake or fry)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n