Coconut Free Easy Empanadas
These golden, hand-held pockets are packed with a boldly spiced beef filling — smoky paprika, cumin, briny olives, and chopped hard-boiled egg all tucked inside a buttery, flaky crust that shatters just right when you bite in. The dough comes together with pantry staples like flour, cold butter, and a splash of white vinegar, which helps keep the texture tender without any exotic or hard-to-source fats. That matters a lot when you're navigating labels at the store, since many pre-made doughs and packaged pastries sneak in coconut oil or coconut-derived ingredients that can be easy to miss. Here, every component is straightforward and easy to verify, so you can cook with confidence. The filling gets its depth from a quick sauté of onion, red bell pepper, and garlic before the spices go in, and the whole thing cools before assembly so the dough stays crisp and doesn't get soggy. A simple egg wash gives the tops that gorgeous deep-golden color straight out of a 400°F oven. These are the kind of thing you make once and immediately start planning when to make again.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
For the filling
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped
For assembly
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and use your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining. In a small bowl, stir together the cold water, beaten egg, and white vinegar, then pour over the flour mixture. Stir with a fork until the dough just comes together — it should be shaggy but hold when pressed. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, knead 3–4 times until smooth, then flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- 2
While the dough chills, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned throughout with no pink remaining, about 6–8 minutes. Drain off excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.
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