Lupin Free Easy Empanadas
Golden, flaky, and packed with a smoky beef filling, these baked empanadas are the kind of hand-held comfort food that disappears fast at any table. The from-scratch dough comes together with all-purpose flour, cold butter, and a splash of white vinegar — that last ingredient is the secret to a tender, workable crust that bakes up beautifully crisp without any specialty flours or additives. Lupin, which can sneak into baked goods and flour blends as a cheap protein extender, is simply never part of the picture here, making this a genuinely stress-free bake from start to finish. The filling is where things really shine: seasoned ground beef with smoked paprika, cumin, and oregano gets layered with briny green olives and chopped hard-boiled egg for that classic, satisfying depth. Every ingredient is straightforward and easy to source, so there's no label-scanning anxiety at the grocery store. These are equally at home as a weeknight dinner, a party snack, or something you batch-cook and reheat throughout the week.
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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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