These Pulled Pork Empanadas are made with your choice of pulled pork, carnitas or cochinita pibil, empanada dough discs, and olive oil.
These empanadas are flaky and crispy on the outside with a hearty warm pulled pork on the inside. These are the best you have ever tasted! These empanadas are one of my favorite things to make, and can be served as an entrée or an appetizer. They are great for parties and you can save time by buying pre-made dough. The empanadas dough discs can be found in the frozen section of your grocery store. You can also use store bought pizza dough and divide into 6-8 individual empanadas.
Empanadas vary from country to country. In Puerto Rico you have ground beef and in Mexico you have shredded chicken and corn. They are all the same in the sense that they are homemade dough with some kind of meat or cheese, vegetable, and spices inside. My favorite empanadas consist of ground beef, red onion, jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice, and tomatoes.
If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Cream Cheese Poblano Peppers or my Stuffed Anaheim Peppers.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Shredded pork
- Empanada dough discs
- Olive oil
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Shred the pork with 2 forks. It should be extremely soft at this point. Pour the sauce back into it.
Place an empanada dough disc down and add two tablespoons of the meat mixture on it. Fold over and with a fork, press down to seal to prevent filling from getting out.
Brush each empanada with olive oil on each side. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375°F for 40 minutes.
Air fry at 400°F for 15 minutes.
Substitutions
Pork: For the meat, you will need cooked shredded pork shoulder or pork loin. You can use a fork to shred. You can make this yourself or buy shredded pork yourself.
Empanada discs: These will be found in the frozen foods section. You could also use wonton wrappers and cut them into circles to form into empanadas.
Olive oil: I used olive oil but you can use vegetable oil, canola oil or sunflower oil.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes in with the pulled pork, or top with hot sauce at the end.
- Deluxe - add guacamole, crispy onions or tzatziki sauce for dipping.
- Kid friendly - add crushed potato chips inside with the shredded pork.
Check out these Pork Birria Tacos.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tip
Make sure to use a fork to completely close the empanada to prevent dripping from the filling.
Pulled Pork Empanadas
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These Pulled Pork Empanadas are made with your choice of pulled pork, carnitas or cochinita pibil, empanada dough discs, and olive oil.
Ingredients
- 4 cups pulled pork, carnitas or cochinita pibil
- 10-15 empanada dough discs or pizza dough, separated into small pieces and individually rolled out
- Olive oil, for brushing
Instructions
Make the Filling.
- To make Carnitas filling:
- Place chopped onion, minced garlic, ancho chiles with ¼ cup of its water, broth, juice and zest of lime, and 1 bay leaf. For Slow Cooker: Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours. For Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook on high for 60 minutes. Quick release after.
- To make Cochinita Pibil Filling:
- Make the sauce. Place the achiote paste, orange juice and lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the sauce into the bowl with the pork. Marinate overnight for best results, or at least one hour. For Slow Cooker: Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours. For Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook on high for 60 minutes. Quick release after.
Assemble Empanadas
- Shred the pork. With a slotted spoon, place the pork into a bowl or baking dish. Shred the pork with 2 forks. It should be extremely soft at this point. Pour the sauce back into it.
- Make the empanadas. Place an empanada dough disc down and add two tablespoons of the meat mixture on it. Fold over and with a fork, press down to seal to prevent filling from getting out.
- Bake in oven. Brush each empanada with olive oil on each side. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375°F for 40 minutes.
- Air fry the empanadas. Brush each empanada with olive oil on each side. Air fry at 400°F for 20 minutes.
Notes
- Use an egg wash to seal the empanadas to give them a golden-brown crust.
- Firmly press with a fork to ensure all the filling stay firmly in the empanada.
- You can freeze the empanadas once assembled to make another day
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Latin
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 163.0
- Sugar: 1.3 g
- Sodium: 118.0 mg
- Fat: 11.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.8 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 10.9 g
- Cholesterol: 38.0 mg
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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