If there is one dish that sums up Argentina at the table, it’s the empanada. We make them almost every day in our kitchen in Las Cañitas, Buenos Aires, for travelers joining our Argentine Cooking Experience, and it’s by far the recipe guests ask us to send home with them. Here it is, written the way we teach it in class: no shortcuts, no store-bought dough, just the real thing.
A Short History of the Empanada
Empanadas arrived in Argentina with Spanish and Moorish influences, but the country made them entirely its own. Every region has a version: Tucumán favors a juicy, hand-chopped beef filling; Salta adds potato and a touch of cumin; Mendoza folds in olives and hard-boiled egg. What we teach at Pachamama is the classic Buenos Aires-style beef empanada, baked, with a well-seasoned filling and a crimped edge called the repulgue.
Ingredients for the Dough
- 500g (about 4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 100g cold butter or beef fat (grasa), cubed
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 180ml warm water (approximately)
Work the cold fat into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles coarse sand, then add the egg, salt and water gradually until the dough comes together without being sticky. Rest it, covered, for at least 30 minutes before rolling. If you’re short on time, good-quality store-bought discos work — but the homemade version is worth the extra step.
Ingredients for the Classic Beef Filling
- 500g beef, hand-chopped or coarsely minced (this texture matters more than any spice)
- 2 onions, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp cumin, chili flakes to taste
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- A handful of green olives, chopped
- Beef stock, salt and pepper
Sauté the onion and pepper slowly until soft and slightly sweet — this base is what makes the filling taste like home cooking rather than fast food. Add the beef, spices and a splash of stock, and cook until the meat is tender and the mixture is moist but not runny. Cool it completely before filling the empanadas; a warm filling will make the dough impossible to seal.
Assembly and Baking
Cut circles of dough about 12cm across, place a generous spoonful of cold filling slightly off-center, then fold and seal with the repulgue: small overlapping folds along the curved edge, made with your thumb and forefinger. It takes a few tries to get right — in our classes it’s usually the moment guests laugh the most. Brush with egg wash and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 18–20 minutes, until golden.
Serve the Way We Do
At Pachamama we always serve empanadas with a bowl of chimichurri on the side and a glass of Argentine red — usually a Malbec from Mendoza. It’s a small ritual, but it’s the one that guests tell us they recreate first when they get home.
Want to make these with us in person? Join our hands-on Argentine Cooking Experience in Buenos Aires — empanadas are only the beginning of the menu. Book your spot at pachamamaexperience.com.