Easy Baked Pumpkin Empanadas
This recipe for sweet baked Pumpkin Empanadas should definitely be on your fall and winter dessert radar. They’re basically the Mexican equivalent of pumpkin hand pies, making them a perfect treat for holiday potlucks and parties – you don’t need knives, forks, or even plates to serve them!
These adorable pastry pockets are filled with a simple spiced pumpkin filling, then baked to flaky golden brown perfection. Empanadas are my go-to dessert of choice for large holiday gatherings because they’re so easy to make and serve, but they also pair perfectly well with a mug of steaming hot café de olla for an indulgent breakfast treat.
What Are Empanadas?
It seems that every country has a way to make stuffed dumplings – there are Chinese potstickers, Japanese gyoza, Eastern European pierogis, American turnovers, and countless more. Empanadas are the Latin American version, and they can be either sweet or savory, baked or fried.
Growing up, we always knew that the fall and winter meant we got to eat lots of the tasty treats known as empanadas. It makes sense, too – these little pockets of goodness can be baked on a sheet tray, which helps to warm up the house during cooler months.
Savory empanadas use a dough that is similar to a flaky, buttery, crispy pie crust. Savory versions can be stuffed with just about anything – meats, cheeses, beans, or veggies.
Here are a few of my favorite savory empanada recipes:
- Cheesy Picadillo Empanadas
- Hatch Green Chile and Cheese Empanadas
- Chorizo and Black Bean Empanadas with Grilled Corn Salsa
Sweet empanadas use a dough that is similar to a crisp yet tender pastry crust that is slightly sweet. Sweet versions, like this recipe for pumpkin empanadas, are basically little hand pies. I usually opt for stuffing mine with jams or preserves.
Here are some other sweet empanada recipes to try:
- Cherry Empanadas (Cherry Hand Pies)
- Pineapple Empanadas
- Guava Empanadas
- Empanadas de Membrillo (Quince Empanadas)
- Apple Empanadas
About This Recipe
When the days start getting shorter and colder, I’m a huge sucker for all the typical fall flavors – maple, apple, and of course, pumpkin. These pumpkin empanadas are one of my favorite treats to make because they’re so dang easy!
The filling is made using canned pure pumpkin (or homemade pumpkin purée), brown sugar, and spices. There’s no egg or evaporated milk to be seen, which means you can make it ahead of time for convenience. If you are looking for a homemade pumpkin filling made with fresh pumpkin simmered with piloncillo, cinnamon, and cloves you can find that recipe in the Muy Bueno cookbook or you can follow the pumpkin puree recipe in this pumpkin bread.
The simple pastry dough is easier than making pie crust! And if you’re in a time crunch, there’s no shame in using store bought pie dough, either.
This recipe for pumpkin empanadas yields about two dozen pastries, making it the perfect size for any holiday gathering or bake sale. Once made, the hand pies will last for about a week at room temperature, so they’re also great to have around when you’re hosting guests for the holiday season.
How To Make Mexican Pumpkin Hand Pies
Once you get the hang of making empanadas at home, I have a feeling you’ll start making them all the time! They’re super simple and ridiculously tasty. Oh! And you can also make all of the elements ahead of time, which is just what I need when life starts getting holiday hectic.
Pumpkin Filling
First up, let’s make the pumpkin empanada filling. Unlike pumpkin pie, this is less of a custard and more of a pumpkin butter situation.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves with the butter. Stir in the pumpkin and the spices. Continue to stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure the filling is nice and thick like a jam, cooking as long as it needs for the excess moisture to evaporate.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool down. After it’s cooled off for about 15 minutes, put the filling in the refrigerator to help it set for 30 minutes, or up to a week in advance.
TIP: If you’re in a time crunch, feel free to use store bought pumpkin butter instead!
Sweet Empanada Dough
While the filling cools, you can make the empanada dough.
Mix the first 3 dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with the dry ingredients. I find that this works better if you use your hands.
Add the eggs, milk, and sugar. Continue to work the dough with your hands until it is uniform.
Split the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for about 20 to 30 minutes, or up to a week in advance.
TIP: You can also make the dough and freeze it for up to three months. Simply defrost overnight in the refrigerator and proceed with the recipe as written.
Take out one half of the dough and split it into 12 to 18 balls of dough, depending on how small you want your empanadas. I prefer one dozen per half of the dough. They also fit nicely on one large cookie sheet.
Assemble & Bake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough into small round circles.
Add a small dollop of filling on one half of the rolled out dough. Wet the bottom edge of the dough with water or milk to help seal the two halves. Fold over the dough to seal. Seal off the edges with a fork by pressing down along the two edges. This also makes for a pretty pattern when baked.
TIP: Want to get the little ones involved? My son loves to brush each empanada with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and puncture with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking.
Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray or place the empanadas on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes on medium rack in the oven.
If after 15 minutes you notice the bottoms of the empanadas starting to brown, move the cookie sheet to the top rack and continue to bake for the last 5 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Generally speaking, I like my pastries to be warm, especially when it’s cold outside. That said, these little nuggets of goodness are perfectly tasty at room temperature as a snack. If you have a few extra minutes, though, I recommend heating them up in the toaster oven for an extra delicious treat.
I actually recently found out that canned pumpkin is often not actually made from pumpkins, but rather from other winter squash. As such, feel free to swap in acorn or butternut squash purée, or even use some mashed sweet potatoes.
If pumpkin is not your jam, try using another preserve that suits your taste. Apple butter is an excellent choice for the holidays, but really any jam will do!
Yes! For best results, I recommend filling the pumpkin empanadas and freezing them on a sheet tray prior to baking. When you’re ready to make them, simply pop them out of the freezer onto a lined baking sheet and bake according to the recipe instructions, adding on a few minutes to the overall time. Frozen, unbaked empanadas should last for up to three months in the freezer.
You can also freeze the baked empanadas if you like, though the flaky texture of the crust will suffer a bit in cold storage.
Still craving pumpkin?
Try these other pumpkin recipes:
- Pumpkin Spice Tamales
- Pumpkin Granola Fruit Tarts with Vanilla Yoghurt
- Mexican Pumpkin Rice Pudding
- Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake
- Fresh Homemade Pumpkin Puree + Pumpkin Bread
- Calabaza en Tacha (Candied Pumpkin)
- Pumpkin Apple Bundt Cake
- Tres Leches Pumpkin Flan
If you tried this quick and easy recipe for Sweet Baked Pumpkin Empanadas, please be sure to rate and review it below! Or, if you decide to Instagram your creation, tag me (@muybuenocooking) so I can see your delicious empanadas.
Pumpkin Empanadas
Ingredients
Pumpkin Filling:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed firmly
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Empanada Dough:
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
Make Pumpkin Filling:
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves with the butter. Stir in the pumpkin and the spices. Continue to stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure the filling is not too watery; otherwise let it cook for a couple more minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool down. After it’s cooled off for about 15 minutes, put the filling in the refrigerator to help it set for 30 minutes or overnight.
- You can make the Empanada Dough while the filling is cooling off.
Make Empanada Dough:
- Mix the first 3 dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with the dry ingredients. Works better if you use your hands.
- Add the eggs, milk and sugar. Continue to work in with your hands. Split the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes. Take out one half of the dough and split it into 12-18 balls of dough. Depending on how small you want your empanadas. I prefer one dozen per half of the dough. They also fit nicely on one large cookie sheet.
Assemble and Bake Empanadas:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You can fill your empanadas with any preserves made ahead of time.
- Roll out the dough into small round circles. Add a small dollop of filling on one half of the rolled out dough. Wet the bottom edge of the dough with water or milk to help seal the two halves. Fold over the dough to seal. Seal off the edges with a fork by pressing down along the two edges. This also makes for a pretty pattern when baked.
- Brush each empanada with egg whites, sprinkle with sugar and puncture each empanada with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray, or place the empanadas on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes on medium rack in the oven. If after 15 minutes you notice the bottoms of the empanadas starting to brown, move the cookie sheet to the top rack and continue to bake for the last 5 minutes.
119 Comments on “Easy Baked Pumpkin Empanadas”
I’m from Texas and we always have tamales and empanadas for Christmas eve. We are living in New England now and there are no homemade tamales to be found or even cornhusk to make them myself. I have decided to make savory and sweet empanadas instead with arroz con pollo. I just found your blog and I think it can help get this Texas girl through this geographical mis-placement!
Hi I read that a lot of people couldn’t find organic pumpkin purée. I get mine at Trader Joes they usually have it around the holiday season. I don’t know if they have Trader Joes where you are but I hope this helps!
I JUST made about a dozen of these. I tried them after being cooled down and wow they are just so delicious. I don’t even like pumpkin pie, but these just blew me away. My boyfriend asked me to make them (he’s from Mexico) and so I did and I am very proud of myself. Thank you so much for your recipe! I will definitely have to make these again :]
I just tested these out for an upcoming photo shoot for Festivities magazine’s fall issue. So incredibly delicious! These are definitely going to be made again and again in our home.
Wonderful Nikki! So glad to hear that. Tell me MORE about your magazine! Sounds like my kinda magazine 😉
Yumm!! I made these with fresh pumpkins we grew in south Texas! They were literally gone in 2 days. My family loved them! Good thing I have a few pumpkins left! I will be making these empanadas tomorrow…
So glad you found our recipe and our site…my kids love them too and my hubby. Thanks for letting us know you liked them and want to make them again. Nothing gives us more pleasure then knowing you tried one of our recipes, you and your family liked it and want to make them AGAIN! YES!!!
I used the Empanada dough recipe today and fell in love! I’ve been looking for the taste of my mothers empanadas and this is the BEST and what I remember. I had fresh yams I needed to use so substituted and baked it with all the spices. Next will be savory empanada’s.
WOW Lesvia, I’m so happy our recipe reminded you of your mother’s empanadas. That’s a HUGE compliment.
We also plan to play with some savory empanadas and have even tested beer in the dough which was very yummy! We will be sharing more empanada recipe soon. Stay tuned.
I was wondering, is there a way to make the dough egg-free?
Tice, I have never tried it, but you can try substituting 1 banana or 1/4 cup apple sauce for each egg.
And as far as the egg wash you can simply use milk for that.
Best of luck! We’d love to hear how it works for you.
Empanadas have been a childhood Christmas memory for me. My Spanish Mom and Aunts always had posole and pumpkin empanadas at Christmas. Since I am not a baker by any means, I have used Won Ton wrappers for the dough and they are tasty and so much easier!!
Bobbi
WOW! Won Ton wrappers? Very interesting! Might have to test that out 😉
I made the filling for these, wow… Fabulous!
So happy to hear that Dana. YAY! Enjoy 😉
thank you for posting, my husband is from Mexico and he loves to cook but he cooks by memory and taste not by using measurements but now I can see what he is using:)
Can’t wait to hear what your hubby thinks of this recipe. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for the recipe! 🙂 They came out so delicious…:) I had to make my pumpkin filling by some pumpkin i had there. lol Next time ill just buy the pumpkin can. 😀 I’ll defiantly will make this again for thanksgiving day. Gracias y Happy Thanksgiving!!!
So glad to hear that Kendra. YUM! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
My favorite of all sweet empanadas. When my momma made them when we were growing up, my mom made the filling from scratch. I like the option of buying the canned pumpkin – so I’ll be trying this soon. Thanks!
I have fond memories scraping pumpkins to help my grandma make FRESH pumpkin empanadas. As she got older she started incorporating shortcuts into her cooking and honestly no one could tell the difference. Her empanadas were still made with love and the fragrant aromas from her cocina will never be forgotten.
I just made this recipe. Fantastic! I live in Tucson, so getting empañadas is easy, but I’ve always wanted to try making them. I remember so many mornings when I was a kid, my friend would tell me to come over because there were fresh ones coming out of the oven. My wife is loving these!
So happy to hear you made them William! I’ve been craving some myself, so I plan to make some this weekend. YUM!
My husband LOVES pumpkin empanadas, but since we’ve moved to the east coast, we cannot find them anywhere, I cannot wait to go home and make these as a treat for him! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Tis the season Christie! We are sure you and your husband will enjoy them. Feel free to share any photos on our facebook page. We love hearing from our amigos that make our recipes.
Hi,
If I can’t find organic pumpkin in a can, do you think I could use Libby’s solid pumpkin in a can? Or all I can find this time of year is pumpkin pie filling, do you have any suggestions to use the filling and make a bit thicker?
I’m trying to think ahead for cinco de mayo.
Thank you.
Joyce
joy2282003@yahoo.com
Hola Joyce,
The pumpkin in a can will work. Try to stay away from pumpkin pie filling because it has a lot of varied spices already and a little too runny for this recipe. Cinco de Mayo huh?, never thought about making them then, but SUPER idea! Let us know how they turn out…
Happy New Year! Your families empanadas sound delicious. I also grew up eating pumpkin and other fruit empanadas, they are the perfect breakfast. Thank you for participating in your first YBR roundup.
Thanks Nancy! I’ll have to check out your site and see the roundup! Here’s wishing you all the success for 2011!! Abrazos! Yvette
These sound delicious! I’ve made empanadas before, but never thought to make them sweet rather than savory. Perfect for the season. Thanks!
These would be great to serve with a dipping sauce for dessert. Any ideas?
Hi Kelly: I’ve never dipped them in anything (besides coffee). I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and I think that is why I LOVE them so much. They are sweet without being too sweet. If you come up with a dipping sauce I’d love to hear about it 😉
You should try something caramel-y or vanilla-y. My two favorite Pumpkin & ________ combos. 🙂
When I made these last month my recipe was similar (though not exactly the same) and they came out looking nice like yours, but my dough was a little dry. I will have to try yours! Yum 🙂
Best of luck with our recipe Tracy! Keep me posted.
I am glad I found your blog. I will for sure give these a try. Growing up we would go to the mexican bakery for them. I have been missing my daddy lately (2yrs passed away) so I will make these in memory of him. Now to find the organic pumpkin. I am adding your blog to my favorite list!! Thanks for sharing. xo
Hi Joyce, We are glad you found us too! Thanks for the Link Love!
They look beautiful Yvette.. and oh so yummy. I will have to try and make them the next time Ayla takes a long nap 🙂
You should make them Rachel! They would make a perfect care package for Corrin in college 😉
Oooooooooooooooh, these take me back to my childhood and trips to the panaderÃas for pan dulce in Tijuana and Tecate. Thank you!
We are very happy to hear this empanada recipe brought back great memories for you. They definitely do that for us!
The empanadas look amazing.
I’d love for you to submit one of your beautiful photos, and a link to your post, to my new vegetarian food photo gallery showcasing beautiful and flavorful vegetarian food.
We are honored you found us! We will definitely submit our photos to your site!
Super yummy – the neighbors were visiting and kept asking for more, and my son Jace loved them.
Yay! Thats great to hear! Especially that Jace loved them!
I’m in Minnesota visiting family, where it is much chillier than the weather I am used to at home in Mexico. The leaves are falling in beautiful colors — a sight I have not seen in many years. These pumpkin empanadas would be perfect for a chilly Fall day. I have never made empenadas, but maybe it is time to try a recipe, and yours looks perfect.
Kathleen
Gracias Kathleen! I promise your familia in Minnesota will love them. Have a fun time here in the U.S.