About This Recipe

Our Empanada Gallega recipe is a delicious savory pie that’s perfect as a mid-day snack or when you’re looking for a tasty party treat. This traditional empanada recipe is quick and easy to make, plus you can easily prepare and freeze a batch of the filling for use later! 

Over the years the authentic Spanish recipe has been adapted and changed slightly (adding onions is one example) but most Empanada Gallega recipes still remain pretty much true to the original authentic recipe that hails from the Galicia region of Spain.

Empanada fillings

One of our favorite empanadas is tuna-filled empanada which follows this authentic Spanish recipe. The pastry is thicker than your typical empanadas and these are often sold in big rectangles rather than individual crescent-shaped servings.

For those looking to try something different, there’s an endless list of empanada filling options with culinary influences from all over the world. 

• Chicken & Chorizo empanadas
• Vegan empanadas with eggplant and tomato filling 
• Chicken, cheese, and bacon empanadas
• Pumpkin and blue cheese empanadas
• Chicken, leek, and mushroom empanadas
• Fish and romesco sauce empanadas
• Vegan empanadas with spinach, pine nuts, and vegan cheese

Empanada dough

When it comes to empanada dough, there are a few schools of thought on what makes the perfect golden, paprika-tinged color. 

Some recipes insist that it’s best to infuse the empanada dough with oil and paprika, giving it a reddish color when baked. Other recipes simply use an oil and sweet paprika glaze that is brushed onto the empanadas before baking. Both work just fine, but we’ve found the oil and paprika glaze is an easier option. 

So, for this empanada recipe, we’re going to use the oil and sweet paprika glaze.

Can empanada dough be vegan?

While authentic Spanish empanada recipes require the pastry to be made with egg (and some are also glazed with a beaten egg), it’s not difficult to make a completely vegan empanada dough. 

Unsurprisingly, there’s very little required to transform the traditional empanada recipe into a vegan-friendly option. Simply omit the egg. Yep, it’s that simple! If you want to make the fillings for this specific empanada vegan, omit the eggs and stew down some eggplant instead of using tuna. 

Here’s our vegan empanada dough recipe.

Fried or baked empanadas?

Traditionally, authentic Spanish empanadas such as this recipe are baked, but there are plenty of empanada recipes out there (mainly of Latin-American origin) that deep fry the empanada. Of course, this becomes impossible with the Empanada Gallega, or empanada pie, as it’s simply too big. 

As a rule of thumb, if you’re making small empanadas, they can be baked or deep-fried. The large pie-style empanadas like many found in authentic Spanish cuisine will be baked.

How to Make Tuna Empanada

Equipment

• 1 large 12-inch (30cm) frying pan (to make the filling)
• 1 rolling pin 
• Stand mixer or KitchenAid

Method (step-by-step)

Method (step-by-step)

Step 1 – Make the empanada dough

• In the bowl of the stand mixer or KitchenAid, add the flour together with the milk, egg and salt. (No KitchenAid? You can do this by hand, it will take around 15 minutes)
• Mix till you get a crumbly texture like breadcrumbs.
• Add some water in a continuous thread while kneading.
• Knead until the dough for around 15 minutes if doing it by hand or 5 minutes with a mixer. Once ready it will be completely smooth.
• Shape it into a ball, put it in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let it rest for at least 2-3 hours (ideally, leave it refrigerated overnight).

Step 2 – Prepare the filling

• In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add some olive oil and the onion and fry until lightly golden in color. 
• Next, add the diced pepper and fry for another 3-4 minutes. 
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the grated tomatoes and stir well. Simmer for around 3-4 minutes.
• Add the sweet paprika, sugar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
• (Optionally, you can add a little zing to this recipe with 60ml of sweet Spanish sherry).
• Cover and allow to simmer for around 10 minutes. 
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool before adding the tuna and diced hard-bolied egg.
• (Optionally, add some black or green pitted olives too). 
• Allow the filling to cool for use later.

Step 3 – Shape the empanada dough.

• Remove from the fridge and let the dough stand for around 5-10 minutes.
• Divide the dough into two equal pieces, one for the top, and one for the bottom.
• Shape two balls and cover them with a cloth. Leave for around 20-30 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 380ºF /195ºC.
• Lay out some parchment paper on a flat surface and use a rolling pin to roll out each dough ball into large flat disks (15 inches- 38cm in diameter), around 2-3 mm thick. 
• Set aside for use later.

Step 4 – Add the filling and bake

• Use only cold filling. Add the filling to the base empanada pastry around ¾-ch inch thick. Allow a boundary an inch or two around the edges with no filling. 
• With a small brush or spoon, add a little water to the edges of the dough to moisten. 
• Carefully add the top piece of dough to the empanada and fold the edges with the thumb and finger to make a repulgue (fold). (Alternatively, you can use a fork to crimp the edges). 
• Make your oil and paprika glaze now. 
• Use a brush to glaze the empanada lid with the glaze. 
• Pierce the empanada lid several times with a fork to allow for it to breathe while cooking (otherwise the lid will rise and create an air cavity between the dough and the filling). 
• Bake in preheated oven at 380ºF /195ºC for around 30 minutes or until golden.