Appetizers & Snacks/ How to Recipes BY:Mireille PUBLISHED: 01/27/2020 UPDATED: 02/14/2024

Fried Cheese Empanadas

We are making the easiest empanadas! These fried cheese empanadas are super simple but so tasty.

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With this empanada dough for frying, you get a light and fluffy snack that is great for lunch or afternoon tapas. So are you ready to learn how to make fried cheese empanadas? Let’s get started!

What You Need For This Recipe

To make these snacks you only need a couple of ingredients:

Empanada dough for frying
Cheese – grated mozzarella cheese
Oil – for frying

Note that the full ingredients list, including measurements, can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Make Fried Cheese Empanadas

To make these empanadas you need to start with the dough. Make the savory empanada dough for frying first.
Cut out the empanada shells using an empanada mold, a plate, or press using a tortilla press. Take a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese or hard shredded cheese.
Put the handful in the middle of the empanada discs. Fold the empanada and seal the edges of the empanada using the mold or fold the edges by twisting them close.
Heat the oil until hot and check to see with some bread if it is hot enough. Bake about 2 to 3 empanadas at a time.
Do not crowd the pan else it will take longer for them to fry. Fry for about a minute per side, take out of the pan, and drain on paper towels.

Fried Empanadas Recipe

Empanadas de Viento or empanadas de queso are great and can be found in Mexico, Ecuador but also in Chile. These are so easy to make.

The most important ingredient for this recipe is the empanada dough for frying and hot oil. You have to seal the discs very tightly to prevent them from leaking the cheese.

As you do not want a big doughy snack, it is also important to roll the dough very thin. You can make the shells using a rolling pin.

If you have a tortilla press you can also make dough balls the size of a golf ball and press them in the tortilla press. When you use the tortilla press you can also roll the discs with a rolling pin to make them super thin.

Press them in a mold or roll the edges. Heat the oil until it is piping hot. Use a piece of bread or dough to see how fast the empanadas bake.

See How To Make Fried Cheese Empanadas

Want to see how to make fried cheese empanadas? Take a look at the instruction video with step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below.

You can see how easy it is to make these empanadas at home.

How To Store Fried Cheese Empanadas

If you have leftover empanadas, you can store them in a couple of ways:

At room temperature – if you plan on eating the snacks the same day put the empanadas in a bowl or in an airtight container and warm them
Fridge – if you plan on eating them within a day or two you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container
Freezer – put them in a freezer-friendly bag or container and store up to 3 months

How Do You Reheat Empanadas?

If you have leftover empanadas, you can heat them very easily. Preheat your oven or a small toaster oven to 300℉/150℃. Put them in the oven for about 10 minutes and they are ready to serve.

If you have a deep fryer you can it to reheat these empanadas as well.

You can reheat the empanadas in the microwave but then they will go soft which is not what we are looking for. So do not heat it in the microwave.

More Empanada Recipes

If you like this empanada recipe you will love these empanada recipes as well:

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