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Picadillo Empanadas

Name: Picadillo Empanadas
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 Tomato; 400 g Carne picada de ternera; 0.5 White onion; 100 g Pork lard o Butter; 150 ml Water fría; 1 tsp Salt; 2 cloves Garlic; 0.5 tsp Ground cumin; 0.25 tsp Black pepper; 1 Potato; 1 Carrot; 50 g Peas; 500 g Plain flour; 500 ml Vegetable oil

50 min (30 prep + 20 cook) Medium 12 servings Nacional

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 19 Mar 2026 · Updated: 25 Mar 2026

Crispy half-moons stuffed with spiced minced beef and vegetables, a classic antojito.

About this recipe

Picadillo empanadas are one of Mexico's most beloved antojitos: golden, crispy half-moons of dough filled with minced beef stewed with tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, peas and spices. The picadillo, with its blend of sweet and savoury flavours, is enclosed in a wheat or corn dough and fried until perfectly golden. They are served with green or red salsa, soured cream and shredded lettuce, creating a complete and irresistible bite found at fondas, markets and street stalls across the country.

History & Origin

Empanadas arrived in Mexico with the Spanish colonisation in the 16th century, direct descendants of Galician and Andalusian empanadas. However, Mexican cooks transformed them radically by filling them with picadillo, a minced beef stew featuring New World ingredients such as tomatoes, chillies and potatoes. Mexican picadillo has Arabic influences that arrived via Spain, where mixing meat with dried fruits and spices was a Moorish tradition. In Mexico, each region developed its own version: wheat flour dough in the north, corn masa in the centre, and amarillo masa in Oaxaca.

Estimated cost

£10.00

Total cost

£0.83

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

280

Calories

12g

Protein

26g

Carbohydrates

14g

Fat

Fibre

420mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Prepare the picadillo: heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan amplio over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and the garlic until they are transparentes (3 minutes).
2
Add the meat chopped and cocínala rompiendo the grumos with a wooden spoon until it is completely golden (5-7 minutes). Drain the exceso of fat if necessary.
3
Add the tomato licuado, the potato, the carrot, the cumin, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat tapado for 12-15 minutes until the verduras they are tiernas.
💡 La potato should be tender pero not deshecha for that mantenga texture in the empanada.
4
Add the peas in the last 3 minutes of cooking. Ajusta the seasoning and leave to cool completely before of rellenar.
5
Prepare the dough: mixture the flour with the salt. Fold in the lard cold cortada into cubes, trabajándola with the dedos until you get a texture arenosa. Add the cold water little by little until formar a dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigera 30 minutes.
6
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until a thickness of 3 mm. Cut círculos of some 12 cm of diameter.
7
Place 2 tablespoons generosas of picadillo cold in the centro of each círculo. Fold in half formando a half luna and sella the bordes pressing with a fork.
💡 Es fundamental that the picadillo it is cold for that not humedezca the dough.
8
Heat the oil a 180°C in a pot profunda. Fry thes empanadas in tandas of 3-4, flipping them a vez, for 3-4 minutes until golden. Drain them on papel absorbente. Serve with green sauce, cream and lettuce.