Our Ninja Foodi air fryer empanadas with ground beef have a TON of flavor with a crispy outside! Made with refrigerated pie crust, this becomes an easy appetizer or dinner idea can make and serve with this empanada dipping sauce.
Jump To
- How Long to Air Fry Empanadas
- Ninja Foodi (Option)
- What kind of dough do you use for empanadas?
- Ingredient Notes
- Air Fryer Empanadas Recipe
- Can you make empanadas with leftover ground beef?
- Is it better to bake or fry empanadas?
- Other Finger Foods You’ll Love
- How do you save leftover empanadas?
- How to reheat frozen empanadas
These are the best air fryer empanadas with refrigerated pie dough! Packed with flavorful ground beef and crispy dough on the outside, they’ll become your new favorite air fryer recipe.
How Long to Air Fry Empanadas
I mean, who doesn’t love a warm stuffed meal like this one right?? It’s one of our favorite air fryer ground beef recipes cooked in 5-8 minuts. I mean you can use ground sausage that is spicy if you would rather, turkey works too but typically beef is the most common. Throw in diced onions and bell peppers, make spicy or mild.
There is a lot of give and take with this recipe so you can make it just however you love it. We made a batch of air fryer won tons the other day and that got us thinking about other “hand pies” that might be good. Finger foods are the best especially when you have kids and are trying to make dinner time fun.
Tips: My Favorite models are the Cosori or making Ninja Foodi recipes with the lid that is attached.
It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. This is how to preheat air fryer first before adding your food so it becomes as crispy as possible. For best results, here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
Ninja Foodi (Option)
You don’t have to have a singular countertop appliance either. If you have this dual machine it works just as well as others. You will use the lid that is attached to air crisp these, with that button on the front.
What kind of dough do you use for empanadas?
If you love quick and easy meals like me, refrigerated pie dough works really well! Just cut into 4 inch (or so) circles and fill as desired. Otherwise you would want to make your own dough that is similar to a pie crust but not quite as dry.
Ingredient Notes
What is the primary ingredient you’ll need to pick up? Well ground beef of course which is not only versatile, but very inexpensive as well. When you’re feeding a crowd, or a large family that definitely helps. You could precook slow cooker Mexican shredded chicken beforehand or use spicy ground sausage too.
Refrigerated pie dough is what we like for the ease of things. It is already made and rolled out to the right thickness so all you do is take the box out of the fridge about 30 min to 1 hour before you want to start so it rolls out easier. Or use our pot pie crust if you have to have homemade.
As for the filling we like to add some bell peppers diced (any color), a taco seasoning packet or use homemade, lots of shredded cheese, diced onions and a bit of beef broth will make it more like a Sloppy Joes Recipe type of wet texture.
Air Fryer Empanadas Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small bell pepper, we chose 1/2 of 2 different colors, diced
- 1 packet taco seasoning, 1 oz.
- 1/4 cup beef broth, or water
- 1 pkg refrigerated pie crusts, 2 crusts total, bring to room temperature
- 1/2 cup cheese, shredded
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1 large egg, whisked
Instructions
- In a medium pan over medium heat, cook ground beef, green peppers, red peppers, and onions until ground beef is browned and onions are transparent.
- Stir in taco seasoning and water. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Roll pie crust out on a non-stick surface. Using a round bowl or cup (one with a 5-inch diameter works perfectly), cut out three circles from one of the pie crusts.
- Combine the remaining dough and roll out with a rolling pin to a similar thickness to the original crust. Cut a fourth circle. Repeat this process with the other pie crust = 8 pieces total
- Once beef mixture is cooled, spoon 2-3 tablespoons on each circle and top it with a sprinkle of cheese. Fold each circle of dough in half and use a little bit of water to seal the edges. Use a fork to press around the edges.
- Whisk the egg and brush each empanada with it. Place empanadas (4 at a time) in a greased air fryer basket. Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes to 350 degrees.
- Cook at 350 degrees F for 5-7 minutes or until tops are as golden brown as you'd like. Serve with your choice of sour cream, salsa, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes etc.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you make empanadas with leftover ground beef?
This actually works as a great leftover taco meat recipe. If you want to cook from fresh, the four main types to consider are regular ground beef, ground chuck, ground round, and ground sirloin When you’re choosing ground beef, there are a few things you should focus on according to the Idaho Beef Council like:
Is it better to bake or fry empanadas?
Well, now there is another method….in your air fryer! In the past there were only 2 options: in your oven or stovetop and more often they were deep fried. Personally I like the fried crispy texture on the outside BUT not the oily after taste. When using hot air to get a crunchy outside you avoid the heavy oily flavor, and negative health issues that come with submerging in oil.
Other Finger Foods You’ll Love
These are a bit more work than just making Frozen taquitos in air fryer but worth it. You can certainly tweak the filling for these Ground Beef Hand Pies of sorts and should if you are serving for a party.
How do you save leftover empanadas?
You’d do the same for air fryer chimichanga.Timing will vary slightly depending on how brown you like them. As you see above, 6 minutes worked great for us. Want to make these ahead of time and cook later? Make a double batch and freeze half of them so you’ll be set for a really busy evening!
- Just follow directions as listed below, but save the cooking steps for later.
- To freeze, lay the unbaked pieces side by side on a baking sheet with parchment paper on top (make sure they don’t touch).
- Freeze until solid
- Then take them off the sheet and put them into a freezer bag.
- They will keep for up to three months!
How to reheat frozen empanadas
First put them on a plate or baking sheet with parchment paper so they don’t tough. Allow them to defrost in the fridge and then air fry them as directed below. Just like if you made air fryer flautas that are rolled instead of folded over the same applies.
Looking for more ground beef recipes?? <——-You can find some here and below like our air fryer stuffed peppers and more:
I really enjoyed this recipe and it was simple to make. Personally enjoy flavorful food that is easy to make without completely destroying my kitchen.
so glad
It was so delicious! I was surprised by how easy it was to make. I was able to throw everything together just in time for a pot luck i was going to! Thank you!
awesome
Love this recipe. So easy and quick to make. Hubby really enjoyed these Empanadas. I added some frozen shredded veggies because well, I sneak veggies in every change I get…. Uncooked, they froze well so now I have something to pull out and pop in the air fryer when I jam having a dish Hubby is not fond of…. winner, Winner. Thanks, Justine.
I would be curious if they could also be done with thin crust pizza dough.
Possibly