Air fryer cheese empanadas (Empanadas de viento o queso)
These air fryer cheese empanadas are crispy, gooey, and just sweet enough—like the best street snack, but easier to make at home. Using an air fryer cuts down on oil without sacrificing the golden crunch that makes empanadas de viento so irresistible!
What are empanadas de viento?
Empanadas de viento, or empanadas de queso (cheese empanadas), are a common Ecuadorian street food. They are crispy, airy cheese empanadas that puff up when fried, giving them their name (“viento” means wind). They’re traditionally filled with gooey cheese and sprinkled with sugar right after frying for that perfect sweet-savory combo. While they’re usually deep-fried, this easy air fryer version keeps things a bit more healthy without losing their charm!
Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour works as the base of the dough.
- Salt, sugar, and baking powder: These balance flavor and help create a light texture.
- Butter: Adds richness and flakiness to the dough. Cold or room temperature both work here.
- Orange juice: A traditional ingredient that adds subtle flavor and color.
- Sparkling or still water: Helps hydrate the dough. Sparkling water gives a bit of extra lift.
- Cheese: Use a melty cheese like mozzarella, quesillo, Oaxaca, or Monterey Jack. You can also use a mix of a melty cheese plus a little of bit of salty crumbled cheese (queso fresco or feta).
- White onion (optional): Finely chopped and mixed with the cheese for added flavor.
- Oil (for brushing): Helps the empanadas get golden and crisp in the air fryer. I like to use oil here instead of an egg wash.
- Sugar (for sprinkling): That final dusting of sugar is what makes these just like empanadas de viento.
Making Cheese Empanadas in the Air Fryer
This air fryer recipe for cheese empanadas gives you all the crispiness of frying with much less oil and mess. It’s also faster, more hands-off, and great for small batches—no pot of hot oil needed. Plus, air frying keeps the empanadas light while still giving you that signature bubbly texture and golden brown color!
If you don’t have an air fryer and prefer to fry them, try my traditional empanadas de viento recipe.
Tips for Success
- Roll the dough very thin. A thin dough is essential for that light, airy bite and quick cooking. If your dough is too thick, the empanadas may be dense instead of puffy.
- Chill before cooking if possible. Letting the assembled empanadas chill for at least an hour helps seal the edges and prevents the cheese from leaking out during air frying.
- Seal with care. Press the edges firmly and use the traditional twist (repulgue or churito) to keep the cheese inside. A fork works in a pinch but may not seal as well.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. Give each empanada space so the air can circulate—this is key for even browning and crispy texture.
How to Serve Air Fried Cheese Empanadas
Empanadas de viento are best enjoyed hot and fresh from the air fryer when the cheese is still gooey and the pastry is crispy. Serve them on a platter with a generous sprinkle of sugar on top—just like you’d find from a street vendor in Ecuador. They make a perfect snack, appetizer, or light breakfast with coffee or tea (or as dessert as my husband does). You can also include them in a brunch spread alongside eggs, fruit, and other baked goods for a Latin American-inspired menu!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes! Assemble and chill them in the fridge for up to 24 hours before air frying, or freeze them for later. You can air fry them as frozen empanadas but you will need to add some extra time to the cooking time.
Can I use store-bought empanada dough?
Absolutely. While homemade dough gives the best flavor and texture, store-bought discs work great for air fryer empanadas in a pinch—just make sure to roll them thinner if needed.
What cheese works best?
Use any cheese that melts well. Mozzarella, Oaxaca, and Monterey Jack are great options. I recommend shredding your own cheese from a block, as opposed to using preshredded cheese which has added starches that prevent it from fully melting!
Can I bake them instead of air frying?
Yes! If you prefer to bake them, follow my baked empanadas de viento recipe.
Why sprinkle sugar on top?
It’s traditional! That little bit of sugar adds contrast to the melty cheese and crispy shell—don’t skip it unless you’re going fully savory.
Air fryer cheese empanadas (Empanadas de viento)
Ingredients
For the empanada dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups = 375 grams (1 cup = 125 grams)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 115 grams of butter 4 oz or 1 stick, cut in 8 pieces, can be cold or room temperature
- ¼ cup or 4 tablespoons of orange juice ¼ cup = 60 ml
- 2/3 cup sparkling water or still water add more if needed, 2/3 cup =158 ml
For the cheese filling:
- 2 ½ cups grated cheese you can use mozzarella, quesillo, monterey jack, Oaxaca or any other cheese that melts well or a combination of your favorites – you can also add a bit salty crumbled cheese (queso fresco or feta)
- 1 cup finely chopped white onion optional but recommended
For cooking and sprinkling:
- Oil for brushing
- ¼ to ½ cup sugar for sprinkling adjust to taste
Instructions
To make the empanada dough for the air fryer:
- Combine the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a mixer or food processor and mix well.
- Add the pieces of butter and continue mixing until you have a coarse mix.
- Add the orange juice and sparkling water – start with ½ cup of water and then add more as needed, pulse and mix until clumps of dough start to form.
- To make the empanada dough by hand, follow the same instructions, but use your hands to mix the ingredients together.
- Form a ball with the dough and knead lightly until smooth.
- Place the dough in a bowl, coat with small amount of oil, cover and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- To make the empanada discs or rounds, there are a couple of ways to do this.The first option is to roll out the dough into a thin layer and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small bowl/plate).
- The second method is to form the dough into several small balls of dough, about 1.5 oz to 2 oz in weight depending on the empanada size you want.
- Then use a tortilla press or a rolling pin to roll them out – they don’t need to be perfectly round. It’s really important to get the discs very thin since they cook very quickly, if after cutting out the round shapes or pressing them with a tortilla press, they are still thick, use a rolling pin to roll out each disc a little more until it is very thin.
- These empanada discs can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator or freezer to use later.
To fill, assemble, and air fry the cheese empanadas:
- Mix the grated cheese and chopped onions together.
- Spoon the cheese filling on the center of each empanada disc.
- Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges, first pressing gently with your fingers until the edges are sealed, next twist and fold the edges of the empanadas to make a little curl like closure (called repulgue or churito). You can also use a fork to seal the empanadas; however, the fork method does not seal them entirely and you might have leaks.
- If you have time, chill the empanadas for at least an hour, this will also help them seal better and prevent leaks.
- When ready to cook them, preheat the air fryer to 375 F (190 C).
- Brush the empanadas with oil and sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top. If you prefer to not sprinkle sugar on top you can omit that part.
- Place the empanadas on the air fryer rack or in the basket, do not overcrowd them. Air fry them at 375 F (190 C) for 10-12 minutes. You do not need to flip them over, but you can rotate them if needed.
- The empanadas will be done when they are golden on top, a bit of cheese might leak out.
- Place the warm cheese empanadas on a plate, sprinkle with additional sugar and serve immediately.
Step by step preparation photos for air fryer cheese empanadas (Ecuadorian empanadas de viento):
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