Caprese empanadas with tomato, mozzarella, and basil
These Caprese Empanadas are an Italian-Latin fusion, combining the classic flavors of caprese with the beloved Latin American pastry. Featuring gooey mozzarella cheese, ripe tomatoes, and fragrant basil all wrapped in a golden, flakey crust!
Am I the only one who is absolutely caprese obsessed? Me and my kids have always loved everything caprese, and these caprese empanadas are now in our rotation! The delicious mix of mozzarella cheese, juicy tomatoes and fragrant basil is one of my favorite fillings for grilled cheese or as a topping for grilled crostini!
Usually anything that would be good on pizza, crostini, grilled cheese, or a savory tart also makes a good empanada filling. These cheesy tomato caprese empanadas can be made either in the oven or fried – depending on your preference. I recommend serving the empanadas with a garlicky basil olive oil sauce or with a balsamic chimichurri sauce.
Ingredients You Need
For the Empanada Dough
- Flour: All-purpose flour works well here.
- Salt: For flavor!
- Butter: Butter ensures a flaky empanada!
- Egg: Egg is needed for the dough and also for an egg yolk wash before baking!
- Water or Milk: This is just up to preference. Water or milk will work well as the liquid in the empanada dough!
For the Filling
- Mozzarella Cheese: You can use pre-grated mozzarella cheese or grate it yourself! Or, you can use fresh mozzarella, but be sure to grate it as well!
- Tomatoes: Feel free to use any kind of fresh tomatoes and dice them up into bite-sized pieces.
- Basil: Fresh basil is a must!
How to Make Caprese Empanadas
- Make the Dough: If you are making your own empanada dough, mix the flour and salt in a food processor. Then, add the butter and pulse. Next, add the egg and the water or milk. Add in small increments and continue pulsing until a clumpy dough forms. If you don’t have a food processor, follow the same instructions but use your hand to mix together.
- Split the Dough: Split the dough into 2 large balls, and flatten slightly into the shape of disks. The dough can be used immediately or wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to use, up to 2 days in advance.
- Roll it Out: Roll the dough out into a thin sheet and cut out rough disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate). You can also make small individual balls with the dough and roll out each individual ball into a round shape, or if you have a tortilla press you can use it to flatten the dough balls!
- Make the Filling: Mix the grated mozzarella cheese, chopped tomatoes and basil in a bowl.
- Assemble: Place a spoonful or two of the cheese mixture on the middle of each empanada disc.
- Fold: Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges. You can either use a fork to help seal the empanadas, or use your fingers to twist and curl the edges creating a churito or curl type seal. You can also use an empanada mold to seal the empanadas.
- Chill: If you have time, for best results, since these empanadas contain cheese, chill the empanadas for at least 30 minutes before baking. This will help them seal better and prevent leaks.
- Brush with Egg Wash: Before baking, brush the top of the empanadas with the egg yolk. This will give them a nice golden glow when they bake.
- Bake: Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F for 18-20 minutes or until golden.
- Serve: Serve the caprese empanadas warm with your choice of dipping sauce!
Tips & Tricks
- If using pre-made empanada discs, make sure that they are not frozen but are still cold from the refrigerator when you use them. They are easier to work with when they are cold!
- Don’t overstuff the empanadas! To ensure as little leakage as possible, I recommend not overstuffing the empanadas.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days! Reheat in the microwave or in the air fryer or oven for crispy empanadas.
How to Serve Empanadas
These easy caprese empanadas are the perfect appetizer for a party, or a wonderful snack to have during the day. If you want to serve these empanadas at meal time, it could be fun to serve a variety of empanadas along with them! Try pairing them with my chicken empanadas and my strawberry rhubarb empanadas for dessert!
These savory vegetarian empanadas also go amazing with a dipping sauce. Try some of my favorites like cilantro chimichurri, tomato basil sauce, basil oil sauce, traditional chimichurri sauce, or a balsamic chimichurri sauce!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use pre-made empanada dough to make empanadas?
For ease, you can absolutely use store-bought empanada discs! These are still delicious and very easy to use. Depending on where you live, these might be more difficult to find. Luckily, the homemade empanada dough in this recipe is simple and straightforward if you can’t find them!
Can I fry empanadas instead of baking them?
Definitely! These caprese empanadas can also be fried. They will be less likely to leak if they are fried, since they will cook more quickly! To fry them, you can use a deep fryer or a basic frying pan. Make sure to have enough oil to cover at least half the empanada if using a pan. Heat the oil and fry each empanada until they are golden on each side. Place them on paper towels to remove any excess oil and enjoy!
Caprese empanadas
Ingredients
Homemade empanada dough (or use 15 store bought empanada discs):
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon of salt
- 6 ounces or 170 grams of unsalted butter 1 ½ sticks
- 1 egg
- ¼ to ½ cup of water adjust as needed
Tomato mozzarella basil filling:
- 8 ounces of grated or crumbled mozzarella cheese
- 2 medium sized tomatoes any kind, chopped
- A large handful of basil chopped
- 1 egg whisked – to be used as egg wash for the empanadas
To serve:
Instructions
Homemade empanada dough preparation:
- Use a food processor or stand mixer to mix the flour and salt. Add the butter, cut in small chunks, and pulse until mixed.
- Add the egg and the water (in small increments) and continue pulsing until a clumpy dough forms. To make the empanada dough by hand, follow the same process, but use your hands to mix the ingredients together.
- Split the dough into 2 large balls; flatten slightly into the shape of disks. The dough can be used immediately or refrigerated until ready to use (1-2 days max).
- To make the empanada disks, roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate). OR
- You can also make small individual balls with the dough and roll out each individual ball to a round shape (doesn’t need to be perfectly round) – if you have a tortilla press you can use it to flatten the dough balls.
- You can also see more detailed step by step photos and video preparation of the empanada dough.
For filling and assembling of the empanadas:
- Mix the grated mozzarella, chopped tomatoes, and basil in a bowl.
- To assemble the empanadas, place a spoonful or two of the cheese mixture on the middle of each empanada disc.
- Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges. You can either use a fork to help seal the empanadas, or use your fingers to twist and curl the edges creating a churito or curl type seal. You can also use an empanada mold to seal the empanadas.
- If you have time, for best results, especially since these empanadas contain cheese, chill the empanadas for at least 30 minutes before baking, this will help them seal better and prevent leaks.
- Before baking, brush the top of the empanadas with the shisked egg mix; this will give a nice golden glow when they bake.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400F (200 C) for 18-20 minutes or until golden on top.
- Serve the caprese empanadas with your choice of dipping sauce.
Notes
Step by step preparation photos for caprese empanadas:
Additional Recipes to Try:
Everything you make is amazing, I’ll be trying these in a few days.
Hi Layla,
I ran across your empanada recipe and it looks delicious paired with Rose.
Quick question…
Can they be made ahead and frozen?
Thank you!
Hi Kathleen – Yes, they can, if you are making your own dough. To bake them from frozen you don’t need to thaw them, just bake them following the same directions, they might need a few more minutes in the oven.
If you are using store bought frozen empanada discs then I don’t recommend re-freezing them again.
Yum! I too am a sucker for anything tomato-basil-mozzarella. I’d have a hard time not eating the whole batch myself. :)
They look so tempting!