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Several sweet baked empanadas on a plate with a small ramekin of pineapple jam in the center and a whole pineapple on the side.
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Empanadas de Piña (Pineapple Empanadas)

Pineapple Empanadas made with homemade sweet empanada dough, filled with tangy spiced pineapple preserves (dulce de piña), and baked until crispy and golden.
Course Dessert, Sweet treats
Cuisine Ecuadorian inspired, International, Latin American, Mexican, South American
Keyword Dessert empanadas, Dulce de piña, Pineapple
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Chill time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 18 - 20 sweet empanadas

Ingredients

For the pineapple jam/preserves or dulce de piña filling (you can also use store bought pineapple preserves): :

  • 1 whole pineapple, washed
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2-3 whole cloves
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • ½ cup brown sugar (light or dark) or grated panela/piloncillo 110 grams

For the sweet empanada dough:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour 360 grams
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 grams
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces 2 sticks or 227 grams
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1-3 Tablespoons of cold water add more if needed

For the egg wash:

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon water

Instructions

For the pineapple jam preserves or dulce de piña filling:

  • Peel and core the pineapple, discard the core and peel (or use it to make this spiced pineapple chicha drink). Cut the pineapple into chunks.
    A bowl of pineapple chunks
  • For this recipe we want a smoother but still textured style jam filling. Place the pineapple chunks in a blender or food processor and gently pulse it until you have a coarse mix, do not overblend.
    Blended pineapple in a blender
  • In a medium sized saucepan, add the crushed pineapple, the lime juice, the cinnamon stick, and cloves. Then bring everything to a boil.
  • Add the brown sugar (or panela/piloncillo) and reduce the heat to medium low. Continue cooking until the liquid reduces and the preserves thicken, about 25-30 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid burning.
  • Remove from the heat and let the filling cool down completely before using it to fill the sweet empanadas.
    A glass bowl full of homemade pineapple jam preserves
  • You might have more filling than you need for this recipe. You can also use it as a filling for mini-pineapple tarts or serve it with pancakes, crepes, or as a topping for toast.

For the sweet empanada dough:

  • In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse a few times to combine.
    Flour and sugar in a food processor bowl
  • Add the butter and pulse until small crumbles form. The mixture will look like parmesan cheese at first, but keep pulsing until the crumbles are more like small pebbles.
    Chunks of butter being added to the flour mix in a food processor
  • Add the eggs and continue to pulse until the dough forms a ball and starts to stick to the sides of the bowl.
    Two eggs being added to the flour mix in a food processor
  • Slowly add in the cold water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft and pliable.
    Clumpy dough in a food processor on top of a wooden table
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just until the dough is soft and smooth, forming a ball.
  • Divide the dough into 2 disks, making each one about 1 inch thick. Wrap each of the disks individually in plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the dough to firm up and be easier to roll out.
    Two large flattened disks of sweet dough wrapped in plastic wrap
  • To make the empanada discs or rounds, you can either roll out the dough on a flour dusted surface into a thin layer (about ½ inch thick) and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use a 4 inch round cookie cutter or a small plate).
    Empanada dough rolled out into a sheet with round cut out shapes using a bowl
  • The empanada discs can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator or freezer to use later.
  • Another method that I like to use is to divide the dough into several small balls, about 1 oz to 1.5 oz (30-40 grams) in weight.
    Balls of dough to make sweet empanadas
  • Then use a tortilla press or a rolling pin to roll them out, they don’t need to be perfectly round.
    Making empanada discs using a tortilla press

To assemble and bake the pineapple empanadas:

  • Fill each empanada disc or rolled out piece of dough with about 1 Tablespoon of the pineapple filling, fold it in half, flattening the filling slightly, and gently press the seam together to seal the edges. You don’t want to overfill them too much, or the filling could spill out during the baking process.
    Filling a rolled out piece of dough with pineapple jam
  • If you rolled out the balls of dough, you might have extra dough when you fold them over, use a round cookie cutter mold or a bowl to cut off a little of the excess dough.
  • To seal the empanadas, you can press the edges with your fingers and make a small repulgue or crimp the edges gently. You can also press the edges of a fork into the sealed edges of the dough to reinforce the seal for extra protection against leaking.
    Making pineapple empanadas
  • Place the empanadas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
    Pineapple empanadas before baking
  • When you’re ready to bake, position the rack to the middle of your oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C).
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk an egg with 1 tsp of water to make the eggwash.
  • Brush the empanadas with the eggwash right before baking. You can also sprinkle some sugar on top to decorate them.
    Empanadas brushed with egg wash before baking
  • Bake the sweet empanadas for 16-20 minutes or until golden on top.
    Nine pineapple empanadas on a tray after baking
  • These empanadas can be served warm or at room temperature.