How to Reheat Empanadas? Guide and Recipe

Empanada is a Spanish dish. It can be baked or even fried, and either consists of pastry or filling. It is widely loved in Spanish households and comes with variations in other cultures. It is a prominent dish in southern European and South Asian countries.

The name is derived from the verb “empanar,” which in Galician means enbreaded or can be translated to “covered in bread”. Empanadas are made of dough, where the filling gets wrapped in neatly smoothened dough.

The filling can consist of meat,  tomato, cheese, corn, and other ingredients, and sometimes it has a rich filling of pastry made out of coconut and jaggery. They are then either baked or fried depending on the occasion, the filling, and the need. So before you find out the best ways to reheat them, you will have to know the different types of empanadas.

Different types of empanadas

  • Belize empanadas

In this country, empanadas are made with masa, commonly called corn dough, and it is stuffed with fish, chicken, and beans. They are deep-fried and served with cabbage garnish and salsa toppings. Empanadas are frequently sold as street fast food in Belize.

  • Chile empanadas

Guess what? Empanadas are a staple part of Chile’s national cuisine. Commonly consumed on all the major festivals and national day celebrations. Many Chileans make you yummy empanadas with a nice farm-fresh vegetable filling or meat curry fillings when you visit their homes. They love to experiment with the stuffing, and they bake and fry them based on the requirements.

  • Indonesian empanadas

Indonesian empanadas are commonly known as panada. It is very popular within the Manado cuisine of north Sulawesi. Here the empanadas have a thick crust made from fried bread and are filled with spicy cakalang fish, chili, curry, potatoes, or quail eggs. They are derived from the Portuguese influence. The dish is very similar to karipap and pastel, although they have a thinner crust. Panadas are very crunchy and perfect for any meal of the day.

  • Puerto Rico empanadas

These empanadas are called empanadillas and have numerous types of fillings, from sweet to savory. The dough consists of flour, water, eggs, and annatto lard. The lard is gently heated with famous annatto seeds, garlic, Cuban oregano, and thyme. The recipe is world-famous, and the best part of these empanadas is the annatto. It gives them a distinctive red and orange color with a yummy nutty taste. Once the lard has the extracted flavor and color, it is strained on the dough. They are commonly made at major festivals.

  • Philippines empanadas

Filipino empanadas have a unique recipe. They contain ground beef, pork or chicken, potatoes, chopped onions, and raisins. The bread gives a unique taste of sweet and hot. There are two kinds available here: the baked empanadas and the flaky fried empanadas. Potatoes are often used as extenders, and in a few regions, you can see people using kutsay (garlic chives) as fillings.

When it comes to the northern part of LLocos, you will find savory fillings of green papaya, mung beans, and sometimes chopped LLocano sausage or longanisa and egg yolk. These are deep-fried, and they use rice flour for a crunchier shell. You can find various varieties in this country.

Some people make tasty empanadas with mashed eggplant, scrambled eggs, and cabbage, and they are commonly called poqui poqui. In the Bulacan region, empanadas are called empanada de kaliskis for their flaky multi-layered crust resembling scales.

In Cebu, empanadas are known for their sweet taste. It is filled with finely chopped chorizo and chayote, which are deep-fried and dusted with white sugar before serving.

How to reheat empanadaas in the oven and air fryer?

Remember – never microwave empanadas directly. Always cook from frozen food. Let’s look into the required steps:

  • Conventional Oven

Reheating the empanadas is best in the conventional oven. By baking your empanadas instead of just warming them up, they will be able to retain all the taste, and you will thoroughly enjoy the taste. Let’s look into the steps:

Steps

  1. Arrange the racks in such a way that there is one in the middle and one in the bottom.
  2. Spread the cookie sheet on the bottom rack.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  4. Once the oven is ready, place the empanadas directly on the middle rack.
  5. Let it bake for 15 minutes.
  6. For the last two minutes of cooking time, cover the empanadas with aluminum foil.
  7. Once they are cooked, let them cool down for 2 to 3 minutes.
  8. Enjoy the dish.
  • Air fryer

Using an air fryer or deep fryer is the most common and popular way of making empanadas from scratch. Well, you can also reheat them using this method. It suits frozen empanadas the best, but you should be careful about burning them. Never defrost frozen empanadas. Fry them directly to avoid sagging.

Steps

  1. Take the air fryer and preheat it at 350 degrees.
  2. Place the empanadas in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
  3. Let them bake for 6 minutes.
  4. Remember to cook for 7 minutes if you are cooking two or more at a time.
  5. Pick them out and let them cool for 2 to 3 minutes.
  6. Enjoy the freshly baked empanadas.

How to heat frozen empanadas?

When it comes to frozen empanadas, the process is super easy. For the safer side, it is better to check the instructions before using them. Here are the steps:

  1. Spread parchment paper or foil on a baking pan.
  2. Place the frozen empanada on a baking pan.
  3. Preheat the oven up to 350 degrees.
  4. Then place the baking pan into the oven and let it bake for 35 minutes. Sometimes they heat faster, so keep checking for them and once they turn golden brown, take them out.
  5. Allow them to cool down for a few minutes, and you can have them.
  6. If you have sweet empanadas, you can put them in the fridge for some time before you have them.

How to reheat baked empanadas?

Baked empanadas are easier to reheat. Remember, you cannot reheat them more than thrice. So once you heat them, it is better to consume them then and there. Let’s look into steps on how to reheat baked empanadas.

Steps

  1. Take parchment paper or foil and spread it on the baking pan.
  2. Place the baked empanada on the baking pan.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  4. Place the baking pan into the oven and bake for 8 to 12 minutes.
  5. If it’s your third time heating the same set of empanadas, just heat them till they are warm.
  6. Allow them cool but enjoy them hot for the best taste.

Or

You can simply microwave them on high for about 30 to 45 seconds per empanada.

How to reheat empanadas in the toaster oven?

The toaster oven is very similar to the conventional oven.

  1. You will have to preheat your toaster oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Take a pan and spread a cookie sheet.
  3. Place the empanadas on the pan and then put them into the toaster oven.
  4. Let it heat for 10 minutes, and they are good to eat.
  5. How to reheat empanadas using a microwave?
  6. Here you need some assistance from the toaster or conventional oven.
  7. First, take a small pan, spread the parchment paper over it.
  8. Place empanadas on them.
  9. Place it in the microvan and microwave them for 30 to 60 seconds.
  10. Take them and then heat them in a toaster or conventional oven for 3 to 5 minutes at 350 degrees.

This process is followed to make the empanadas crunchier and tasty. Microwaving them will result in the filling being heated while the outer dough will become soggy. But when you reheat, the outer layer becomes crispy again.

How to reheat empanadas using a skillet or deep fryer?

Using a skillet or a deep fryer is the most popular way of making tasty empanadas from the start. But you also reheat them one late rainy evening. Make sure you don’t burn them, and it is best for frozen empanadas.

Steps

  1. Always reheat the empanadas straight from the frozen. Do not deforest them as they will become soggy.
  2. Preheat sufficient oil to submerge the empanadas.
  3. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees.
  4. Then put the frozen empanadas into the oil. Let them fry for a few minutes.
  5. Once the empanadas reach a nice golden brown, remove them from the oil.
  6. Place them on kitchen paper for a minute to drain the excess oil.
  7. Let them cool down for a few minutes, and it is good to go.

How to store empanadas?

To reheat yummy empanadas, it is essential they are stored properly. Almost everyone chooses a freezer to keep the fresh-baked empanadas, but it is better to store them in the fridge, so they retain the taste.

Branded and company-made products have suitable preservatives and required ingredients to retain shape and taste, but homemade products lose their essence if stored in the freezer.

So place the fresh home-baked empanadas on baking sheets and cover them with one and place them in your fridge. It is better to cover them with plastic wrap. They will be okay for 3 days. Ready-baked empanadas can also be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Can you freeze empanadas?

Just like many other snack items, empanadas can freeze really well. Hailing from the Spanish cuisines, empanadas are tickets to the world’s great food kitchens. They are duplicated and experimented with to make them entirely different dishes.

They are Americans’ favorite comfort food, and they are imitated to make the world-famous Flaky Brick from Africa and samosas from India. However, the original empanadas remain the ruler of the snack king.

Depending on the stuffing and the items used in the empanadas, they take different times to freeze and bake. Many households in Europe make a large batch of empanadas and freeze them for late-night snacks or for daily use. This is very common when everyone works in the house, and they have no time to cook.

Let’s see how you can freeze unbaked empanadas:

  1. Take a pan or a tray and spread parchment paper over it.
  2. Lay the empanadas beside each other on the baking tray and make sure they do not touch. If they do touch, they are going to stick together when you freeze them.
  3. Freeze them for approximately two hours until they turn hard or solid. Then take them and put them in the freezer bag.
  4. If you place them in a freezer bag, they can easily last for three months. You can directly take them out and bake them straight from frozen. You will have to remember to take only how much you want and put the rest back in the freezer. The baking time will vary over time for the unbaked empanadas.

Baked empanadas can also be frozen, but they tend to lose their tender and flaky texture over time.

Steps to freeze baked empanadas:

  1. Take the baked empanadas and let them completely cool down.
  2. Wrap them individually in plastic film to avoid any kind of freezer burn.
  3. You will have to keep them stocked at the same freezing temperature throughout.
  4. When you want to reheat the empanadas, unwrap the quantity you wish to eat.
  5. Let it rest at room temperature for two minutes and heat them in a conventional oven or toaster oven.
  6. You can also reheat them in the microwave, but the texture will start deteriorating over time.

Steps to freeze fully cooked empanadas:

  1. Make your favorite empanadas according to your recipes. Then either bake or fry until the crusts are lightly golden colored and flaky.
  2. Arrange the freshly cooked empanadas on a cooling rack and let them cool in an open area.
  3. Wrap the cooled empanadas singularly in a plastic film and pop them into a heavy-duty freezer bag. Make sure you label and date the bag.
  4. Position the wrapped pastries in your freezer in a single layer to freeze them quickly. Once they are completely frozen, you can put them in one large freezer bag and reheat them whenever you want for the next three months.

Extra tips for storing empanadas

How to Reheat Empanadas

To save your empanadas from being damaged or breaking while being stored in your freezer, it is better to wrap empanadas individually and then store them in a rigid container.

The delicate crusts of the empanadas can easily be broken. It is better to pack them in a rigid container than an open pan.

While reheating empanadas, do it as soon as you take them out of the freezer. Keeping them out too long will make them soggy, and it will use its texture. After every freezing day, your cooking time will increase. So add an extra minute to your cooking time after two weeks of storing.

How to make the best empanada dough?

How to Reheat Empanadas

Before you store them, you will need to know the best dough recipe to make fine empanadas that can be frozen later. Using homemade dough is always healthier and has a better impact on storing them carefully. It is very easy to make, so let’s dive into the steps.

Ingredients for 12 empanadas

  • 2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup ice water
  • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Steps

Step 1: Take a large bowl and add flour and salt into it. Blend it with butter using a blender or beater until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with some butter lumps.

Step 2: Beat the egg, water, vinegar in a small bowl with a fork or spoon. Use a blender as you start adding this mixture to the flour mixture. The mixture will look shaggy, don’t worry.

Step 3: Take the mixture out on a surface that has been lightly floured and gather it together. Start kneading gently with the heel of your hand once or twice just to bring it together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it rest for 1 hour.

Step 4: Once the dough is rested, you can start making empanadas. Use butter to smoothen it and make tiny circles to make empanadas.

How to make the perfect empanada filling?

Empanadas are very similar to cut-up pies and traditionally filled with codfish or chicken. It is made by folding a disc of evenly rolled dough over the filling into a semicircle, and then the edges are crimped to seal it.

The dough is mostly made with wheat flour, but it varies according to the filling and other cuisines. Some countries use cornflour or cornmeal for plantain or potato bases. The content of dough depends on the cooking style of the empanadas.  

The best filling for panadas is chicken-based filling. Empanadas de Pollo or chicken empanadas are the most famous chicken empanadas. They are pretty famous in Spain and other southern European countries. Let’s look into the steps:

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cube chicken bouillon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large onions chopped
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • 3 hard-cooked eggs
  • ½ sliced green olives

Steps

Step 1: Cook the chicken in water with bouillon and bay leaf in it. Let it cook for 20 minutes. Once it’s cooked thoroughly, let it cool down. Shred the chicken into small pieces.

Step 2: Heat the vegetables and the spices together and let them cook nicely. Once they are cooked, add the shredded chicken pieces and cook them together. You can add the hard-boiled eggs and olives to the filling mixture.

Step 3: Once the filling is made, you can start making empanadas. Bake them for 20 minutes until they turn golden brown.

Final thoughts on how to reheat empanadas

Empanadas are world-famous savories. They have been implemented into many cuisines over the centuries. They make perfect food to be frozen and reheated whenever you choose to have it. It requires very little amount of time to cook them and store them in the fridge. Well, if you are wondering, what can be the best idea for a midnight snack, empanadas are your calling.

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