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Pumpkin empanadas are a traditional Mexican pastry filled with spiced pumpkin and wrapped in a soft, flaky dough. They’re especially popular during the fall and around holidays like Día de los Muertos and Thanksgiving. Sweet, warmly spiced, and perfectly portable, they make a great snack, dessert, or breakfast with coffee.
⏱️ Prep Time:
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour (dough)
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: About 12 empanadas
🍳 Equipment:
- Mixing bowls
- Rolling pin
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
- Fork or dough cutter
- Saucepan (for filling)
- Cookie cutter (4-5 inches)
📝 Ingredients:
🥧 For the Dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk (plus more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
🎃 For the Pumpkin Filling:
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin purée (canned or fresh, not pumpkin pie mix)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
🥚 Egg Wash:
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
🧾 Ingredient Notes:
- Butter: Cold butter is key to flaky pastry—do not soften it.
- Pumpkin: Homemade roasted pumpkin purée works great if you want to go fully from scratch.
- Spices: Adjust spices to your taste—some like more cinnamon or a dash of allspice.
- Optional Glaze: Dust with cinnamon sugar or drizzle with a simple vanilla glaze after baking.
👩🍳 Instructions:
1. Make the Dough:
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (if using).
- Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fingers until the mix resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together.
- Form into a ball, divide in two, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Make the Filling:
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine pumpkin purée, brown sugar, and spices.
- Cook, stirring often, for 5–7 minutes until thickened and fragrant. Stir in vanilla. Cool completely.
3. Assemble the Empanadas:
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛ inch thickness.
- Cut into 4-5 inch circles.
- Place 1 to 1½ tablespoons of filling in the center of each circle.
- Fold over into a half-moon, press edges to seal, and crimp with a fork.
- Transfer to baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash.
4. Bake:
- Bake for 22–25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool slightly before serving. Optional: dust with cinnamon sugar or drizzle with glaze.
📊 Nutrition Facts** (Per Empanada, Approximate):
- Calories: ~230
- Fat: ~10g
- Carbohydrates: ~30g
- Sugar: ~10g
- Protein: ~4g
- Fiber: ~2g
💡 Tips & Variations:
Tips:
- Keep the dough cold—if it softens, chill again before baking.
- Don’t overfill or the empanadas may burst open during baking.
- Seal well—use water around the edge if dough seems dry.
Variations:
- Add nuts: Finely chopped pecans or walnuts in the filling for texture.
- Mini empanadas: Use a smaller cutter and reduce baking time.
- Savory twist: Add a pinch of cayenne or chipotle powder for a sweet-spicy flavor.
- Glaze option: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar + 1–2 tbsp milk + ½ tsp vanilla for a drizzle.
