This Delicious Turkey Empanada Recipe will become your fave ground turkey recipes for go to snack or game day food! They are filled with flavor and the flakiest crust ever!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Why Ground Turkey Recipes?
For the last few weeks, I have been working on adding more ground turkey into my recipes because it is leaner and simply delicious. Recently I began craved empanadas. Seriously craved them! I decided to search high and low for a recipe that would just “work” because I never made them. I have ordered my fair share of empanadas at Mexican restaurants but making them was a different story. I am so glad I took the plunge and tried a great empanada recipe, and I am pleased to present it to you.
I decided to used ground turkey because I had a tone of it in my freezer, and I am always in search of great ground turkey recipes. Also, ground turkey is a leaner option than ground beef of pork. So, I figured I would kill two birds with one stone and create one of the best healthy ground turkey recipes on the net!
Secret to a Flaky Crust
When I first read the recipe for Beef Empanadas from Leite’s Culinara, I knew I found a winner for adaptation. I know great pie dough when I see it so I knew this one was great since it is very similar to my homemade pie dough.
The vinegar in it is key to the flakiness, and I also add an egg yolk to mine to make it tender. I did however omit the sugar because I tend to dislike sweet pastry crust in savory dishes.
Ingredients
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe:
For the Dough:
- All-Purpose Flour: The sturdy foundation of our dough, ensuring your empanadas hold up to the fillin’ without a hitch.
- Cold Unsalted Butter: Bringing in the richness and creating flaky layers in every bite.
- Eggs: They’re here for binding and adding a touch of color and richness to the dough.
- Cold Water & White Vinegar: Our secret weapons for a tender, flaky crust that’ll leave you wanting more.
For the Filling:
- Small Yellow Onion & Garlic: These aromatic all-stars build a savory and fragrant foundation.
- Ground Turkey: Lean, mean, and ready for the seasoning
- Tomato Paste & Paprika: Bringing in the boldness and a hint of smoky vibes.
- Chicken Stock or Broth: A splash for moisture and an extra layer of savory goodness.
How to Make Turkey Empanadas
For the filling, I replaced the beef with ground turkey and jazzed up a few of the flavors. I also omitted the raisins and olives because I didn’t have any on hand. I added a tiny bit of paprika as well to the filling to punch up the flavor just a bit.
After rolling out the lovely dough and adding in the filling, I crimped the sides and fried them until golden brown. This Ground Turkey Empanada Recipe was so delicious. I really loved the flavor of the flaky crust paired with the amazing juicy filling.
Using the ground turkey was an awesome choice too. It lightened the recipe a little which is hard to do when you are deep frying pie dough. Thanks to this ground turkey empanada recipe, my empanada cravings have ceased, and I have a mainstay whenever they decide to re-surge.
How to Store
To store leftover empanadas, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days. To freeze, wrap them with parchment paper between each empanada to prevent sticking, and they’ll keep for up to three months.
To reheat, add thawed empanadas in an oven preheated to 350°F for about 10-15 minutes or until they’re heated through. An air fryer also works well to ensure crispy texture.
How to Serve
Here are a few ideas for how to serve these up:
- Serve with a salsa. It adds a zippy flavor for dipping. This elote dip is also super fun too.
- A simple Mexican rice is a great hearty side to consider.
- And these Pinto Beans are sensational as well.
If you like this recipe, check out some of my other turkey flavored recipes below!
Ground Turkey Empanada Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces 1 stick
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
For the filling:
- 1 tablespoon peanut, corn, or canola oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Corn or canola oil for frying
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Combine the flour and salt in your food processor and pulse a couple of times. Add butter and pulse until it resembles coarse meal.
- Lightly beat the eggs with the water and vinegar. Add to flour crumbs and pulse until dough forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead for 2 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To Make the filling:
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion softens. Add ground turkey, crumble and cook until pink is gone. . Drain of grease. Stir in tomato paste then add stock or broth and paprika simmer until the liquid almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Assemble the empanadas:
- Roll the dough on a generously floured work surface until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into 3-inch rounds with a floured biscuit cutter or glass, stamping out as many rounds as possible. Roll out any dough scraps and cut out additional rounds if possible. Brush any excess flour from the dough rounds.
- Working with 1 round at a time and keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap, spoon about 2 teaspoons filling on one side of the dough round. Fold the dough over to enclose the filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Cover with plastic wrap while you form the remaining empanadas. [The filled, uncooked empanadas can be frozen on a baking sheet, and stored in an airtight plastic bag or container for up to a month. You’ll need to bake the unthawed empanadas, rather than fry them, in a 350°F (176°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes.]
- Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Pour enough oil into a deep-sided pot to reach a depth of about 1/2 inch and heat until it registers about 325°F (163°C) on a deep-fry or candy thermometer.
- Fry the empanadas in small batches, turning them once, until browned and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the empanadas to paper towels or a brown paper bag to drain for a few moments, and then transfer to a baking sheet. Place the fried empanadas in the oven to keep warm while you fry the remaining empanadas. Serve at once.
pinterest 
facebook 
twitter 
email
Hi,
These were tasty! The crust was flaky and the filling savory!
I would suggest modifying the online recipe to include adding the individual egg yolk, as not everyone will read through the introduction in detail. I made the dough with just two eggs.
I had no trouble with the dough cracking. I find that dough usually cracks if I try to handle it at too low a temperature. I only roll out dough when it reaches 65 F as measured using an instant read thermometer. I split the dough in half and rolled it out in two batches using a pastry cloth and rolling pin cover, both saturated with flour. I had two layers of rounds, each separated with a layer of plastic wrap.
As the last commenter noted, I held a filled round in my left hand and pulled and pressed the dough together to seal the empanadas with my right hand. I then placed each empanada on a plate and crimped the edges with a fork. Even then, some of the empanadas opened slightly when I fried them, but not so much as to allow the filling to escape. Perhaps actually folding over the edges (as the last commenter noted) or using an egg wash on the edge to promote sticking would have helped.
I did find that I had excess filling when I was done.
The filling was savory, but I would consider bumping up the spiciness next time, as noted in the previous comment. Another option would be to provide links to recipes for dipping sauces or other accompaniments.
I really appreciate it when cooking blogs contain honest, detailed comments by cooks who have made recipes. Thanks so much for maintaining your blog in such a way.
A 2019 New Year’s resolution was to cook more things involving doughs and baking. Thanks for a successful first foray!
Hi,
These were very tasty! A New Year’s intention was to do more cooking involving pies, cakes, and breads. This was my first endeavor of 2019.
t would be good to edit the recipe as it stands to include the additional egg yolk in the list of ingredients.. I made the dough with just the two eggs. The finished empanadas had a delightfully flaky crust.
I had no trouble with the dough cracking. Usually I find that dough cracks if I handle it at too low a temperature. I usually only start rolling out previously chilled pie dough when it reaches around 65 F as measured with an instant read thermometer. For this recipe, I split the dough into two, rolled it out with a pastry cloth and rolling pin cover, each saturated with flour. I placed cut out rounds on a large pie plate. I ultimately had two layers, each covered with plastic wrap.
As the previous commenter noted, I put two teaspoons of filling on a round, cupped it in my left hand, and then pulled and pinched the edges to seal the empanada shut, I then crimped the edges with a fork. Even then, some of the edges separated, but not so much that the filling came out. Perhaps folding over, as the previous commenter noted, would have helped. I’m also wondering in an egg wash might have made the edges stick better.
I found the filling flavor to to be savory, but agree with the previous commenter that the spiciness of the filling could be bumped up a notch. Something else that might be added would be to provide some recipes for good dipping sauces or traditional accompaniments.
Thanks for my first successful 2019 baking foray!
.
Just made these. Yup, that’s a solid empanada. Gotta give it 4 stars. Have ran into some real empanada pros traveling through south America, you can’t stand up to without dedicating your life to the empanadas. things I did different: added recado rojo, a little cumin and cayenne to the filling and the green olives. Must of not added enough olives or cut them too finely since I wasn’t running into that differentiating green olive bite on my taste buds i was looking for. Also softened the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. According to my butter 4 ounces was a stick. Also didn’t have tomato paste. so omitted the stock and used about 2 tablespoons tomato sauce. Honestly, I just added until the filling looked right. Not the easiest empanada dough I’ve worked with as far as cracking but definitely worth it as far as finished product. Crumbles in your mouth and isnt overly doughy leaving the proper balance of dough flavors to filling flavors like a proper empanada. Definitely a trick to getting these rolled up without cracking. I would suggest keeping your dough cold. I popped it in the freezer for a few seconds when forming the shells but didnt while forming the empanadas and was running into a bit of trouble toward the last few. If it cracks and you can`t pinch the dough back they fry fine. didnt lose a drop of filling on cracks with mine. I found the best technique is fold it over like a taco then pick it up with that motion and use your index fingers to push the filling in while closing it. I pushed top then closed. pushed side filling in then pinched side dough closed.
I was going to make these but there’s not a single comment where someone made them and said they came out great. Just a bunch of lazy women that like the pictures, dreaming about empanadas. Now Im looking for a new empanada recipe. Sorry 🙁 at least you cashed in the clicks.
Sorry Robert, if you go on Pinterest. There are a ton of people who have made the recipe and have enjoyed it.
These ground turkey empanadas look delicious! My mouth is watering just looking at my computer screen!!
Hooray!!!!
Thanks so much…looking forward to trying these this evening.
Let me know how it turns out for you! Enjoy!
I tried the empanadas tonight I felt like they needed more of something, flavor or veggies something. They were good I just felt like they needed .
You shared in the write up to add an egg yolk to the dough, but it’s not in the recipe. Should it be added?
Yes please add it and thanks for calling this to my attention.
This was a fun and different dinner idea. I added some bell pepper, southwest chipotle seasoning, and cumin to to mix. Your pastry recipe was easy to follow. We’ll definitely use this recipe again! Thank you for for sharing.
Yes thank you so so much!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.