Chilean fried cheese empanadas — thin pastry, stretchy cheese, and they stay sealed
Chilean fried cheese empanadas in 1 hour: a thin hot-water pastry with lard, mantecoso or gouda cheese, a firm crimp and frying at 180 °C. Why they burst or leak cheese, which cheese to use and how to freeze them raw.
Ingredients
- For the pastry:
- For the filling:
- For frying:
- Vegetable oil for frying, 5-6 cm deep (about 1 litre)
- Water in a small bowl for sealing
Instructions
-
Make the hot-water pastry
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm melted lard and rub it in with your fingers until the flour looks sandy. Add the wine if using and the hot water a little at a time, mixing with a spoon and then by hand, until you have a smooth dough that does not stick. Knead for 3-4 minutes on the counter: it should be soft and elastic, neither dry nor tacky. Wrap in film and rest for 20 minutes: the dough relaxes and rolls out without springing back.
-
Roll and cut the discs
Divide the dough into 12 equal balls (about 65 g each). On a barely floured counter, roll each ball into a 14-15 cm disc, 2 mm thick; for fried empanadas the pastry must be thinner than for baked ones, or it comes out thick and raw inside. Stack the discs with film between them if you are not filling them right away.
-
Fill and seal with water
Put 2-3 batons of cheese (about 30-35 g) in the centre of each disc, leaving at least 1.5 cm of clear edge: cheese that touches the rim stops it sealing and leaks out in the fryer. Wet the edge with a finger dipped in water, fold the disc into a half-moon and press the edge with your fingers from the centre outwards, pushing out the air.
-
Crimp the edge
Press the sealed edge all around with the tines of a fork, or make the Chilean repulgue by folding the edge over itself in small pleats and pressing each one. A tightly pressed edge is the only guarantee that the cheese stays inside. Set the empanadas on a tray without touching.
-
Fry at 180 °C
Heat the oil in a deep pan or pot to 180 °C (a scrap of dough should bubble at once without burning). Fry the empanadas 3 at a time so the temperature does not drop, 2-3 minutes per side, until golden and blistered. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. If the oil is too cool they soak up oil; if too hot they brown before the cheese melts.
-
Serve hot
Serve straight from the fryer, while the cheese is melted and stretches. Wait 2 minutes before biting: the cheese inside is far hotter than the pastry. They go with pebre, chancho en piedra or on their own, as the 18th's starter alongside the beef empanadas.
Foodtastico Tip
Assemble the empanadas the day before and keep them raw in the fridge between layers of film for up to 24 hours, or frozen for up to 3 months; fry them when it is time to serve. It is the 18th's starter that takes the least work on the day.
Nutrition information
| Calories | 410 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 15 g |
| Carbs | 40 g |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 21 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
Values per serving (1 of 4).
Frequently asked questions
Why do my cheese empanadas burst in the fryer?
Almost always the edge: cheese reaching the rim so the pastry cannot stick, or a loose crimp that opens when the cheese expands with heat. Leave 1.5 cm of clean edge, wet it with water before closing, push the air out as you fold and press the crimp firmly or mark it with a fork. A thick disc also encourages bursting: at 2 mm the pastry cooks fast and seals before the cheese boils.
Which cheese stretches without leaking?
In Chile, mantecoso or chanco: they melt well, stretch and do not release much fat. Block gouda and low-moisture mozzarella also work; fresh mozzarella does not, because it releases water and tears the pastry. Avoid very fatty cheeses (processed cheddar, cream cheeses) that liquefy and escape, and very dry ones (parmesan) that do not melt. Cut it in batons or cubes, not grated: grated cheese melts before the pastry is done and leaks.
Can I bake them or use an air fryer?
You can, but it is no longer the same empanada: the hot-water lard pastry is made for frying and comes out dry and pale in the oven. To bake, use the pastry from the baked beef empanadas (more lard and an egg), brush with egg and bake 20 minutes at 200 °C. In an air fryer, brush with oil and cook 10 minutes at 190 °C, turning halfway; they come out crisp but without the blisters of frying.
Can I freeze cheese empanadas?
Yes, raw is best. Assemble them, lay them on a tray without touching and freeze for 2 hours; then move them to a bag. They keep 3 months. Fry straight from frozen, no thawing, 4 minutes per side at 170 °C (a little lower than fresh so the centre heats through before the pastry burns). Fried and reheated they lose crispness; if any are left, reheat 5 minutes in a 200 °C oven.
Can I use ready-made pastry?
Yes, with two adjustments: use pastry for fried empanadas (thinner than the baked kind; in Chile it is sold separately) and roll it a little thinner if it comes thick. The homemade pastry in this recipe takes 25 minutes including the rest and comes out crisper and blistered thanks to the hot water and the splash of wine, but on a busy day the shop-bought one gets the job done.
How many cheese empanadas per person?
As a starter on the 18th alongside other things: 2 per adult and 1 per child. As a main, at teatime or with a salad: 3-4 per person. This recipe gives 12 empanadas of 15 cm, so it feeds 6 as a starter or 3-4 as a main. For a crowd, the pastry doubles without changing the proportions and the empanadas freeze raw days ahead.
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