"Empanadas with Corn Dough” or “Quesadillas” are a delicious snack which can be eaten any day. They can be filled with a variety of fillings from farmer fresh cheese, squash flowers, potatoes, ground meat, shrimp, chicken, etc.
If you visit Mexico City or any small town, you will not have trouble finding a stand serving a variety of delicious empanadas. You can invite friends for a casual dinner any evening and present them with these empanadas. Believe me, they will not be disappointed!
Empanadas with Corn Dough / Empanadas con Masa de Maíz
Today’s corn empanadas are filled with “Tinga Poblana”, but you can also use fresh Mexican cheese, shredded cooked chicken, shrimp or cooked ground meat. Fillings vary from region to region, so here you can be creative and set your imagination free. I saved some of the “Tinga Poblana” from last week to cook these empanadas because the flavor of corn dough complements them very well.
Actually, the main reason for making these corn empanadas with “Tinga Poblana” is because I remember eating them in a small restaurant with tables and chairs outdoors. No, I am not talking about a fancy Paris-like restaurant, I’m talking about a run down place with ugly plastic furniture with good cheap food. The dough is very crispy and the Tinga is really flavorful. Enjoy!
How to make Empanadas with Corn Dough
- Prepare the dough in a bowl, mixing the masa harina, salt, and warm water to form a ball, knead dough until smooth. Divide the dough into 12 balls, and flatten and slightly cover with plastic wrap. Set aside. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Place one ball of dough between two pieces of plastic and press using a tortilla press, a heavy skillet or a dish. I know, you have seen the tortilla press, but somehow I love to use my glass dishes for this step. So, do not be afraid, use whatever you have.
- Remove the top piece of plastic and spoon some of the stuffing onto the tortilla. Leaving enough room to seal the edges.
- Using the piece of plastic fold the dough over to make a half moon shape turn over. Pinch the edges, making sure they seal to avoid any leaking of the mixture while frying. Remove the empanada from the plastic set aside on a large plate or tray and cover with a plastic wrap. Keep working with the rest of the dough making the empanadas.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. It's frying time!
- Deep fry the empanadas one or two at a time until golden brown.
- About 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot topped with lettuce and avocado. Eat them adding some salsa. After that, take a long walk.
Did you like the recipe? Please let me know in the comments section, do you have questions, or share the link with your friends. I hope you have an incredible time cooking!
Provecho!
Mely Martinez, the cook at Mexico in my Kitchen!
More recipes:
Crab Empanadas Recipe
Tuna Empanadas
Receta en español Empanadas de Maíz.
📖 Recipe
Empanadas with Corn Dough
Ingredients
- 2 cups of masa harina
- 1-¼ cups of warm water amount may vary depending on air humidity and other wheatear conditions.
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 pieces of round plastic cut out from a bag. freezer bags are ideal for this purpose.
- 2 cups of filling cooked chicken, ground meat or grated cheese
- 2 cups of shredded lettuce
- 1 avocado diced
- About 1 ½ cup of vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Prepare the dough in a bowl, mixing the masa harina, salt, and warm water to form a ball, knead dough until smooth. Divide the dough into 12 balls, and flatten and slightly cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
- Place one ball of dough between two pieces of plastic and press using a tortilla press, a heavy skillet or a dish. I know, you have seen the tortilla press, but somehow I love to use my glass dishes for this step. So, do not be afraid, use whatever you have.
- Remove the top piece of plastic and spoon some of the stuffing onto the tortilla. Leaving enough room to seal the edges.
- Using the piece of plastic fold the dough over to make a half moon shape turn over. Pinch the edges, making sure they seal to avoid any leaking of the mixture while frying. Remove the empanada from the plastic set aside on a large plate or tray and cover with a plastic wrap. Keep working with the rest of the dough making the empanadas.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. It's frying time!
- Deep fry the empanadas one or two at a time until golden brown.
- About 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot topped with lettuce and avocado. Eat them adding some salsa. After that, take a long walk.
Notes
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Miranda
These are excellent. Back in the day, we used a damp cotton dishtowel to make them (made it easy to flatten, fill, and fold). I remember these from the days I lived in Venezuela back in the early 60s. Thanks for bringing back one of my favorite memories. 🙂
Mely Martínez
Hello Miranda,
Thank you for sharing about your sweet memories making empanadas in Venezuela.
Happy cooking!
Rockel hernandez
Looks good I have unprepared masa dough do I need to add anything to it to make these.
Mely Martínez
Hello Rockel,
Only make sure your dough is soft and with enough moisture to avoid any breakarage of the dough will frying.
Mely
Frank Rios
Looks tasty. Can we add baking powder baking soda to this?
Frank,
Mely Martínez
Hello Frank,
You can, however it doesn't actually need it.
TJ Penn
I would like to make a very large batch of these ahead of time. Would I fill and form them and then freeze the pies? Would I defrost and then bake?
Thank you!
Mely Martínez
Hello TJ Penn,
You will need to cook them first (fry them) and then freeze them. If you freeze them uncooked they will break.
Sella
I used my own filling of chicken, cream cheese, chili powder, garlic and cumin- with pepper jack cheese and OMG! BIGGEST "home run" in a long time with my family. I made a smoked pablano pepper-sour cream dip to accompany them- the fact that I would never have thought to make Masa Harina into a fried empanada- blows my mind that you showed me. Thank you as one in our family is now Gluten-Free for health reasons. I love your website, I have been checking it out since he was diagnosed.
Mely Martínez
Thank you, Sella!
Have fun making empanadas for your family.
Gabriel
Hi Mely! Can you prepare the empanadas in advance?
Mely Martínez
Hello Gabriel,
Yes, you can.
Katy bobin
Thank you for the lovely recipe. Have you tried making them in an air fryer? I tried but failed as the dough didn't seem to cook.
Mely Martínez
Hello Katy,
I don't but I know people that Had tried with no luck.
Selma T
Hello! Thank you for the recipe. I just have one question. Where did you get that fryer? It looks awesome!
Mely Martínez
Hello Selma,
I bought it in Mexico. You can find similar ones on Amazon. Just check the size that fits your stove before buying. Here is the LINK.
William
Hola Mely,
I just love your recipes! I was in Puerto Vallarta last month during my yearly visits, and hade corn empanadas for the first time, filled with shrimp. I and going to try your recipe, but curious about the thickness of the dough. Thin like tortillas, or a little thicker?
Mely Martínez
Hello William,
The thickness is usually the same as a tortilla.
Natalie
Can you bake these or oven fry?
Mely Martínez
Hello Natalie,
Many readers have tried those options, even air frying, and non-work. Only regular frying.
Giny
Happy New Year!
Thank you.
What type of Masa Harina do you use for the corn flour empanadas?
Thank you
Mely Martínez
Hello Ginny,
I usually buy the most popular brand everywhere. But you can actually use any other masa harina.
Just make sure to adjust the liquid since not all masa harinas need the same amount of water
Skim
Hello!
I can't wait to make these for the family. I was wondering can you make the empanadas ahead of time and fry before serving? Just trying to figure out how to make big batches at a time.
Thank you!
Mely Martínez
Hello,
It is better to make them and eat at the moment. Unless you want to make them and then reheat them in the oven.
Liz
I've made these empanadas twice now & they are fabulous! 1st time I used a shrimp + poblano Chile filling, 2nd time I used some leftover lamb roast which I minced fine + added gravey. The shrimp were by far the best! Suprisingly they do not soak up the oil when frying them! Well worth the effort to make this treat. The corn masa is so much tastier than wheat flour dough for meat empanadas. Thanks for this recipe + the photos.
Mely Martínez
Hello Liz,
Thank you for visiting and trying the empanadas. I'm glad to know you like the flavor and taste of the dough. Shrimp empanadas are delicious!
Deli
What an inspiration you are! We just ordered the Comal Cazo Griddle Fryer from Amazon and can hardly wait to use it! We made our very first corn tortillas yesterday and are hoping they'll turn out better the second time around. Thanks, too, for the empanada recipe!
Mely Martínez
Hello Deli, make sure you order the 16 inches.
Jeff
These were delicious! I made them using blue corn masa, and filled them with a combination of some leftover taco meat, some quesadilla cheese, and a little bit of habenero jack cheese. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!
Sara K
These were fabulous - glad my first attempt was a success. I added a bit more liquid - my dough was a bit dry. Made a filling of minced chicken, grated cheese, cumin, garlic salt and pepper with a spoonful of yoghurt to hold it together. I fried half and baked half - we preferred the fried ones. 🙂
Amber Freet
Thank you for sharing your recipe and instructions on how to make empenadas! Your photos and step by step instructions were very helpful (this was my first time making empenadas). I followed your recipe for the tinga poblana filling, except I used chicken instead of pork and left out the chorizo. They were amazing and spicy! I can only imagine the heat if I had added the chorizo! My whole family enjoyed them (10 & 12 yr old sons included). My youngest son was not sure he would like the spiciness, but he ate two. 🙂
Mely Martínez
Hello Amber,
Thank you for using the recipe for corn empanadas. BTW Chicken or Pork tinga empanadas are very popular in central Mexico.
cindy
Oh Geez!!! These are so wonderful!!! I am eating them now for dinner - so crispy and I stuffed them with seasoned bean/beef mix to give it a try - they are delicious!
helen annison
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. I love your pan to cook the empanadas in. 🙂
Karen
Hi could you stuff with bean and cheese?
Mely Martínez
Hello Karen,
Yes, you can, you can stuff them with many types of things, like chicken, beef, pork, cheese, mushrooms, etc.
Marisa Baskaron
Hola Mely. Can I use premade masa for tortillas?
mmartinez
Hi Marisa, you mean the nixtamal masa sold at the molinos or some latin stores. Sure!
Ed
Oh Mely, these are amazing! I used chicken broth instead of water and a pinch of sazon seasoning in the dough. I may have used a bit too little broth or allowed it to dry out because the dough easily cracked, may have over filled too. I used seasoned chopped cooked chicken and shredded sharp cheddar for the filling. Yes these can be baked and I may have gone too high temp. 425 for 30 min. They browned nicely and very crispy, especially where the crimp was. Baked though they seemed on the dry side. Maybe less heat next time. I did pan fry one with some bacon fat I had in tbe fridge and my oh my....frying is vastly superior in results. Simply amazing fried but I want to try and stay away from deep frying. Over all these came out great and will try again tweaking the bake time and temp a bit. Oh....I'll still pan fry one or two.
mmartinez
Hello Ed,
Thank you for sharing your experience baking corn empanadas, it is always interesting to see all the ideas.
Have fun cooking!
Kristine
Hello there. On the very top you put masa harina. Is it maseca (corn) or is it harina ( regular flour)
mmartinez
Hello Kristine,
It is referring to any brand of corn flour, it could be Maseca or Minsa.
Gene Ware
Can the filled empanadas be frozen? Uncooked most likely? And for how long? And, would they need to be thawed before cooking? Thank you. G
mmartinez
Hello Gene,
I had never tried to freeze uncooked corn empanadas. Corn masa for empanadas tend to dry and break easily. I guess that will happen if you freeze them for many days. If you freeze them let me know.
Christina
I made these tonight using chicken stock instead of water and a simple beef, carrot, onion and cheese filling. They were amazing! I will be adding this to our dinner go to recipes. Especially happy that I have another way of getting my kids to eat veggies!
mmartinez
Hello Christina,
Thank you for taking the time to comment and share the additions/changes you made. I'm sure they will be very helpful for other readers. Happy cooking!
Erin
I have never worked with masa before, never had corn empanadas before. But I made these last night and they were incredible! I was really intimidated by the masa, and while the first one was definitely off, I was able to add some water and get the dough the right consistency and the rest were great. I’m excited to try all sorts of other fillings now (we did barbacoa filling last night), and other things with masa!
Andrew Walker
These were so delicious! I placed mine on a lightly oiled baking sheet and brushed the tops lightly with oil. I then baked them at 350 for20 minutes and turned the oven to broil for another 3 or 4 untill the edges we're brown and crispy. Thanks so much for your recipe!
mmartinez
Hello Andrew,
Thank you for taking the time to come back and let us know about cooking the empanadas in the oven and the technique you used. I'm sure many people will appreciate the idea.
Heather
Now I know what my mother-in-law sent home with my husband. He called them "fried taco things" but I knew there had to be a name. I looked up fried masa stuffed with beef. 🙂
Alicia
My friend Ella made these for a class in school years ago and they were terrific.Her father came from Trinidad I believe.
Jolene
Where did you get the pan you used for cooking and what is it called?
mmartinez
Hello Jolene,
Some people call it 'Comal de Bola", check my last post, I talk about this pan and where to buy it.
Here the link: Gift Guide
Anonymous
can you bake them?
mmartinez
Sorry, I had never try to bake them.
UWCNZ
Hola Mely,
These look delicious - I'm looking for things I can cook in advance and then freeze for my coeliac daughter to take to school for lunch. Do you know how well these freeze? And if they would still be good eaten cold after defrosting?
Many thanks!
mmartinez
Hello,
YOu can freeze them but you need to reheat them either in a griddle of your stove oven.
Martha
I made them just as you said and they came out perfectly. Thank you so much for you recipe.
mmartinez
Hello Martha,
So glad to know you were able to cook them at home. Happy cooking!
PILAR B. G.
Saludos.. en la ZONA DE LOS TUXTLAS,EN VERACRUZ. Eso es lo que comen diariamente la mayoría de la población. También hacen garnacha panuchos muy rico todo. Feliciddes
mmartinez
Hola Pilar,
Gracias por tu comentario. A mi me encantan las garnachas que hacen en Veracruz!
Myrna Palomino
Hello I was wondering can i make pumkin empanadas with this dough recipe please help me out
mmartinez
Hello Myrna,
You mean sweet pumpkin empanadas? I never heard of it, but for sure you can try. I bet the crunchy texture of the corn masa will be great with the soft and sweet filling of the pumpkin. I make some at home using cheese and sugar, and my family love them!
Anonymous
Hi, Mely,
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I'm trying to go gluten free and your instructions were great and helped me make spicy ground beef and cheese empanadas for the first time. They were very tasty with pico de gallo and lettuce on the side, along with refried beans. Thanks again and I will definitely return for more authentic recipes.
Cheers!
mmartinez
Hello,
Thank you for stopping by and leave a comment about your experience cooking the recipe. I do hope you come back and enjoy more mexican food.
Anonymous
Can you bake these instead of frying like flour based empanadas?
mmartinez
Hello,
I had never tried them bake, or even heard of it. But, you can try. Maybe brushing a little bit of oil on and baking on previously greased sheet. Now, you got me thinking about it. I will try and post about it.
Saludos!
Jan Leavitt
Instructions and photos had me cooking with confidence in no time! Couldn't have done it without the tip of using the plastic bag circles! Thanks!
Shirley
I make a spicy ground beef/tomato based filling but make a white flour pastry. These sounds wonderful and I will definitely try your recipe. Your tips on the freezer bags is brilliant too!
George Mounce
Making these tonight using this recipe, cannot wait!
Mely
Hello George,
I hope you could tell us how did you like them.
Happy cooking!
meggy love
My husband and I made empanadas tonight but the masa didn't cook all the way thru. We tried cooking them longer, but they almost burnt and still weren't cooked thru. I was afraid if I made the rounds thinner they wouldn't hold. Could it be the store bought prepared masa?
Mely
Hello Meggy,
Do you mean the masa preparada they sell for tamales? That masa has lard or shortening making it difficult to form a thin circle to make the empanadas. If plain masa is not available use corn flour masa, like maseca or other brand.
Happy Cooking!
Mely
Elizabeth Gray
Can you bake these on the comal? I know frying tastes better, but we're trying to cut calories 🙂
Mely
Yes, you can make them in the comal. Check this link:
Corn dough quesadillas
Happy cooking!
Mely
berta de la garza
wow! this looks delicious!! where can i get a frying pan like the one you have??!
thanks!
Mely
Hello Bertha,
Just look online for a "comal de pozo". Several readers how asked before have good luck buying it online.
Happy cooking,
Mely
Janittataylor
Can you make these ahead of time and freeze up before frying? Thank you Janitta
Janittataylor
Can you make these empanadas ahead of time and freeze before cooking? Janitta
Janittataylor
Can you make these ahead of time and freeze up before frying? Thank you Janitta
Stephenie
We were looking up corn flour empanada recipes tonight and yours made us get up and start cooking with excitement. Thanks for the great photo directions. I used a glass pie plate to make the corn tortillas (my first time ever trying this) and they came out beautifully. We did use yellow masa harina which made the dough crunchy, but we still enjoyed our beautiful dinner. Next time we plan to try this recipe using white masa harina flour for a softer dough.
Mely
I am so glad the instructions were helpful Stephenie.
And when you use fresh masa the texture of the empanadas is even crunchier.
Thank you for your comment and happy cooking.
Mely
Stephenie
We were looking up corn flour empanada recipes tonight and yours made us get up and start cooking with excitement. Thanks for the great photo directions. I used a glass pie plate to make the corn tortillas (my first time ever trying this) and they came out beautifully. We did use yellow masa harina which made the dough crunchy, but we still enjoyed our beautiful dinner. Next time we plan to try this recipe using white masa harina flour for a softer dough.
Mexico in my kitchen
Hello Jessica,
I am so glad you were able to make them. Please come back soon.
Mely
Jessica
I visited mexico this weekend and had empanadas there. I was eager to recreate them, and your recipe nailed it! So very delicious! thank you
Mexico in my kitchen
Hello Emerald,
Glad to know you visited Playa del Carmen and had the opportunity of tasting the empanadas. I usually like to top mine with finely shredded cabbage. There are other versions of empanadas made with wheat flour dough and also filled with fish, cold meat or ground meat.
Thanks fro stopping by. 🙂
Mely
Emerald
There is a Filipino version called "Empananditas". It is made with flour dough (that turns golden and flaky), and is usually filled with ground beef (and or pork), potatoes, onions, garlic, peas, and raisins. I like to make mine a little bit spicy, to balance out the sweetness of the raisins. The combination of everything makes a wonderfully savory empanada. There's even a little bit of sauce in the mix ("gravy") to keep it from tasting dry. 🙂
When my husband and I went to Mexico (Playa del Carmen), there was a little kitchen off the beaten path, that made empanadas. They made one with just ground beef, and the other had shredded chicken. They served it with chopped cabbage and hot sauce. YUM! I think I ate 8 of them in one sitting, AND made sure to buy some to eat at the hotel. 🙂
Mexico in my kitchen
Hi Anonymous,
I know this frying pan as " Comal para garnachas o enchiladas". It is not actually flat like a comal but that is the name I know for it. If you live in Texas you can find it at the flea markets. I just got a new one this year that my dear sister sent me from Texas. She got it at the flea market and also bought one for herself. They are very practice for frying food and there is less mess to clean.
I hope you have luck finding one. They cost around 30 -35 dollars.
Saludos,
Mely
Karen
Can you bake these?
Mely Martínez
Hello Karen,
You can but they won't taste as good. And, they will come out with a pale color. Just yesterday someone sent me a picture of their empanadas done in the air fryer, they look pale in color.
Mexico in my kitchen
Hello Danelle,
Thanks for letting me know your cooking experience with the new comal.
Saludos!
Mely
Danelle
The empanadas were absolutely delicious. We have made our family's version of them before but this was the first time we used this cool frying pan. Less mess and crispy empanadas. Love all of your recipes. We are doing tacos tonight. Keep the recipes and fun cooking gadgets coming.
Anonymous
Okay, You've already answered the question regarding the frying pan used for the empanadas, but does it have a name? I'd love to get one, but I'm neither in Georgia or in California as posted by your readers.
A Texan Reader. Love your blog--yumilicious!!!
Mexico in my kitchen
Hello Danelle,
I am so glad you found it. Please do let me know. We made Tostadas last night in ours.
The frying pan is great to fry all kind of foods.
Have a happy weekend!
Mely
Danelle
I found the frying pan at my local Vallarta Market in Van Nuys, California. I was so excited because I have been searching for it ever since I saw this posting. We are making empanadas this weekend. I will let you know how they turn out.
Miz Helen
Ola Mely,
Your Empanada rounds are just perfect. Mine don't always look so round, they are sometimes oblong...lol...I am going to study your post and maybe I will get better. Thank you so much for sharing at Full Plate Thursday and please come back!
Diana Bauman
Mely, I always leave so inspired when I visit your blog. These are wonderful! I'll be sure to try them out!!
Mely (mimk)
Hello Alejandra,
I got this frying pan at a Mexican grocery store in Georgia.
It is very useful.
Thanks for visiting.
Alejandra Gonzalez Seminario
hello! i love all your dishes! I wanted to know where you got your deep frying dish?
Mely (mimk)
Hola Idida,
Gracias por tu visita, si tengo la receta de dulce de leche, no te refieres a la "cajeta" verdad? Si no al dulce que se vende envuelto en celofan? Por favor avisame si es esa para ponerla mas adelante.
Saludos!
idida
A mi hija les fascinan las empanadas, la proxima vez las hare con las espinacas, que buena idea. Si tiene la receta de dulce de leche, cuando era chica me fascinaba en trocitos. Gracias
Mely (mimk)
Hello Barbara,
Thank you for visiting my blog.
I got this cool frying pan in Georgia, I think, it was Alpharetta, GA in a Hispanic Store. I like that it has a large diameter but at the same time it works in my stove. It is a small version of the ones used in restaurants or street food vendors in Mexico.
Barbara
This looks so easy, and I love the idea of using a glass pie plate as a press!
Where did you get the little fry pan? Another great idea.
Mely (mimk)
Hola Nora,
Si las he visto con chile en la masa en el estado de San Luis Potosi, pero verdes con espinacas solo he cocinado hecha en casa.
Pues para las fiestas patrias lo preparamos.
Saludos!
NORACRIS
MELY, Has probado ponerle a la masa un poco de salsa de chile guajillo? y quedan rojitas y el sabor de la salsa molida con ajo. Y en las fiestas patrias haces otras verdes (la masa con espinaca cocida y molida) y las acomodas verdes blancas y rojas. Saludos!
NORACRIS
QUIERO! Mely es media mañana y quiero quesadillas fritas ! jajaja rellenas de tinga!
pero ya! Te ha quedado excelente esta entrada, te felicito! la fotografía excelente!
Tu blog sera uno de los mejores de la red!
Continúa así, te felicito sinceramente. Un gran beso!
Mely (mimk)
Hola Silvia!
Lo compre en una tienda Hispana en Georgia.
Funciona muy bien para enchiladas rojas, flautas, empanadas.
Saludos!
Silvia
WOW Mely, siempre me impresionas! Tengo que tratar de hacer estas pronto! Como se me antojaron! Oye y esa sarten de donde la sacaste? Se ve buenisima para freir taquitos y enchiladas.
Un abrazo!
Unknown
Si, yo tambien note lo del sarten, si no es de aluminio me gustaria conseguir uno. esta esla primera vezque entro a esta pagina, se ve muy bien
Janie
Looks absolutely delicious and do easy to make. I will be maki g a trip to the grocery store and definately making this dish.. 🤗😋😉 Thank you for sharing.