Colombian Starter

Empanadas Colombianas

Empanadas Colombianas is crisp Colombian corn empanadas filled with seasoned beef and potato and served with fresh ají. This version uses measured ingredients, clear visual cues and the traditional flavour balance that makes the dish distinctive.

Jump to recipe More Colombian food
40 minsPrep time
35 minsCook time
Serves 6Servings
MediumDifficulty
Empanadas Colombianas
About this dish

Empanadas Colombianas: the story on the plate

Empanadas Colombianas is a Colombian starter with a clear sense of place. Colombian empanadas are distinguished by their maize dough and are a familiar street snack across the country. Fillings vary, but potato and seasoned meat are among the most classic combinations. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Historical background

Colombian empanadas are distinguished by their maize dough and are a familiar street snack across the country. Fillings vary, but potato and seasoned meat are among the most classic combinations.

Why it is famous

They are everyday social food: eaten at bakeries, street stalls, football gatherings and family celebrations, almost always with ají for heat and acidity.

Cultural significance

They are everyday social food: eaten at bakeries, street stalls, football gatherings and family celebrations, almost always with ají for heat and acidity.

Nutrition

Estimated nutrition per serving

These figures are estimates per serving. Actual nutrition can vary with the brands and exact amounts you use, how much oil, dressing or sauce is absorbed, any substitutions or added extras, and the portion size served.

A practical guide for comparing recipes and planning meals.

340Calories
13gProtein
44gCarbs
13gFat
Ingredients

What you need

  • 300 pre-cooked yellow maize flour
  • 420 warm water
  • 1.5 fine salt
  • 0.5 ground annatto
  • 300 beef mince
  • 350 floury potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 80 Spring onions, finely sliced
  • 180 tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 8 Garlic, minced
  • 1 ground cumin
  • 1200 neutral frying oil
  • 25 fresh coriander, for ají
  • 30 lime juice, for ají
  • 1 fresh chilli, for ají
Method

Step-by-step method

Follow the recipe in order, tasting and adjusting seasoning where needed.

  1. Boil the diced potatoes in salted water until completely tender, then drain and mash roughly, leaving some small pieces for texture.
  2. Cook spring onions, tomatoes, garlic and cumin in a tablespoon of oil for 6–8 minutes until the tomatoes collapse into a concentrated hogao. Add the beef and cook until browned; fold in the potato and season assertively. Cool the filling.
  3. Mix maize flour, salt and annatto. Add warm water and knead for 2 minutes into a soft dough that does not crack when flattened. Rest under a damp cloth for 10 minutes.
  4. Divide into 18 balls. Flatten each between plastic sheets to about 3 mm thick, add a spoonful of filling, fold into a half-moon and cut the edge cleanly with a small bowl or press.
  5. Heat oil to 175°C and fry in batches for 3–4 minutes until crisp and deeply golden. Drain on a rack rather than piling on paper, which traps steam.
  6. Chop coriander, chilli and a little spring onion with lime juice and a splash of water for a loose ají. Serve the empanadas hot with the sharp sauce.
Cook smarter

Tips, storage and serving advice

Shopping tips

Choose pre-cooked maize flour labelled for arepas/empanadas, firm green plantains for savoury dishes and very ripe black-speckled plantains for sweets. Fresh coriander and good avocados make a noticeable difference. Check labels on compound ingredients such as sauces, spice blends, stocks, kimchi, fermented pastes and prepared breads when cooking for allergies.

Ingredient quality

For Empanadas Colombianas, prioritise fresh or properly stored versions of pre-cooked yellow maize flour, warm water, fine salt, ground annatto; speciality seasonings should smell vivid rather than stale.

Common mistakes

Dry dough cracks, warm filling softens the shell before frying, and oil below temperature makes the empanadas greasy.

Chef’s tips

Press the dough thinly but keep the seal broad. Chill the shaped empanadas briefly if the kitchen is warm.

How to know it is cooked

The shell is evenly crisp and golden and the centre is piping hot without any raw maize taste.

Plating advice

Pile in a shallow basket or platter with ají in a small bowl at the centre.

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