Air Fryer Beef Empanadas (With Pie Crust!)

Most beef empanada recipes start with a picadillo that simmers for half an hour and a trip to the freezer aisle for empanada discs. This one doesn’t. A pound of ground beef, a package of refrigerated pie crust, and a cup of sharp cheddar get you a dozen crispy, golden empanadas in about twenty minutes — and the air fryer does the crisping without a pot of hot oil.

They’re flaky on the outside, cheesy and well-seasoned inside, and they hold up beautifully as an appetizer, a lunchbox filler, or a fast weeknight dinner.

Why This Recipe Works

• Pie crust instead of empanada discs. Refrigerated pie crust is in every grocery store, it’s already the right thickness, and it bakes up flakier than most frozen empanada dough. Cut circles with a mason jar lid or a biscuit cutter and you’re done. It’s the same shortcut behind my air fryer breakfast empanadas, which use the exact same folding technique with a sausage-and-egg filling.
• Eight ingredients, and you probably have six of them. Ground beef, cheddar, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, butter, pie crust. That’s the whole list.
• No deep frying. The air fryer circulates hot air around every side of the empanada, so you get an even golden crust from a single tablespoon of melted butter instead of a quart of oil.
• They freeze beautifully. Assemble a double batch, freeze them flat, and air fry straight from frozen whenever you need them.

Ingredients

• Ground beef — Lean ground beef (90/10) is what you want here. Fattier beef releases grease into the filling, and grease is what makes an empanada leak in the air fryer. Ground turkey, chicken, or pork all substitute cleanly.
• Sharp cheddar — Shred it yourself if you can. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starch that keeps it from melting smoothly.
• Refrigerated pie crust — Two crusts. Keep them cold right up until you cut them; warm dough tears when you crimp it.
• Unsalted butter — Melted, brushed on top. This is what turns them golden.
• Cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper — The seasoning is deliberately simple so the beef and cheddar come through. Add a pinch of smoked paprika or a diced jalapeño if you want more going on.

How To Make Air Fryer Beef Empanadas

Step 1: Brown the beef. Heat a skillet over medium-high. Add the ground beef and break it up as it cooks, about 6–7 minutes, until no pink remains. Drain the fat thoroughly — this matters more than it sounds. Return the beef to the skillet.

Step 2: Season and add the cheese. Off the heat, stir in the cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and shredded cheddar. Mix until the cheese is just melted through. Let it cool for 5 minutes before filling — hot filling will soften the pie crust and make it tear.

Step 3: Cut the circles. Unroll both pie crusts onto a cutting board and stack them. Use a mason jar lid or a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut circles through both layers at once. Gather the scraps, press them together, and re-roll for a few extra rounds.

Step 4: Fill and seal. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling onto one half of each circle, leaving a clear half-inch border. Fold the dough over and press the edges with the tines of a fork to crimp and seal. Don’t overfill — a blown-out empanada is almost always an overfilled one.

Step 5: Butter and air fry. Brush the tops with melted butter. Arrange in the air fryer basket in a single layer with space between them — crowding is the difference between crisp and steamed. Air fry at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes, until deep golden brown.

If you’re new to timing things in the air fryer, my air fryer cooking chart has temperatures and times for just about everything else you’ll want to make in it.

Tips For The Best Air Fried Beef Empanadas

• Drain the beef completely. Then blot it with a paper towel. Excess fat is the number one cause of soggy bottoms and split seams.
• Cool the filling first. Five minutes on the counter is enough. Warm filling melts the butter in the pie crust before it ever hits the air fryer.
• Seal twice. Crimp with a fork, then flip the empanada and press the tines along the back side too. This is the single biggest difference between empanadas that hold and empanadas that leak.
• Give them room. Two batches of six beat one crowded batch of twelve every time.
• Check at 5 minutes. Air fryers vary more than ovens do. Pull them the moment they’re evenly golden.

What To Serve With Beef Empanadas

A dipping sauce is non-negotiable. My air fryer salsa is the one I make most often for these — roasting the tomatoes and jalapeños first gives it a smoky edge that plays well against the cheddar. Guacamole, sour cream, and chimichurri all work too.

For a full meal, serve them alongside air fryer taco casserole or a simple green salad with lime vinaigrette. If you’re building a party spread, air fryer cheeseburger sliders run on the same kind of quick ground beef prep and can share the counter.

Storage & Reheating

• Refrigerator: Store cooked empanadas in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Freezer, before cooking: Assemble but don’t butter them. Freeze on a parchment-lined sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Brush with butter and air fry from frozen at 350°F for 10–12 minutes.
• Freezer, after cooking: Same storage method. Reheat at 350°F for 4–5 minutes.
• Reheating: Always use the air fryer, not the microwave. 350°F for 3–4 minutes brings the crust right back. The microwave turns it to leather.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use store-bought empanada dough instead of pie crust? Yes. Frozen empanada discs work perfectly and save you the cutting step — thaw them first so they fold without cracking. The cook time stays the same. If you’d rather skip assembly altogether, my guide to air fryer frozen empanadas covers cooking pre-made ones straight from the freezer.

Why did my empanadas open in the air fryer? Almost always overfilling or an incomplete seal. Stick to 2 tablespoons of filling, leave a half-inch border, and crimp both sides with a fork. A filling that’s still warm will also loosen the seal, so let it cool first.

Do I need to preheat the air fryer? It helps. Three minutes at 350°F gives you a more even, faster-setting crust. If you skip it, add a minute or two to the cook time.

Can I make these ahead of time? Yes — this is one of the best things about the recipe. Assemble them completely, hold them in the fridge for up to 24 hours or the freezer for up to 3 months, and air fry when you’re ready. Frozen ones go straight in, no thawing.

Can I use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef? Absolutely. Both work with no other changes. Because they’re leaner, you may want an extra pinch of salt and a teaspoon of olive oil in the filling.

Can I bake these instead? Yes. 400°F on a parchment-lined sheet for 15–18 minutes, flipping halfway. The air fryer gets them crisper and does it in half the time, but the oven handles a bigger batch at once.

Can I use egg wash instead of butter? You can, and it produces a shinier, slightly deeper brown. Butter gives a richer flavor and a more matte finish. Either is fine — just don’t skip it entirely, or they’ll come out pale.

More Air Fryer Empanadas

Once you’ve got the fold down, the filling is wide open:

• Air Fryer Cheesesteak Empanadas — ribeye, peppers, onions, and provolone, wrapped in flaky biscuit dough.
• Air Fryer Breakfast Empanadas — scrambled eggs, sausage, and potatoes in the same pie crust wrapper as this recipe.
• Air Fryer Spinach and Cheese Empanadas — the vegetarian option, and an easy one to make vegan.
• Air Fryer Beef Chimichangas — same seasoned beef idea, rolled into a tortilla instead.

Browse everything else in my air fryer recipe collection.