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Traditional Chilean Pork Empanadas

Appetizer 🧄Dinner 🍽️Lunch 🥪Snack 🍿 Chilean 🇨🇱Spanish 🇪🇸 Comfort-Food

Traditional Chilean Pork Empanadas balance warmly spiced ground pork with sweet raisins, briny olives, and tender bits of hard-cooked egg, all tucked inside a tender baked pastry. The filling is aromatic with cumin, oregano, and garlic, creating a rich, slightly sweet-and-salty bite. Serve them for dinner, parties, or casual gatherings where handheld, satisfying pastries shine.

  • Prep20 mins
  • Cook40 mins
  • Serves12
  • DifficultyMedium
Traditional Chilean Pork Empanadas
  1. 1

    Make the filling: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, until the onion turns golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the pork and cook until fully browned and crumbly, 7 to 10 minutes more. Drain the fat from the skillet. Stir in the raisins, olives, and hard-cooked eggs.

  2. 2

    Whisk the water and cornstarch together in a small bowl; pour into the skillet and stir until the liquid thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.

  3. 3

    Make the dough: Whisk the milk and melted shortening together in a bowl until evenly combined. In a separate large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; whisk until well combined and a dough forms. Let rest for 10 minutes.

  4. 4

    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  5. 5

    Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut into 12 circles with a round cookie cutter or a glass. Spoon the filling into the center of each circle. Fold each circle in half and press the edges with a fork to seal. Brush the tops with beaten egg. Place the empanadas on the prepared baking sheet.

  6. 6

    Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes.