Can You Freeze Empanadas?

Last updated on August 13th, 2022 at 02:55 pm

You enter a kitchen and smell the freshly rolled dough, and then you see the delicious simmering meat in the skillet. You might also see onion, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, and possibly other seasonings that are permeating the air. 

And then you see off to the side a bowl of grated cheese…. Is your stomach grumbling yet? You’re seeing empanadas being made! 

Your night is complete knowing that you get these delicious and yummy treats for your dinner. Thankfully your mother knows that you like to eat them and she sends you home with your own container full of empanadas you can eat on your own. 

But now comes the decision of whether you will freeze the empanadas to save for a later date, or if you will eat them within a day or two and not have the need to freeze and save for a different time. 

If you freeze them, will they taste the same, look the same, and give you the same fresh taste of wonderful empanadas?

If you grew up with a family who loves to cook from scratch, you may have tried your hand at making this great Latin American staple of life, empanadas. Whether you make each part lovingly or just buy the different parts needed at the local grocery store, empanadas are definitely a delicious meal addition. 

But can you freeze empanadas?

If you wish to freeze your empanadas, it will depend on how they are made to determine how they need to be frozen. If they are already cooked, and you wish to freeze them, just be aware that you will lose a bit of their texture and flakey taste, but you can definitely freeze them. 

Just put the empanadas in an airtight container or freezer bag, and then place the bag in the freezer. If you are concerned about freezer burn, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap before placing them inside whatever container you are using for the freezer. 

Empanada will last around three months in the freezer. 

If the empanadas are not already cooked, then you will have a few steps to keep in mind when freezing them. 

First you will want to put them on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer and make sure they are not touching each other on a baking sheet. Freeze until solid. 

Then you can put them in an airtight container or freezer bag. They can be baked right from the freezer (so frozen empanadas) with a few extra minutes added due to their frozen state. 

They will still have that wonderful fresh taste when you bake them. Uncooked empanadas that are frozen will last around 3 months in the freezer as well. 

When you have a delicious meal that you wish to use for another time, it’s always a great option if you can freeze them. Thankfully empanadas are definitely one of those foods that can be frozen. 

No matter if you decide to have them pre-baked or not, the freezer can be used to preserve your favorite tasting empanadas for future use!

How Do You Keep Empanadas Crispy?

Have you ever reheated a wonderful meal, only for it to no longer have the same texture and yumminess that you remember? That instantly makes me personally not want to make that same meal in the near future. 

In fact, I may refuse that meal for at least a month or longer due to an experience of bad reheating of a meal. 

When it comes to empanadas, they first come out as a crispy delicious pastry filled with simmering meat and spices with a possibility of creamy cheese inside. It’s definitely a favorite of mine. 

However, due to the dough on the outside, it can lose the crispy texture if it is reheated. So, how do you keep empanadas crispy?

There are several different ways to reheat empanadas, and depending on how you are wanting to reheat them will determine how to cook and keep their crispy texture. 

The best option for reheating empanadas so they stay crispy is the convection oven. You will want to preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and then bake them on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. 

This will keep them from becoming unevenly baked and keep their crispy texture. If you don’t have a convection oven, but you do have a toaster oven, the directions are the same. 

Again, you’ll preheat the toaster oven to 300, and then bake for 10 minutes. Now you can also microwave them, but you will lose their crispiness. So you will want to use either a toaster or convection oven or at all possible. 

To speed up the reheating process you can use a microwave combined with an oven. 

First you will microwave them for between 30-60 seconds depending on how big they are, then you will put them in either the toaster oven or the convection oven that has been preheated at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. 

While a microwave will heat up the inside of the empanada rather quickly, it will leave the dough feeling mushy which is why you want the help from either the convection or toaster oven to keep the pastry crispy. 

You could also deep fry or use a skillet to reheat your empanadas. In either case, you need to make sure you have enough oil to completely cover them. You also need to have the oil preheated to 320 degrees, and only cook them until they become a delicious golden color. 

It probably should take 3-4 minutes if you’re reheating them this way. 

There is also the option of using an Air-Fryer. First set the air-fryer to 350 degrees, and then bake for 3-4 minutes. 

That way they will have the same great taste as when they were originally made. Please keep in mind that these are ways to reheat already cooked empanadas, but if they are fresh empanadas that haven’t been cooked yet, these are also ways to cook them for the first time. 

You will just have to watch your times as you cook to keep them in the crispy wonderful state that we all know and love.

Final Thoughts

Empanadas are always a great family favorite. Since they can take a lot of time to make, I often will make a ton at once so that I can use them again for another meal. This makes the only decision of either freezing before I cook or after they are cooked. 

Then it’s the determining factor of which is the best and most convenient way to reheat them to keep them with the crispy texture that I know and cherish. Of course, as stated above, my personal favorite way to reheat the empanadas is with a convection oven. 

Having used a toaster oven in the past, I’m very familiar with it. I know that it will still give the crispy taste as well. 

Deep frying or using a skillet requires a ton of oil, and if you’re watching your weight or trying to eat healthier, this option isn’t for you. In my personal opinion, the microwave is just too many steps and too many dishes to keep the crispy texture, but to each his own! 

If that’s your preferred method, go for it! Since I’ve never used an air-fryer for my empanadas I can’t really give an opinion about that, but I do have many friends who do have an air-fryer and absolutely love doing it that way. 

However you decide to reheat your empanadas, know that you do have many options available to you. They don’t take much time to heat, and you can definitely keep your crispy texture that you know and recognize with empanadas. 

My hope is that this has helped you to be encouraged to reheat the empanadas you have in your freezer and eat them with your next meal! In my opinion, you can never have too many empanadas on hand to be able to add to your next meal plan.