The Best Pumpkin Empanada Recipe 50 Years in the Making (2024)

This pumpkin empanada recipe mixes authentic Mexican flavors of piloncillo (brown sugar), cinnamon and pumpkin to create a rich pocket full of flavor. This is the best tasting, most authentic baked empanada recipe in town!

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What is an empanada?

The empanada is Latin America’s version of a pastry turnover. It’s an individually portioned party in a pocket!

You can head over to my YouTube video to see the whole process for making these delicious treats.

An empanada can have either a sweet or savory filling. I always opt for the sweet empanada…unless you’re offering me a savory one.

You can find empanadas filled with a variety of meats, cheeses or fruit inside. Each region of Latin America also has its own spin on empanadas, with some baked and others fried.

When I lived in Argentina for a summer, I fell in love with the savory empanadas they served. I had never experienced eating those before, and I was in HEAV-EN! My mom had only made dessert empanadas for us, so my mind was blown.

My Empanada Story

I grew up with a fabulous chef for a mother. No, she has not (yet) achieved recognition from the James Beard committee or any other food critics.

Does she deserve recognition, though? Yes.

This pumpkin empanada originated with an old family friend who ran a Mexican bakery. Over the years, my mother modified the dough recipe to add brown sugar cane (piloncillo) and other ingredients to her liking.

It took some effort to document this baked empanada recipe, since my mom usually adds more or less of certain ingredients based on texture and taste. It’s the old fashioned way of cooking: feeling + intuition!

We documented the steps in painstaking detail, but we reserve the right to make tweaks and adjustments as we experiment with future batches. After all, isn’t that what all good chefs do?

Hopefully, you’ll share your ideas and suggestions with us, too!

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You might also like my Baked Apple Empanadas or this traditional Mexican Oatmeal (Avena) Recipe.

Why pumpkin empanadas?

Pumpkin empanadas have deep roots here in Texas. Many local grocery chains and Mexican bakeries (panaderías) MUST carry pumpkin empanadas if they are going to offer a Mexican pastry assortment.

Not having pumpkin flavor in the mix would be like having a mariachi band without sombreros. Just no.

There’s nothing like the smell of this Mexican empanada recipe. The flaky dough and smooth pumpkin and cinnamon filling make this my favorite type of sweet bread (pan dulce).

While most people think pumpkin is for fall, I’m bringing this family recipe to the world just in time for Cinco de Mayo because it’s always a good time for dessert empanadas.

These Empanadas are Gourmet

Let’s be clear. There’s no Keto here. There’s not an Instant Pot version. These are serious, “for real” empanadas for Mexican foodies.

Perhaps in the future, I’ll bring out the Instant Pot alternative recipe. But probably not.

If you came here for mouth-watering, pumpkin-oozing pastries that will make your whole house smell like a pumpkin spice latte exploded…this is it.

Tips for Following This Baked Empanada Recipe

There are a few tips you’ll want to follow when you make this recipe.

1. The most important tip is to add only enough flour to make the empanada dough not sticky. Adding too much flour may result in a thicker, flakier crust but also risks the shell cracking.
2. Don’t overfill the empanada with pumpkin filling. You’ll want to make sure you can completely seal the edges to prevent leaking.
3. As with any recipe, you can experiment with adding more or less sugar or different amounts of piloncillo (dark brown sugar) to arrive at the perfect level of sweetness.

From my family to yours, enjoy baking your empanadas, and buen provecho!

Be sure to check out my summer fig preserves recipe, and other dessert recipes!

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