Argentinian Beef Empanadas: The Recipe (and the Chimichurri They're Meant For)
This recipe comes from the old man. It's how he makes empanadas, and it's how we make them too.
That said, there's no single “correct” empanada. Everyone's got their own version, their own filling, their own way of sealing them up.
Ham and cheese is a common one. Plain cheese empanadas too, if you want something simple.
Use whatever you've got and whatever you like.
The method below is ours, but treat it as a starting point, not a rulebook.
Baked or Fried?
Your call. Baked gives you a firmer, golden pastry, and it's what we've written into the recipe below. Fried gives you a crisper, richer bite. Same filling, same fold, just a different finish.
If you want to fry them, use the same filling and assembly, then fry in oil heated to around 180°C for 3 to 4 minutes per batch, turning once, until golden.
What Goes Into the Filling
The classic Buenos Aires-style beef filling comes down to a handful of components, each doing a specific job.
The beef. Traditionally hand-chopped rather than minced, using cuts like skirt steak or chuck. This gives a coarser, more textured filling than you'd get with standard mince, and it holds together better once cooled. If hand-chopping isn't practical, a coarser mince is the next best option, ask your butcher for a chunkier grind if they can do it.
The aromatics. Onion and capsicum, cooked down slowly until soft and sweet, form the base of the filling. Garlic goes in at the end of this stage so it doesn't burn.
The spice. Sweet paprika, cumin and oregano are the backbone of the seasoning, with a touch of chilli flakes for warmth rather than heat. This isn't a spicy dish. The spices are there to round out the beef, not overpower it.
The extras. Chopped hard-boiled egg and green olives are what set the Argentinian version apart from a lot of other South American empanadas. The egg adds richness and a textural contrast, and the olives bring a salty, briny hit that cuts through the beef. Spring onion, added at the end, gives a fresh, sharp note.
The cooling step. This is the part people skip and regret. A warm filling makes the dough go soft and difficult to seal, and it increases the chance of splitting during baking. Cool the filling completely, ideally overnight in the fridge, before you start filling the discs.
🎥 Watch this Youtube Shorts on how to fill the discs properly and seal with the repulgue
Chimichurri with Empanadas
You can eat these empanadas on their own. They hold up fine. But in our opinion, that's only half the dish.
The filling is rich, savoury, a bit fatty from the beef and the pastry. Chimichurri, sharp with parsley, garlic and red wine vinegar, cuts straight through that. It's the same reason it sits next to a steak.
A small bowl on the table isn't a garnish, it's the other half of what you're eating.
The Recipe
Argentinian Beef Empanadas
Makes: 12 empanadas
Prep time: 35 minutes (plus cooling time for the filling)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
12 empanada dough discs (tapas para empanadas, or homemade)
500g beef mince, preferably chopped skirt or chuck, not fine mince
1 large brown onion, finely diced
1 red capsicum, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp salt
80ml beef stock
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
12 green olives, pitted and chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Chimmi & Co chimichurri, for serving
Method
1. Cook the onion and capsicum. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and capsicum, cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute until fragrant.
2. Brown the beef. Add the beef mince to the pan, breaking it up as it cooks. Stir in the paprika, cumin, oregano, chilli flakes and salt. Cook until the beef is browned through.
3. Simmer the filling. Pour in the beef stock and simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the mixture is moist but not wet. Take off the heat and let it cool completely, a quick 30 minutes in the fridge speeds this up.
4. Add the extras. Once cooled, stir through the chopped boiled egg, olives and spring onion.
5. Fill the discs. Lay out the empanada discs. Place a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre of each one. Don't overfill or they'll split when you seal them.
6. Seal with the repulgue. Fold the disc in half to form a half-moon. Press the edges to seal, then fold small triangles of the edge over each other along the seam to make the traditional plaited edge. A simple fork crimp works fine too if you're short on time.
7. Egg wash and bake. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Place the empanadas on a lined tray, brush with the beaten egg, and bake for around 20 minutes until golden.
Serve warm, with a bowl of Chimmi & Co chimichurri alongside for dipping. That's how it's done back home, and it's worth doing it the same way here.
