After a short break, Eat Like a Local is back with a recipe for Puerto Rican empanadas from solo female travel blogger and lawyer, Jen Ruiz, of Jen on a Jet Plane.
Named after the Spanish term for ‘enbreaded’ (empanar), empanadas are golden traditional Latin pastries filled with either meat, fish, veg or cheese. Once stuffed, the pastries are either baked or fried, although frying produces a crispier texture and mouthwatering bubbly appearance. No matter where you intend to stop off at on your Puerto Rican itinerary, no visit to this archipelago in the Caribbean Sea is complete until you’ve eaten your body weight in empanadas!
To recreate Jen’s recipe yourself at home, you’ll need to get your hands on some frozen Goya Discos. If you’re based within the UK, you’ll probably struggle to track them down. However, rest assured that you can make your own empanada dough by pulsing flour and butter together in a food processor with a pinch of salt, followed by egg and water or milk.
Now, it’s over to Jen to tell us a bit about herself and reveal how to make authentic Puerto Rican style empanadas!
Contents
Jen Ruiz – Puerto Rico
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Jen Ruiz and I’m a lawyer turned full-time travel blogger and writer. I help young professionals travel for less and experience more. I used to live in Florida but recently relocated to upstate New York (so chilly!) and love to dance, eat good food and occasionally get lost in a YA or romance novel.
When did you begin blogging, and why did you decide to start a blog?
I started blogging in 2014 as a creative outlet. I was working as a law clerk at the time and wanted an outlet for my writing that didn’t involve mundane legal documents.
My blog actually went through three rebranding stages. I started off writing about life in your twenties (not sustainable — clearly that decade has come and gone for me), then about random lifestyle tips and finally narrowed down my passion and my interests to travel when I set out to take 12 trips in 12 months while employed full-time!
What’s the best experience you’ve had as a blogger?
I love going to blogger conferences. I’ve always been a fan of school (nerd, I know) so I enjoy learning new things about the trade as well as connecting with other like-minded people. Travel bloggers are some of the weirdest, most wonderful people I know.
What advice would you give to new bloggers who are just starting out?
I would say to nurture your core base and audience. I’ve had people following me for years that have helped me launch bestselling books, bring traffic to my website and gain publicity. You shouldn’t be afraid to share your blog with friends and family — they’re the ones most likely to support you. Also, if I had to go back in time and do something differently, I would have started getting people onto my email list much, much sooner with opt-ins and a lead magnet on your homepage.
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest
Puerto Rican Empanadas recipe
Puerto Rican Empanadas
They’re not the healthiest (food from Puerto Rico rarely is) but they’re quick and tasty and remind me of my culture. If you want a healthier option, you can always bake them instead of frying them; they just won’t have the same crisp to them. This is also a great way to make use of any leftover meat from previous meals.
Ingredients
- 1 pack Goya Discos large or small, found in the frozen section
- filling of your choice protein, or cheese for a vegetarian empanadas
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Defrost the empanada discs gradually. Do not put them in the microwave or attempt to run them under water as this will mess up their composition. Either leave them in the fridge overnight or set them on your kitchen counter for a few hours.
- Prepare the filling of your choice. If you’re using cheese, one slice will do. Otherwise, popular fillings include ground beef, shredded chicken and shrimp. If you’re using protein, make sure to cook it before you put it in the pastry.
- Take 2-3 tablespoons of the protein of your choice and place it on one side of the disc.
- Fold the disc over, making a half-moon, and press your fingers along the edges to stuff in the ingredients.
- Using a fork, make your way around the outside rim pop the pastry, pressing down with the three prongs to seal the pastry together. Be careful not to puncture the main part of the empanada that is stuffed with the filling of your choice — stick to the edges.
- Flip the empanada over and repeat on the other side. Drop the empanada into the oil and allow it to cook, until it browns. Flip it over while in the oil if necessary, depending on the equipment you are using.
- Layer your plate with a paper towel to collect any grease. Remove the empanada from the fryer and place onto your plate. Allow to cool and enjoy!
Notes
- If you choose to bake your empanadas, you will need to coat them with an egg wash.
- The calorie content will vary dependent on your choice of filling; each disc contains 110 calories.
- Usually, people tend to eat two empanadas at a time.
Nutrition
Have you ever tasted empanadas before? What filling would you stuff yours with?
Check out the other recipes in my Eat Like a Local guest post series:
- Eggplant Walnut Wraps – Georgia
- Carrot Chutney – India
- Masala Chai Tea – India
- Carbonnade à la Flamande/Stoofvlees – Belgium
- Chokladbollar – Sweden
- Kladdkaka – Sweden
- Welsh Mussels and Whiskey – Wales
- Apfelstrudel – Austria
- Mimosa Salad – Russia
- Yellow Split Pea Soup – Norway
- Lechon Asado (Roast Pork Leg) – Cuba
- Cheese Fondue – Switzerland
Empanadas are delicious. Great instructions for how to make, fill and fry them. I enjoyed hopping over to her blog and checking out her Instagram!
Thank you! Glad to hear you have enjoyed getting to know a little about Jen and her fabulous Puerto Rican empanadas recipe!
i’ve always made my empanadas with pie crust because it’s easy, but i feel like i need to track this down and see what the difefrence is!
Ooh, I’d love to see your recipe if you’ve shared one on your blog? As I don’t know how I will get hold of Goya Discos myself! I might try making the dough from scratch sometime.
Thank you for a recipe full of authenticity! I love that it comes straight from Puerto Rico and is true to the recipe’s spirit!
me too! I love the sound of these. They’d be ideal finger food for a party or a get-together with friends or family!
I love empanadas! Thank you for the introduction to Jen on a Jet Plane. I will definitely check out her site!
No problem, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I love getting to know my fellow bloggers too!
These empanadas look so delicious! I would love to make them for lunch or dinner very soon!
I think so too, Jen’s recipe is making me so hungry. I wish I could find some Goya Discos here in the UK.
You can order them to eBay or Amazon and they will ship it to you.
Ah, thanks David – I think I looked for them on there a while back but I couldn’t see them. I’ll have to look again! 😀
these empanadas looking superb. so tasty and yummy snack. I too made a sweet empanadas if you would like to check on my blog. whole wheat mawa gujiya.
They sound lovely. I didn’t know you could get sweet empanadas too!
Yeah Kacie, you can this https://code2cook.com/whole-wheat-mawa-gujiya-no-fail-gujiya-recipe/
Oh wow, lovely.They look delicious.
I have not had much Puerto Rican food. These looks interesting and totally delicious. I love the Mexican version. I am sure I would love these too.
I think I may have tried the Mexican version at Wahaca; although how authentic they were, I’m not sure!
Never tried puerto-rican empanadas but like the look of them!
Me too. I loved hearing about how Jen came to start her blog too.
My daughter loves Empanadas, I used to buy them form a local coffee shop. I think I may have to try making them myself. This looks simply delicious.
I love them too. I’ve never attempted making them but I will have to give it a go. Wish I could get my hands on some Goya Discos!
Wow! These empanadas look so flaky and gorgeous! Can’t wait to try these!
Don’t they look delicious!?
love the Eat like a local segment idea! these Empanadas looks so yummy!
Thank you, it’s a popular series and I love hearing about my fellow bloggers and their favourite recipes.
Thank you, I am really fond of the series too 🙂
Ok, first of all, these empanadas look and sound so delicious! But, to be honest, Jen stole the show. 🙂 I loved reading about her and her blog. I love her drive and ambition.
Aww, that’s great to hear. I loved hearing about Jen too, she certainly does seem like a very motivated and ambitious individual. I have followed her blog for a while and I love it.
I loved eating empanadas when I traveled to Puerto Rico. The outside is so crispy, and I love the savory filling. I am excited to find a good method to make them at home!
That’s great to hear. I bet they taste so good in Puerto Rico. I’d happily go myself just to try them!
Ooh, you’re making me jealous at the thought! I love the sound of these. I am going to have to look into making them myself too.
Yum! I love empanadas! Thank you for the recipe, these look so tasty and delicious!
It’s thanks to Jen! I love her recipe too. Homemade empanadas sound delicious and I bet they’d be kinda fun to make too!
I love empanadas but have never made them. I’m not sure I can find those Goya discos here in Italy either but I guess it would be fun to make the pastry myself. I like Jen’s blog. Want to watch her TED talk now!
Same! I wish I could find the Goya Disco’s; I’ve looked on every kind of website I can think of and done countless Google searches but sadly I don’t think they’re available in the UK at the moment. I wish there was an alternative available – definitely a gap in the market if there’s not!
Wow this looks so delicious! It reminds me of Indian Karanji a dessert. Not the ingredients but the idea. Lovely share!
I see what you mean 🙂 Thanks! I love Jen’s recipe too, and it’s always lovely to find out more about a fellow blogger with an interest in food from around the world 🙂
These empanadas look like perfection. The flaky golden crust is making me wish I had one in my hand this very moment. Thanks for sharing!
I know exactly what you mean. I haven’t eaten dinner yet and it’s making me so hungry looking at them, haha.
What a great recipe! These empanadas are super simple but still really delicious and flavorful. Thanks for sharing!
I love Jen’s recipe too 🙂 I’d never tire of coming up with different fillings for my empanadas.
I’ve never seen an empanada with those bubbles! So fun and sounds sooo good. I can’t wait to try these.
Me neither. I’ve had them in Wahaca before I think but they wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as these ones.
I love empanadas. In fact, they are one of my most favorite Mexican meals. They are perfect for parties or just regular days – equally tasty and mouthwatering!
I’m surprised at how many people have tried empanadas, yet I’ve never had homemade empanadas myself before. I need to change this!
When I don’t have empanadas for more than a week, I get upset. They are my go-to yummies when I need a break if you know what I mean. Delicious recipe that I would love to try, too 🙂
Haha, aww. I think if I made these myself at home, I’d begin to feel like this about them too. Do you have a recipe for the discs?
I would like to try Puerto rican empanadas. They look delicious ?.
I agree, I’ve tried Mexican empanadas before but the Puerto Rican version looks so good.
The empanadas looks so crispy and tasty…it’s lovely to know how easy to make this dish with numerous fillings
Thank you Lathiya. I’m so fond of Jen’s recipe too 🙂
Those air bubbles on top are the sign of perfection in an empanada dough and oil temperature. This means they are crispy on the outside, yum~!
They look SO good, don’t they? I agree, the bubbles really add something to these empanadas!
I absolutely love empanadas! This recipe sounds so good. I’ll have to try it this weekend! I really liked reading Jen’s blogging advice as well!
Me too! I’m still on the hunt for the Goya Discos.
I loved trying empanadas everywhere I travelled in South America! They vary from country to country so much, so I’d love to see how the Puerto Rican ones differ too.
I love them, but sadly I don’t think I’ve ever tried truly authentic empanadas. I’d happily travel for them though 🙂