If you’ve spent some time in Brazil, you’re likely to have stumbled upon Empada.
In fact, it’s hard to miss this delicious pie that’s available all over that country.
It’s one of Brazil’s favorite foods and is eaten as a main meal or a snack.
Empada is a pastry or pie stuffed with a meat, vegetable, or cheese filling and baked until golden and delicious. Brazilians enjoy Empada as a tasty little snack or eat it as a main meal.
Continue reading to learn more about this Brazilian favorite.
The Origins
This famous Brazilian pie has Portuguese origins and was probably adapted from the Portuguese pastelões, a large, savory pie stuffed with different fillings.
Traditionally both the pastelões and Empada were influenced by medieval culture and customs.
In the 19th century, Empada was often served to Catholics on the days when they were not allowed to eat meat like beef and pork.
Empada pastry was filled with chicken and would be the main meal.
Nowadays, Empada is made with many different fillings, but shredded chicken remains a firm favorite.
Other popular fillings are:
- Hearts of palm
- Shrimp
- Ground beef
- Cheese
Empada and Empadinha
These days you get two types of Empada:
- Empada
- Empadinha
Empada and Empadinha are essentially the same thing: a dough cut into a circular shape, filled with protein or vegetables, topped with another circular dough to make a pie, and baked.
The pastry is flaky, buttery, and melts in your mouth.
They are just as delicious hot out of the oven as they are eaten cold.
The difference between the two is the size and when they are eaten.
Empada is a big pie, usually eaten as a main meal for lunch or dinner.
Depending on the size, it can be shared. It’s often served with sides like a salad, corn on the cob, or salsa verde.
It makes a delicious, hearty meal, sure to satisfy a comfort food craving.
Empadinha is a mini version of the Empada and is enjoyed as a little snack.
It’s the perfect on-the-go food to grab when you’re in a rush and is sold by Brazilian street vendors, cafes, supermarkets, and at sports events.
It’s also served as a traditional appetizer at dinner parties or as finger food at cocktail parties and informal events.
Try Your Hand at Making These Yummy Brazilian Pies
You don’t have to live in or visit Brazil to get your hands on these tasty pies.
They are easy to make using ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
If you’re in Brazil, Empada is readily available almost anywhere that sells food.
Still, if you can’t buy Empada or enjoy whipping up recipes yourself, these yummy pies are pretty easy to make.
The trick to a perfect Empada is all about balance – your filling has to be moist, and you need the right amount of dough.
Too much dough and you lose the flavor of the filling; too little dough and the filling may be overpowering, so make sure you get the dough-to-filling ratio right.
Depending on your filling, most ingredients you’ll need for an Empada recipe are pantry staples.
Empada with a Ground Beef Filling
Ingredients for the Filling:
- Ground beef – ¾ pound
- Large potato – peeled and diced
- Grated carrot – 1
- Onion
- Minced celery – about 1 rib
- Minced garlic – about 3 cloves
- Frozen peas – ½ cup
- Ground cinnamon – ½ teaspoon
- Chili powder – ½ – 1 teaspoon
- Cumin – 1 teaspoon
- Beef broth ¾ cup
Method:
- Boil or steam the potatoes and set aside.
- Cook the beef, carrots, onions and celery until cooked. The beef should be brown and the vegetables soft.
- Add the garlic and let it cook for a few seconds.
- Add the remainder of the spices and the broth.
- Add the potatoes and peas and allow to simmer until the liquid evaporates.
- Allow the mixture to cool.
Ingredients for the dough:
- Flour – 3 and ¾ cups
- Butter – 1 stick
- Eggs – 3
- Salt – 1 and ½ teaspoons
Method:
- Combine the flour and salt.
- Cut the butter into little pieces and using your hands, rub it into the flour and salt. You will know it’s well incorporated when the mixture looks like little peas.
- Add the eggs one at a time.
- Shape the dough into a disc and then cover.
- Allow the dough to rest for about two hours.
- Grease a muffin tin.
- Divide your dough in half and set half aside.
- Roll pieces of dough into balls, flatten into a disc shape and place each disc into the muffin tray.
- Spoon the cooled filling into each pocket.
- Take the half of the dough that you set aside and repeat the process of forming balls.
- Flatten the dough balls into a disc shape and place them on top of your filling.
- Using a fork or your fingers, press the sides down to seal.
- Brush the tops with either egg yolk or milk.
- Bake in an oven that’s been preheated to 400 °F (204.44 °C) for around 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 °F (176.66 °C) and bake for a further 30 minutes.
Keep a Stash in Your Freezer
An excellent idea for someone who enjoys savory snacks is to make a batch of Empada or Empadihna and freeze them uncooked.
Then, on busy days when you want a quick, delicious meal, take them out of the freezer and pop them on a baking tray.
You’ll have a warm meal in no time.
Another option is to bake them first and then freeze them.
This way makes them less flaky, but if you don’t mind that, you’ll only need to heat them in the microwave, toaster oven, or air fryer.
Before freezing, it’s a good idea to wrap each Empada or Empadihna in plastic wrap before putting them in a freezer-safe container.
It saves them from freezer burn and prevents them from sticking.
Final Remarks
Empada is a yummy pie famous in Brazil. It is the main meal often served with a Brazilian side dish.
Smaller versions of Empada are called Empadinha and are the ideal snack food sold by street vendors and various other food outlets in Brazil.
This tasty treat is also easy to make using pantry staples and freezes well, allowing you to have a batch on hand whenever a comfort food craving arises.
Sources
- 30Seconds: Easy Brazilian Empada Dough Recipe With a Savory Ground Beef Filling
- DelightedCooking: What is an Empada
- Authentic Brazilian Cuisine: Empadinha
- Olivacuisine: Hearts of Palm Hand Pies (Empadinhas de Palmito)
- SABOR BRASIL: Empadinha (SAVORY MINI PIES)
- Gram: Brazilian Empadas Are What You Need in Your Life
- Educalingo: Empada
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Jorge Garcia is the founder of AmigoFoods, where he has spent over 20 years helping readers discover authentic Latin American and Spanish cuisine. Raised in a Cuban-American household, Jorge learned to cook at the hands of his mother and grandmother, carrying forward generations of family recipes. That heritage, backed by his family’s four-generation history in the Latin food industry, inspired him to launch AmigoFoods in 2003. With more than 1,000 published articles on recipes, ingredients, and food culture, Jorge’s mission is simple: make authentic Latin cooking approachable for home cooks everywhere while honoring the traditions behind every dish.