Keto Empanadas

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You’re going to love these low carb keto beef empanadas! The keto empanada dough is a variation of my popular fathead dough, and we fry it to make it golden and crispy. I can’t wait for you to try them out.

Ground beef is a great dinner option, as it cooks quickly and can be turned into so many meals! And who doesn’t have some ground beef that needs to be used in the freezer?! Mexican ground beef casserole or ground beef zucchini stir fry are some great keto dinner options to try.

Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour is a must for these keto empanadas. I can confidently say that this is the BEST almond flour! I know because I tested a TON before finding the perfect one that was up to my standards.

This one is super finely milled and blanched, so that your keto empanada dough has the ideal consistency. Skimping on your almond flour can lead to a gritty or mealy texture in the final dish.

Ingredients For Keto Beef Empanadas

These fathead empanadas are made with basic ingredients you probably have if you keep your pantry well stocked…

Keto empanada dough ingredients

• Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – See above for why you need to use this flour!
• Eggs – Use large eggs, not medium or jumbo.
• Mozzarella cheese – You can buy pre-shredded for convenience, or shred it yourself.
• Xanthan gum – Optional, but highly recommended for the best low carb empanada dough texture – it helps make it a bit chewy.
• Olive oil – For frying. Avocado oil will work as well.

Empanada filling ingredients

• Veggies – Bell peppers and onions (use white or yellow).
• Ground beef – I recommend using grass-fed beef, and typically get 85/15.
• Spices – Chili powder, paprika, dried oregano, and cumin.
• Sea salt

How To Make Keto Empanadas

These low carb empanadas come together in four steps: keto empanada dough, filling, assembly, and frying:

Make keto empanada dough:

• Pulse. Pulse almond flour and eggs in a food processor.

• Melt. In a medium bowl, microwave mozzarella and stir until smooth.

• Mix. Add mozzarella to food processor and process until a dough forms. Sprinkle xanthan gum over dough and process until incorporated.

• Chill. If dough is sticky, form into a ball and refrigerate.

Make filling:

• Saute veggies. Saute onions and bell peppers, until starting to brown.

• Brown meat. Add ground beef and season with salt. Cook until browned, breaking apart with a spatula.

• Season. Add chili powder, paprika, oregano, and cumin, and cook until fragrant.
• Cool. Allow the filling to cool until it’s warm, but not hot.

Assemble almond flour empanadas:

• Roll our dough. Place dough between parchment paper and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.
• Cut circles. Use a small bowl or glass container (I used this one – the inner rim is the perfect size!) to cut out 4-inch circles.

• Fill. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling onto half of the circle…

Fold in half and seal edges with a fork. Repeat to use up all the dough and filling.

TIP: When you run out of room to make circles in the dough, make a ball, roll out again, and repeat.

Fry:

Heat oil in large skillet until shimmering. Fry empanadas in a single layer until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to paper towels to drain and repeat with remaining empanadas.

Low Carb Empanadas FAQs

Are empanadas keto?

No, most empanadas are not keto, as they are made with white flour dough.

These empanadas are keto and low carb because they are made with a keto empanada dough.

Are empanadas gluten-free?

No, most empanadas are not gluten-free, since they are made with flour.

This keto empanada dough is made with blanched almond flour, which gives it the texture of white flour, but is a nutritious, gluten-free option.

Can I use coconut flour?

Possibly, but you won’t be able to replace the almond flour 1-to-1. I haven’t tried it, but you can try replacing the 1.5 cups almond flour with 1/2 cup coconut flour (1/3 the amount), and may need to add an extra egg. You’ll end up with a smaller total volume of dough, so will get fewer empanadas as a result.

Keto Empanada Recipe Storage Instructions

Can you make these ahead?

Yes, you can make the empanadas ahead, but I would wait to fry until right before serving, so they are nice and fresh. Here’s what to prep:

• Make dough and store in refrigerator.
• Make filling and store in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before filling.

Store any leftover keto friendly empanadas in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

Can you freeze empanadas?

Yes, you can freeze empanadas for 2-3 months.

How to reheat keto beef empanadas:

Reheat the empanadas in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, or until hot.

What To Serve With Keto Empanadas

Fathead dough empanadas are very filling and don’t need much to make them a meal. Try adding…

• Salad – A green salad is often the perfect pairing, but you can also try some of my other keto salad recipes. A couple of my faves are creamy cucumber salad or tomato avocado salad.
• Cauliflower Rice – Super simple to make and easy to customize.
• Roasted vegetables – Less traditional, but I think adding veggies is always a good thing. Skip the balsamic when pairing them with empanadas.
• Sauces – Try fresh tomato salsa, sour cream, chimichurri sauce, or even guacamole.

• Food Processor – A food processor is a must for your keto kitchen! Use it for everything from fathead dough to keto hummus.
• Large Skillet – Use a nonstick skillet to prevent the keto beef empanadas from sticking to the side of the pan.
• Round Glass Containers – These are a good size for cutting the low carb empanada dough recipe into circles.

Recipe Card

4.8 from 30 votes

Keto Empanadas

By Maya Krampf

Keto empanadas feature a delectably chewy, crispy keto empanada dough, plus savory beef and veggie filling. These low carb empanadas have 2.7g net carbs each!

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

Servings: 6 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Recipe Video

Ingredients

[ See substitutions ]

U.S. - Metric

Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.

Empanada dough:

• 1 1/2 cups Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour ▢
• 2 large Eggs ▢
• 3 cups Mozzarella cheese (shredded) ▢
• 1/4 tsp Xanthan gum ▢

Filling:

• 1 tbsp Olive oil ▢
• 1/4 medium Onion (diced) ▢
• 1/3 large Bell pepper (diced) ▢
• 1/3 lb Ground beef ▢
• 1/4 tsp Sea salt ▢
• 1/2 tsp Chili powder ▢
• 1/2 tsp Paprika ▢
• 1/2 tsp Dried oregano ▢
• 1/4 tsp Cumin ▢

For frying:

• 1/2 cup Olive oil ▢

Instructions

[ See step photos ]

Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.

Dough:

1. In a food processor, pulse the almond flour and egg, until uniform.

2. In a medium bowl in the microwave, or a double boiler on the stovetop, melt the mozzarella cheese, until smooth.

3. Add the melted mozzarella to the food processor. Process until a uniform dough forms.

4. Sprinkle the xanthan gum over the dough. Process until well incorporated.

5. If the dough is sticky, form into a ball and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or until no longer sticky.

Filling:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and bell peppers. Cook for 4-6 minutes, until soft and starting to brown.

2. Increase heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef. Season with sea salt. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for 5-7 minutes, until browned.

3. Add the chili powder, paprika, oregano, and cumin. Cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

4. Allow the filling to cool for at least 10-15 minutes, until it’s warm but no longer hot. (It’s also fine if it cools to room temperature.)

Assembly:

1. Place the ball of dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Flatten into a disc, then roll out to 1/8 inch (3.17 mm) thickness.

2. Use a small bowl or round glass container (I used the inner rim of these containers, they are the perfect size!) to cut circles, about 4 inches (10.2 cm) in diameter. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons filling in the center of each circle, fold in half, and seal the edges. Crimp edges with a fork by pressing down with the tines, then pull slowly outward. (If the dough sits out too long it may get too sticky to crimp; if this happens, you can chill seal all the empanadas and then chill them for 15 minutes before crimping.)

3. Repeat with the remaining pieces. When you’ve run out of dough to make circles out of, form a ball with what is left, roll out again, and repeat to make more circles.

Frying:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, until shimmering.

2. Working in batches, add the empanadas in a single layer without touching. Cover and cook for 1-3 minutes, until golden on the bottom. Flip and repeat on the other side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining pieces.

Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!

Maya's Recipe Notes

Serving size: 2 empanadas

Notes: Nutrition info includes half the oil, the other half gets left behind in the pan.

Nutrition Facts

Amounts per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 516

Fat 41.8g

Protein 29.4g

Total Carbs 9.1g

Net Carbs 5.5g

Fiber 3.6g

Sugar 2.3g

I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.

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