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Sweet pumpkin purée tucked inside of a soft pastry dough make this pumpkin empanada recipe the only one you’ll ever need. They are the perfect hand-held fall treat, filled with cinnamon, cloves and brown sugar.

Learn how to make pumpkin empanadas with real pumpkin completely from scratch with step by step instructions. They taste just like the ones you’ll find in any Mexican bakery. If you’re craving the empanadas you grew up eating, you’re in the right place.

You can also find a recipe for easy pumpkin empanadas for those days when your energy does not match your craving.

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How to prepare pumpkin for empanadas

Fresh pumpkin empanadas do require a little more work than using canned pumpkin. Most recipes call for boiling the pumpkin in a sugar syrup, but I like to roast the pumpkin instead.

Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the pumpkin, without making it watery.

Split the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds. Then cut each half into quarters and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until soft, then scoop out the flesh.

Pumpkin filling for empanadas

If you want to learn how to make pumpkin filling from scratch for empanadas, there are no shortage of ways to do it. This is how I have always done it, which is not the traditional method of boiling the pumpkin.

After the pumpkin has been roasted and the flesh has been scooped out, combine it with butter, sugar and spices. I use dark brown sugar, because it has more molasses in it than light brown sugar and has a deeper flavor. Use whichever brown sugar you prefer.

Pumpkin empanada dough recipe

To make this soft, bakery-style empanada dough, we’ll need the following ingredients:

When I’m making this particular dough, I like to add a bit of pumpkin spice to amp up the cinnamon flavor. If you prefer to keep your dough lighter in color, don’t add it, but it does make the dough really delicious.

The first step is to bloom the yeast. We need it to get active so it will do its job. I’ve included a photo of what it will look like, in case you’ve never done this before. The yeast will become foamy and it will expand, so you want to make sure you have a small bowl set aside for it.

Next, sift all of the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl. Finally, add the wet ingredients to the bowl and stir it to make a crumbly dough.

This is what the dough will look like before it is kneaded. It will look like it’s never going to come together – it will. Trust me.

And just like that, after a few minutes of kneading, it becomes a beautiful, soft dough ready to roll out and fill. This dough makes authentic sweet pumpkin empanadas like the ones you’d find at a Mexican panadería, or bakery.

How to make pumpkin empanadas from scratch

Homemade pumpkin empanadas start with a soft, bakery-style empanada dough. Once the dough has rested for 3o minutes, it’s time to roll it out.

I use my big rolling dowel for this. It makes quick work of it. Then, use a bench scraper to divide dough into 12 pieces for this pumpkin empanada recipe.

Roll each piece into a ball, borrowing a little from another piece if needed to make them as even as possible. Use your rolling pin to roll each ball of dough into a small 3″ – 4″ circle.

Place a bit of pumpkin filling in the middle of the dough disk, seal and bake.

Tips and tricks for success

There are a couple of suggestions to making this empanada de calabaza, or pumpkin empanada recipe.

First, the dough may be sticky when you are kneading – DO NOT ADD MORE FLOUR. Sorry for yelling, but this is very important. If it is sticky, just be patient. It will come together into a smooth ball of dough. Adding more flour will make it dry and you’ll be disappointed.

When rolling the dough out, lightly dust the counter. I like to use a small fine mesh sieve for this so I’m not too heavy-handed with the flour. For the same reason as above.

If it happens to be a warm, humid day, chill the dough before rolling out. I have made these on a hot day, I speak from experience.

Sign up for the empanada class online and cook along with me. You can watch anytime! Make this recipe, plus a savory empanada.

This recipe might seem a little daunting at first, but it’s not difficult. And you will be rewarded with delicious empanadas to enjoy with your coffee.

More fall recipes

• Día de los muertos cupcakes – Mexican chocolate cupcakes decorated with sugar skulls.
• Frosted pumpkin cookies – Soft pumpkin cookies frosted with a buttery cinnamon icing.
• Pumpkin applesauce muffins – This sparkly muffin is loaded with warm fall spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Pumpkin tacos with black beans – Roasted pumpkin tossed with chili powder and cumin makes these tacos delicious!

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Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!

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