Sweet Potato Empanada Recipe

By
Marian Blazes
Marian Blazes
Marian Blazes is a freelance writer and recipe developer with a passion for South American food. She wrote a cookbook focusing on the cuisine of Brazil.
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Updated on 01/12/22
Sweet Potato Empanada Recipe

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 10 servings

Empanadas are a Latin American classic. Consisting of pastry dough stuffed with a variety of sweet or savory fillings, they are similar to handheld pies common in other cuisines. These savory empanadas are stuffed with seasoned sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, bacon, and queso fresco cheese.

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Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet potato, or 2 small, cooked

  • 1 batch empanada dough

  • 6 slices bacon

  • 1 large white onion

  • 1 teaspoon cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

  • 1/2 lime, juiced

  • 4 ounces​ queso fresco, or other firm white cheese

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 large egg

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Sweet Potato Empanada Recipe ingredients

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. Prepare the empanada dough according to the recipe and let rest while sweet potato is baking.

    dough in a bowl

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  3. Brown bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. When bacon is cooked, removed and cool on a plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the skillet and discard remaining fat.

    bacon on a plate

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  4. Thinly slice the onion and place slices in the skillet with the cumin, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook onion over low heat until dark golden brown and fragrant.

    onions with spices in a pan

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  5. Peel and mash the baked sweet potato and place in a bowl. Add the caramelized onions, coarsely chopped bacon, lime juice, and cheese (cut into small cubes). Season filling with salt and pepper to taste.

    mashed sweet potato mixture in a bowl

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  6. Divide empanada dough into 10 balls. On floured surface, roll each ball into a 5-inch diameter circle.

    rolled out dough ball

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  7. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the sweet potato filling in the center of the dough. Fold dough over and seal and crimp edges.

    seal the dough around the sweet potato filling

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  8. Whisk egg with a little bit of water and brush empanadas with egg wash.

    empanadas brushed with egg wash on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  9. Bake at 350 F until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Reheat empanadas in oven or microwave.

    Sweet Potato Empanadas on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Cooking Sweet Potatoes

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake sweet potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool.
  • Alternatively, pierce sweet potatoes in a few places with a fork. Microwave in high setting in 2-minute increments until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove and let cool.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
282 Calories
16g Fat
27g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 282
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 33mg 11%
Sodium 487mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 27g 10%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 6mg 28%
Calcium 87mg 7%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 208mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)