These easy Baked Vegetarian Empanadas are stuffed with mushrooms, wild rice, cranberries, pecans, Parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs in a convenient store-bought pie crust. A savory appetizer, snack, or dinner, and a great way to use up leftover wild rice. Delicious with Whipped Yogurt Feta Dip!
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✅Vegetarian Empanadas: At a Glance
- What's inside: Mushrooms, wild rice, dried cranberries, pecans, Parmesan, and fresh herbs tucked inside a flaky crust.
- Why you'll love them: They're hearty and satisfying without meat, with a mix of textures and sweet and savory flavors.
- Quick cook time: They bake up golden brown in under 20 minutes.
- Simple recipe to customize: Swap the vegetables, nuts, herbs, or cheese based on what you have on hand.
- So many ways to serve them: They're great as an appetizer, light lunch, meatless main dish, or a fun addition to a holiday or party spread.
I'm not much of a meat eater, so I'm always looking for creative ways to make a hearty meal without it. This vegetarian empanadas recipe is one of my favorites. The mushroom and wild rice filling is packed with flavor, with sweet-tart cranberries, crunchy pecans, fresh herbs, and Parmesan. And the premade pie dough bakes up flaky and golden. They might sound a little unusual, but try them and I promise they'll make sense!
If this sounds good to you, try my Zesty Quinoa Salad, Plant Based Black Bean Burger, and Vegetarian Pot Pie recipe next.
🍄🟫Ingredients
Please refer to the recipe card for the full list and exact quantities.
- Cremini mushrooms. Also called baby bellas, these give the savory filling a hearty, meaty texture. White button mushrooms work, too.
- Chili powder and soy sauce. Add warm, savory umami flavor without making the empanadas spicy.
- Cooked wild rice. A great way to use leftover wild rice. Canned wild rice works, too. Just drain and rinse it well.
- Green onions and parsley. Add fresh, bright flavor to balance the earthy mushrooms and rice.
- Dried cranberries. Add a little sweet-tart flavor. Raisins are a good substitute.
- Pecans. Add nutty flavor and a little crunch.
- Parmesan cheese. Freshly grated Parmesan adds salty, nutty flavor.
- Store-bought pie crust. An easy shortcut. Roll it a little thinner so the empanadas don't puff up too much.
🫑Variations
- Change the rice. Substitute cooked white or brown rice for the wild rice, or use black beans or refried beans.
- Add different vegetables. Bell pepper, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, spinach, or other vegetables would work well. Cook them until tender before adding them to the filling.
- Make them meaty. Substitute cooked chicken, turkey, sausage, or browned ground beef for the wild rice.
- Make your own dough. For a more traditional empanada, use homemade dough instead of pie crust.
🥣How to Make Baked Vegetarian Empanadas
Step 1. Warm olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Saute for 6-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes more.
Step 2. Add the soy sauce and scrape up any browned bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the green onion, cranberries, wild rice, pecans, and parsley. Heat and stir for another minute. Place the wild rice mushroom mixture into a large bowl and let it cool to room temperature. To speed up the process, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees f and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a rolling pin, slightly flatten the pie dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into approximately 4-inch rounds with a cookie cutter, lid, or bowl. Reroll the remaining dough to get 12 rounds. Roll fresh herb leaves into the dough as an optional decorative step.
Step 4. Stir the Parmesan cheese into the cooled vegetable mixture. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling into each dough round. Fold dough and press both sides together. Crimp the edges with a fork. Place the filled empanadas on the lined baking sheet.
Step 5. Make an egg wash. Beat one egg with a tablespoon of water or milk in a small bowl. Brush each empanada evenly with the egg wash. Cut slits in the top of each hand pie to vent steam.
Step 6. Bake at 425 for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Whipped Yogurt Feta Dip or your favorite dipping sauce.
💡Baked Empanada Tips
- Cool the filling first. Warm filling can soften the pie dough and make the empanadas soggy. For the best texture, let it cool completely before assembling.
- Flatten the dough slightly. Gently roll the pie dough rounds a little thinner and wider. This keeps the crust from puffing up too much and gives you more room for filling.
- Don't overfill. It can make the edges difficult to seal and cause the filling to leak while baking.
- Seal the edges well. Press the edges firmly with a fork after crimping to keep the filling inside.
- Customize the filling. If you're adding vegetables, cook them until tender and remove excess moisture before mixing them into the filling. This is especially important for watery vegetables like zucchini or spinach.
- For meat lovers. Substitute cooked ground beef, chicken, turkey, sausage, or ham for the wild rice.
🧊Vegetarian Empanada Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
- Refrigerator. Store baked empanadas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To reheat. Reheat refrigerated empanadas in a 425°F oven for 7-9 minutes, or until hot and crisp.
- Make ahead. Prepare vegetarian empanada filling up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Let the filling cool completely before assembling the empanadas.
- Freezing unbaked empanadas. Assemble the empanadas, but don't brush them with egg wash. Freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Brush frozen empanadas with egg wash and bake directly from frozen at 425°F for 20-22 minutes.
- Freezing baked empanadas. Cool completely, then wrap the empanadas and place them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat frozen baked empanadas in a 425°F oven for 12-15 minu
❓Recipe FAQs
You can fill veggie empanadas with almost any combination of cooked vegetables, grains, beans, cheese, nuts, and herbs. Mushrooms, wild rice, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, squash, spinach, black beans, and cheese are all good options. Nuts like pecans or walnuts add a nice crunch, while dried fruit like cranberries or raisins can add a little sweetness. For the best texture, combine ingredients with different textures and flavors and season the filling well.
Good vegetables for empanadas include mushrooms, red peppers, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, spinach, corn, zucchini, and onions. Cook the vegetables until tender and remove excess moisture before adding them to the filling. Chopping them fairly small also makes the empanadas easier to fill and eat.
The key is to keep excess moisture out of the filling. Cook mushrooms and vegetables until their moisture has cooked off, drain watery ingredients well, and let the filling cool completely before assembling the empanadas. Don't overfill them, and avoid adding very wet ingredients that can make the pastry soggy as it bakes.
Yes. You can use refrigerated or homemade pie crust to make baked empanadas. Pie crust is flakier and more tender than traditional empanada dough, but it's an easy shortcut and works especially well for baked empanadas. Roll the dough a little thinner than you would for a pie so the crust isn't too thick.
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📖 Recipe
The *Best* Vegetarian Empanada Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1 cup cooked wild rice
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup chopped parsley plus 12-18 whole leaves for the crust, if desired
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water or milk
- 2 pie dough rounds
Instructions
- Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Sauté for 6-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes more.
- Add the soy sauce and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the green onion, cranberries, wild rice, pecans, and parsley. Heat and stir for another minute.
- Place the mixture in a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Speed this up by placing it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. When cooled, stir in the Parmesan cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Flatten the pie dough with a rolling pin, then cut it into 4-inch rounds with a cookie cutter, lid, or bowl. Re-roll the crust to get 12 rounds. Optional: roll fresh herb leaves into the dough for a decorative touch.
- Hold one pie dough round in one hand and use the other hand to spoon 2 tablespoons of filling into the dough. Fold the dough and press both sides together. Set it down and crimp the edges with a fork. Place the filled empanadas on the lined baking sheet.
- Beat one egg with a tablespoon of water or milk. Brush each empanada evenly with the egg wash. Cut slits in the top of each empanada to vent steam.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Whipped Yogurt Feta Dip or your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Let the filling cool completely before assembling to keep the crust flaky.
- Roll the pie dough rounds a little thinner and wider so they don't puff up too much.
- Don't overfill. Seal the edges firmly with a fork to keep the filling inside.
- Refrigerate baked empanadas in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat at 425°F for 7-9 minutes.
- Make the filling up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate. Cool completely before assembling.
- To freeze unbaked. Freeze assembled empanadas without egg wash in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer container for up to 3 months. Brush with egg wash and bake from frozen at 425°F for 20-22 minutes.
- To freeze baked. Cool completely, wrap well, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 425°F for 12-15 minutes.
Veronica Alas says
Hi! I want to make this tonight for dinner. Do you recommend a substitute for feta? My husband is anti-feta… 🙁
Thanks!
Cara Lanz says
Hi, Veronica, thank you so much for your note! Off the top of my head, I have a few suggestions for you: a.) skip the feta and just use more Greek yogurt (make sure it's full-fat so it's nice and creamy), b.) use cream cheese instead of feta, c.) substitute a couple tablespoons of olive oil to get more "savory" flavor. I hope these ideas help you find a substitute that works for you! I'd love to hear how these turn out for you. Thank you again for your question! Cara