Best Frozen Empanadas: Beef, Chicken, Veggie, and Vegan!

If you’ve been forced to endure any kind of cocktail party, you’ve probably had an empanada. But if you haven’t, it’s a flaky pocket of pastry wrapped around a savory filling, like if a Hot Pocket was fancier and better in every way. They’re the perfect self-contained finger food for parties or just wolfing down while alone on your couch. Oh, and if you’d like to know more about them, we just happen to have a whole explainer article on empanadas. 

The only downside to these delicious treats is that they’re traditionally baked or fried, and who’s got the time for either? Luckily, there are a bunch of frozen pre-cooked empanadas that are both tasty and time-saving. To find the best frozen empanadas, we sampled a bunch, judging each on filling, pastry, and overall satisfaction. So, here are our picks for the five best frozen empanadas (including the best frozen mini empanadas, frozen beef empanadas, and frozen chicken empanadas) you can find at your local grocery store (or Amazon!). 

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Best Baked Empanadas

Goya Baked Beef Empanada

Walmart

The classic Goya Beef Empanada is the O.G. frozen empanada brand, having survived on store shelves for decades. But what makes these “baked” Goya empanadas so different? You don’t have to fry them yourselves! You can just throw these frozen beef empanadas in the microwave or air fryer without having to heat up all the pesky oil. Each box gives you four individually wrapped empanadas, giving you the option to cook them one at a time or all at once. As for the taste, these have basically the same classic filling of relatively mild spiced beef mixed with plenty of onion, garlic, and paprika. The pasty is good, but a little thin, so you’re not getting a lot of flavor from it. Overall, these frozen beef empanadas are a quick and tasty way to have a “classic” empanada. Plus, everything tastes better without those pesky oil burns.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

Best Vegan Empanadas

Emma Light & Co. Plant Based Mini-Empanadas!

Instacart

These vegan frozen mini empanadas are stuffed with Beyond Meat along with an organic tomato filling, mixed with Daiya dairy-free vegan cheddar (some of the best vegan cheese, if you ask us). And while that makes it sound kind of pizza-esque, it’s actually more salsa-flavored, with a spicy mix of tomatoes and jalapenos, spiced with onions, garlic, chipotle, and apple cider vinegar. It definitely gives plenty of kick, but without too much heat. The wheat flour wrapper toasts up nicely and even gives a bit of a crunch. And I couldn’t tell it wasn’t meat-based. It definitely deserves that exclamation mark.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Veggie Empanadas

Goya Baked Spinach Empanada

Instacart

With a creamy filling of spinach and mozzarella, these Argentinean-style baked empanadas may not be vegan, but they are very delicious. One box gives you four individually wrapped pastries per box, with the only downside being that you have to thaw them before cooking, which takes away a little of the spontaneity. But the pastry’s good and you get plenty of spinach and cheese flavor. It’s definitely worth a little wait.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Beef Empanadas

Del Corazon Beef Empanadas

Target

If you’re looking for a big, spicy, beefy taste, these are the ones for you. The beef is mixed with onion, garlic, bell pepper, and hints of cilantro, which give a classic Mexican flavor. But there are also some surprising ingredients, like raisins and capers, that add to its unique flavor and it also reminded me a little of Jamaican beef patties.  Each box offers three fairly small sized empanadas (they’re not frozen mini empanadas, but you can take them all down in one sitting). They add up to a good sized portion, and you even get some big chunks of potato to make them more filling. The flour wrapper is flaky and tasty. It’s just really good. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Del Corazon Chicken Empanadas

Instacart

These are similar to the last entry’s empanadas, only with a spiced chicken filling that gives you a good amount of heat through a mixture of red pepper and smoky chipotle. It’s the kind of heat that isn’t overpowering, but the spice lingers after each bite. The chicken is also tasty and juicy. These frozen chicken empanadas are the best frozen empanadas to buy, for sure.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Other frozen empanadas we tried: Goya Baked Chicken Empanadas, Goya Beef Empanadas, Maspenadas Beef & Vegetables, Maspanadas Chicken & Vegetables, Maspanadas Pizza