This ground venison empanadas recipe is one of my favorite comfort foods on the planet. A crispy crust that’s filled with a generous portion of picadillo.
If you’re looking for more meal ideas, check out my complete ground venison recipes guide, where I have more than two dozen to choose from.
These are every bit as soul warming as tamales and take a little less work and time to prepare them (at least in my eyes anyway). There are multiple different types of dough’s that you can use to make venison empanadas.
With this version, I’m making a classic dough that resembles a pie crust in the terms of ingredients. And for the filling I’m using one of my favorite venison picadillo recipes, where I use dried cherries in place of the raisins.
You need to let the dough rest before rolling it out thinly, so that it is workable. And the most important note when it comes to making them, is to make sure that the edges are tightly sealed to ensure that they don’t leak while cooking.
You can roll crimp them, seal them with the end of a form or use a empanada press if you have one. Assembled empanadas can be kept in the freezer tightly wrapped with plastic wrap for around 2 months. Just thaw them in the refrigerator before frying.
Venison Empanada Breakdown
Here’s the clean, repeatable process I use for ground venison empanadas
- Rest the dough: Chill at least 1 hour so it rolls thin without shrinking. Roll to 6-inch rounds, ~⅛-inch thick.
- Set the filling: Cook picadillo until most liquid is gone, then cool to room temp before assembling.
- Portion & seal: Add ~2 Tbsp filling, press out air, moisten the edge, fold, and crimp firmly (fork or tight repulgue). Double-crimp for insurance.
- Fry hot: Oil at 350°F; cook 3–4 minutes to golden. Don’t crowd—keep between 325–350°F. Drain on a rack; season while hot.
- Bake option: Egg wash and bake at 400°F for 18–22 minutes to deep golden.
- Make-ahead: Assemble, chill 20 minutes, then freeze. Store up to 2 months. Fry from frozen (+1–2 minutes) or bake 22–25 minutes at 400°F.
- Notes: Lard gives the best color/flavor; keep 4 inches headroom in the pot. Dried cherries and raisins swap 1:1.
More Ground Venison Recipes
Lastly, if you make this venison empanada recipe, leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you’ve made.
Venison Empanadas
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour (sifted)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup lard or vegetable shortening
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup cold water
For the Picadillo
- 1/2 pound lean ground venison
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon butter, (save for the end)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 sweet onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2/3 cup stock, (venison, veal or light beef)
- 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
- 6 green olives, chopped
- 3 scallions, white and green parts sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons chopped dried cherries (raisins work as well)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 cups vegetable oil or lard (for frying the empanadas)
Instructions
For the Dough
- Sift the flour, salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Cut the shortening/lard into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the egg yolk and mix well. Adding 2 tablespoons at a time, knead in the water with your hands until a smooth dough is formed. Roll the dough into a round ball and then wrap in plastic-wrap. Refrigerate the dough at at least one hour or overnight before assembling the empanadas.
Make the Picadillo & Assemble the Empanadas
- Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the ground venison, onion and garlic, and cook until the meat is browned and the onions are translucent (about 8-10 minutes). Add the stock, cumin, cayenne, and paprika, and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any fat you see swimming on the surface. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let this mixture cool to room temperature to let some of the liquid be absorbed. If it looks a little too watery, either strain before continuing to the next step, or simmer a few minutes longer.
- Divide the dough into 12 uniform sized 1 inch balls. Using either a torilla press or rolling pin, flatten the dough ball into a 6 inch circle that’s around 1/8-inch thick. Mound about 2 tablespoons of the venison picadillo in the center of each round, and fold the dough over top to make a “half-moon” shape. Now its time to seal the empanadas shut using either a fork to crimp the edges or an empanada press. If you’re nervous about them leaking, you can roll the edges over before crimping with the fork.
Cook the Venison Empanadas
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot to 350F degrees, ensuring that you have at least 4 inches of room at the top so that the oil does not spill over after adding the empanadas.
- Fry the empanadas in batches until they are a light golden brown and have a crispy texture. This should take about 3-4 minutes.
NOTES
- Dough: Keep fat cold and rest the dough at least 1 hour so it rolls thin without shrinking. Roll to 6″ rounds, ~⅛” thick.
- Filling: Cook until most liquid is gone, then cool to room temp before assembling (hot filling steams the dough).
- Portion: 2 Tbsp picadillo per round. Press out air before sealing.
- Seal: Moisten the edge and crimp firmly with a fork or empanada press; a double-crimp is cheap insurance against leaks.
- Fry: Work at 350°F in a heavy pot, 3–4 minutes to light golden. Don’t crowd; maintain 325–350°F. Drain on a rack; season while hot.
- Fat/Oil: Neutral oil or lard (best flavor/color). Keep ~4 inches headroom in the pot.
- Make-Ahead: Assemble and freeze well-wrapped up to 2 months; thaw in the refrigerator before frying.
- Swaps: Dried cherries and raisins are 1:1. Green olives, hard-boiled egg, scallions, oregano, and parsley brighten lean venison.
- Tools: Tortilla press speeds rolling; a rolling pin works fine.
