Frozen · straight from the bag
How long to cook frozen empanadas in an air fryer
At 380 °F (193 °C) for 10 minutes, flip once at 5 minutes.
At-a-glance cooking parameters
- Temperature
- 380 °F
- 193 °C
- Total time
- 10 min
- from frozen
- Flip at
- 5 min
- flip once
- Brands covered
- 4
- with per-brand timing
Frozen empanadas cook in 10 minutes at 380 °F (193 °C) with a single flip — substantially faster than the 25–30 minutes the oven needs, and the egg-washed crust comes out closer to bakery quality than oven-baking achieves at home. The brand row below covers South American and Caribbean styles; both track the same temperature with minor time variation.
Technique
Cook straight from frozen, brushed-side up. Flip with tongs at 5 minutes — empanadas filled with picadillo (ground beef) can leak if jostled too early. The pastry shells differ materially between South American (chunkier, often baked) and Caribbean (thinner, often fried) styles; the brand row below covers both.
- Serving size
- 4–6 frozen empanadas in a single layer with at least an inch between each
- Oil spray
- Brush each empanada with a beaten egg wash (1 egg + 1 tsp water) before cooking — the wash gives the pastry the same deep-gold blistered finish that a baker would get in an oven. Plain spray oil works as a fallback but the colour is less even.
Brand-specific timings
The generic baseline above works for most major brands. The rows below are calibrated per product where the cut, breading or pre-fry process meaningfully changes the cook.
Goya
Beef Empanadas (Discos, fried-style)
- Temp
- 380 °F
- Time
- 9 min
- Flip at
- 5 min
Caribbean-style — thinner pastry, slightly shorter cook. Skip the egg wash if you want the lighter, flakier finish the brand is known for.
La Salteña
Beef Empanadas Argentinas
- Temp
- 380 °F
- Time
- 10 min
- Flip at
- 5 min
South American style — thicker pastry, hits the 10-min benchmark exactly. Egg wash is highly recommended.
Trader Joe's
Beef Empanadas
- Temp
- 380 °F
- Time
- 10 min
- Flip at
- 5 min
Closer to South American style. Tracks the La Salteña timing exactly.
El Monterey
Chicken Empanadas
- Temp
- 380 °F
- Time
- 11 min
- Flip at
- 5 min
Larger size than the typical empanada — needs the extra minute. Chicken filling reaches 165 °F at 11 minutes.
How to tell it’s done
Pastry is evenly golden-brown with darker blistered edges; the crimp at the seam holds closed; a slight crack in the centre is normal and indicates the filling has reached steaming temperature.
Watch out for
- Do not thaw the empanadas. Thawed pastry goes gummy and the filling leaks into the basket.
- Caribbean-style fried-dough empanadas (Goya 'discos') are flakier and more fragile — flip gently with tongs, never shake.
- Pulled-pork or vegetable empanadas with wet fillings can split the seam — pierce the side once before cooking to vent. Picadillo and chicken empanadas hold up fine without piercing.
FAQ about frozen empanadas in an air fryer
- What temperature should I cook frozen empanadas at in an air fryer?
- Cook frozen empanadas at 380 °F (193 °C). The lower temperature is intentional — at 400 °F the exterior sets before the centre thaws and warms through.
- How long do frozen empanadas take in an air fryer?
- Frozen empanadas take 10 minutes at 380 °F (193 °C), flip once at 5 minutes so the bottom and top layers cook evenly.
- Do you need to flip frozen empanadas in an air fryer?
- Yes — flip frozen empanadas once at 5 minutes. The side resting against the basket browns faster than the top; flipping evens out the crisp so both sides match.
- Do you need to thaw frozen empanadas first?
- No — cook frozen empanadas directly from frozen. Surface moisture from a thawed product is the enemy of crispness; the air fryer flash-evaporates the freezer glaze and crisps the surface in one pass. Thawing first usually makes the result limp.
- Do you need to preheat the air fryer for frozen empanadas?
- Preheating is optional. Most modern air fryers reach temperature in under 2 minutes and the total cook time already accounts for the ramp. If you do preheat, drop the total time by 1–2 minutes and check earlier than usual.
- Can you stack frozen empanadas in the basket?
- No — keep frozen empanadas in a single layer with space between pieces. Stacked or overlapping pieces steam each other rather than crisping; the bottom layer stays pale and the centre stays cold. Work in batches if your basket cannot hold the whole bag in one layer.
- Which brand of frozen empanadas has the best air fryer timing?
- Frozen empanadas are calibrated per product because cut size, breading and pre-fry process vary by brand. We cover 4 brands on this page — Goya, La Salteña, Trader Joe's and more — each with its own temp, time and flip moment. Use the brand row that matches your bag rather than the generic baseline above.
- Can I cook fresh empanadas in an air fryer instead of frozen empanadas?
- Yes. Fresh empanadas cook at 375 °F (191 °C) for 12 minutes, flipping once at 6 minutes — usually a different timing than the frozen version because there is no freezer glaze to evaporate. Open the fresh empanadas guide →
Cooking frozen empanadas differently?
Times and technique change when starting from fresh or reheating leftovers. Open the matching guide for the right temp, time and brand notes.