Learn how to make these delicious vegan style empanadas using cassava flour. Known as catibías. These savoury turnovers are a copy cat version without the use of animal products, gluten free, no deep fat frying meaning miminial use of oil courtesy of the air fryer.

Empanadas on a white plate with dipping sauce

I'm really excited to share this recipe with you and cannot wait until you guys actually try my version of this recipe.

I LOVE empanadas, I mean I really enjoy eating them. They remind me very much of Jamaican tasty, without sounding too biased but perhaps that's why I like them.

Nevertheless, don't you just love recipes that are already gluten free without having to make a million and one changes or substitutes?

To my gluten free readers you will be pleased to know these empanadas are made using cassava flour and some arrowroot starch which I will go into more detail further on.

What are empanadas?

Empanadas are a crescent shaped turnover, eaten as a snack, made from pastry with a savoury filling. You can find them in various part of the world including Latin America, Spain and Southern Europe.

The origins of them is still up for debate, however they are thought to originate from Northwest Spain.

A dough is made and shaped into a circle which is filled with savoury ingredients and folded over to resemble a turnover.

The most popular filling used is meat (beef to be precise), however, cheese, tomato, corn, beans and other ingredients and seasoning are used.

Once the empanadas are formed they are either baked in the oven or deep fried to a crisp.

Veganized and gluten free empanadas

As the title suggests these empanadas are eggless and flourless. This variation is made from cassava flour instead known as Catibías or Empanaditas de Yuca.

The great thing about this version is that they are naturally gluten free making them perfect for anyone who is wheat intolerant or suffering from celiac disease.

The most traditional method of making catibías is to use freshly grated cassava (yuca), similar to what is used in Jamaican Bammy.

However to make the recipe more user friendly and time efficient I prefer to use cassava flour instead.

Keep in mind I said CASSAVA FLOUR NOT STARCH, they are NOT interchangeable nor are they are the same thing.

You will need cassava FLOUR for the this recipe because you need a ground version of the entire vegetable in order for this to work.

The starch sometimes referred to as tapioca starch is simply the extract which comes from washing and pulping the vegetable.

We don't need that for this recipe, so please double or triple check that you are using the correct ingredients.

I like to add some starch to my recipe, arrow root is my preferred choice. I do this because the empanadas aren't deep fried, they is a slight chew that I feel arrow root starch removes.

Achieving a meatless "meat" substitute

Okay, so we aren't using any jackfruit this time, even though it made a superb mock meat replica for my Vegan Mofongo dish.

This time we are using another great mock meat which goes by the name of Textured Vegan Protein.

In you aren't familar with what it is, let me explain. Textured Vegan Protein (often referred to as TVP) is made from soybean flour that has been cooked, dehydrated and de-fatted.

It is shaped in many different ways - crumbles, chunks, strips and flakes. Due to its varied form you can tailor it to your needs i.e use the crumbles to make ground/mince meat for a chili. The strips can be cooked up and used for a stir or sharwarma and the flakes fused together to make meatballs.

I'm sure you are already getting the guist of ways to use it as a meat substitute. Trust me, the list is endless!

The good thing about this meat replacement is just how cost effective it is. You can purchase a huge bag for dirt cheap, its a 1:1 ratio substitute and a little goes a long way.

From a health perspective, TVP is high in protein, fibre, low in fat so it's great for anyone who leads a moderate to low carbohydrate lifestyle.

One thing I will point out about TVP is that it needs to be re-hydrated first with liquid. This could be by using a sauce, hot water or vegetable broth.

Another thing to note, it is completely tasteless. In factor it doesn't taste very nice when eaten unseasoned.

However this recipe yield enough flavour and packs a real punch. My choice of re-hydrator is vegetable broth.

As the TVP is high absorbant I add enough so it doesn't create a sloppy sauce which may seep through the empanadas.

The empanada shell

You don't need a tortilla press/maker nor do you need an empanada press to make these hand pies.

I find that simply rolling the dough into a large ball then rolling it out in its entirety works best.

Speaking of the dough, something you really need to be mindful of this the temperature of the water.

The water needs to be boiling, yes, boiling NOT lukewarm or tepid but boiling. The hot water helps to bind the cassava and starch together.

This method helps to replace the gluten that is missing. Having tried using warm water, which resulted in a crumbly, costly mess.

I don't want you guys to experience my failures so please PLEASE PLEASE use hot water, you will need to add the water in increments but all will be explained in the recipe instructions section.

The steps

sauteing the vegetables then adding the TVP

On medium heat, proceed to saute the onion and garlic until soft and transculent in a medium sized skillet/frying pan.
Add the textured vegan protein (TVP) along with the seasoning - sazon, smoked paprika, oregano, onion and garlic powder and capers/olives if you are adding them.
Continue to fold and stir the seasoning into the TVP for about one minute.

Stir in the tomato puree and then pour in the vegetable broth.
Bring the pan to a rolling boil before reducing the heat to medium-low.
Allow the TVP to cook and meld with the season, stirring occasionally until the liquid has completely absorbed (this is very important, this should take 10-15 minutes).
Once cooked, do a taste test then add black pepper and pink salt.
Pour the mixture into a medium sized bowl and set aside to competely cool.

To make the dough

Place the cassava flour, arrow root starch and pink salt in a medium sized bowl.
Mix in the olive oil.
Pour the boiling water in increments, you may want to use a spoon to do this.
Keep adding and stirring, use your hands as you start to mix in most of the water in and the dough comes together until you achieve a soft pliable dough ball.
Line a countertop with parchment paper.
Place the dough on top of the parchment paper.

Lightly dust the rolling pin with cassava flour and then proceed to roll the dough out (you may want add another piece on parchment as a layer in between the rolling pin and the dough) to a thin as you can about ¼ inch should suffice.
Use a cookie dough or a small bowl to form discs.

Place a few tablespoons of the "meat mixture" in the centre of the circle. Making sure not to overfill or being too close to the edges.
Use a pastry brush to brush the perimeter with some warm water.
Fold over one half to form a semi circle/crescent shape.
Use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges and then set each one aside.
Repeat steps the above 6 steps with the rest of the dough.

To air fry the empanadas

Preheat the air fryer.
Thoroughly coat both sides of each empanada with olive oil.
Place the empanada on a lined fryer basket (you may need to fry them in batches).
Air fryer the empanadas 180at C/356F until golden (this may vary, mine took around 16 minutes).
Turn over half way through re-coat both sides with oil.
Repeat and fry the remaining empanadas if required.

Notes and tips

If you are a novice, you may find it easier to use a empanada press to form and shape the turnovers.
I cannot emphazie how important it is to use BOILING WATER, you must do this or your dough will crumble and fail.
Be sure to use quality cassava flour because not all is created equally - TIANA for my UK audience and OTTO's cassava flour for my stateside audience (both available on Amazon).
Be sure to press down firmly with the fork, this is important so the filling stays inside and doesn't seep through.
Any leftover cooked TVP can and refrigerated for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
The total amount of empanadas you make will vary depending on the size.
Becareful not to roll out the dough too thin or it will rip.
Please use the cooking time as a rough guide as this may vary depending on the model of air fryer that you are using.
For best results, it is better to prepare the empanadas fresh on the same day and not ahead of time.
If you don't plan on frying your empanadas, you can prep them and freeze. You will need to store on a lined baking tray and cover with saran wrap (cling film) and place them in zip lock bags individually saran wrapped.
Don't freeze cooked empanadas.
To re-heat your empanadas wrap them in aluminium foil on a low setting until heated through.
Uncooked empanadas are suitable for freezing for 1-2 months. Thaw out before following the air fryer instructions.
Feel free to substitute VTP with musrooms, tofu or a medley of vegetables instead.

Other recipes to try

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Vegan Empanadas Recipe (Catibías)