My tía always seemed to know when someone was about to leave. Just as the goodbye hugs began, she would appear with a little plate of empanadas wrapped for the road. I remember holding that warm bundle in my lap and trying to save it until we got home. The cinnamon usually won before the car left the street.
These pumpkin empanadas belong to that same generous kind of baking. I like their edges a little uneven and their filling fragrant enough that you know what is inside before the first bite. Make a tray for the table, but leave a little room for the ones that go home with someone you love.
Why I love this recipe
A cooked filling is the difference between a tidy empanada and a leaky one. Here, pumpkin purée is reduced with piloncillo until it holds a trail from the spoon. A simple butter dough wraps around it, and a small vent lets steam escape in the oven. These are baked half-moons, not fried turnovers or flaky puff-pastry pockets.
Ingredients and what they do
- 1 can pure pumpkin purée: 15 ounces; not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup piloncillo: finely grated, about 85 g; or packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon: for filling
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt: for filling
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour: 300 g; plus a little for rolling
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar: for dough
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt: for dough
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter: 113 g, cold and diced
- 1 large egg: for dough
- ⅓ cup whole milk: cold; plus 1–2 tablespoons only if needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg: beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar: for topping
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon: for topping
How to make Empanadas de Calabaza (Mexican Pumpkin Empanadas)
- Thicken the filling. Combine pumpkin, piloncillo, the 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, and the filling salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until thick enough that a spoon leaves a clear trail across the pan. Spread in a shallow bowl and let cool completely. You should have about 1 ½ cups thick filling.
- Make the dough. Whisk flour, dough sugar, baking powder, and dough salt in a bowl. Rub or cut in the cold butter until the mixture looks sandy with a few pea-size pieces. Whisk the dough egg, ⅓ cup milk, and vanilla separately; stir into the flour until the dough holds together when pressed. Add extra milk 1 tablespoon at a time only if dry crumbs remain. Do not knead until elastic.
- Rest and prepare. Flatten the dough into a disc, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cool the filling during this rest. Heat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Roll and fill. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and keep unused pieces covered. Roll each into a 5-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Spoon 2 tablespoons filling onto one half, leaving a clean ½-inch edge. Lightly moisten the edge with water. Fold over, press out trapped air, and seal with a fork.
- Finish the tops. Set the empanadas on the prepared sheets with space between them. Cut one short vent in the top of each. Brush lightly with egg wash. Mix the topping sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over the tops.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 22–25 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden with dry-looking bottoms. Let cool on the sheets for 10 minutes before moving to a rack. The filling stays hot longer than the crust, so let it cool before serving.
My kitchen notes
A dry seal matters
Keep filling off the rim. If the dough gets soft or greasy while shaping, chill the assembled empanadas for 10 minutes before baking.
Pumpkin choice
Homemade purée can be wetter than canned. Reduce it to the same thick texture before measuring the filling into the dough.
Make ahead
The filling can be made ahead and refrigerated in a covered container. Re-crisp baked empanadas in a moderate oven rather than covering them while warm, which traps steam.
What to serve with it
For a cozy dessert table, I like these alongside Vanilla atole, Champurrado de galletas, Calabaza en tacha. Choose the pairing that fits your table, and use the linked recipe for its own ingredients and timing.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my filling leak?
Overfilling, wet filling, or a floury unsealed edge can open the seam. Use 2 level tablespoons, a thick cooled filling, and a lightly moistened clean rim.
Can I use brown sugar?
Yes. Use the same measured ½ cup packed dark brown sugar in place of grated piloncillo.
Are these the same as calabaza en tacha?
No. Calabaza en tacha is squash served in syrup. These empanadas use a thick pumpkin filling enclosed in baked dough.
Recipe
Empanadas de Calabaza (Mexican Pumpkin Empanadas)
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Rolling Pin
- Two baking sheets
Ingredients
- 1 can pure pumpkin purée 15 ounces; not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup piloncillo finely grated, about 85 g; or packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for filling
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt for filling
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 300 g; plus a little for rolling
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar for dough
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt for dough
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 113 g, cold and diced
- 1 large egg for dough
- ⅓ cup whole milk cold; plus 1–2 tablespoons only if needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar for topping
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon for topping
Instructions
- Combine pumpkin, piloncillo, the 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, and the filling salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until thick enough that a spoon leaves a clear trail across the pan. Spread in a shallow bowl and let cool completely. You should have about 1 ½ cups thick filling.
- Whisk flour, dough sugar, baking powder, and dough salt in a bowl. Rub or cut in the cold butter until the mixture looks sandy with a few pea-size pieces. Whisk the dough egg, ⅓ cup milk, and vanilla separately; stir into the flour until the dough holds together when pressed. Add extra milk 1 tablespoon at a time only if dry crumbs remain. Do not knead until elastic.
- Flatten the dough into a disc, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cool the filling during this rest. Heat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and keep unused pieces covered. Roll each into a 5-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Spoon 2 tablespoons filling onto one half, leaving a clean ½-inch edge. Lightly moisten the edge with water. Fold over, press out trapped air, and seal with a fork.
- Set the empanadas on the prepared sheets with space between them. Cut one short vent in the top of each. Brush lightly with egg wash. Mix the topping sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over the tops.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden with dry-looking bottoms. Let cool on the sheets for 10 minutes before moving to a rack. The filling stays hot longer than the crust, so let it cool before serving.
Notes
More ideas for your table
For another sweet bite to share with warm atole, try my cinnamon-sugar buñuelos. They bring a crisp texture to the table beside these tender baked empanadas.
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