Avocado, Black Beans, Queso Fresco Empanadas

When it comes to party food, avocados reign supreme—especially when tucked into vegetarian empanadas. Soft, creamy, and buttery, avocados are a year-round favorite, perfect for everything from salads to desserts.

Desserts? Yes, but that's the subject of another post. My take on avocados today is Avocado, Black Beans, Queso Fresco Empanadas. Yes, a vegetarian dish. My veggie loving friends will be so happy with me.

Avocado, black beans, queso fresco empanadas are perfect for any celebration, like Las Posadas, a Latin American celebration of the 9 days leading up to Christmas. Growing up, my neighborhood had celebrations that included snacks, beverages, and singing. Children would dress up as Mary, Joseph, and shepherds. I have great memories of those celebrations.
Avocados are available all year long and are great as a salad topping, or as a salad itself: slice up an avocado, sprinkle with Kosher salt, and drizzle it with balsamic vinegar. Voila! An easy, quick, and nutritious salad. My daughter mashes up an avocado, sprinkles it with salt and pepper, and spreads it on her toast in the morning. The possibilities are endless.

Steps by step photos

1. Gather your ingredients and have them chopped, measured, and ready to go.
2. Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a bowl, place your black beans, red onion, cilantro, queso fresco, salt, and chili powder.
3. Peel the avocado and dice it into small pieces, about ⅛ inch cubes, and coat with lime juice.
4. Add the avocado to the black bean mixture and mix thoroughly.
5. Roll out your pie crust and cut 3" circles.
6. Place 1 tablespoon if the filling in the center of the circle.
7. Fold over into a half circle and crimp with the tines of a fork.
8. Brush each with egg wash (1 egg that has been beaten with 1 tablespoon of water).  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve avocado, black beans, queso fresco empanadas as an appetizer, or you can make bigger ones to have as a simple dinner with a side salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Finally, share this recipe with your friends and family. They will love the wonderful flavors and how easy this dish is to prepare.
If you want to bring the flavors of Spain to your home, I have several great recipes to share with you.
Prueba de cerdo is a classic tapas dish of thinly sliced marinated pork that is grilled quickly and is so easy to make.
Croquetas de jamón y pollo take a little effort, but you will be rewarded with a delicious appetizer that is crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside.
If you visit bars in Spain, one popular tapas dish is mushrooms in sherry sauce served on with nice crusty bread.
Empanadas are savory turnovers filled with meat or cheese. Most are fried, but I like to cheat and bake mine using pre-made pie crust.  Enjoy!

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📖 Recipe

Avocado, Black Beans, Queso Fresco Empanadas Recipe Card

Delicious vegetarian empanadas with avocado, black beans and queso fresco. A nice crunchy Latin pastry with creamy avocado filling! Que Rico!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Latin American

Keyword: empanadas, filled dough, pastry, pie dough, turnovers, vegetarian

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Analida Braeger

Ingredients

• 15 oz pie crust refrigerated type, 2 full sized pie crusts
• 1 avocado diced
• 2 teaspoon lime juice juice, fresh squeezed
• ¼ cup black beans drained rinced
• 3 tablespoon red onion diced
• 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
• ¼ cup queso fresco crumbled
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Unroll pie crust, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a bowl place black beans, red onion, cilantro, queso fresco, salt, and chili powder.
• Peel the avocado and dice into small pieces, then sprinkle with lime juice.
• Add the avocado to the black beans mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Using a 3" biscuit cutter cut circles on the pie crust.
• Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each round. Fold over to create a half moon, and crimp around the edges with the tines of a fork. Place empanadas on parchment paper, and brush with egg wash.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

Frequently Asked Questions:

• • How long can I store the avocado black bean empanadas in the refrigerator? Once they have completely cooled you can store this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Place them in an airtight container or zip top bags.
  • How can I reheat the empanadas? Reheat in the oven at 250°F for 10 minutes until warm in the center. I like to put them in my Cosori Air Fryer for 5 minutes at 250°F.
  • Can I freeze the empanadas? Yes, you can freeze these for up to two months in an airtight container after they are completely cooled. Reheat in the oven at 250°F for 15 minutes or 10 minutes in an air fryer at 250°F.

Nutrition

Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 168mg | Fiber: 2g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1.4mg