Air Fryer Recipe
Chorizo and Potato Empanadillas
A tasty, easy chorizo and potato empanadillas recipe, just right for cooking in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 200g chorizo, crumbled
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pack of pre-made empanadilla pastry (or shortcrust pastry)
- 1 egg, beaten (for glazing)
Method
- Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
- Add the diced potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- Add the chopped onion and sauté for another 5 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the crumbled chorizo, stirring occasionally, and cook for a further 7-10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, then take off the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C.
- Lay the pastry sheets on a flat surface and cut out circles roughly 10cm in diameter.
- Spoon a heaped tablespoon of filling into the centre of each pastry circle.
- Brush beaten egg around the edges, fold in half, and press the edges firmly to seal.
- Crimp the edges with a fork and brush each empanadilla with beaten egg.
- Arrange the empanadillas in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 180°C for 8-10 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
Why this works in an air fryer
Pre-cooking drives moisture from the potato and renders paprika-rich chorizo fat, so the filling flavours the pastry without steaming it soggy. The air fryer’s fast convection browns the egg-washed surface quickly, while a sealed, crimped edge limits leakage as the shortcrust layers firm and crisp.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 4–5 litre basket holding 5–7 10cm empanadillas with space between them; in a single-drawer model cook in batches for even airflow, while in a dual-zone air fryer split them between drawers, swap drawer positions or shake/turn at minute 6, and expect the fuller drawer to need 1–2 minutes longer.
Common pitfalls
- Pastry pale on top but dark underneath at 8 minutes? The basket base is heating faster than the circulating air; turn the empanadillas over for the final 2 minutes or reduce to 170°C and extend slightly.
- Filling leaking through the seam? The potato-chorizo mixture was too hot or too wet; cool it until just warm and spoon off excess orange oil before filling, then leave a clean 1cm border for sealing.
- Empanadillas puffing open at one end? The crimp has not bitten through both pastry layers; press firmly with a fork after egg-washing the rim, and avoid overfilling beyond a heaped tablespoon.
- Pastry turning greasy rather than crisp? The chorizo has rendered a lot of fat into the filling; drain on kitchen paper before assembling and keep the air fryer basket in a single layer so steam can escape.
Variations & substitutions
- Use cooking chorizo diced small instead of crumbled cured chorizo; it releases more fat, so cook it a little longer and drain well before filling.
- Swap shortcrust for puff pastry; keep the filling cooler and cook at 180°C for the same time, but leave more space because the pastry expands noticeably.
- Add roasted red pepper or piquillo pepper, finely chopped; pat it dry first or the extra moisture will soften the bottom seam.
- Replace potato with cooked sweet potato cubes; the filling will be softer and sweeter, so reduce the quantity slightly to avoid bursting the pastry.
Storage & reheating
Keep cooked empanadillas chilled in an airtight container for up to 3 days, then reheat in the air fryer at 170°C for 4–6 minutes until the pastry is crisp and the centre is hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
