Christmas Empanadas (Air Fryer + Oven)
Experience the festive spirit with Christmas Empanadas, baked or air-fried in the shape of a Christmas tree. They are filled with chicken, avocado, and red bell pepper—perfectly embodying the holiday colours.
Christmas Eve excitement makes it hard for kids to eat, but these festive Christmas Empanadas can keep them happy until gift time! Filled with a creamy mix of avocado, chicken, and crunchy red bell pepper, this colourful red-and-green filling is inspired by Venezuelan Arepas. Shaped into Christmas trees using moulds or cookie cutters, these empanadas are air-fried or baked to golden perfection!
A Winning Filling
I took the filling idea from these popular ‘Arepas a la Reina‘ but added more red bell pepper to give them this Christmas look! The filling is shredded chicken with avocado, garlic, onion, cilantro, lime and mayo. For this version, you can do it traditional ‘the shredded way’ or blend these ingredients in the food processor to make it fast, easy and smooth for the kids. I also replaced the onion with chives, and if you fear fresh cilantro will ruin it for the kids, since it’s a powerful herb, you can make it with parsley instead or without it.
The Empanada Moulds
For these Christmas Empanadas, I’ve used lovely Christmas tree press/cutters made for this online. It makes it easier, but it’s not obligatory; you can use any big cookie cutter or cut triangles and close them up with your hands. These Christmas-style presses/cutters I got online are fun for the kids, and you can use them with so many fillings, sweet or savoury! A great addition to your Christmas toys! (I leave the link here). You can cut through the dough with one side of the mould and fold it on the other! Additionally, it could be a fun activity with the kiddos.
Air Fryer or Oven?
I’ve cooked them both ways, and the air fryer is my favourite! It gives the empanadas a more even golden look. The oven tends to burn extremities, while the Air Fryer makes them uniformly golden. The downside of the Air fryer is that only a few empanadas go in at a time, so I would say that depending on how many you intend to serve, choose the cooking method accordingly.
FAQ
Can I substitute the empanada dough for pie dough?
Yes, both are similar, except maybe for the quantities of grease and type of grease used. The pie dough usually contains butter, while the empanada has vegetable shortening or lard fat. But then again, if you buy pre-made dough, it is often made with butter, although the empanada version would contain more. Similar, so yes!
Can I use the turkey leftovers instead of the chicken?
Yes, brilliant idea!
Can it be eaten cold, too?
Yes, these Christmas empanadas are made to be eaten warm, although there is no problem if they are cold.
Can I Deep Fry them?
Yes, in theory, you can deep fry them until golden, although healthwise, I will always propose the Air fryer first.
Other Christmas Recipes
Christmas Empanadas (Air fryer and Oven)
Equipment
- empanada or pie mould/cutter *optional (link)
Ingredients
- 2 empanada or pie dough pre-made
- 1 egg
Filling
- 2 avocado
- 1 chicken breast or turkey
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 1 lime
- 1 garlic clove mashed
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- chives to taste
- cilantro to taste
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add all the filling ingredients except the red pepper to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Add the diced red pepper and mix with a spoon.
- Spray oil into the mould, cut the dough into the desired form, and add the filling. Cover with another cut dough and press the sides until close.
- Whisk the egg, brush over the empanadas and sprinkle some salt.
- Cook in an air fryer or oven at 180°C (350F°), 10 minutes in AF and 15 minutes in the conventional oven.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Nutrition
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Did You Make This Recipe?
Share your thoughts on it! Leave a comment or share a picture and tag me @littlenomadsrecipes on Instagram.
These look delicious and the perfect reason to buy an air fryer !
Haha! I do use my Air fryer more than any other gadjet I owe… but these empanadas can be done in the oven too!
Looks easy enough and so delicious that I already added it to my “recipes to try”. Thanks for sharing!
super easy, just need a cookie cutter big enough and not overfill the empanadas. Enjoy!
Oh so delicious, and I love the Christmas tree shape. I love empanadas any day. These are definitely going to be a hit for Christmas.
These are for sure going to make you a star host;) Enjoy the stardom!
love how easy these are to make and even better they are cute little christmas tree shapes
Cute is the word! And yummy too! Enjoy!
These look yummy! I’m gonna try this recipe asap 😋
Enjoy the ride!
Yes, I’m here for this post!! Looks delicious and has simple ingredients. Thanks for sharing!!!
Thanks Sheenia! Means a lot!
Absolutely delish looking recipe! Love to give it a try!
Go ahead! So easy to make!
YUM! I love empanadas but somehow had never made them until now. I’m thrilled to have a batch in the freezer so we can heat them up in our air fryer whenever the craving hits. I just used a large pie press but those Christmas presses are pretty cool.
Love these Xmas presses so much!! So fun to make with the kids.
These were so much fun to make with the kids! We just used cookie cutters and sealed the edges with a fork. The filling was so good! Thanks for the recipe:)
Yes! Cookie cutter and fork do wonders too! Glad you enjoyed!
What a fun little appetizer to make with the kids, thanks for sharing!
Kids love playing mini chefs!
I made a batch of these empanadas the other day. They were easy to make and tasty.
A great bunch idea for serving guests.
I like the green and red filling, although the taste is totally Venezuelan, the colour are still Xmas’y’!