Can You Freeze Empanadas? – Detailed Guide On Freezing Empanadas

by

Can You Freeze Empanadas: Empanadas are one of those quick meals that would easily entertain a room full of guests anytime. But along with all of that, we know how much work it takes to put on in order to make empanadas and also understands that always you may not be in that mood or may lack time when you actually crave them.

This will bring you to the point where you would want to make a bulk of empanadas ahead of time and freeze them for preservation. In this article, we are going to talk about more of this and also learn some really good storage tips in order to keep your empanadas fresh for the longest. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump straight into the topic of the day.

Can You Freeze Empanadas

Can You Freeze Empanadas?

Yes, you can freeze Empanadas for up to 3 months. No matter whether they are baked or fried you can freeze them in the freezer to keep the taste and texture intact. Let them cool for a sufficient amount of time before wrapping, bagging, and placing them in a freezer.

How To Freeze Empanadas?

Now, let’s look at a step-by-step guide to help you freeze your empanadas well

  1. Cool Them Down First – Once you have cooked your empanadas ready to eat, remove them from the fryer or oven and let them sit at room temperature for about an hour to allow them to first cool down completely. Don’t try to rush this process and end up putting them inside the freezer still warm. However, you can place them below a fan to fasten up the cooling process.
  2. Remove excess oil – If you have fried your empanadas, place them on a paper or dish towel to soak up excess oil, and if you have baked them and use a baking sheet. If you skip this step your empanadas will become soggy inside the freezer due to condensation.
  3. Wrap Them Up Tightly – Now, you need to portion out your cooked empanadas into your convenient amounts and place each of them on a single piece of plastic cling film and wrap them up very tightly. Additionally, add an extra layer of aluminum foil on top of the cling wraps to add an extra layer of protection from freezer burns.
  4. Bag Up Securely – Next, place these wrapped empanadas into a moderately sized air-tight glass container or a freezer-safe bag. Make sure your empanadas are wrapped properly before performing this step, otherwise your empanadas are going to stick to each other making them difficult to work with during defrosting.
  5. Label and Freeze Them – Finally, add a label to your container or freezer bag, that includes contents, the current date of cooking, and the best use-by date mentioned on the top and seal it tightly making sure you have squeezed out any excess air first. Lastly, place this bag or container inside the freezer and remain calm for the next 3 months.

Best Tips To Freeze Empanadas

Now that we have shared with you all the steps regarding freezing empanadas, it is important for you to also learn about some amazing tips that we strongly recommend you follow if you don’t want your empanadas to lose flavor or texture while frozen and show the best results. The tips we are talking about are as follows:

  • Cook Well First – We know that freezing empanadas raw and uncooked is absolutely fine, still we recommend you cook your empanadas first and then freeze them for storage. This will make them firmer and help them to retain their shape even while frozen. Uncooked empanadas are much more delicate and easily likely to spoil their texture while frozen.
  • Most Filling in Empanadas Freeze Really Well – Regardless of whether your filling is only veggies or meat and fish, empanadas freeze extremely well. But, just make sure to give them some extra layers of protection if you are using meat.
  • Flash Freeze your Empanadas instead of Wrapping – Yes, flash freezing your empanadas can be an amazing alternative to wrapping your empanadas with several aluminum foil wraps or plastic cling ones. For this, simply you need to arrange your empanadas on a tray and flash-freeze them directly inside the freezer for several hours. Once they are frozen solid, you shift them to freezer-safe bags or air-tight containers with tight seals and put them back inside the freezer.

Wondering how to freeze tapioca then have a sneak peek into the article Can you Freeze Tapioca and clear your concerns in no time.

How Long Can You Freeze Empanadas?

Regardless of what filling you have put inside your empanadas pockets, the maximum time you will be able to store your empanadas inside the freezer is 3 months. If you have made sure that your empanadas were tightly wrapped and sealed completely from freezer burn then you are likely to not face any such issues regarding their flavor or taste while defrosting and consuming them.

If you fall guilty about keeping your empanadas in the freezer for more than 3 months, then you will probably notice a sharp change in their texture because the ice crystals that will be accumulated on the crust will dilute it from areas and you will find a huge lag in its flavor too. However, if you plan to just refrigerate your empanadas, then the shelf life is going to be not more than 7 days and in this case, we will also not recommend you to cook your empanadas first before putting them inside the freezer.

How To Defrost Empanadas?

In order to defrost your frozen empanadas, first you must always remember to thaw them before you plan to reheat and consume them. To let your empanadas thaw properly, you must shift them from the freezer to the fridge the night before and give them sufficient time to sit there and thaw completely before they are ready to be eaten cold or reheated.

Make sure you never defrost your empanadas at room temperature particularly because they have meat and dairy as their main ingredients that tend to go rotten and attract bacteria way too sooner than other ingredients. If you have fallen short of time you can defrost your frozen empanadas directly in the microwave but make sure to thaw them at the lowest temperature settings and keep checking after every 30 seconds.

Now comes the question, of whether you can refreeze empanadas or not. The straight-way answer is a big NO to refreezing empanadas. Empanadas tend to show slight depreciation in their flavor texture when you freeze them, so if you refreeze them then they are nothing but going to get worse. To play safe here, we always recommend you freeze empanadas in smaller portions so that you can defrost only the amount you need and do not need to refreeze any leftover ones.

Check Out:

Do Empanadas Freeze Well?

Yes, Empanadas freeze pretty well. You can prepare a batch of them in advance as they are quite tricky and need a lot of time in preparation. You can thaw or defrost them as and when you need them.

Can You Refreeze Empanadas?

No, we don’t recommend refreezing empanadas as doing so will impact the empanada consistency as a whole. Thus, we advise you to freeze them in smaller portions so that you can thaw the required portion. Thus, you can eliminate the problem of refreezing.

F.A.Qs On Can You Freeze Empanadas

1. Can you freeze empanadas after frying?

Yes, whether fried or bakes or not, empanadas can be easily frozen keeping their taste, safety, and texture intact.

2. Do you freeze empanadas before or after baking?

Frankly, it is better to freeze those empanadas when they are already cooked or baked, because uncooked empanadas are way too delicate and can turn soggy and watery inside the freezer due to the condensation of ice crystals.

3. Are frozen empanadas already cooked?

The store-bought frozen empanadas are partially cooked. You will need to bake them for 15 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees F while rotating the tray every now and then to ensure even baking. The filling can be added directly after that as they come already cooked.

4. How do you fix soggy empanadas?

If your empanadas have gone soggy inside the freezer then the best way to fix them is to refry them by shallow frying or deep frying them in oil that has been warmed up to 350°F (180°C) for 30-45 seconds on each side. Then remove them from the oil and allow all the excess oil to drain on a wire rack or soak them up using a paper dish towel.

5. Can empanadas explode?

Yes, empanadas can explode in the frozen as a result of over-filling so make sure to leave sufficient gaps to ensure they stay intact even though the ingredients expand on freezing.

Closing Thoughts

Well, that was all we had to offer you regarding freezing and preserving empanadas for the longest time possible. While empanadas are a great dish option to use up your leftover meat and vegetables, here we provided you with ideas to freeze and store leftover or bulk empanadas.

So, if you are worried about them losing their authentic flavor after being frozen, follow the techniques mentioned in this article very thoroughly. We hope you found this article interesting and informative at the same time to grasp almost everything you needed to know regarding storing empanadas. We promise to meet you super soon with interesting articles like Can you Freeze Maple Syrup, till then take care.

Leave a Comment