Baked Yuca Empanadas (Grain-Free)

If you’re looking for a crowd-pleaser you’ve found it! Young and old, as a meal, side dish or an appetizer for guests, these empanadas are a hit with everyone! (Whether the person is gluten-free or not!) They can also be made with beans for a delicious vegetarian version.

*The printable recipe below shows both the meat and vegetarian options.*

Yuca makes a delectable dough! No need to be concerned that these won’t taste as good as those made with wheat or gluten-free flour. Yuca is no inferior, gluten-free choice! I’d argue that these are actually superior to traditionally made empanadas, not just in nutritional value, but in overall taste! I’ve made these for my family, guests, and for my Recipe Swap Club with 5 star ratings all around! No matter what I’ve made for my Recipe Swap Club since, someone always brings up how amazing the empanadas were at EVERY MEETING! They’re that memorable! Try them out for yourself and comment below to let me know what you think.

These Yuca Empanadas can be custom-sized to fit any need. Make little 3 inch appetizer-sized ones (pictured above.) They’re so much fun to eat with your hands and maybe dip into guacamole or salsa! Or make medium-sized, or even giant meal-sized ones!!

This Yuca Empanada recipe is what truly made me go Crazy For Yuca! It’s so perfectly crunchy on the outside and bursting with mouth-watering flavor on the inside! I cannot say enough about how much my family and I enjoy them. Everyone is ecstatic to run to the table on empanada night!

This is the way my husband loves them – slathered with salsa and guacamole! He just picks up the whole thing and takes a big bite! No forks or knives needed!!

It’s still a bit hard to believe that a whole-food, non-inflammatory starch that’s filled with immune-building vitamin C and resistant starch can be this deliciously satisfying! Yuca is truly in a class by itself!!

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Let’s make the yuca dough!

(Full printer friendly recipe below)

Ingredients: (4 servings)

-1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen yuca

-2 tablespoons avocado oil – divided (plus additional to brush on empanadas just before baking.) I use Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil. 

-1 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt– divided (I choose Himalayan sea salt because of its purity and rich mineral content as compared to other salt.)

-1 teaspoon garlic powder – divided

-optional – 1-2 tablespoons either tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, or coconut flour (used to decrease stickiness of dough. If dough is too sticky to work with, it can also be placed into refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes.)

–parchment paper

–Vitamix (or other food processor)

Check out Primal Palate Taco Seasoning, as well as their other high quality organic seasonings by clicking here:

To shop online for pantry items needed for this recipe, simply click on the ingredients listed in the above recipe or click on the Shopping tab in the menu at the top of this post.

*By purchasing items through our affiliate links we get a small commission which helps support the maintenance of Crazy For Yuca at no additional cost to you. All recommended products are ones that I use in my own kitchen. Thank you for supporting the efforts of CrazyForYuca.com to bring you the lastest yuca/cassava recipes when you shop online!

Fresh or frozen yuca can be used to make empanada dough.

If using fresh, be sure to peel yuca before boiling. For step by step directions on how to peel yuca, see: About Yuca: How To Peel Fresh Yuca (Cassava.) Jennifer from PredominantlyPaleo was the originator of “yuca dough.” I vary her recipe slightly to make these empanadas. See her dough recipe here.

Once fresh yuca is peeled, cut it into 3 or 4 pieces before placing it into a pot of boiling water. Frozen yuca (pictured below) is already peeled and cut. It’s as easy to make as boiling rice!

Boil until fork tender (about 15-20 minutes.) Drain and discard water.

Remove stem. Once boiled yuca is cool enough to handle, place on a cutting board. Cut each piece in half lengthwise, remove and discard the stem that runs through the center. (That stick-like center will not be pleasant in your empanadas!)

Chop boiled, cored yuca into cubes before putting it in the food processor (the smaller the better to not over-heat the machine.)

Pulverize into dough. Place 1 to 1 1/2 cup of yuca chunks into Vitamix (or other food processor) at a time, along with a pinch of Himalayan sea salt, pinch of garlic powder and a drizzle of avocado oil. Blend for about 30 seconds until yuca turns into a ball of dough. I never get tired of watching boiled yuca turn into dough in a matter of seconds! Watch the video below and you will see what I mean!

Place yuca dough ball on parchment paper. If too sticky to handle, I typically throw it into the freezer for 5-10n minutes and that usually does the trick. Adding a little tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, or coconut flour until it becomes manageable (just like bread dough) can also help.

See: Tips For Handling Sticky Dough.

Divide dough into balls, the number and size depending on desired size. One cup of yuca can make 6-8 appetizer-sized empanadas, 4 medium-sized ones, or one giant meal-sized one. (They are yummy no matter what size they are!!)

Roll out each dough ball in between 2 pieces of parchment paper to form a circle.

While yuca is boiling, prepare Taco Meat. 

Ingredients:

-1 pound organic, grass-fed, ground beef, turkey, or chicken. (For vegetarian option I use 2 cans organic, BPA free black beans or lentils.)

-1 tablespoon avocado oil (I use Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil)

-1 large onion – chopped

-2 cloves organic garlic – minced

-2 tablespoons Primal Palate Taco Seasoning (or gluten-free taco seasoning of choice, or a combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and cumin.)

–Himilayan sea salt – to taste

–lemon pepper – to taste

Saute onions and garlic with avocado oil in a pan. Add ground beef, turkey, or chicken (black beans or lentils for vegetarian option) and cook until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning, pink Himalayan sea salt, lemon pepper and cook a few more minutes.

Check out Primal Palate organic seasonings by clicking here:

Assembling the empanadas

Fill one side of each rolled-out dough circle with Taco Meat (or bean mixture,) leaving a rim of dough along the edge.

Fold dough in half to create a semi-circle, pinching edges together to seal in meat (or beans.) If dough sticks to your fingers, it may be easier to fold the entire piece of parchment in half, along with the dough, as pictured below. Brush top of empanada with avocado oil and sprinkle with a pinch of Himalayan sea salt.

Bake at 375 on parchment lined baking sheet for 20 minutes. Flip empanadas and bake for another 5-10 minutes until crust starts to brown and get crispy. Enjoy!!

These Latin delights can be made ahead and frozen, ready to be pulled out for a delicious meal or appetizer any time! Nothing makes my older daughter happier than being sent back to her apartment with a bunch of frozen empanadas to quickly heat up as a scrumptious meal any time! It’s hard to believe that you’re actually eating healthy when eating these empanadas, but you are!!!

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Healthy Eating Tip: Choose grass-fed beef. Many make big claims about the health benefits of grass-fed beef over grain-fed beef. At the same time there is research showing that the differences in the amount of debated nutrients are minimal. After reading the literature, I’ve decided to buy grass-fed mainly because cattle raised on a pasture have been proven to be healthier and are not injected with antibiotics. I don’t want to eat meat from cattle that are stressed and diseased as a result of their confined, unsanitary living conditions, then injected with antibiotics in order to manage the disease caused by this horrendous environment! I also don’t want to support such cruel practices! In addition, antibiotic use in animals increases the risk of antibiotic resistance in humans, which is a real concern for our future. It is also an agreed upon fact that grass-fed beef is much leaner and is higher in omega 3 fatty acids, which may reduce the risk of heart disease. Raising animals on a pasture is also good for the environment. It has been shown to decrease soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and improve water quality (due to decreased pollution) (1 , 2, 3, 4, 5.) The taste of grass-fed beef, compared to grain-fed, is slightly different, and the meat is not as tender (due to lower fat content.) It may take some getting used to for some people, but my family always enjoys it. Grass-fed is a bit more expensive, but I think it’s worth it. I shop at Trader Joe’s a lot and their prices are excellent. Their organic, grass-fed ground beef is $6.99 per pound! They also have Grass-Fed Angus Beef Strip Loin Steak in the freezer section for $9.99 per pound! (I feel like an add for Trader Joe’s right now!! I promise – I have no connection to Trader Joe’s and receive no money for promoting their products. I just love that store and feel so thankful that I live close to one!!! Not everyone is so lucky.) I have both in my fridge at the moment so I snapped a picture in case you are interested.

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5 from 4 votes

Print

Baked Yuca Empanadas

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 15 mins

 

These grain-free empanadas are deliciously crispy on the outside and bursting with Mexican flavor on the inside! Make appetizer or meal-sized ones. No matter the size, they'll be a hit with everyone!

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Servings: 4

Author: Lauren from Crazy For Yuca

Ingredients

Yuca Dough

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen yuca Equal to about 4 cups.
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil - divided Plus additional to brush on empanadas before baking
• 1 tsp Himalayan sea salt - divided
• 1 tsp garlic powder - divided
• 1-2 Tbsp either tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, or coconut flour (optional) Used to decrease stickiness of dough after pulverized
• parchment paper

Filling

• 1 pound organic, grass-fed ground beef, turkey or chicken For vegetarian option - substitute 2 cans of organic, BPA free black beans or lentils.
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 large organic onion - chopped
• 2 cloves organic garlic - minced
• 1-2 tbsp Primal Palate Taco Seasoning, or a combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and cumin.
• Himilayan sea salt - to taste
• lemon pepper - to taste

Instructions

Yuca Dough

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, if using fresh yuca, thoroughly peel and cut yuca into 3-4 pieces. See: How To Peel Fresh Yuca (Cassava). Frozen yuca is already peeled and cut.

3. Place yuca into pot, ensuring yuca is fully covered by water. Return to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes until fork tender.

4. Once yuca is fork tender, drain water and allow to cool for a few minutes.

5. Once cool enough to handle, place cooked yuca on a cutting board. Cut each piece of yuca in half lengthwise to remove and discard the stick-like center that runs through the middle.

6. Cut boiled yuca into chunks (the smaller the better - to not overwhelm your food processor.)

7. Place yuca chunks into food processor in batches of about 1cup (I use a Vitamix.) Add 1-2 tsp avocado oil, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder per cup of yuca. 

8. Blend until a dough forms. This takes about 30 seconds in a Vitamix, but may take longer in other food processors.  

9. Spoon blended dough onto a cutting board lined with parchment paper. (Parchment is a non-stick surface and will help greatly with managing this sticky dough.)

10. Divide dough into equal sized balls (the number of balls depends on the size of the empanadas you are making.) Each cup of yuca can make about 6-8 appetizer-sized, 4 medium-sized, or 1 giant meal-sized empanada.

11. Optional - Sprinkle each ball of dough with a little tapioca, arrowroot, or coconut flour and knead into dough to decrease stickiness. Add as much as needed until dough can be handled without sticking excessively to your hands. It should look and feel just like bread dough. Dough can also be made less sticky by placing it into the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes. 

12. Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball between 2 pieces of parchment paper until it forms a circle. Remove top layer of parchment.

Filling

1. While yuca is boiling, saute onion and minced garlic in 1 Tbsp avocado oil until slightly brown.

2. Add ground meat and cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain fat. (Vegetarian option - substitute black beans or lentils.) Add 1-2 Tbsp Primal Palate Taco Seasoning, plus sea salt and lemon pepper - to taste. Cook for another few minutes to allow flavors to blend. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Assembling Empanadas

1. Spoon filling on to one half of each rolled-out dough circle, leaving a rim of dough along the edge. 

2. Fold each dough circle in half to create a half-moon shape and pinch the edges together to seal in the meat (or beans.) You may prefer to press edges together with a fork. (If dough is sticky or too thin, I fold the parchment paper in half along with the dough, push down edges to seal, then uncover parchment paper.)

3. Place empanadas on parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Brush the top of each empanada with olive oil. Sprinkle a pinch of Himalayan sea salt on top.

5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Flip empanadas and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until dough is slightly browned along the edges. Cooking time will vary based on empanada size.

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 Here are links to ingredients and products I use to make Yuca Empanadas!

Vitamix 5200 Blender, Black

Chosen Foods 100% Pure Hand-crafted Avocado Oil (33.8-oz Bottle) Pack of 2

Chicken Taco Seasoning By Penzeys Spices 6.3 oz 1.5 cup bag

Kirkland Signature Non Stick Parchment Paper 205 sq ft (Twin Pack)

 

Westbrae Natural Organic Black Beans, 15 Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)

Natierra, Himalania Fine Grain Himalayan Pink Salt Shaker, 13 Ounce

Tapioca Flour, Gluten Free -Bob’s Red Mill – 2 / 20 Oz. Bags

Spicely Organic Arrowroot Powder 1LB Bulk Certified Gluten Free

NOW Foods Organic Coconut Flour,16-Ounce

Trader Joe’s Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend with a Built in Grinder

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