Empanadas de Guayaba

Sweet and crisp, these empanadas de guayaba don’t require whole guavas but rather guava jelly or paste. You’ll get all of the tropical taste without breaking the bank on fresh guava fruits!

Empanadas de Guayaba Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1 box heavy whipping cream (about 8 ounces)
• 2 sticks margarine or butter
• 3 cups of unbleached white flour
• 1 jar of dulce de leche (storebought is fine)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp guava paste or guava jelly
• 2-3 tablespoons flour for dusting

Kitchen Tools:

• Medium-sized mixing bowl
• Empanada or tortilla press
• Two pieces of plastic cut into the same size circle as the empanada press
• Baking sheet
• Small brush for egg wash (optional)
• Small spoon
• Fork

Instructions:

Combine the flour and margarine in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly with a stand mixer or with your hands. Add almost all of the cream and begin to mix until the empanada dough is sticky but not watery. 

On a floured surface, take chunks of the dough and roll them into balls that are about 1 1/2″ wide. 

Place the plastic sheets or bags into your empanada or tortilla press. This way, the dough won’t stick to the metal surface.

Place a dough ball in the middle of the press and press until a circle is formed. Move the flattened disc aside, and repeat the process until all of the dough has been made into circles.

At this point, you can go ahead and preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Lay out your dough circles, and place about one tablespoon of guava paste or jelly in the center of each circle. You want to be careful not to add too much guava paste, or it will melt and run out of the empanadas as it bakes. It makes a huge burned mess…. and unfortunately, I speak from experience! 

On a lightly floured surface, close the empanadas by folding them over the guava paste and then securing the seam by making marks around the edge with your fork. 

Lightly brush the empanadas with the egg wash and place them on a lightly floured baking sheet (or one covered with parchment paper). Bake for 25 minutes or until just golden brown. 

Some people sprinkle the empanadas with granulated sugar before serving, but that’s more common in Mexico.

About This Empanada de Guayaba Costa Rica Recipe

Let me introduce you to the Costa Rican culinary marvel that is the empanada! Crisp and buttery, empanadas are a sweet snack made from a homemade pastry dough that is similar to a pie crust recipe.

The dough is rolled into small balls and then pressed into discs. You place the filling of your choice in the middle of the circle, fold the circle into a crescent-moon shape, and bake it until golden. 

Empanadas are a culinary phenomenon throughout Latin America, with Argentina and Chile being especially renowned for their dessert empanadas. Costa Rica is no exception and has a wealth of traditional empanada recipes. Typically, Costa Rican empanadas are served at breakfast or during the coffee hour, a span of time from about 1-4 pm. 

Costa Rican empanadas have a special place in my heart because I make them every year with my best friends in Costa Rica at Easter time. Just a bite always brings back good memories! 

I love to fill my empanadas with all of the wonderful tropical fruits Costa Rica has to offer and had a difficult time trying to find these fruits when I returned to the US. Guavas in particular are hard to come by, and that’s a shame since they’re so tasty! The solution I found was to use guava paste or jelly in place of the whole fruits– it’s way easier to procure stateside, and you still get that signature tropical taste!

These Costa Rican guava empanadas are sweet, flaky dessert empanadas that pair perfectly with a cup of hot coffee (taza de café), hot chocolate, or a freshly made Costa Rican juice.

This recipe is the traditional Costa Rican 3-2-1 empanada.

Related Recipes You’ll Love:

If you enjoyed this guava empanada recipe, check out these other empanadas dulces (sweet empanadas)!

Costa Rican Baked Pineapple Empanadas 

Empanadas de Chiverre

Costa Rican Dulce de Leche Empanadas

Substitutions

Costa Ricans always use margarine for this recipe, but I also like to use butter. The butter will give the empanadas a lighter yellow color and a flakier crust. 

You could also use vegetable shortening or lard to achieve the same consistency of dough, but again, the color would be a bit different.

I have often used just 2 cups of white flour and one cup of wheat flour and they taste great. Finally, you can substitute almond flour for a gluten-free empanada recipe.

Variations

There are so many variations! Imagine just about any filling, and it has probably been stuffed into an empanada at some point. You can make these sweet empanadas with chiverre, coconut, guava, pineapple, dulce de leche, and chocolate. It’s even possible to make baked apple empanadas– just like those old McDonald’s turnover pies you used to be able to get for $1!

Savory empanadas are great, too– I especially like black beans and cheese for fillings. 

If you’d like to make a hybrid sweet and savory empanada, try adding cream cheese to your guava empanada for a spectacular empanada de guayaba y queso crema!

Also, you can make these empanadas much larger, or even bite-size. Playing with the size of the empanadas does not change the baking time, just the rapidity with which you can shove them in your mouth!

Serving Suggestions

These guava empanadas are best served right out of the oven. I just cool them for about 10 minutes because the inside gets so hot it can burn your mouth.

We eat these in the morning with eggs, or with a traditional Costa Rican gallo pinto breakfast. 

Costa Ricans typically eat empanadas as a morning or afternoon snack,  generally with hot coffee, agua dulce, hot chocolate or freshly made juice.

These are also really good with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream– delicious!

FAQ

1.) Is guava paste the same as guava jelly? – Guava paste is a little more traditional– it’s made with guava pulp and panela (unrefined cane sugar) and is thicker than jam. Guava jelly is smoother and more spreadable.

2.) What does guava taste like? – Guava fruit is aromatic, tropical, and sweet. Some say that it tastes like a cross between a strawberry and a passion fruit. 

3.) Is guava paste good for your health? – Packed with vitamin C and antioxidants, Guava fruit is considered a tropical superfood! Though guava paste does contain a significant amount of sugar, the fruit by itself is rich in nutrients and natural sugars. 

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