These vegan empanadas are delicious and easy-to-make party food. They're made with puff pastry, mushrooms, and vegan cheese, and they're sure to please vegans and meat-eaters alike. So if you're looking for a tasty main course or appetizer that's both filling and delicious, give these empanadas a try!

If you are running out of empanada-filling ideas, you have come to the right place!
The mushroom filling is hearty and quickly made with a few ingredients. We even use this simple mushroom preparation to place on top of mashed potatoes or add it to a vegan bechamel sauce to create a perfectly creamy pasta bowl.
If you live in places like Argentina, you can buy cut empanadas discs in supermarkets, but most of us don’t. So, make sure you look at our Vegan Empanadas Dough recipe, which takes only 5 minutes to make, as they don’t require any proofing.
If you feel like having a delicious version of the classic Meat Argentinean empanadas, use our thickened vegan ragout to fill the empanadas. You won't be disappointed.
Cremini mushrooms are a great addition to your diet, as they are very low in calories but pack lots of nutrients and health benefits, including immune system boosting and cancer prevention properties.
We love using all kinds of mushrooms in our fall recipes, to eat seasonally and enjoy their flavors at their best!
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🧾 Ingredients
These vegan mushroom empanadas are made with just a handful of ingredients.

- Mushrooms
- Green Onions
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Homemade empanada dough (5-minutes dough recipe, made with whole wheat flour)
Optional: oil (or vegan butter), thyme, vegan mozzarella, and salt.
🔪 Instructions
This Mushroom Empanada recipe is easy. The steps are divided into three: preparing the filling, assembling the empanadas, and baking.
Empanada dough
If you are making your empanada dough, plan for extra 35 minutes, 5 minutes for making the dough, and optional 30 minutes to let the dough sit in the fridge so it becomes easier to manage with your rolling pin.
Here's our homemade dough recipe, which also works for savory tarts (pies), like our carrot tart and eggplant pie.
If you use store-bought dough instead of homemade dough, take it out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before using it.
Filling
Wash and dry the mushrooms. Some mushrooms come with all the dirt on them, and some don’t. Just make sure that you clean them and clip their ends.
Chop. Continue chopping only the tops of the green onions, then the garlic and parsley leaves. Make sure they are all finely chopped.


Quarter. Grab your clean mushrooms and slice them with two cuts. If you have small mushrooms leave them as they are or simply half them. They will reduce in size as they cook and lose water.


Stir-fry. In a saucepan, lightly heat a tablespoon of oil, stir-fry the chopped garlic, add onion, and cook on medium heat.
Add the quartered mushrooms and chopped parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly and remove from the heat. Let the mushroom mixture cool down in a large bowl.
Note: you can use a blender or food processor optionally, but I prefer our empanadas with a chunky filling. It is just a matter of taste.

Assembling
- Dust your working surface. Place the empanadas discs on the floured surface.
- Prepare two little bowls with water.
- Add and stir the paprika into one of them. This step is optional and only serves to add a deeper golden color while the empanadas bake.
- Fill the discs with about one full tablespoon of the mushroom filling in the center of the disc, and add a piece of vegan cheese inside (optional).
- Moist your fingertips in the water bowl and moisten the edges of the discs. This will help the discs to close better as you put some pressure while closing them.
- Fold and close the discs. Grab half circle and close the pockets. With a fork, put pressure on the moist edges until perfectly closed. You can also fold wavy edges with the "repulgue" Argentinean technique if you want wavy edges. See the video to find out how.




Paint the discs with a brush and the paprika and water mix (optional). The mixture comprises ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika plus two tablespoons of water.
Top tip: pinch the top of the empanadas with a fork, so they can release well the heat while being baked, that way they won't explode.
Baking
- Preheat oven to 450ºF (230ºC).
- Arrange the empanadas on an oiled baking tray or use parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown, watching it after minute ten, to them from burning. You want them crispy but not burned!
- Remove from heat.
- Enjoy a Mushroom Empanada by itself or with your favorite chimichurri sauce or pico de gallo.

📖 Variations
Additional veggies - You can add spinach, green bell pepper, or add corn to the mushroom mixture when stir-frying.
Spinach mushroom empanadas are a popular mix, and you need to add a bunch of chopped spinach while you cook the filling. Always cook at medium heat to prevent the spinach from wilting too much.
Oil - if you use oil for stir-frying, you can also use coconut oil instead of olive oil.
Extra umami - if you want to give some extra touch, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce or coconut aminos.
Vegan cheese - we love adding some shredded vegan mozzarella cheese or vegan ricotta cheese; they pair very well with mushrooms.
Cooking method - some people prefer using a deep fryer instead of baking, completely up to you. We always bake our empanadas for a healthier version. If you go for a fried version, please skip the optional paprika brushing step, as the water doesn't go well with hot oil!
🥡 Storage
Check the tip about storing and thawing empanadas on our vegan empanadas dough.
You will need to separate the empanadas with parchment paper before freezing.
After thawing, bake and consume. Do not freeze again.
You can store any remaining dough sealed with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to three days.

💡Top tip,
If you want to know more about the folding technique (repulgue). Check out the folding tips.

📖 Variations
There are many kinds of fillings. Some of our favorites are the lentil protein-packed filling and the spinach ricotta empanadas. Get creative; think of it as a sandwich where you could pack the mix of your favorite ingredients.
Just make sure you don't add fresh, watery ingredients, like lettuce or tomato. They will make the dough soggy. If you want to do it anyway. Make sure you drain the juices as much as possible.
Caprese empanada. As described above, cut your tomato into medium pieces and drain its juices. Then add a fresh basil leave and vegan mozzarella cheese. This way, you have another simple vegan empanada filling with only three ingredients and no cooking required.

❓ FAQ
My favorite egg wash substitute is a mix of paprika and water. Paprika brings in the color. Mix ¼ teaspoon of paprika with 2 tablespoons of water. Then brush it onto baking goods. An alternative to paprika is turmeric powder, which provides a yellowish color.
🥟 Related and Similar recipes
If you love mushrooms, I am sure you will love this easy stuffed portobello recipe, air fryer oyster mushrooms, and our Stuffed Herbs Stuffed Piopini recipe. Check them out!
Also, you can benefit from mushrooms benefits consuming them as a supplement and adding it to your meals. We like using Lions Mane Mushroom Powder Organic Supplement - (USA Grown).
⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
📋 Recipe

Vegan Mushroom Empanadas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 oz cremini mushrooms washed and cleaned
- 2.5 oz green onions only the green tops
- 1 bunch parsley about once ounce, or 25 grams, taste with less and adjust
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon thyme dried
- vegan empanada dough
Directions
Filling
- Chop the green onion tops, garlic, and parsley.
- Quarter the mushrooms and cube the vegan mozzarella.
- Sauté the onions, garlic, thyme and parsley with the olive oil for 2 minutes and add the mushrooms.
- Stir until golden and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Prepare the assembling table
- Make vegan "egg" wash. Prepare two little bowls, one with water and the other with two tablespoons of water and the paprika.
- Spread the dough with a rolling pin on a surface with just a little bit of flour to avoid sticking.
- Cut the discs with a 3-4 inches cutter or any circular plate with a circular shape.
Assemble
- Pre-heat the oven at 450ºF (230ºC).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Moist your fingertips in the water bowl and spread some water in the edges of the discs.
- Fill the discs with about one full tablespoon of the cold mixture in the center of the disc and adding a piece of vegan cheese on top.
- Close the discs and with a fork, put pressure in the moist edges until perfectly closed.
- Brush the empanadas with the paprika mixture.
- Pinch the top of the empanadas with a fork, so they can release well the heat while being baked, that way they won't explode.
Bake
- Bake the empanadas on a non-stick pan or a flat pan with a lined-parchment paper, for 15-20 minutes (until golden).
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts
🌡️ Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.
Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I recommend all of the products listed because they are companies I have found helpful and trustworthy.
Ieva says
I love your spinach empanadas and made them almost every week, so I thought I'd try these mushroom-filled ones too! Absolutely loved them! A good amount of parsley, easy to make and definitely delicious! These are now going on rotation too! They are just a perfect snack to take to work!
Gus says
Thank you for trying our new mushroom-filled empanadas, Ieva! We're so happy to hear that you loved them; they've become a regular snack for you. The parsley gives them a nice flavor, and we're glad they were easy to make. We hope you'll enjoy them for many weeks to come!
Nikki says
Very good filling! I will probably back off the amount of parsley next time, but other than that, it was great! I did use the linked dough and I did not like the consistency (too sticky, difficult to work with), but the filling was good!
Gus says
Hi Nikki, thanks for your review. We like using herbs on our dishes to flavor things up, and the recipe calls for a bunch of parsley. You might have used a big bunch, but I thank your comment, so I will make a note to specify how many grams exactly, as it can be interpreted in many ways. I find it very strange that you found the dough sticky, as I make empanadas using this recipe almost every week, and it always comes perfectly balanced. I have to say that it is only natural to encounter different differences amongst flour brands. It is good to have extra flour when making bread or any type of dough to adjust. Thank you!
Gus says
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Dannii says
I love empanadas, but I have never had mushroom ones before. These look delicious.
Gus says
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Julia says
Loved how these mushroom empanadas looked but we loved even more how they tasted. These were really wonderful. They fit so well into lunch boxes for work day lunches too. Brilliant recipe. Thank you.
Holly says
These mushroom empanadas are so easy to make and absolutely delicious with homemade chimichurri sauce! Great recipe!
Emily says
These mushroom empanadas are so tasty and versatile. I can't wait to make these for my next party!
Kayla DiMaggio says
Yum! I love empanadas so much! I loved how the mushroom filing was hearty and delicious!
Choclette says
Love your empanada recipes. This one looks ace as I'm a big fan of mushrooms. Thanks for the detailed instructions.
Anaiah says
Yum! Loving these mushroom empanadas. They're so flavorful and delicious!
Elle says
What a great picnic, bbq, lunchbox, party idea! It really is a recipe that can be used for any day and occasion and I can't wait to try it out soon!
Mahy says
Let's get the party started! 🙂 Fantastic recipe to keep handy for when your friends come over 😉
Dionne says
I order one every time I go out for a coffee. Time to make a big batch of them at home! 😉
Gus says
That's a nice one! I am sure you won't regret about the batch!
Wajeeha Nadeem says
These empanadas would make for a perfect school lunch! Bookmarked for when school starts next week. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Gus says
that's true! They are great for meal prepping!
Jeannette says
This is the perfect roadtrip snack and just fantastic for lunchboxes! They're a fun family dish to make and such a treat with shredded mozzarella.
Gus says
you are right! I forgot to mention; we use them quite commonly as an easy pre-made road trip meal!