Crispy, golden pockets encasing a mouthful of warm, ooey-gooey melting cheese - what's not to love? These gluten-free cheese empanadas are a comfort food taste of Costa Rica. Follow the easy instructions and photos to make them yourself for an irresistible snack.

We returned a few weeks ago from a fantastic holiday in Costa Rica, a spectacularly beautiful country in Central America. Despite the unexpectedly rainy time, we were smitten with the country's diversity, stunning landscapes, amazing animals, and friendly people.


While there, we took a cooking class teaching us some tasty local dishes. Our lively chef, Angel, took us to the central market to shop for ingredients, then taught us how to make shark ceviche, picadillo, patacones, guacamole, and these delightful empanadas con queso (empanadas with cheese). I love making them at home now. They're a wonderful snack, naturally gluten-free, and great to serve as a warm appetizer or as a tasty light lunch with a salad. (For a different version of empanadas, try these Dominican meat-filled empanaditas made with cassava flour.)

What You'll Need for these Cheesy Empanadas
- instant corn masa flour (also known as masa harina/masa de maiz preparada/maseca/prepared corn flour/nixtamalized corn flour). For this flour, corn has been heated with alkali, then wet-ground into flour. The process releases the nutrients in the corn, making them more available to the body and the corn easier to digest. Masa harina is naturally gluten-free and has many health benefits, being higher in fiber, magnesium, and niacin than regular wheat flour.
- Salsa Lizano is a Costa Rican and Central American savoury sauce used in cooking and as a table condiment. Its tangy flavour adds brightness to regional dishes. If you can't find it, there are simple substitutions: Worcestershire sauce, brown sauce (like HP sauce) or steak sauce. For a gluten-free substitution, gluten-free soy sauce + balsamic vinegar provide a similar flavour profile. Or just omit the Salsa Lizano and add another tablespoon of water instead. (The Salsa Lizano was Chef Angel's tasty touch, there are other recipes for Costa Rican empanadas that don't use it.)
- mozzarella cheese - use pizza mozzarella (rather than fresh mozzarella), as it is closer to the Costa Rican Bagaces cheese and it melts well.

How to Make the Dough for Gluten-Free Cheese Empanadas
Stir together the masa flour, water, Salsa Lizano (or substitute), salt, and pepper, to make a soft dough. You'll know the dough is the right consistency when you roll some into a ball, flatten it slightly, and there are no cracks at the edges. Keep adding a bit more water, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches that stage of softness.



Now the dough is ready to form into 12 balls.

How to Press the Empanada Shells
You can press the balls of gluten-free empanada dough into flat shells in 4 ways:
- use a wooden or metal tortilla press
- press them flat with the bottom of a pot or pan
- roll the balls into flat circles between two sheets of plastic with a rolling pin
- pat the balls flat between your hands or with your fingers until they are the right size
Using a Tortilla Press
I have a big, wooden tortilla press we brought back from Mexica years ago, but a smaller, round metal tortilla press works just as well.

Or a Saucepan

Shape and Fill the Cheese Empanadas
Fill each gluten-free empanada with a couple tablespoons of shredded cheese, then press the edges together to make a tight little pocket.

Set the finished empanadas on a cookie sheet or plate lined with parchment paper and cover them with plastic wrap or a damp towel (well wrung out). You can fry them immediately, or keep them in the refrigerator for several hours and fry them just before serving them.

Fry the Empanadas
Heat about an inch (2 cm) of oil in a high-sided pot and fry those irresistible little cheese empanadas until they're golden and crispy.

Enjoy Every Warm Mouthful
Serve the empanadas immediately, while they're warm and the cheese is at its melting best.

Gluten-free cheese empanadas are great with zesty fresh tomato salsa or your favourite dipping sauce.
A Few Questions
- Can these empanadas be baked? --- Unfortunately not. I've tried brushing them with oil and baking them, but they get soft in the oven and fall apart.
- Can leftovers be reheated? ---Yes, reheat them on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes in a 350°F/180°C oven.
- Can they be frozen? --- Yes, you can freeze the fried empanadas on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, then put them into a zip-top freezer bag and keep them frozen (for up to 2 months). Reheat them on a cookie sheet from frozen in a 350°F/180°C oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Can they be filled with other things? --- Absolutely! You can mix the shredded cheese with sour cream and then fill them. You can use a spoonful of well-seasoned refried beans (we had those served to us at a farm we visited in Costa Rica). Use a meaty filling, like in these cassava empanadas. Or use any other filling of choice.
Pssst! For another deliciously cheesy appetizer, try this super-easy Mexican Queso Fundido.
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Guten Appetit!

Empanadas con Queso (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (170 g) instant corn masa flour (masa harina)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon Salsa Lizano or 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (for gluten-free, use 1 teaspoon g.f. soy sauce + 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar)
- 1 cup (240 ml) warm water, plus 1-2 tablespoons more
- 1½ cups (150 g) shredded pizza mozzarella cheese
- vegetable oil for frying, enough to be ¾-1 inch (2 cm) deep in a heavy-bottomed pot
Instructions
- Place the masa flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Add the Salsa Lizano (or alternative flavouring) plus 1 cup of the warm water and mix until all the flour is moistened (use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix the dough).
- Roll a test portion of the dough (the size of a golf ball) into a ball and flatten it to about ½-inch (1 cm). If cracks form at the edge of the patty, the dough is too dry. Add another tablespoon of water, mix well, and test it again. If it's still making small cracks, add another tablespoon of water. The dough consistency is right when no cracks appear at the edge of the flattened patty.
- Return the test patty to the rest of the dough, and roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into quarters, then each quarter into 3 even pieces, to form 12 slices. Roll each slice into a ball and cover the balls with a plastic wrap or a damp towel to keep them from drying out.
- To form the empanadas, cut apart a heavy-duty freezer bag so you have two flat pieces of plastic. Set a dough ball between the two sheets of plastic, and press it flat using a tortilla press or pressing down firmly and evenly on the ball with a flat-bottomed pot or pan. Press the dough into a flat tortilla disk about 4-4¼ inches (10 cm) in diameter.
- Peel the top layer of plastic off the tortilla/empanada shell, then invert it onto your palm and carefully peel off the bottom sheet of plastic.
- Holding the empanada shell in the palm of your hand, place about 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese in the center of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half, over the cheese, and pinch the open edges together, tucking in any stray strands of cheese so they are not caught between the pressed seam. Press the seam together gently but firmly, so it doesn't open up during frying.
- Place the empanadas onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and cover them with a damp tea towel (well wrung out) or plastic wrap. At this point, the empanadas can be fried immediately or refrigerated for several hours before frying them.
- Pour the oil into a heavy-bottomed cooking pot or dutch oven. Heat it until it reaches 350℉ (180℃) on a cooking thermometer. Carefully lower 3 or 4 empanadas, one at a time, into the hot oil. They should bubble vigorously. Fry them until they are golden-brown on both sides, flipping them over several times. This should take about 3-4 minutes in total.
- Remove the fried empanadas with a slotted spoon and let them drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Fry the rest in two more batches.
- If an empanada seam should come apart a bit and the cheese leaks out, remove that empanada, scoop out any fried bits of cheese from the oil, and continue frying the rest.
- Serve the empanadas immediately, while still warm, with more Salsa Lizano, fresh tomato salsa, or your favourite dipping sauce.
Christy
Looks yummy! Glad you had a great trip!