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Empanaditas de Yuca (Cassava Empanadas): A Taste of the Dominican Republic

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Try your hand at making these delicious gluten free empanadas known as catibías or empanaditas de yuca (cassava empanadas), a popular street food in the Dominican Republic. The dough for these little hand pies is easy to work with and fries up to be wonderfully crispy and chewy at the same time, surrounding a savoury ground beef filling. A tasty snack!

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gluten free empanadas tumbling out of a wooden bowl onto the table

This month for our Eat the World recipe challenge, we are headed off to the the warm islands of the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic, to be specific. It's the second largest country in the Caribbean and encompasses a diverse culture. It boasts over 250 miles of the world's best beaches, is steeped in history, and a has a stunning geography including mountains, caves, waterfalls, and jungle. It's also one of the tropical places to go to experience a rich and varied gastronomy. The freshest of seafoods and a dazzling variety of fresh tropical fruits are the hallmarks of Dominican cuisine. Street food has a lively place in the hearts (and bellies) of Dominicans, with a plethora or fried and filling snacks available.

A favourite are these little hand pies, catibías, also known as empanaditas de yuca (cassava empanadas). These naturally gluten free empanadas are comprised of a dough made of cassava flour, stuffed with a savoury meat, chicken, or seafood filling and deep fried. So good. And surprisingly easy to make at home.

What is Cassava Flour?

Cassava flour is the dried and finely ground flesh of the tubular root of the yuca/yucca/cassava/manioc plant. It is the whole root, so it contains all the vitamins, minerals, and fiber of this plant common to South America, Asia and Africa. Cassava flour is gluten free, nut free, grain free, and also paleo, vegetarian, and vegan. It is a great substitute for wheat flour, and is used to make many dishes and baked goods in the countries where it is grown. Cassava flour is not to be confused with tapioca flour/starch. They both come from the same plant, but whereas cassava flour is the ground whole root, tapioca flour has been further refined and is the pure starch of the root extracted from the rest of it, so it contains no fiber or nutrients. Cassava flour is creamy in colour and has a heavier texture, whereas tapioca starch is pure white and very light and fluffy. Tapioca starch is commonly used as a thickener or mixed with other gluten free flours to provide a stretchy texture to baked goods.

You can find cassava flour in health food stores, online, or in the natural section of some supermarkets. It is a fantastic flour to use for gluten free baking or in diverse international dishes such as these delicious gluten free cassava empanadas from the Dominican. I've adapted the recipe from Cativías.

cassava empanadas on the table, and one cut open to see the inside

Empanaditas de Yuca

Oh my, what deliciousness. Yes, they are fried, and that is what makes them such a treat (because fried = flavour). And you won't be eating them every day, will you? So every now and then, it's fun to eat something just a little different than you'd normally have. And because you make these gluten free empanadas yourself, you can control what's in them. If you shallow fry them in about 1 inch of oil, you don't have to deal with vast quantities of bubbling oil - just cook them in a small pot and only  fry 3 or 4 of them at a time.

Meat or seafood fillings are traditional (conch is a popular seafood filling), or you can even put a few cubes of cheese inside of the dough pockets and make plain cheese empanadas. Make the filling ahead so you can fry up the empanaditas quickly. The cassava flour dough is easy to make and fun and pliable to roll. If you have leftover filling, you can either make another half-batch of the empanada dough and freeze some empanadas for future treats, or use the leftover filling to fill tacos, quesadillas, or add it to scrambled eggs, nachos, fried potatoes, or make sandwiches with it.

cassava empanadas in a wooden bowl and on a plate

 

Easy Steps for Making Gluten Free Empanadas from Cassava Flour

First, cook up the ground beef filling in a skillet and let it cool (this can even be done the day before).

Stir together the cassava flour, a bit of salt and oil, and enough boiling water to make a nice pliable dough (kinda like playdough).

Divide it into 16 equal pieces, and roll each into a ball. Then roll out each ball into a circle, and plop on a spoonful of the cooled meat filling.

rolling out the gluten free empanada dough and plopping a spoonful of meat filling in the middle

Run a finger dipped in water around the outside edge of the dough circle to moisten it. Then fold the dough over the filling to make a half-moon shaped empanada.

wetting the edge of the dough, then folding it over the filling to make an empanada

Press the two edges of dough together firmly to glue them together, then crimp them with a fork for a further bit of insurance that they are completely sealed.
pressing the edges of the empanada together, then crimping them with a forkTrim off any ragged edges of the dough, and your gluten free empanadas are ready to fry. Heat about 1-inch of oil in a pot, and slip in 2 or 3 empanadas at a time to fry until they are crisp and golden.

trimming off the excess dough from the empanadas, then frying them in hot oil

Drain the hot empanadas on paper towels, and enjoy immediately!

white platter with 5 gluten free empanadas on it in a row

If you can't make it on a tropical holiday right now, at least you can indulge in a little Dominican street food. Make yourself a tropical drink, put on some island music, and invite over a few friends for a beach party.

* * * * *

Check out all the wonderful Dominican Republic dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Sneha’s Recipe: Locrio de Pollo (Dominican Chicken and Rice)
Palatable Pastime: Spicy Plantains
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Taco Shepherd’s Pie (Pastelón de Papa)
Kitchen Frau: Empanaditas de Yuca (Gluten Free Cassava Empanadas)
Pandemonium Noshery: Habichuelas Guisadas
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Pastelón de Harina de Maíz
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Chimi Burger

Guten Appetit!

* * * * *

cassava empanadas on the table, and one cut open to see the inside

Empanaditas de Yuca (Cassava Empanadas)

Margaret Bose Johnson
The most delicious gluten free empanadas are these catibías/empanaditas de yuca (cassava empanadas), a popular street food in the Dominican Republic. The dough for these little hand pies is easy to work with and fries up to be wonderfully crispy and chewy at the same time, surrounding a savoury ground beef filling. A tasty snack!
 
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Save to Pinterest
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Pie, Snack
Cuisine Caribbean, Dominican
Servings 16 empanadas

Ingredients
 

Filling

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I like avocado oil)
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
  • 1 lb (454gms) lean ground beef
  • 1 sweet bell pepper, any colour finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped manzanilla olives (stuffed green Spanish olives)
  • 1 tablespoon juice from the olive jar
  • 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup (240ml) tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro optional

Empanada Dough

Instructions
 

Make the Filling First

  • Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent (3-4 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
  • Add the ground beef and cook until completely browned and the liquid has evaporated, stirring and breaking up any chunks as the meat cooks.
  • Add the bell pepper, olives, olive juice, salt, and pepper. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat mixture is fairly dry.
  • Stir in the cilantro, if using, and leave the filling to cool completely.

Then Make the Empanada Dough

  • Combine the cassava flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon of oil in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Pour 2 cups (480ml) boiling water into a 2-cup measuring cup. Add about ½ cup (120ml) of the water at a time to the flour, mixing well after each addition, until you have a crumbly, slightly dry dough. This should only take about 1½ cups (360ml) of the water, but you may need a bit more, depending on how absorbent your cassava flour is. The dough will be quite hot. After you've added the 1½ cups of water, see if you can squeeze and knead the dough into a ball. If it's still too crumbly, add a bit more water at a time until you can form a ball.
  • Knead the dough into a smooth ball (it should be like playdough), then roll it into a thick log, 8-9 inches long (20-23cm). Cut the log in half and work with one half at a time, keeping the unused dough covered with plastic food wrap or a damp towel.
  • Cut the log half into 8 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others also under the wrap. Roll each dough piece into a ball, then use a rolling pin (or empty bottle) or a tortilla press, roll out the ball into a 4½-inch circle (11-12cm). If the dough sticks to the work surface or rolling pin, dust it lightly with cassava flour.
  • Wet the edge of the circle all the way around using a finger dipped in water.
  • Place a heaped tablespoon of the filling onto one half of the dough circle. Fold over the other half of dough and press the edges firmly together to form a half-moon shaped empanada, pressing out any air before completely sealing it.
  • Press the tines of a fork over the sealed lip of dough around the curved side of the empanada. Trim off a thin strip of dough all around the crimped edge to make a neat border.
  • Repeat the procedure with the rest of the dough pieces, and then the 8 pieces from the other half of the log, to make 16 empanadas.
  • Heat 1-inch (2.5cm) of oil in a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pot (large enough to hold 3 or 4 empanadas without crowding). The oil is hot enough when it reaches 365°F (185°C) on a thermometer, or when you stick the dry handle of a wooden spoon into the oil and after a few seconds it starts to make lots of small bubbles around the handle. (If it doesn't bubble, it's not hot enough yet.)
  • Add 3 or 4 empanadas to the hot oil - they should be able to float without touching each other. Fry for about 3 minutes, then flip them over and fry the other side for 3 minutes, or until they turn light golden at the crimped edges. Empanadas made with cassava flour are done when light golden (they don't darken as much as flour empanadas).
  • Remove the fried empanadas to a plate covered with several layers of paper towel to drain for a few minutes.
  • Serve hot.

Notes

This recipe makes 16 empanadas. They are best eaten immediately while hot. If you need to reheat them, do so in a microwave. They won't be as crispy, but will still be delicious. If you reheat them in the oven, the cassava flour crust can become dry and harden somewhat.
Cassava empanadas freeze very well. Lay the uncooked empanadas in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then put the frozen empanadas into a ziptop bag or sealed container and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost and fry as per the recipe, or fry them from frozen (cooking them for 1 minute longer on each side).
You can re-use your frying oil several times, as long as it hasn't burnt. Allow it to cool, then strain it through a coffee filter or several layers of cheesecloth.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Wendy Klik

    I love empanadas and happy to have a gluten free version that I can make. Thanks.

    Reply

    • Margaret

      You're welcome 🙂 I am so pleased with how beautifully the dough turned out on these empanadas - it's crispy and chewy at the same time, and so easy to work with, too.

      Reply

  2. Sneha Datar

    Love this gluten free version of empanadas, they looks so tempting!

    Reply

    • Margaret

      Thank you so much - they really are tasty (and easy to make).

      Reply

  3. Jazmin

    5 stars
    Gracias. I am Dominican and I love cativias. Every time I make them with frozen grated yuca, I end up working on the dough for hours. It never comes out easy, but these babies were perfect from the first batch. Thank you so much for sharing this alternative!

    Reply

    • Margaret

      That is awesome - I'm so happy to hear it! Yes, I've been experimenting a lot with cassava flour and I love how beautifully it performs in many recipes.
      Thanks for your feedback. Wishing you lots of kitchen fun!

      Reply

  4. Priscilla McConnell

    5 stars
    This was so good! My whole family gobbled them up. Thank you so much!

    Reply

    • Margaret

      I'm SO glad to hear that! You're very welcome. 😍 They seem to magically disappear around here, too, whenever I make them 😉.

      Reply

  5. Gina Fiedel

    5 stars
    I'm excited to find this recipe because I bake with cassava flour exclusively. I have a question, though. How would I bake these instead of frying? Thanks!
    Gina
    fiedel@fateyes.com

    Reply

    • Margaret

      I tried baking masa corn flour empanadas - brushed them lightly with oil and baked them, but they didn't work (the dough fell apart and kind of melted when baking). I haven't tried baking these cassava ones, so I'm not sure how they'd work. I don't know if cassava flour would act the same way. You could try just baking one or two of them first, and if they don't work, then you could still fry the rest of the batch.

      Reply

  6. Raquel

    5 stars
    These were super good. I ran just a touch short on cassava flour (less than 1/4 cup), so added some tigernut flour. They were great. I fried mine in a combo of avocado oil and beef tallow just cause I didn't have enough of either one. My husband, who is often skeptical of my gluten free dinners said these were really good! Now I need to figure out a dipping sauce for them 😊

    Reply

    • Margaret

      Thanks so much for the feedback. The tigernut flour probably added a nice subtle flavour.
      Happy cooking!

      Reply
5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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