Easy Pumpkin Empanadas with pie crust are sweetened with date paste, dairy free and can be on your dessert table in under 30 minutes. Perfect hand pies for autumn. Learn our hacks for sealing empanadas and recipe shortcuts. (Video and step by step included).
Spiced Pumpkin and Date Empanadas (hand pies) are like taking a bite of autumn without all the guilt. Delicately sweetened with date paste and baked instead of fried. Delicate flaky pie dough followed by a creamy spiced pumpkin bite that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
It’s Officially Pumpkin Everything Now!
We have been busy baking our Healthy Pumpkin Muffins and Easy Pumpkin Empanadas. It’s this special time of the year that is cool enough to actually turn on the oven. We crave nourishing and warming spices and enjoy all that the fall harvest has to offer. A delicious bowl of comforting Roasted Chestnut Pumpkin Risotto is like getting a warm hug from your mom.
If you are getting ready to carve your pumpkin, do not throw out your seeds. The boys love Roasted Cajun Pumpkin Seeds even more than candy on Halloween. If you want a grab and go snack for work or school lunches be sure to try our Easy Roasted Pepitas.
Why You Are Going to Love Easy Pumpkin Empanadas
The first bite is like taking a bite into autumn as it has a of the flavors that remind you of the change of seasons. First the buttery, flaky and delicate crust is the first to hit your palate followed by the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, mace and nutmeg which is a perfect complement to the slightly sweet and spiced pumpkin.
The dates add another dimension of flavor and give this dessert a delicate natural sweetness. Delicious either hot out of the oven or at room temperature. You can pick up a spiced pumpkin and date empanadas with one hand and have a Warmed Spiced Apple Cider (or something a little stronger for the adults) in the other. If you want to try a Spanish savory version of an empanada be sure to try our Beef Empanadas with our Spicy 5 Minute Chimichurri Sauce.
Portable Convenient Thanksgiving Hand Pies
These delicious mini pumpkin pies are not just for Thanksgiving but for any autumn or winter delicious treat. After all, you can be serving these little date sweetened desserts hot out of the oven in under 30 minutes flat. You got to love that!
The best part about these delicious dessert empanadas is their portability. All you need is one empty hand and you are good to go. If your family gatherings are anything like ours, there is not even a table large enough to sit everyone down for a proper pumpkin pie with messy whipped topping. Whether you are sitting, standing or walking, everyone can enjoy a delicious bite of a portable pumpkin spice hand pie. They are also fantastic as a dessert to pass.
Difference between Traditional Pumpkin Pie and a Pumpkin Empanada?
Unlike baking a whole pumpkin pie that can take up to an hour to bake, our Easy Pumpkin Empanadas only take about 18 minutes to bake. Traditional whole pumpkin pies are made with a ton of sugar and lots of dairy.
Little hand pies can help with portion control. In addition, no plates to wash. We used NO REFINED sugar in our little mini pumpkin pies, but instead replaced it with natural date paste and a little honey. Dairy is not our friend. Instead, we used just a little non-dairy almond milk in the pumpkin mix.
So, there you have it! The main difference between a traditional pumpkin pie and a pumpkin empanada is that the hand pies are a heck of lot easier to make and a little healthier too.
Time Saving Empanada Hacks
- Use refrigerator pie dough in a box. They have 2 pie crusts and are usually around 14 oz (396 grams) for a box. If you need a gluten free pie crust, be sure to try Fearless Dining’s Gluten Free Pie Crust Recipe. Please note that a gluten-free crust is more finicky than a regular crust to work with so be patients and roll between 2 sheets of waxed paper.
- Assemble your pumpkin hand pies in advance and freeze them before baking. Then, on the day that your guests arrive, you can bake them for about 25- 28 minutes straight from the freezer to the oven. They need a little extra time in the oven, if frozen.
- Buy and use pre-made pumpkin pie spice blend at the grocery store. (We have included a recipe if you choose to make your own below).
- Purchase date paste or make in advance at home and store in the refrigerator for all of your baking needs.
How to Make Homemade Date Paste
- Boil water enough to cover the dates
- Let dates set in hot water for about 15 minutes or just until softened.
- Drain water from dates but reserve the water to help thin out the paste. (
- Place dates in food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Date paste can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for about 1 month. Date paste can last up to 6 months in the freezer in a freezer safe container or baggies.
- Consider making 2 cups worth so you can have extra on hand to add to your oatmeal and other baked treats.
How to Make Pumpkin Empanadas
- Mix plain pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice mix, salt, almond milk, honey and date paste until well incorporated.
- Roll out your pre-made refrigerator pie crusts a little thinner.
- Find a round bowl or large cup as your stencil and cut into circles. The size bowl we used was 5.5 inches (14 cm). You want your round stencil it to be big enough for your pie to fit in one hand but not so small that it is difficult to stuff and seal.
- Use your bowl or cup as a stencil and cut with a butter knife around.
- Egg wash the ends of the round circles to help seal the Easy Pumpkin Empanadas with Pie Crusts.
- Place about 1-2 tablespoons of date sweetened pumpkin pie filling over ½ of the pie crust. Keep at least 1 inch away from the sides. Do not overfill as it will be VERY difficult to close and seal the hand pie. The amount of pie filling needed for each depends on how big of a bowl stencil you used.
- Fold the empanada in half and press down with your fingers to seal around the edges.
- Next, either use your fork to crimp the edges and seal or use a fold over technique as shown in the video below.
- Use a fork to place a couple of holes in the top of the crust so the steam has some place to escape during the baking process.
- Brush the tops with a little egg wash and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
- If you like you can eat plain on the go or with a little Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream on top.
Healthish Empanadas
Traditionally, empanadas are fried. Do you like fried foods or dealing with the aftermath in the kitchen? We thought not. Instead, we opted to bake to save on fat and calories and clean up was a snap.
Our Spiced Pumpkin filling is made without any refined sugar. Instead, we used natural date paste and a little raw honey to delicately sweeten the pumpkin. Refined sugars, like granulated sugars and brown sugars, can cause your glucose levels to spike and then crash. Dates are less likely to cause a spike in your blood glucose levels according to NIH.
In addition, dates are high in fiber, iron and most importantly are delicious. Did you know there are over 200 different types of dates? Wow! You can use whatever is convenient for you just make sure they are pitted so that it is less work for you. If you live near a Middle Eastern Market, they usually have date paste already made in packages. This is super convenient.
If you have Chinese Red dates, be sure to try our Goji Berry and Red Dates Herbal Tea or you can make jujube paste. The perfect tea to nourish your body and revitalize your blood during the change of seasons.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Assemble your pumpkin hand pies in advance and freeze them BEFORE baking. Then, on the day that your guests arrive, you can bake them for about 25- 28 minutes straight from the freezer to the oven. They need a little extra time in the oven, if frozen.
Easy Pumpkin Empanadas can be enjoyed straight out of the oven or at room temperature. They can be kept at room temperature for 2 hours. Then, they can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days. We do not recommend freezing them after they are baked as they can get soggy.
Rewarm/bake in the oven at 350 F. degrees (176 degrees C) for about 7-10 minutes. You might want to put a little piece of aluminum foil over the top to prevent over browning.
More Autumn Desserts
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins (Dairy Free and Sugar Free)
Best Orange Almond Flourless Cake
Coconut Rice Pudding with Cardamon Spiced Honey Pears
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Easy Pumpkin Empanadas
Equipment
- baking sheet
Ingredients
Pumpkin Empanadas
- 14 oz pie crust dough pre-made refrigerator pie crust dough (found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Each package usually contains 2 individually wrapped crusts.)
- ⅓ cup flour all purpose to keep dough from sticking
- 15 oz pumpkin puree plain
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
recipe below - ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup date paste (about 16 dates (113 grams) or ½ cup tightly packed dates soaked in hot water for 15 minutes then pureed with ⅛ of the water until smooth)
- 3 tbsp honey (or other sugar substitute of choice)
- 2 tbsp almond milk or dairy free creamer
or dairy or non-dairy of choice - 1 egg beaten
- 2 tbsp date sugar optional - for sugar cinnamon topping
- ½ tsp cinnamon optional - for sugar cinnamon topping
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice (skip if using store bought)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
dried ground - 2 tsp ginger
dried ground - ½ tsp cloves
dried ground - ½ tsp allspice
dried ground - ½ tsp mace
dried ground - ½ tsp nutmeg dried ground
Instructions
Make Pumpkin filling
- Pumpkin Spice: If using store bought or pre-made pumpkin pie spice, skip this step. If you want to make homemade pumpkin spice, add dried cinnamon, ginger, cloves, all spice, mace and nutmeg in a bowl. Reserve 2 teaspoons for recipe and store the remaining in a sealed container for up to one year.
- Date Paste: If using store bought or pre-made date paste, skip this step. If you want to make homemade date paste, check out our recipe. https://www.hwcmagazine.com/recipe/how-to-make-date-paste/
- Mix pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, salt, puree dates, honey and almond milk or dairy or non-dairy of choice together in a bowl until well incorporated. Set Aside
Assemble Easy Pumpkin Empanadas
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C)
- Open up refrigerated pie crusts. These come in a box in the refrigerator section of your grocery store. Generally speaking, there will be 2individually wrapped pie crust in each box. You will be using both of them. Flour your work surface and rolling pin. Gently roll pie dough crust a little thinner.
- Find a round bowl or large cup as your stencil and cut into circles. The size bowl we used was 5.5 inches (14 cm). You want your round stencil it to be big enough for your pie to fit in one hand but not so small that it is difficult to stuff and seal.
- Use your bowl or cup as a stencil and cut around the edges with a butter knife. Remove excess dough. Roll all excess dough into a ball. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until all of the pie crust dough is used. Make as many round circles as you can with the pie dough. We made 10 circles.
- Brush beaten egg around the edge of the round pie crust dough circles. The egg will help seal the Easy Pumpkin Empanadas.
- Place about 1-2 tablespoons of date sweetened pumpkin pie filling over ½ of the pie crust. Keep at least 1 inch away from the sides. Do not overfill as it will be VERY difficult to close and seal the hand pie. The amount of pie filling needed for each depends on how big of a bowl stencil you used.
- Fold the empanada in half and press down with your fingers to seal around the edges.
- Next, either use your fork to crimp the edges and seal or use a fold over technique as shown in the video below.
- Use a fork to place a couple of holes in the top of the crust so the steam has some place to escape during the baking process.
- Brush the tops with a little egg wash and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
- OPTIONAL: Mix date sugar (or alternative sweetener and cinnamon in a little bowl) Sprinkle pumpkin empanadas with a little date sugar and cinnamon, if desired.
- Enjoy! Can be served hot out of the oven or room temperature
What a fabulous idea! Perfect for any time and I love trying my had at date paste. Seems the perfect thing to do because I have a bunch of dried up dates in the pantry! Love these!
Thanks so much. The date paste not only sweetens the pies but it also adds another flavor dimension. We love baking with dates.
I'm sorted for the dessert snacks for my guests. Great recipe. Love the autumnal flavours of pumpkin going in these. Thank you!
Thank you Hasin! These little hand pies go fast so make sure you make extra. Stay well and take care
This is a must try recipe that I know my husband would really enjoy. I can bake up a couple for the two of us and freeze the others.
Thanks Karen, That sounds like a great idea. They freeze well. We would suggest freezing them before baking them and then bake for a couple extra minutes because they are frozen. Take Care
Love that you sweetened these with dates! I love empanadas in general, but never thought to fill them with pumpkin. This recipe is fantastic!
Thanks so much Lauren! Empanadas whether savory or sweet are a huge hit in our house. The boys are more likely to help themselves when they are in a compact convenient hand pie compared to a whole pumpkin pie they need to slice into. Hope you give it a try. Take Care
Love the addition of the date paste to the pumpkin filling along with the other ingredients. Also love the fact that you also use ready-made crust. I never could make a good crust, so those are so much better. These would make a nice breakfast for Bobby and me. We're always looking for new ideas. Thanks.
Thank you MJ. You know what these would make a great breakfast on the go. Glad you thought of that! Store bough pie crust is a great time saver and super convenient.
Date sweetened is my call! Definitely loved these empanadas Bam! we have something similar in Indian cuisine which is made with lentils, jaggery and dry coconut. But with spiced pumpkin, yours is truly inviting to try!
Hi there Hasin! Thanks so much. I bet you have this Indian Version of a sweet dessert with coconut on your site. Would love to give your version a try soon.
Date and Pumpkin filling is so satisfying 🙂 We have a similar recipe which usually during our Indian festivals 🙂
Thank you Priya, We Will have to check out your recipe that correlates with the festival.
I love empanadas but never had tried something like this, certainly interesting and looks so delicious, will def make this someday
Thank you Raymund! It's a fun sweet twist on the savory empanada. Hope you give it a try soon.
Yes, I love sweet empanadas. In India call it "Gujiya" and stuff with dry fruits and nuts. Your version here sounds absolutely amazing, like a pumpkin pie only in a hand pie form. Yum!
Thank you Balvinder. Stuffing it with nuts and dried fruit sounds lovely. Might have to try adding pecans next time. Take care
These empanadas look incredible! Never crossed my mind to use a sweet filling for empanadas -- yum!
Thanks so much Michelle. We love the traditional Argentinean Beef Empanadas as well but really like having a fun sweet pie on the go. Trust us, they go fast. They were set in the counter and went back 20 minutes later and only 1 was remaining on the plate. We must have gremlins. LOL
Great fall recipe, like the way you have used dates paste for sweetness. Empanadas looks perfectly baked. Soo many useful tips and step by step pictures. I should say I just love your blog.
Thanks so much Aarthi. So glad you enjoyed our pumpkin empanadas. We are delighted to hear that the step by steps are helpful. Wishing you a super week ahead. Take Care
I can’t believe it’s that time of the year already. Your empanadas look good.
I know, crazy right. Yesterday we were wearing shorts and flip flops and today long pants and a sweater. Perfect weather for a pumpkin empanada. Hope you are staying safe in California. Sending some positive vibes your way.
Wow, these are gorgeous!!! I love having my own "pie," and the filling sounds amazing. A bit healthier than a slab o pumpkin pie with a big dollop of whipped cream....but just as satisfying!
Thank you Liz. I can tell you have boys in your house. The reason being is even things in your own plate might not be safe for hungry boys. However, if they have to fight it out of your hand that is a whole different matter. LOL Take care
Bobbi - as you know hand pies are mother's milk to me ! Reading the recipe a crazy thought came to mind . . . make these a tad less sweet and use them as a side with a contrasting small-leaved salad as a companion for some grilled kangaroo or spiced pork sausages . . . methinks the tastes would work for me and I'll try . . .
Thank you Eha. That is a great idea. Maybe convert them to a savory pie instead and add some ground cooked sausage right inside the empanada. Then, you have the natural sweetness of the pumpkin and the savory of the sausage. I would love that. Wishing you a super week ahead.
Oh my god these look amazing!!! I’m a pumpkin freak, and this is a fabulous recipe. When we went to central and South America, i ate empanadas till they oozed out my ears, each one better than the next. But I think these win the prize!
Thanks so much Mimi! The weather just overnight has really cooled down and that makes us crave those pumpkin warming spices too! Empanadas, whether they are savory or sweet are always a real crowd pleaser. Wishing you a super week ahead.
Look so good. I bet these can be filled with all sorts of things. I think apples or pears next time.
You bet Kevin! These little hand pies can be filled with anything you usually stuff in a baked pie. Might have those recipes for you soon. Take Care