These mojo pork empanadas have been a favorite in my kitchen since my boys were toddlers. They’re teenagers now, and they still request these constantly. Trust me, this is a miracle since I have one kid who is a very picky, “beige” eater, if you know what I mean.
We used to hit up La Isla in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood a few times a month for their amazing empanadillas and half-price mojitos during happy hour. The boys would inhale a plate of empanadas while I enjoyed a mojito. We all got fed and were home for bedtime.
Sadly, La Isla burned down a few years ago, so I’m glad I’ve gotten pretty good at making these at home.
What Makes Mojo Pork So Good
Mojo sauce is ridiculously easy to throw together. You mix the marinade ingredients, let your pork sit in the fridge overnight, and then either slow-roast it or toss it in your Instant Pot the next day.
When you start to sample that sauce, you will notice that the citrus hits you first (orange and lime), then you get an almost-sweet tang from the garlic as it cooks down.
I grew up eating Puerto Rican food in Philadelphia, and I craved these flavors hard when I was pregnant with both of my boys. Maybe that’s why they love it so much now. I also ate a lot of watermelon and they love that too. I think I’m onto something.
While traditional pernil (Puerto Rican roast pork) is incredible, I haven’t had the energy to tackle that beast in years. Mojo pork gives you similar flavors with less effort.
If you’re new to Latin American cooking, this is a solid starting point. Don’t stress about making it perfect. Even messy empanadas taste amazing, especially when you’re eating them with a cold mojito on a summer afternoon.
Oh, and you can freeze these, and they microwave great when the kids want a snack.
What Are Empanadas?
The word “empanada” comes from “empanar” in Spanish, which means to wrap in bread. You’re making a little dough pocket for your filling.
Those crimped edges (or the fork-pressed version) keep all the juicy filling contained so you can eat these with your hands without making a huge mess, or at least that’s what I tell my kids.
As long as your filling isn’t bone dry, empanadas work with or without extra sauce.
More empanada recipes you might like:
Freezing Empanadas
These freeze great, which is honestly one of my favorite things about this recipe. Make a huge batch, let them cool completely, then pop them in the freezer.
You can freeze them raw (unbaked) if you want. Some people swear this gives you crispier dough. My family devours them too fast for me to notice a difference.
You can also roll out all your empanada discs, stack them between parchment paper, and freeze just the dough. When you’re ready to use them, defrost completely or they’ll crack when you try to fill them.
How to Make Pork Empanadas
This recipe has several steps, but none of them are difficult. The first time I made empanadas, they were a little rough around the edges but still delicious.
A few things I’ve learned over the years: don’t overstuff your empanadas until you get good at crimping. Trust me on this I’ve had more than one unravel in the oven, and while still tasty, it’s a mess I don’t like cleaning up.
Get yourself a good tortilla press. Rolling out individual dough balls by hand is brutal on your wrists. I finally bought one after suffering through it a few times, and it sped things along and saved me from extra carpal tunnel.
Let your kids help if you have them. This is a good family project, and they’re way more likely to eat something they helped make.
What You’ll Need
For the empanada dough, check out my full baked empanada dough recipe. It walks through everything step by step. You can also use store-bought empanada wrappers to save time, but personally, nothing beats homemade empanada dough.
You’ll need a food processor (or a mini processor) for both the mojo sauce and the sofrito. And grab some baking sheets and a pastry brush for assembly.
What to Serve With These
I keep sides super simple. Cuban-style black beans, rice, or just a fresh salad on the side works perfectly.
For dessert, make our key lime ice cream. It’s a good way to end the meal.
Why This Recipe Works
The citrus from the mojo keeps the pork from being heavy. The sofrito adds freshness and sneaks in some vegetables. The dough is buttery and flaky without being complicated.
I’ve been making these for over a decade now, and they never get old. They’re good for meal prep, they freeze well, and even on nights when I’m completely exhausted, I can pull a batch from the freezer and have dinner on the table in 20 minutes, with some rice and beans on the side.
If you’ve been intimidated by empanadas, start here. This recipe is forgiving, the flavors are incredible, and you’ll feel pretty accomplished when you pull a tray of golden empanadas out of the oven.
The Recipe
Mojo Sauce Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork tenderloin (pork roast or pork butt work too)
- 3 oranges, juiced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 7 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 ½ tbsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
Making the Mojo Pork
- Rinse your pork under cool water and pat it dry with paper towels. Transfer it to a container or zip-top bag.
- Make small, shallow cuts across the surface of the pork. This helps the marinade really get in there.
- Throw your orange juice, lime juice, garlic, onion, cumin, salt, and pepper into a food processor (or use a mini processor if that’s what you have). Blend until smooth.
- Pour the mojo sauce over your pork and let it marinate overnight in the fridge. The longer, the better.
- Cook it low and slow in a slow cooker for 6 hours, or use your Instant Pot for about 20 minutes on high pressure.
- Once the pork is fall-apart tender, shred it with two forks. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and let it reduce by about half over medium-high heat. You’ll mix some of this back into the pork later.
You can also try our slow cooker carnitas in empanadas.
Making the Sofrito
My sofrito is not traditional. I know Puerto Rican grandmas are probably shaking their heads at me. But it’s quick, it tastes good, and my kids will actually eat it because the vegetables are chopped fine enough that they don’t notice them.
Sofrito Ingredients
- 1 orange or red bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ tsp salt and pepper
Sofrito Instructions
Toss everything into your food processor and pulse until the pepper and cilantro are chopped up but not paste-like. You want texture.
Mix the sofrito into your shredded pork along with about ½ cup of that reduced mojo sauce. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes so all those flavors can get friendly with each other.
Assembling Your Empanadas
Once you have your empanada dough ready and your pork filling made, here’s how to put it all together.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Break your dough into even balls (about 3 tablespoons each). On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle about 5 inches across. They don’t need to be perfect circles.
If you want to make all your discs at once, separate each one with parchment paper so they don’t stick together.
Spoon the pork filling onto one half of each disc, leaving a little space around the edge. Don’t overfill.
Whisk an egg white in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush (or your finger) to brush egg white around the inside edge of the dough. This is your glue.
Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together. Either crimp the edge with your fingers or press it closed with a fork.
Whisk an egg yolk with 2 teaspoons of water to make an egg wash. Brush the tops of your empanadas with this mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Mojito Sauce (The Perfect Dipping Sauce)
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ head garlic (or 4 tsp jarred minced garlic)
- ½ white onion
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ¼ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (optional)
Blend everything in your food processor until the onions, garlic, and cilantro break down into a paste. Store it in a glass or stainless steel container in the fridge.
Mojo Pork Empanadas
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork tenderloin or pork roast/butt
- 3 oranges juiced
- 2 limes juiced
- 7 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 ½ tbsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 orange or red bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ tsp salt and pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ head garlic or 4 tsp jarred minced garlic
- ½ white onion
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro optional
- 1 egg white for sealing
- 1 egg yolk + 2 tsp water for egg wash
Instructions
- Prepare the Mojo Pork (Day 1):
- Rinse pork and pat dry. Transfer to a container or zip-top bag.
- Make shallow cuts across the pork surface.
- Combine orange juice, lime juice, garlic, onion, cumin, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Pour marinade over pork. Refrigerate overnight.
- Cook the Pork (Day 2):
- Cook pork with marinade in a slow cooker on low for 6 hours (or Instant Pot for 20 minutes on high pressure).
- Shred the cooked pork with two forks.
- Strain cooking liquid into a saucepan. Reduce by half over medium-high heat. Set aside.
- Make the Sofrito:
- Combine bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper in food processor. Pulse until chopped but not paste-like.
- Mix sofrito into shredded pork with ½ cup of the reduced mojo sauce.
- Let sit for 30 minutes to absorb flavors.
- Make the Mojito Sauce:
- Combine olive oil, garlic, onion, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, and cilantro in food processor. Blend until paste-like.
- Store in glass or stainless steel container in fridge.
- Make the Empanada Dough:
- Follow the baked empanada dough recipe for complete instructions.
- Assemble and Bake:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll dough into 5-inch circles (3 tablespoons dough per empanada).
- Place filling on one half of each circle, leaving edge space.
- Brush egg white around the inside edge.
- Fold dough over filling and press edges together. Crimp or seal with fork.
- Brush tops with egg yolk wash (1 yolk + 2 tsp water).
- Bake 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve warm with mojito sauce or chimichurri.
Notes
Notes
- Can use store-bought empanada wrappers to save time
- Freezes well (baked or unbaked)
- A tortilla press makes rolling dough much easier
- See full baked empanada dough recipe for detailed dough instructions
Recommended Products
Essential tools for making these empanadas:- Instant Pot for quick cooking
- Food Processor (full size) or mini version
- 8-inch Cast Iron Tortilla Press
- Baking Sheets
- Pastry Brush
