Cajeta (Caramel) Empanadas

This Mexican Cajeta Empanadas recipe, or empanadas de cajeta in Spanish, is easy to make and simply the best recipe out there!

Made with a soft dough that is coated with cinnamon and sugar and stuffed with sweet dulce de leche, or caramel, these dessert empanadas are wonderfully tasty and satisfying! 

So far all my recipes for empanadas, like Vegetarian Empanadas, Chicken Empanadas, and Potato and Chorizo Empanadas, have all been savory.

However, this is an easy sweet empanada recipe, stuffed with dulce de leche, and wrapped in a bundle of spiced flaky goodness baked to perfection.

Making empanadas has never been easier. Rolled in cinnamon sugar for extra sweetness, you will not be able to get enough of this creamy dessert recipe.  It is one of our favorite Mexican desserts.

Jump to:

• What Is Cajeta?
• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Why This Recipe Works
• What You’ll Need To Make Cajeta Empanadas
• Equipment
• Ingredients For Empandas De Cajeta
• Ingredients For Shortcut Cajeta Empanadas
• Ingredients For Made From Scratch Cajeta Empanadas
• How to Make This Cajeta Empanadas Recipe
• Variations
• What to Serve with These Empanadas
• Pro Recipe Tips
• What are empanadas traditionally filled with? 
• Should I bake or fry empanadas? 
• Why do my empanadas explode? 
• More Recipes You Will Love
• Cajeta (Caramel) Empanadas Recipe

What Is Cajeta?

Homemade cajeta is a sweet caramel sauce, also known as dulce de leche, but tastes much sweeter than the premade stuff found at the store. I highly recommend making your own cajeta for this Mexican empanada recipe– you won’t regret it! 

Ready in about 30 minutes or a little less, you can serve these baked treats or even authentic-style arroz con leche whenever you want to serve yourself or loved ones a tasty dessert after your favorite Tex-Mex recipes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easy. After you’ve made the cajeta recipe, which can be made beforehand, the simple empanadas quickly come together! Use your own homemade empanada dough or use store-bought pie crust to save on time. 

Incredibly Sweet. The combination of the cinnamon sugar coating and the mouthwatering caramel center is simply magnificent! These desserts are great for whenever you have a sweet tooth.

Traditional. Empanadas are staples in Mexican cultures and are a great way to try your hand at an authentic and global recipe. 

Versatile. Enjoy empanadas stuffed with sweet or savory ingredients such as Green Chile Chicken with Mexican Cheese. 

Why This Recipe Works

The empanada dough turns to a perfect golden brown color that allows these treats to be perfectly crispy but soft in the center. 

Homemade cajeta is used for extra authentic flavors that make these empanadas truly stand out from other caramel-based recipes. 

The dough is rolled in a sweet cinnamon sugar coating that gives these empanadas notes that are rich and warm. You will love the aromas this recipe gives off as it bakes in the oven. 

Serve these small hand pies as appetizers or for the dessert table during the holidays. 

What You’ll Need To Make Cajeta Empanadas

Equipment

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• Food Processor – If you make the empanada dough from scratch, then the food processor will make the process much easier.
• Rolling Pin
• Cutting Board
• 6-inch Round Cutter
• Empanada Press
• Bowls

Ingredients For Empandas De Cajeta

Below I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions in case you don’t have a specific ingredient on hand. However, if you are looking for the specific measurements of each ingredient, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.

Ingredients For Shortcut Cajeta Empanadas

• Empanada Dough – For a shortcut, you can use refrigerated pie crust dough or crescent roll dough if you don’t want to make the dough from scratch. However, if you want to make the dough from scratch, then follow this recipe for empanada dough within my Potato and Chorizo Empanadas recipe.
• Cajeta – This is Mexican Caramel. If you can find it, use it. If not, you can use store-bought dulce de leche or regular caramel syrup or topping.
• Cinnamon – Combine with sugar to make the cinnamon sugar coating on the outside of the empanadas.
• Sugar – Combine with the cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar coating on the outside of the empanada dough.

Ingredients For Made From Scratch Cajeta Empanadas

Cajeta Ingredients

• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Water

Empanada Dough Ingredients

• Cold Butter – It is very important that you start with very cold butter.
• Flour – I use all-purpose flour.
• Eggs
• Water
• Vinegar

How to Make This Cajeta Empanadas Recipe

Shortcut Version

1. Roll out the empanada dough and cut large circles with a large circle cutter or flip a bowl over and cut around it.

• Place a large spoon of cajeta in the middle of the dough. 

• Fold the dough over and press firmly to close.  Crimp the edges very well.  This is super important to do it well or while it is baking, the cajeta will melt all over the pan.

• Mix the cinnamon and sugar together.

• Roll each empanada gently pressing to coat both sides.  
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• Place the empanadas on the cookie sheet and put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 375°.  Place the pan in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  The empanadas will be a light brown on both sides when done.
• If the cajeta melts out, no worries, just open a bit and add some more before serving.

Make The Cajeta From Scratch

• First, prepare the cajeta if you are making it from scratch. You can make the cajeta a few days before making the empanadas. if you want to break it into two steps. 
• Boil a large pot of water over medium heat on the stove.
• Remove the paper wrapper from around a can of sweetened condensed milk and place the can in the pot of water making sure it is fully submerged. 
• Allow the can of sweetened condensed milk to simmer in the water and cook it for three hours. Make sure there is enough water covering the can at all times. Once the cajeta has finished cooking, then remove it from the water and allow the can to cool.

Make The Empanada Dough From Scratch

• If you decide to make the empanada dough from scratch instead of using one of the store-bought options, make the empanada dough by following the instructions for making From-Scratch Empanada Dough included in my Potato and Chorizo Empanadas post.

Make The Empanadas Using the Shortcut Version Above.

1. Now that you have the dough and the cajeta made, you can follow the instructions above under the Shortcut Version.

Variations

These empanadas are fully versatile and so easy to customize with your own favorite fillings. 

• Fruit: Instead of cajeta, use your favorite fruit preserves or fruit spread. 
• Chocolate: Feel free to add some melted chocolate to the centers of these empanadas for extra indulgence. 
• Gluten-Free: For a gluten-free recipe, use gluten-free pie crust or make your own with 1:1 gluten-free flour. 
• Savory: Use savory meats, spices, potatoes, and cheeses for the centers of these baked goods. 

What to Serve with These Empanadas

Serve this recipe after your favorite main courses or with other tasty finger foods. I like to make these dessert empanadas to pair with ice cream, whipped cream, or more cinnamon! 

Pro Recipe Tips

• Be sure to use parchment paper for the cookie sheet or the cajeta will make a very big sticky mess! 
• If you do not crimp the edges well, the filling will leak out. Not good! 
• Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days. You can store them at room temperature for a few days before transferring to the refrigerator. 

What are empanadas traditionally filled with? 

Traditionally, empanadas are paired with savory proteins such as fish or chicken or stuffed with a variety of spices, vegetables, and cheeses. 

Should I bake or fry empanadas? 

That is up to you! I like to bake the empanadas because they don’t get too crispy. If you want extra crisp and crunch, then you will want to deep fry them. 

Why do my empanadas explode? 

If your empanadas exploded in the oven, then that could mean that you stuffed them with too much filling! Be careful not to overstuff the empanadas. 

More Recipes You Will Love

• Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Bombs
• Caramel Brittle Popcorn Snack Mix
• Chocolate Chip Caramel Crumb Bars

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