Easy Guava and Cheese Empanadas Recipe

Flaky, crispy empanada dough filled with sweet guava paste and melted gooey Manchego cheese. These deliciously sweet and easy to make guava and cheese empanadas are the perfect dessert or sweet party appetizer to serve with a cocktail.

Easy Guava and Cheese Empanadas
Guava and Cheese Empanadas

Guava and Cheese Empanadas

Are you a fan of a super quick dessert?

I’m a huge fan of these types of desserts. While I can cook savory food all day long, dessert I always find more complicated. That’s why I LOVE these empanadas.

Make sure to read the ingredients and tips below so you can see just how easy it is to make these guava cheese empanadas with just 4 ingredients!

There’s everything to love about these flaky, crispy empanada dough filled with sweet guava paste and melted gooey Manchego cheese.

Though not a traditional Mexican sweet dessert empanada combination, it is of Caribbean influence. In Spain this is a common pairing for tapas — super delicious pair with some white wine.

In some Caribbean countries instead of empanadas they may be called “pastelitos“.

How to Make Guava Paste and Manchego Cheese Empanadas
Guava Paste and Manchego Cheese Empanadas

What do Guava Cheese Empanadas Taste Like

The golden brown dough texture has a crispy texture and it’s a flaky pastry that crumbles slightly when biting into it.

The filling of this delicious dessert is burst of flavor combinations. There’s the sweet from the guava paste intertwined with the savory and creaminess of the Manchego cheese.

Both the guava and the cheese melt so nicely into each other and it’s truly a uniquely flavor combination that you shouldn’t miss out on.

(I also used this combination in one of my tamales in my tamales cookbook.)

How to Make Guava Empanadas
Ingredients Needed for Guava Empanadas

Ingredients You’ll Need

The ingredients for this easy dessert recipe are incredibly simple and few.

  • Empanada Dough: You can totally cut corners here. I used premade empanada disc from the frozen section in the grocery store. If you don’t live near Hispanic food marts or Mexican grocery stores, then you can use puff pastry dough, or pie dough or pie crust. Either premade or homemade if you’d like.
  • Guava Paste: If you’re a huge fan of guava then you’re going to LOVE guava paste. It’s concentrated guava flavor fits perfectly in a flaky pastry and with cheese.
  • Manchego Cheese: I love the combination of this cheese with the sweet paste. Instead you could use tangy cream cheese for a different flavor. Here in the Yucatan Peninsula cream cheese empanadas and pastries are actually quite common. (for vegan version see below)
  • Egg Wash: This is just a lightly beaten egg and it serves to make the pastry golden brown. For a vegan option check the suggestions below.
What is Membrillo or Guava Paste
Guava paste also known as membrillo or pasta de guayaba

What is Membrillo or Guava Paste

Guava paste across Latin countries can go by the name of membrillo or ate de guayaba or pasta de guayaba.

You can find it in the grocery store in the same isle fruit jams and other preserves.

Guava paste is made with fresh fruit, sugar, lime juice and water. The process involves seeding the fruit, blending it and straining it. Then simmering it with the remaining ingredients until a thick darker brown mixture is created. It’s then poured into molds and allow to set.

If you can’t find the paste you could also look for guava preserves, guava jelly or guava jam.

What is Manchego Cheese
Mexican Soft Manchego Cheese

What is Manchego Cheese

Spanish Manchego cheese is sheep milk’s cheese from the La Mancha region of Spain.

Mexican style Manchego is different in that it uses cow milk instead of sheep’s. In Mexico it has to be labeled as “Manchego style” because the Spanish variety is protected.

These cheeses are different from each other, but you can use either in this guava empanadas recipe.

How to Make Guava and Cheese Empanadas
Easy Sweet Empanadas Dessert

How to Make These Guava and Cheese Empanadas Vegan

Generally speaking most store-bought puff pastry or pie doughs are made with butter. But thankfully nowadays you can also find ones made with vegetable shortening or vegan butter.

The more popular brands of guava paste you’ll find will all usually be vegan. Just double check the label.

For the Manchego cheese you could use strips of vegan cream cheese or your favorite vegan semi firm cheese, if it melts that’s even better.

I asked on my Instagram stories what everyone recommended as a great vegan egg wash. The following is what people responded.

The most common suggestions where soy milk and water, Just Egg, soy milk followed with a sprinkle of sugar, coconut oil, water and ground flaxseed, almond milk, and aquafaba.

One follower by the name of stinely_yours suggest to look up an article by King Arthur Flour with tips for vegan egg wash. You can find it here, “How one plant-based milk became our test kitchen’s favorite “egg” wash.”

How to Make Guava and Cheese Empanadas
How to Make Guava and Cheese Empanadas

How to Make Guava and Cheese Empanadas

Amigos this is seriously a wonderful dessert that is incredibly easy to make. Instead of frying, I like a healthier option so I always either bake or air fry my empanadas.

  1. Start by heating your oven to 375F and have a baking sheet ready. If you’d like less mess to clean up you can line it with parchment paper.
  2. Lightly beat a large egg in a small bowl. Slice the guava paste into slices that are just a tad less wider than the empanada dough discs. Slice the cheese as well or if using cream cheese have it ready to go.
  3. Lay the empanada wrappers on a cutting board. Place a slice of cheese towards the bottom of half on the dough. (Or lay a strip of cream cheese instead.) Then place a slice of guava paste on top of the cheese.
  4. Grab the top side and fold dough to make half of the circle for the empanada.
  5. Press edges down and use a fork to fully seal the empanada pocket. See picture for illustration.
  6. Brush each empanada with the egg wash of your choice and place empanadas on the cookie sheet. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  7. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
How to Make cheese and guava dessert empanadas.
Sweet Dessert Empanadas Ready for Baking

How to Bake in The Air Fryer

The process is exactly the same. You can spray the empanadas with cooking spray if you’d like.

Air fry at 400F for 6 minutes then flip over and air fry another 4 to 5 minutes. This will depend on when they turn a golden brown color.

Allow to cool before serving.

How to Make Guava Paste and Manchego Cheese Empanadas

How to Serve

You can serve these delicious sweet and savory empanadas as a dessert or as a fun appetizer.

If I’m enjoying as an appetizer or snack, a nice white wine goes really well with the flavor combinations and textures.

For dessert I love a glass of coffee with my sweet empanadas.

How to Make Guava and Cheese Empanadas
Sweet and Savory Empanadas

How to Store

You can store any leftovers in an airtight container either on the countertop or in the refrigerator.

To serve warm again just place in the oven for a few minutes or in the air fryer is even better.

How to Make Guava and Cheese Empanadas
Dessert Empanadas
Easy Guava and Cheese Empanadas

Easy Guava and Cheese Empanadas Recipe

Nancy Lopez & MexicanMadeMeatless.com
These deliciously sweet and easy to make guava and cheese empanadas are the perfect dessert or sweet party appetizer to serve with a cocktail.
5 from 7 votes
Pin Recipe Leave a Review
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Mexica, mexican vegetarian
Servings 10 servings
Calories 314 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pack empanada dough discs mine had 10
  • 1 block of guava paste or membrillo de guayava
  • 10 slices of Manchego cheese or vegan cheese of choice
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten for egg wash

Instructions
 

  • Start by heating your oven to 375F and have a baking sheet ready. If you’d like less mess to clean up you can line it with parchment paper.
    Easy Guava and Cheese Empanadas
  • Lightly beat a large egg in a small bowl. Slice the guava paste into slices that are just a tad less wider than the empanada dough discs. Slice the cheese as well or if using cream cheese have it ready to go. Lay the empanada wrappers on a cutting board. Place a slice of cheese towards the bottom of half on the dough. (Or lay a strip of cream cheese instead.) Then place a slice of guava paste on top of the cheese. Grab the top side and fold dough to make half of the circle for the empanada.
    How to Make Guava and Cheese Empanadas
  • Press edges down and use a fork to fully seal the empanada pocket. See picture for illustration.
    How to Make cheese and guava dessert empanadas.
  • Brush each empanada with the egg wash of your choice and place empanadas on the cookie sheet. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
    How to Make Guava Paste and Manchego Cheese Empanadas
  • Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
    How to Make Guava and Cheese Empanadas

Notes

** PLEASE note that the calorie and nutrition information may not be accurate. Please calculate based on the package information of the ingredients.**

Nutrition

Serving: 10servingCalories: 314kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 10gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 261mgPotassium: 27mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.3gVitamin A: 178IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 305mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and tag me on social media @MexicanMadeMeatless or tag #mexicanmademeatless!
How to Make Guava Paste and Manchego Cheese Empanadas
Easy Guava Cheese Empanadas

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