Frituras

Pastelillos de Carne

Name: Pastelillos de Carne
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 15 pastelillos
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef; 1/4 cup sofrito; 1 packet sazon con culantro y achiote; 1/2 cup tomato sauce; 1/4 cup raisins; 2 tbsp alcaparrado; 15 pastelillo discs (or pie crust); 1 egg beaten for wash

Flaky golden pastry pockets — Puerto Rico's most beloved snack with savory beef, sweet raisins, and briny alcaparrado.

50 minutes Medium

By Josh Ortiz·August 2026·8 min read

Pastelillos de carne are flaky golden pastry pockets — Puerto Rico's most beloved snack. The combination of savory beef, sweet raisins, and briny alcaparrado is uniquely boricua. While empanadillas are the fried, puffy cousin, pastelillos take a different approach — they're typically baked (though frying is common too), using thinner, flakier pastry dough that shatters when you bite into it. The filling is a picadillo-style mixture of ground beef, sofrito, sazon, tomato sauce, raisins, and alcaparrado (capers and olives). That combination of sweet, savory, and briny is what makes pastelillos distinctly Puerto Rican. You'll find them at every bakery, cafeteria, and family gathering on the island, and they're just as good at room temperature as they are fresh from the oven.

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What are Pastelillos de Carne?

Pastelillos de carne are baked (or fried) pastry turnovers filled with a savory ground beef mixture. Unlike the thicker, softer empanadilla dough, pastelillo dough is thinner and flakier — more like a pie crust or puff pastry. The filling is the same picadillo base used in empanadillas, but with two key additions: raisins and alcaparrado. The raisins add pockets of sweetness that contrast beautifully with the savory beef, while the alcaparrado (a mix of capers and green olives) adds briny pops of flavor. Pastelillos are brushed with egg wash before baking, which gives them that characteristic golden, glossy finish. They're a staple at Puerto Rican bakeries and are often served alongside a café con leche for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. Making them at home is surprisingly straightforward — the hardest part is waiting for them to cool enough to eat.

Ingredients

Scale recipe:

15 servings

Makes 15 pastelillos:

1 ground beef — regular 80/20 for the best flavor and moisture.
1/4 sofrito — homemade or store-bought. The aromatic base.
1 sazon con culantro y achiote — for color and depth.
1/2 tomato sauce — adds moisture and a touch of sweetness.
1/4 raisins — the sweet contrast that makes pastelillos unique. Plump them in warm water for 5 minutes if they're dry.
2 alcaparrado — capers and olives chopped together. Find it in the Latin aisle or chop your own mix of capers and green olives.
15 discs (or pie crust) — thinner than empanada discos. If using pie crust, roll it thin and cut into 5-inch rounds.
1 egg, beaten — for egg wash. Gives the pastelillos their golden, glossy finish.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Brown the beef. Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it apart with a spoon. Drain the fat once it's fully browned.

Build the filling. Add the sofrito, sazon, tomato sauce, raisins, and alcaparrado to the beef. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a plate and let it cool completely — warm filling will make the pastry soggy.

Fill and seal. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place about 1.5 tablespoons of filling on each pastelillo disc. Fold the dough over into a half-moon and press the edges firmly with a fork to seal.

Egg wash and bake. Brush each pastelillo generously with beaten egg. This is what gives them that beautiful golden color. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the pastry is puffed and deep golden brown.

Cool and serve. Let them rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They're best warm, but honestly, they're delicious at room temperature too. Serve with a drizzle of ketchup or mayo — the Puerto Rican way.

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Tips for Perfect Pastelillos

Cool the filling completely. This is the same rule as empanadillas. Warm filling creates steam, which makes the pastry soggy and causes it to burst open in the oven.
Don't overfill. 1.5 tablespoons is the sweet spot. More filling means the edges won't seal properly and the filling will leak out during baking.
Use pastelillo discs, not empanada discos. Pastelillo discs are thinner and flakier. If you can only find empanada discos, roll them thinner with a rolling pin before using.
Egg wash is essential. Without it, the pastelillos will look pale and dull. The egg gives them that bakery-quality golden shine.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Both methods work and each has its fans. Baking gives you a flakier, drier pastry that's less greasy. Frying gives you a crispier, puffier shell that's more like an empanadilla. The recipe above is for baking, but you can fry them at 350°F for 3-4 minutes per side if you prefer the fritura experience. Either way, they're delicious.

Pastelillo discs are thinner than empanada discos — they're specifically designed for baked pastries. You can find them frozen at Latin grocery stores. If you can't find them, frozen puff pastry or pie crust works well. Roll it thin and cut into 5-inch circles. The key difference is that pastelillo dough is meant to be flaky, not chewy.

Yes. You can assemble the pastelillos and freeze them before baking — place them on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They keep for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen at 400°F for 18-22 minutes (add a few extra minutes since they're frozen). You can also bake them first and refrigerate for up to 4 days — reheat in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes to re-crisp the pastry.