Jujuy Style Llama Empanadas

In the province of Jujuy, especially in the Puna highlands, empanadas are made with both beef and llama meat, a native ingredient of the Andean region that gives this variation its distinctive flavor.

The filling is similar to the salteña, but adds peas and often includes olives, potato, and hard-boiled egg, resulting in a juicy combination with a light sweet touch.

Jujuy Style Llama Empanadas

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• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 12 empanadas
• Category: Appetizer
• Cuisine: Argentine

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 500 g of llama meat, cut into small pieces with a knife (about 1.1 lb, can be substituted with beef)
• 2 of onions, very finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons of fat or oil
• 1/2 cup of peas
• 1 of potato, boiled but firm, diced
• 8 of green olives, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
• to taste of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• to taste of salt
• 1 of scallion, thinly sliced into rings (optional)
• 2 of hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 12 pieces of empanada dough discs

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Instructions

1. Cook the onion, in a pot with fat or oil, cook the very finely chopped onion until very soft.
2. Add the meat, stir in the llama meat cut into small pieces and cook until it changes color.
3. Season, add paprika, crushed red pepper, and salt, mixing well.
4. Add peas and potato, stir in the peas and diced boiled potato, cooking a few more minutes.
5. Add olives, remove from heat and mix in the chopped olives.
6. Cool, let the filling cool completely before assembling the empanadas.
7. Assemble, spoon a portion of the cold filling into each dough disc along with a bit of scallion and chopped hard-boiled egg.
8. Close and bake, close with a crimped edge and bake at 200°C (390°F) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden, or fry in hot fat for a more traditional version.

Tips for getting them right

• If you can’t find llama meat, you can substitute knife-cut beef without losing the essence of the recipe.
• Peas are the distinguishing feature of this variation compared to the salteña: don’t skip them if you want the authentic flavor.
• The potato should stay firm, not mushy, to keep a good texture in the filling.
• Frying in rendered fat boosts the traditional flavor, though the baked version comes out lighter and crispier.

Traditional variations

• In some parts of the Puna, raisins are added to the filling for an extra sweet touch.
• They’re also made with charqui (dried meat) instead of fresh meat, following an Andean tradition of food preservation.

How to serve

Empanadas jujeñas de llama are served hot, freshly baked or fried, as an appetizer or main dish.

They’re great for sharing at family gatherings, paired with red wine.

Recommended sides

• Red wine
• Salsa criolla
• Lemon

Did you know?

Llama meat is a typical ingredient of the Jujuy Puna region, traditionally raised by Andean communities since pre-Columbian times.

The addition of peas is what sets this variation apart from the classic salteña, giving it a touch of sweetness and a different texture.