Abuelita’s Kitchen: Pastelitos de Pina

Grandma’s Pineapple Empanadas

My grandma (Abuelita) has so many amazing recipes from Nicaragua that she raised me on. And if you’ve been following along, you know I’m on a mission to recreate all of my childhood favorites to carry on her legacy and traditions. I started with gallo pinto, and today we’re tackling on of my all-time favorite treats: Pastelitos!

I used to eat pastelitos de piña all the time as a kid and hadn’t had them for years. Obviously, that had to change! The only problem was that my Abuelita never wrote anything down or measured ingredients. Luckily, after lots (and lots) of testing, I was able to reverse engineer the recipe, recreating the flavors and texture of these treats. Now, my kids love these treats as much as I did at their age, and I love getting to carry on family traditions! 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Taste and Texture – The combination of the sweet, jammy pineapple filling, warm spices, and buttery, flaky pastry is truly out of this world! 
• Handheld – These pastelitos are like little pineapple hand pies, making them perfect for little eaters and ideal for serving at gatherings. 
• Simple Ingredients – Believe it or not, you don’t need a million ingredients, even with homemade dough! Nine pantry staples are all it takes to make pineapple empanadas from scratch. 
• A Special Family Recipe – This recipe comes straight from my Nicaraguan Abuelita’s kitchen. It’s one of those nostalgic desserts that has been passed down through generations and always brings back sweet memories with every bite. I hope it becomes a tradition in your kitchen, too! 

RELATED: Baked Chicken Empanadas

Ingredients

Piña (Pineapple Filling)

• Crushed Pineapple – I use canned, crushed pineapple to keep the recipe super easy. Make sure to drain it before you begin, or your filling will be too soggy! 
• Sugar
• Cinnamon – I use crushed cinnamon sticks because my Abuelita always did, but you can substitute 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon instead. 
• Cornstarch – This helps thicken the filling, creating a slightly thicker, jam-like consistency so it doesn’t run out all over the place. 

Pastry Dough

• Flour – I use all-purpose flour as the base of the dough. If needed, you can substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour to keep the empanadas gluten-free. 
• Sugar
• Salt
• Egg – This acts as a binder, giving the dough structure and contributing to the beautiful golden exterior we want. 
• Oil – I always use a neutral-tasting oil like canola oil or avocado oil. Olive oil also works, but the flavor changes just slightly. 
• Unsalted butter – Make sure to keep the butter nice and cold! Otherwise, the dough will be dense instead of light and flaky. 
• Cold Water

How to Make Abuelita’s Pineapple Empanadas

This recipe is super fun to make, even if you’re a beginner in the kitchen! You’ll need a medium pot, three large bowls, a cheese grater, a rolling pin, and a baking sheet. Here’s how to make Pineapple Empanadas: 

1. Combine the filling – Simmer crushed pineapple, sugar, and finely crushed cinnamon in a pot over medium heat. Then, add the cornstarch, and quickly mix to combine. Cook the filling until it thickens, stirring frequently, and set it aside to cool. 
2. Prepare the pastry dough – Next, whisk the dry ingredients for the empanada dough in a bowl. Mix the oil and egg in a second bowl, and grate a stick of cold butter in a third bowl. Working in batches, add the grated butter, egg mixture, and cold water to the dry ingredients, mixing in between. 
3. Roll the dough – Roll the dough into a log, cover, and let it chill in the fridge. Then, slice the dough into equal-sized pieces, roll them into a ball, cover, and chill again. 
4. Shape the dough – Roll each ball of dough into a thin disc shape on a floured surface. 
5. Fill the empanadas – Add a small scoop of pineapple filling to the bottom center half of each dough disc, and fold to create a crescent-like shape. Press the edges down with your fingers, or use a fork to seal the dough. This prevents the filling from leaking out! 
6. Bake – Arrange the empanadas on a prepared baking sheet, keeping them close together. Spray water on top, and quickly sprinkle them with sugar. Bake until golden brown, cool at room temperature, and enjoy! 

Tips

• Drain the pineapple well. Make sure the crushed pineapple is well-drained before cooking the filling. Too much liquid can make the filling runny and harder to seal inside the dough, which can cause your empanadas to be soggy! 
• Let the filling cool completely. Allow the pineapple filling to cool fully before assembling the empanadas. Warm filling can soften the dough and make the pastelitos harder to shape.
• Keep the butter very cold. Cold butter is the secret to flaky pastry! Grating or finely chopping the butter helps it distribute evenly through the dough while staying cold. Pop it back in the fridge before combining the ingredients, if needed. 
• Roll the dough thin. Rolling each dough round thin (about 6-7 inches wide) helps the pastry bake evenly and keeps the filling-to-dough ratio just right.
• Don’t overfill the empanadas. About 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of filling per pastelito is perfect. Overfilling can cause them to burst open while baking.
• Seal the edges well. Press the edges firmly, and either roll them with your fingers or crimp them with a fork to prevent the filling from leaking out during baking.

RELATED: Quinoa Gallo Pinto

Variations 

Use fresh pineapple. If you have fresh pineapple on hand, you can finely chop it and use it instead of canned pineapple. Just simmer it a little longer so it softens and thickens into a jammy filling.

Try a different fruit filling. This same pastry dough works super well with other fillings like guava, apple, mango, or dulce de leche for a fun variation.

Add a little citrus. A small squeeze of fresh lime juice or a bit of lime zest in the pineapple filling adds brightness and balances the sweetness.

My Favorite Ways to Serve Sweet Empanadas

I always serve my pineapple empanadas with a warm cup of coffee or espresso for the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. They’re traditionally served at room temperature!

How to Store

Once cool, leftover empanadas can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days!

More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love

• Date Cake Recipe
• Cottage Cheese Muffins
• Dulce de Leche Chia Seed Parfaits
• Sticky Rice with Mango
• Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
• Strawberry Chocolate Yogurt Bites

Delicious Ways to Use Pineapple

• Pineapple and Strawberry Smoothie
• Teriyaki Chicken Pineapple Bowls
• Pineapple Thai Fried Rice
• Pineapple Smoothie Bowl with Mango
• Golden Glow Pineapple Turmeric Smoothie
• Spicy Grilled Shrimp w/ Pineapple Sauce

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe

Pineapple Empanadas (Pastelitos de Piña)

These Pineapple Empanadas, or Pastelitos de Piña, are one of the desserts I grew up on! My Abuelita brought this recipe with her from Nicaragua, and I've been making it with her for years. These fun, handheld treats have a sweet pineapple filling simmered with sugar and cinnamon until thick and jammy. The filling is then wrapped in flaky empanada dough, topped with a sprinkle of sugar, and baked until golden. Crisp on the outside and soft and gooey in the center, these pastelitos are truly special to me and are so good!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Nicaraguan

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Rest Time + Chill Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 -20 Empanadas

Calories: 168 kcal

Author: Christine McMichael

Equipment

• Large Baking Sheet

Ingredients

Piña

• ▢ 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple (drained)
• ▢ 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 cinnamon sticks (finely crushed (or about 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon))
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Pastry

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ pinch of salt or 1/8 teaspoon (if using unsalted butter)
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1/8 cup oil (canola, avocado, or olive)
• ▢ 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (very cold)
• ▢ 1/4 cup cold water

Instructions

• Add the crushed pineapple, sugar, and finely crushed cinnamon to a pot and warm over medium heat.
• Once the filling begins to lightly simmer (don’t let it boil!), add in the cornstarch and mix it in quickly.
• Let the filling simmer for about 10-12 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let it cool completely while you make the pastry dough.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
• In a separate small bowl, mix the oil and egg together.
• Use a cheese grater to quickly grate the entire stick of butter, keeping it as cold as possible through the process. Alternatively, you can chop the butter into tiny pieces.
• Alternate adding the grated butter, egg mixture, and cold water to the dry ingredients, mixing each time.
• Once combined, use your hands to quickly roll the dough into a log.
• Cover completely and let it rest for 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Slice the dough into 16-20 even pieces, then roll each one into a ball. Cover and place in the fridge for another 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a well-floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a very thin disk shape, one at a time (about 6-7” in diameter).
• Add about 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the pineapple filling in the center/bottom half of the rolled-out dough.
• Fold the top half over to make the empanada shape, then press the edges down and roll them over or use a fork.
• Place each pastelito on the baking sheet (they can fit close to each other since they won’t spread).
• Once you’ve made all of the pastelitos, spray the tops with a little bit of water and quickly sprinkle with extra granulated sugar.
• Bake for about 25-28 minutes.
• Let cool completely, then enjoy!

Video

Notes

• I like to use a small food processor to finely crush the cinnamon sticks. They end up being like a coarse ground texture!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Empanada | Calories: 168 kcal | Carbohydrates: 23 g | Protein: 2 g | Fat: 8 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g | Trans Fat: 0.2 g | Cholesterol: 27 mg | Sodium: 6 mg | Potassium: 25 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 10 g | Vitamin A: 196 IU | Vitamin C: 0.02 mg | Calcium: 10 mg | Iron: 1 mg

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