Vegan Spiced Butternut Squash Empanadas

I love a little pie, one you can hold in your hands & munch on the go, or hand around at a party. These vegan Spiced Butternut Squash Empanadas are the perfect snacky and seasonal mini pie. We're in peak pumpkin & squash season, as well as party season. So what better way to combine the two than a yummy, savoury snacky pie in the form of an Empanada. The filling is simply Butternut squash, caramelised garlic & red peppers roasted with a delicious harissa for spice and flavour, ready to be stuffed into the pie crust. You could easily experiment with other flavours too. Mushroom, curried roots, lentils or vegan chilli would all be delicious ideas! What really surprised me however was how super easy Empanada pasty is to veganise, and to use! I'm trying my hardest to work through my slight fear of pastry making and seem to be slowly gaining in confidence with it! Which means that if I can make this pastry, you can too! To veganise the pastry, I used deoderised coconut oil, which eliminates that 'coconutty' flavour which can be a bit offputting. I get this on Amazon or in the health food store. You could of course try using vegan 'butter' or vegan shortening but I find that most contain palm oil, which we try and avoid. When I find another affordable substitute I'll let you know! As this pastry is made with melted oil, you don't have to worry too much about it getting warm (the bane of any shortcrust!) but do try not to overhandle it, as it will get tough and not so deliciously flaky, which would be a shame. But don't be scared to try making these little empanadas! If you do go a bit wrong when rolling them out, you can always patch them up with a bit of excess pastry. The rustic look is quite charming, so don't go for perfection! Eat these Vegan Spiced Butternut Squash Empanadas with some salsa to dip into, or just munch on their own, warm from the oven! Even better if you are catering for a crowd, they can be made ahead & reheated when needed!

📖 Recipe