Do you remember Taco Bell Caramel Apple Empanadas? Chances are if you don't then you need to get reintroduced to this simple and easy recipe! This delicious and easy recipe just needs pie crust, apples, caramel sauce and a few other simple ingredients! (Gluten free option, dairy free option, vegetarian, FODMAP, nut free, soy free, coconut free)
Taco Bell Caramel Apple Empanadas
- An empanada is a type of pastry that is folded over a filling.
- Empanadas are baked or fried but with the rise of air fryers, you can air fry them too!
- Taco Bell made and sold these empanadas on their menu at stores but pulled them in 2019.
- Twitter went CRAZY when the empanadas got pulled from the menu but Taco Bell still hasn't brought them back!
- These empanadas are baked, making it easy to make a large amount at one time!
Tips
This recipe requires a few tricks to get it to turn out right.
- Roll the dough out thin. If you buy a premade pie crust, allow the pie crust to thaw a little, then just roll it out a little thinner.
- You can opt for apple pie filling or use fresh apple filling. This recipe uses fresh apples but to stay at that five ingredients, use apple pie filling
- Feel free to use storebought caramel sauce too if you would like. But if you need to, you can use your homemade caramel sauce.
- I absolutely love this recipe because I can make them up and freeze them, then pull them out of the freezer to bake up.
This recipe is part of the Lady Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge. Our challenge this month was to come up with a dessert recipe that included apples and cinnamon. You can find more about the Dessert Challenge here. If you are craving apples and cinnamon scroll down and view some of the other great recipes that are a part of the challenge this month.
Homemade Dairy Free Caramel Sauce
This recipe is made with coconut sugar but just substitute brown sugar if you would like.
Apple Pie Filling
- ¼ cup sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp flour
- ¼ cup water
- 4 cups apples, peeled and sliced into bite sized pieces
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon and flour then set aside.
- In a saucepan, bring the apples and water to a boil over medium heat. Cover and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add more water if needed.
- Once apples are tender, remove from heat and stir in the sugar, cinnamon and flour mixture. Toss the apples with the mixture.
Pie Crust
The star of the show is the pie crust. We used Wick's Pie Crust for this recipe. If you are needing gluten free pie crust there are some available on the market and at local grocery and health stores.
Love Taco Bell? Try Some of Our Other Gluten Free Taco Bell Copycat Recipes!
Copycat Taco Bell Caramel Apple Empanada
Ingredients
- 2 whole premade pie crusts
- 2 cups apple pie filling homemade or canned
- ¼ cup caramel sauce divided
- 2 tbsp melted butter or 2 tbsp egg whites
- ¼ cup cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Roll out pie crusts to ⅛-1/4 inch thickness. Cut the pie crust into large circles. (About the size of a soup bowl)
- Place a few tablespoons of apple pie filling in the middle of each empanada. Drizzle a couple of teaspoons of caramel sauce over the apple pie filling. Fold over and wet the inside edges of the pie crusts with just a little bit of water. Press to seal with the back ends of your fork.
- Brush the tops of empanadas with melted butter or egg white. sprinkle the whole top of the empanada with cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Serve warm.
Notes
Empanadas can be premade and frozen prior to baking up to one month. Thaw then bake as directed. Cooked empanadas can be baked and stored in a freezer container for up to one month. Microwave to reheat. SUBSTITUTIONS:
- Gluten free pie crust for regular pie crust
- Butter for egg
- Dairy free butter
- Dairy free caramel sauce in place of regular caramel sauce
- Low calorie sugar or caramel sauce can be used.
Get more information on ordering Wick's Pie Crusts here!
a. Website: https://www.wickspies.com/
b. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WicksPies
c. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickspies/
d. Twitter: https://twitter.com/WicksPies
*Post courtesy of Wick's Pie Crusts. All opinions are our own.
I have been missing out, I had no clue that taco bell had such a thing! I need to make some of these asap!
Some times you just have to spend some time to get delicious food--and this looks delicious. Great challenge choice.
There is nothing better than a homemade copycat recipe because we all know homemade is WAAAAAY better. I bet yours are out if this world!
I love these little apple handpies!