Apple Pie Empanadas with Eggo Waffles

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I bought a 24-pack of Eggo waffles a few weeks back, and honestly, best impulse buy I’ve made in a minute. I keep finding new ways to use them, and these apple pie empanadas go WAY too hard. 🤯 You fold a softened waffle around warm apple pie filling, bake it until the shell gets crispy, then roll it in cinnamon sugar while it’s still hot. It’s like a little handheld apple pie, and I’m telling you now, you’re not stopping at one!

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What Makes These Apple Pie Empanadas So Good

The waffle does all the work here. It bakes into a crispy, buttery shell, and all those little squares grab onto the cinnamon sugar and hold it. Then you bite in and it’s warm and gooey in the middle. Crunchy outside, soft inside, sweet all the way through. SO good!

Plus, look at everything you’re skipping. No dough, no rolling pin, no chilling, no waiting around. You’re basically hacking a whole apple pie down to five ingredients and about twenty minutes, which is exactly my kind of dessert. My last Eggo experiment was an Eggo waffle grilled cheese, and I was already sold on that one, but this might’ve taken its crown. The Kitchn called this style of empanada a solid stand-in for the fast-food version people still miss, and yeah, I get it.

Tips for Making Apple Pie Empanadas

1. Thaw the waffles just enough to bend

Straight out of the freezer, a waffle snaps in half the second you try to fold it. Thirty seconds in the microwave fixes that. You want bendable, not hot and floppy, so don’t go past that or they’ll tear once you put the filling in.

2. Go light on the filling

One spoonful in the center and that’s it. I got greedy with a couple of mine and the filling squeezed out the sides in the oven, which makes the edges impossible to seal. Less filling also means the waffle crisps up way better, so you’re not giving anything up!

3. The egg wash is the glue

Brush beaten egg all the way around the edge before you fold, then press the seam down with a fork. That’s what holds them shut, and it’s how you get those crimped empanada edges. Skip it and they’ll pop open while they bake.

4. Roll them while they’re hot

Cinnamon sugar only sticks to a warm surface, so hit them the moment they come out. It’s the same move I use for my cinnamon toast sticks, where you toss them in the sugar right out of the oil. Let these cool down first and the sugar slides straight off, and then you’re just eating a plain baked waffle.

Can You Freeze Apple Pie Empanadas?

Yes, and they freeze really well. Cool them completely, freeze them in a single layer on a tray so they don’t stick to each other, then move them into a zip-top bag. Reheat straight from frozen at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes and the shell crisps right back up! I like having a few in there for when I want something sweet and don’t feel like doing anything about it.

Storage and Leftovers

In the fridge they’ll hold for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. The shell softens overnight, so give them 5 minutes in the oven or the air fryer before you eat them and they come right back! Just don’t microwave them. It turns that crispy waffle soft and chewy, and the crunch is the entire point of these.

Equipment

• Baking pan
• Parchment paper
• Basting brush
• Mixing bowls

Ingredients

Five things, and you probably have two of them already. If you’ve got filling left in the can, that’s also what I stuff into my King’s Hawaiian apple pie cinnamon rolls, so none of it goes to waste.

• 6 Eggo waffles
• 1 can apple pie filling (about 21 oz)
• 1 Egg (beaten)
• 4 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425F. Put the Eggo waffles on a microwave-safe plate and microwave them for about 30 seconds, just until they thaw out and turn bendable.
2. Spoon a little apple pie filling into the center of each waffle. Beat the egg in a bowl, then brush the egg wash all the way around the edge of each one.
3. Fold each waffle in half and press the edges together with a fork to crimp and seal them.
4. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and lay the empanadas on it. Bake for about 10 minutes, flipping them halfway so both sides get crispy and golden.
5. While they bake, mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
6. Pull the empanadas out and roll each one through the cinnamon sugar while it’s still warm, until it’s coated all over. Eat them right away.

Substitutions and Swaps

• Eggo waffles. Any thin, classic-style frozen waffle works the same way. What I’d stay away from is the thick Belgian-style ones, because they crack instead of folding and you’ll lose the filling out the crease.
• Apple pie filling. Cherry, peach and blueberry all behave identically, so use whatever can you’ve got. Fresh apples are the one swap I wouldn’t do straight across, since you’d need to cook them down with sugar and cornstarch first or you end up with crunchy raw apple and a soggy shell.
• The egg wash. Milk or water will get you partway there in a pinch, but the seal is noticeably weaker and a few of them will pop open on you. This is the ingredient I’d keep.
• Granulated sugar. Brown sugar gives you a deeper, almost caramel thing and it’s really good! It just clumps more, so break it up before you roll them. A pinch of nutmeg in the mix is worth trying too.
• The oven. An air fryer does these at 375F in about 6 to 8 minutes, flipping halfway. You’ll want to work in batches so they’re not stacked on each other.

If you make these, drop a star rating on the recipe card and tell me in the comments how they came out. It really helps other people find the recipe, and I always want to know which filling you went with!

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