5 High Margin Empanada Dishes to Boost Your Restaurant’s Bottom Line
What makes an empanada dish truly profitable?
At Mpanadas & Salsas, we work closely with chefs, caterers and restaurant owners across the UK to supply empanadas that aren’t just delicious, but designed for smart margins. From portion control to freezer stability, we know what makes an empanada worth its shelf space.
The most profitable dishes share a few key traits: low ingredient cost, minimal labour, long shelf life, and strong perceived value. We’ve built our product line to tick all four boxes, helping food businesses offer bold, affordable options without compromising quality.
1. Understand your cost to margin ratio
Balancing inexpensive fillings with flavour and texture is key. Our ingredients are selected to minimise waste and offer excellent yield like shredded chicken, black beans and slow cooked beef. These fillings work across multiple formats and meal types.
2. Consider labour and batch prep
All of our empanadas are designed for frozen storage and quick service. Whether air fried, baked or deep fried, they can be batch cooked and reheated in minutes. This keeps labour time low and service smooth.
3. Storage and portioning matters
Mini, snack sized or classic empanadas allow flexibility across menus. Frozen stock means less spoilage and more consistency. Our products are packaged to support stock rotation and kitchen efficiency.
4. Value perception is key
A smaller empanada with bold flavour and a great dip can outperform a larger, bland option. Our fillings are slow cooked, properly seasoned and portioned for maximum satisfaction and repeat orders.
How to choose empanadas that deliver strong margins
Our customers choose us not just for flavour, but because our formats fit real kitchen operations. Here's how to keep margins strong with empanadas that actually work in service.
Optimise ingredient sourcing
Mpanadas & Salsas empanadas are made with all natural ingredients, prepped in advance and delivered frozen. This saves prep time and reduces onsite costs. You also benefit from stable pricing and consistent supply.
Factor in equipment and prep
All our products are air fryer ready, with options that finish well in ovens or deep fryers. Whether you’re offering a lunch combo, sharing plate or event platter, you won’t need specialist equipment to serve them.
Watch your defrost times
Fast defrost, high structural integrity and reheating quality matter. Our empanadas are engineered for fast paced service and work across dine in, takeaway and delivery formats.
Fried vs baked vs air fried?
Our range works in all three formats. Air frying or oven baking gives a crisp shell with lower energy cost, while frying delivers a traditional crunch ideal for premium menus.
Are Empanadas Better Fried or Baked for Profit?
We supply restaurants with empanadas that perform well whether fried, baked or air fried. Here’s what we’ve learned from customer kitchens:
- Fried empanadas: Excellent texture and indulgence factor, but higher oil and shorter hold time.
- Baked empanadas: Great for batch prep and reheat, with longer shelf life.
- Air fried empanadas: Balanced crispiness with fast turnaround and low energy use.
We recommend testing each method based on your menu and prep flow. Many of our clients offer air fried empanadas for daytime service and switch to fried for dinner or plated options.
5 High Margin Empanadas to Add to Your Menu
All five of these are part of the Mpanadas & Salsas product line, available in frozen formats that are ideal for restaurants, cafés, pubs and caterers.
1. Shredded Beef Empanadas
Slow cooked for hours, our shredded beef empanadas are rich, hearty and incredibly versatile. They pair well with sauces and work across lunch, snack and sharing menus.
Gross Margin Estimate: 72 to 75%
2. Shredded Chicken Empanadas
Made with juicy chicken thigh and seasoned with Latin spices, this option offers a lower cost protein with broad customer appeal. Use as a standalone or in a trio platter.
Gross Margin Estimate: 70 to 73%
3. Cheese Empanadas
Our cheese empanadas are vegetarian friendly and deeply satisfying. Ideal for add-on sales, lunch boxes and kids’ menus. Serve with one of our signature dips for extra value.
Gross Margin Estimate: 74 to 76%
4. Vegan Black Beans and Veggie Empanadas
A best seller for plant based menus. Filled with black beans, sweet peppers and onions, this vegan, gluten free, halal friendly option ticks multiple dietary boxes.
Gross Margin Estimate: 74 to 77%
5. Minced Beef and Cheese Empanadas
A comforting combination with wide appeal. This empanada delivers savoury depth with a creamy bite. A smart fit for pubs, events, and grab and go formats.
Gross Margin Estimate: 72 to 75%
Menu and service tips to maximise empanada profit
These are tips we share with many of our restaurant clients to help make each sale work harder.
Bundle up for value
Offer trio boxes with dips to increase average ticket value. Our empanadas pair well with garlic sauce, Guasacaca or Ají for upsells.
Use staff prompts
Train teams to offer empanadas as an easy add on. Our packaging and POS guidance can support quick, confident recommendations.
Serve with high margin sides
Rice, salsa and salad plates turn a snack into a meal. Our sauces work as flavour boosters and are prepped for fast plating.
Sell in seasonal boxes
Create flavour sets based on time of year. Our product line rotates in limited batch formats to help you keep your menu fresh.
Operational tricks to boost margin
- Batch cook and freeze: All empanadas arrive frozen and prepped. You can batch cook or cook to order depending on service style.
- Reuse fillings across dishes: Shredded chicken or black beans can stretch across tacos, bowls or burritos.
- Streamline with equipment: Use air fryers or convection ovens to simplify kitchen workflow.
- Stock smart: Maintain your highest volume flavours ready to go in frozen storage.
- Track cost per unit: We provide unit pricing and portion guides to help you manage margin clearly.
Start with one empanada and scale
Many of our clients begin with a single flavour trial usually shredded beef or vegan black bean and monitor how it performs. Use your lunch trade, grab and go or specials menu to test pricing, dips and combos.
Once you know what works, build out with mini, classic or party platter formats. All our products are flexible and made to grow with your service model.
Reach out if you'd like help choosing a flavour set or setting up a wholesale account. We’re always happy to support new partners.
Our Most Loved Flavours
Classic Empanada – Minced Beef & Cheese
Mini Empanadas – Shredded Beef – Pack of 12
Classic Empanada – Domino – Black Beans & Cheese
Garlic Salsa
About Our Empanadas and Salsas
At Mpanadas & Salsas, every bite tells a story. Born from Libia’s lifelong love of traditional Venezuelan cooking, our empanadas and salsas bring the bold, homegrown flavours of South America to the UK. Passed down through generations and perfected over decades in hospitality, our recipes are rooted in heritage and made by hand with heart. Taste the tradition, because great food should always feel like home.
Empanadas Delivered UK Wide
Mpanadas & Salsas
Authentic Venezuelan frozen empanadas delivered across the UK to homes and restaurants. Our handmade empanadas feature traditional and regional fillings with options that are gluten free, halal, and vegan friendly.
Address: 6 Turnstone Cl, East Tilbury, Tilbury RM18 8FG
Phone: 07572 417492
Website: mpanadas.co.uk
Proudly women-owned and LGBTQ+ friendly. Rated 5.0 by our customers. Open from 8 am daily.