How many calories are in a cheese empanada?
One regular cheese empanada weighs 130 g and carries 345 calories. Per 100 g the baked pastry runs 265 calories. A small, individual one is 35 g and only 93 calories. The dough does most of the work here; the cheese mostly moves the sodium and the saturated fat.
You'd need to walk about 69 minutes to burn the 345 calories in one regular empanada (130 g).
How long does it take to burn off 345 kcal of cheese empanada?
One regular empanada (130 g) is 345 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 345 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 1 hr 9 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 43 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 49 min |
| Jogging | 41 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 1 hr 17 min |
Times are for a 155 lb adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (130 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Cheese empanada quick facts
- US servings from one ounce to two on a plate
- How the filling changes the number
- Sodium is the row to watch here
- How does a cheese empanada compare?
- Most popular cheese empanada brands
- Cheese empanada FAQs
Cheese empanada quick facts
USDA does not publish a cheese-specific empanada record. The closest match, and the one used across this page, is FNDDS 2708710, "Empanada, no meat" — the same wheat-dough shell with a meatless filling, which is what you are holding when you buy a cheese one. The alternative, "Empanada, NFS," blends meat-filled and meatless entries into one weighted average and lands 26 calories per 100 g higher, so it overstates a cheese empanada rather than describing it.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 regular empanada (130 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 265 | 345 | — |
| Total fat | 13.16 g | 17.1 g | 22% |
| Saturated fat | 4.59 g | 6.0 g | 30% |
| Carbohydrate | 31.5 g | 41.0 g | 15% |
| Dietary fiber | 3.4 g | 4.4 g | 16% |
| Total sugars | 2.56 g | 3.3 g | — |
| Protein | 5.75 g | 7.5 g | 15% |
| Sodium | 399 mg | 519 mg | 23% |
% Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
Two rows you would see on a package are missing above: added sugars and trans fat. FNDDS does not publish either nutrient for composite dishes like this one, so rather than guess, they stay off the table. Cholesterol is low at 5 mg per empanada, 2% of the Daily Value, which is what you would expect from a filling with no meat in it. Potassium comes to 256 mg, 5% of the Daily Value.
The percentages come from the FDA's Daily Value reference amounts for a 2,000-calorie day. Two of them stand out immediately, and neither is the calorie count: saturated fat at 30% and sodium at 23%, from a single hand-sized pastry.
US servings from one ounce to two on a plate
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28 g | 75 kcal |
| 1 small empanada | 35 g | 93 kcal |
| 1 regular empanada | 130 g | 345 kcal |
| 2 regular empanadas | 260 g | 689 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 265 kcal |
The 35 g and 130 g weights are USDA household portions for this record. The ounce line and the two-empanada line are our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not USDA servings.
Look at the spread. A small empanada and a regular one are the same food with the same recipe, and one is almost four times the other — 93 against 345. This is where most people log the number wrong, because "one empanada" gets typed in without a weight behind it. Bakery and food-truck empanadas cluster near the 130 g end. The cocktail-size ones that come six to a tray sit near 35 g.
If you are estimating by hand, the useful anchor is the ounce: about 75 calories per ounce of baked empanada, filling included. Weigh one on a kitchen scale once and you will never have to guess at that counter again.
How the filling changes the number
| Version | Per 100 g | Regular empanada (130 g) | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheese or other meatless filling | 265 kcal | 130 g | 345 kcal |
| Beef | 333 kcal | 130 g | 433 kcal |
| Chicken | 309 kcal | 130 g | 402 kcal |
| Any filling, unspecified | 291 kcal | 130 g | 378 kcal |
| Fruit | 260 kcal | 130 g | 338 kcal |
| Restaurant, fried beef | 335 kcal | 100 g | 335 kcal |
The 130 g columns are our own arithmetic from each record's 100 g figure; the restaurant row is shown per 100 g because that is how USDA lists it.
The cheese version is the second-lightest filling on that list, and only the fruit one undercuts it, by 7 calories per empanada. Swap cheese for beef and the same-sized pastry costs 88 calories more — 433 against 345 — because ground beef brings its own fat into a shell that is already fried or brushed with egg. Chicken lands in between at 402.
Frying is the other lever. The restaurant-style fried beef empanada runs 335 calories per 100 g against 333 for the general beef record, so on a per-gram basis the difference is small; what changes in a restaurant is portion size, not density. Baked at home, a meatless empanada is genuinely one of the lighter hand pies you can eat.
Frozen supermarket versions swing hard on either side of the USDA baked figure: Goya's cheese empanadas work out to 310 calories per 100 g and Buen Sabor's sweet plantain and cheese to 319, while the whole-grain bean-and-cheese and spinach-and-cheese lines from Buena Vista sit lower, near 212 and 208. Check the box weight before you check the calorie number, because label servings range from 71 g to 154 g across those brands.
Sodium is the row to watch here
One regular empanada delivers 519 mg of sodium, 23% of the Daily Value, or roughly a quarter teaspoon of table salt. That is more of your daily sodium than of your daily calories, and only saturated fat, at 30% of its Daily Value, sits further out of proportion. Eat two and you are at 1,038 mg before anything else on the plate — salsa, a side of rice, whatever came with it.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans put the adult ceiling at 2,300 mg of sodium a day, and most Americans are already over it. If you are watching sodium, the meatless empanada is still the better pick of the family: beef and chicken versions carry 459 mg and 460 mg per 100 g against 399 mg here.
The good news sits two rows up. At 4.4 g of fiber per empanada, 16% of the Daily Value, a cheese empanada is not the empty pastry people assume — that is more fiber than the beef version manages at the same weight, since the meatless filling usually carries vegetables and the shell is wheat dough. MyPlate counts that shell toward your grains for the day. Saturated fat is the row that costs you: 6.0 g, 30% of the Daily Value, from one pastry.
How does a cheese empanada compare?
| Food | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheese empanada | 265 kcal | one regular, 130 g | 345 kcal |
| Turnover or hot pocket | 260 kcal | one piece, 130 g | 338 kcal |
| Spinach quiche, meatless | 299 kcal | one slice, 130 g | 389 kcal |
| Samosa | 310 kcal | one piece, 130 g | 403 kcal |
The 130 g servings for all four are our own arithmetic from each USDA 100 g figure, put on the same weight so the pastries are actually comparable.
Our take: among filled savory pastries, the cheese empanada is a good deal. Only the turnover is lighter, and only by 7 calories at 130 g. The samosa costs you 58 more for the same weight because it is deep-fried, and the spinach quiche is the fattiest of the four at 23.51 g per 100 g despite looking like the virtuous option. For weight loss, take the empanada small — a 35 g one at 93 calories is a genuinely cheap snack. For a filling lunch, one regular empanada at 345 calories with 7.5 g of protein needs a side of beans or yogurt to hold you; on its own it is mostly starch and fat.
Most popular cheese empanada brands in the United States
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United States, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each Nutrition Facts label, checked against USDA FoodData Central.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Buen Sabor Sweet Plantain & Cheese Empanadas | 319 cal |
| Goya Cheese Empanadas | 310 cal |
| Buena Vista Whole Grain Bean & Cheese Empanada | 212 cal |
| Buena Vista Whole Grain Spinach & Cheese Empanada | 208 cal |
| Cocina54 Spinach & Cheese Empanadas | 188 cal |
| Delicias de la Abuela Extra Cheese Empanada | 129 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Cheese empanada FAQs
How many calories are in one cheese empanada?
345 calories for a regular 130 g empanada, based on the USDA record for empanada with no meat. Per 100 g it is 265 calories. A small individual one at 35 g comes to 93 calories, so the size you pick up matters far more than the filling inside it.
Are baked cheese empanadas lower in calories than fried?
Usually yes: the USDA baked meatless record is 265 calories per 100 g, while the restaurant-style fried beef empanada is 335. Part of that gap is the beef, but frying adds oil the dough soaks up. Given the choice, baking is the cheaper option by a clear margin.
How many carbs are in a cheese empanada?
A regular 130 g empanada has 41.0 g of carbohydrate, 15% of the Daily Value, plus 4.4 g of fiber. Per 100 g that is 31.5 g. Total sugars are low at 3.3 g per empanada, because this is a savory pastry and nearly all of the carbohydrate is starch from the dough.
How much protein is in a cheese empanada?
7.5 g per regular 130 g empanada, or 15% of the Daily Value. Per 100 g the figure is 5.75 g. That is modest for something this calorie-dense. A beef empanada of the same size carries 15.7 g, more than double, because the filling is doing the work rather than the shell.
Is a cheese empanada high in sodium?
One 130 g empanada has 519 mg of sodium, 23% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value, or roughly a quarter teaspoon of table salt. Two of them put you near half a day's limit before anything else on the plate. It is the row worth watching first on this food.
How many calories in a Goya cheese empanada?
Goya cheese empanadas list 220 calories for a 2.5 oz (71 g) serving, which works out to 310 calories per 100 g. That is higher than the 265 per 100 g in the USDA meatless record, so a frozen store-bought empanada is denser than the generic baked figure suggests.
Cheese empanada vs beef empanada calories?
345 against 433 for the same 130 g size, so the beef version costs 88 calories more. Per 100 g it is 265 against 333. Chicken sits between them at 402 per empanada. The meat brings protein with it, but on calories alone the cheese one wins comfortably.
How many calories in two cheese empanadas?
689 calories for two regular 130 g empanadas, with 1,038 mg of sodium and 82 g of carbohydrate. That is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not a USDA serving. It is a full meal's worth of calories from pastry alone, so build the rest of the day around it.
Similar foods
- Maple Syrup — 216 cal for 1/4 cup
- Wonton wrapper — 23 cal per wonton wrapper
- Cheeseburger — 488 cal per cheeseburger
- Honey — 64 cal per tablespoon
- Mac And Cheese — 513 cal per cup
- Condensed Milk — 122 cal per 2 tbsp
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the plate and BodyPal counts the empanada for you, filling and all.
