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Emma Hernan's Vegan Empanadas From 'Selling Sunset': A Review

Often, working in journalism means covering gloom and doom stories. But occasionally, we have to find and take opportunities to lighten things up.

So naturally, when we saw Emma Hernan shilling her frozen empanadas on the Netflix series "Selling Sunset," we absolutely had to know if they were any good.

For the uninitiated, Hernan is a cast member on the show where she's seen selling houses and making deals. She says her family also is in the food business and explains in several scenes that she launched her own mini vegan empanada line.

It turned out to be surprisingly difficult to order the vegan mini empanadas to Los Angeles. It seems Emma Leigh & Co. Is mostly based on the East Coast and in stores there — or, if you live east of the Mississippi, you can order them online from her website at a whopping $99 for 36 mini empanadas.

We eventually found them available on QVC's website and ordered one "mini beef or pizza" flavored package of 36 for $63.65 — so about $1.77 an empanada.

Emma Hernan in the fifth season of "Selling Sunset," tasting mezcal at Sagrado Mezcaleria + Kitchen in Los Angeles, where her empanadas are on the menu.Courtesy Netflix

Upon arrival, 11 days after ordering, the empanadas were sealed up in Styrofoam with dry ice inside to keep them cold. Thankfully, the empanadas are all vegan so we weren't that worried about them getting warm, per se, but the ice seemed to do the job.

Inside the box were two smaller bags of the empanadas, each with about 20 inside. We assumed that the different bags were two different flavors, hence the "mini beef or pizza."

Each empanada about 1.5 inches long and, according to the nutritional facts, 70 calories each. The directions say to heat them up in the oven, an air fryer or on the grill.

We first tried them at home, heating them up in the oven, and found them to be fairly salty (each mini empanada has 150 milligrams of sodium, according to the label) and with a little bit of a freezer aftertaste.

The mini vegan empanadas in question.Samantha Kubota / TODAY

They sort of tasted like a vegan version of a Totino's pizza roll — which you could buy here in Los Angeles for only $6 a bag for about 50 rolls.

We brought them to the office and forced our coworkers to give us reviews, which can overwhelmingly be summarized as "just fine, I guess."

No one was particularly impressed, but all agreed they were edible.

"These are not as bad as I thought they would be," one coworker said.

"I was prepared for the worst, but this is like … a hot pocket, just not as good," another said.

One coworker was frustrated we couldn't tell the difference between the two flavors that were supposed to be in the package.

"The spices aren't giving pizza or hamburger vibes," she said. "It's inoffensive, but why's the filling so mushy?"

For Alex, one of the authors of this story, the vegan stuffed pastry was similar to just about every other experience when it comes to eating an empanada that's not part of her Cuban family's cookbook: not quite up to snuff.

"I don't know much about 'Selling Sunset,' and while I don't think empanadas can be made with cheeseburger or pizza, I remained open-minded," said Alex. "I just don't feel like they taste like either. Maybe others who haven't had my mom's or abuela's will love it?"

In one "Selling Sunset" scene, Mexican American cast member Vanessa Villela memorably questions Hernan's empanadas in general:

"I know what empanadas are and I love empanadas, don't get me wrong. But never in a million years I thought there could be like, cheeseburger empanadas and crab empanadas," she says. "Those aren't even empanadas."

So what exactly is an empanada and who gets to decide what is and isn't one?

With its similarities to calzones, samosas and the Middle Eastern dish sfiha, culinary experts say it's likely that the savory half-crescent hand pie has Moorish-Spanish origins, as is true for a majority of Latin American cuisine.

A Spanish cookbook published by Ruperto de Nola titled "Libre del Coch" is believed to have the first known printed mention of empanadas. The book was written sometime around 1490, two years before Christopher Columbus led the colonization of the Americas and over one hundred years before the last of the Moors were expelled from Spain by 1614.

Today, the embrace of empanadas crisscrosses European, Latin American and Iberian-rooted cultures. The food is beloved and, as a result, Hernan's relatively Americanized take on the dish has stirred up the sort of conversations that are often come about when minority communities sense their culture is being capitalized on by an outsider.

There's a fine line between culinary appreciation and appropriation, and some have accused Hernan, who is white, of tap dancing on that line.

In a Reddit post, one user expressed similar sentiment writing, "I immediately thought about gentrification and cultural appropriation when I heard what her business was but at the end of the day she's catering to her specific audience so idc if they want to spend money on a product that's only similar nominally."

It's uncertain where Hernan got her direct inspiration for the frozen empanadas, as there's no such acknowledgment on her company's website. In a 2021 interview with Northshore magazine, Hernan said that she fell in love with empanada while she was in Puerto Rico for a modeling job. Then in a recent interview with Elite Daily, she credited her grandmother, who she referred to as "100% Portuguese" for familiarizing her with the dish.

A communications supervisor for Hernan declined to comment on the matter to TODAY.

Perhaps there are people who will fall in love with Hernan's vegan turnovers (and hopefully those people can afford them), but for us, it's a nada on the empanadas. We'll stick to picking them up from a local restaurant or making them ourselves (see: Natalie Morales' empanadas).

The Amazing Story Behind Jasper's Station 10 Empanadas

It's been a year since the Suarez family decided to share their beloved Argentinean empanadas with the town of Jasper, Georgia, and since then, Station 10 Empanadas has become a big favorite. Good Day's Paul Milliken stopped by the business to learn its story.

Where To Eat Empanadas In Chicago

Don Pablo's Kitchen & Bakeshop

Don Pablo's Kitchen & Bakeshop started as a ghost kitchen and then opened in a small counter-service spot in Uptown early this year. The menu focuses on Chilean empanadas with a buttery crust used in eight savory varieties such as the Poeta filled with shrimp, basil, oregano, and a mix of mozzarella and gouda, and the Greek Tragedy packed with artichoke hearts, cremini mushrooms, kalamata olives, and feta. For dessert, grab an apple-stuffed empanada sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Cafe Tola's empanadas are a favorite at Chicago festivals; the chain also has four BYOB cafes spread across Avondale, Lakeview, and Logan Square. Mexican, Cuban, and American flavors inspire the 25 sweet and savory varieties including ropa vieja, birria, and apple pie. If the choices seem overwhelming, order online and play "empanada roulette" by letting an employee choose three meat or vegetarian varieties for a $2 discount.

Argentine and Italian fare combine at La Nonna, which serves golden flaky empanadas stuffed with vegetables, beef, chicken or ham and cheese along with the namesake pizza topped with ham, roasted red pepper, and green olives. The Avondale restaurant has a patio that's a nice place to relax while sipping a glass of wine or an iced latte.

Eater Philly

Oct 26, 2023

Named for the international dialing code for Buenos Aires, Argentina, 5411 Empanadas started as a food truck before opening its first permanent location in Lakeview in 2012. They've kept growing since, adding restaurants in Wicker Park, Lakeview, and Evanston and shipping frozen empanadas around the country. The chain offers 16 varieties including an Impossible plant-based version of the traditional Argentine empanada made with ground beef, diced potatoes, sauteed onions, scallions, and green olives, and pork chorizo sauteed with red peppers combined with black beans and scrambled eggs. They are served with chimichurri or roasted jalapeno hot sauce.

English miners brought Cornish pasties to Central Mexico in the 19th century, where they evolved into pastes: firm pastry dough stuffed with traditional Mexican fare like red or green chicken mole, chorizo with beans, and poblano peppers with cheese. Golden Tuzo provides a perfect place to try them alongside sweet empanadas with equally traditional fillings such as arroz con leche and guava with cheese.

Lito's Empanadas first opened in Lincoln Park in 2007 and has since added locations in Little Italy and inside the Chicago French Market and Revival Food Hall. They offer 17 varieties with fillings inspired by the flavors of Mexico City including a breakfast version stuffed with chorizo, egg, potato, and cheese; al pastor made with marinated pork, pineapple, cilantro, and cheese; and vegetarian with chipotle, cilantro, and onion. Try dipping them in sauces spiced with morita or serrano peppers.

Argentina shines at this Logan Square restaurant. The camarones are nice, with shrimp and cheese, and so is Tucumana, apparently a Northern Argentina tribute with steak, green onions, and eggs. There are several options, and most are excellent. But the truth is the chimichurri here is so good it will mask any disappointment from the empanada.

The Cuban ropa vieja-stuffed empanada is one of the highlights Omarcitos, this cute family-owned Latin American cafe that earned a rave review from the Tribune. The influences come from the entire region and the empanadas, including the guava and cheese version, run the gamut. There's something for everyone; even vegans. And owner Omar Cadena is a delight.

Rica ArepaVenezuelan Restaurant

Venezuelan empanadas have deep-fried corn dough, making them sweeter and bigger than other versions. Rica Arepa makes nearly 25 of them to order until 3 p.M, with varieties including ham and cheese, sweet plantains, shrimp, and pabellon, a traditional mix of shredded beef, black beans, cheese, and sweet plantains. Their newest flavor is rompe-colchon, stuffed with an octopus and shrimp ceviche that's meant to be an aphrodisiac. They're served along with hot sauce and a creamy garlic sauce. The restaurant also has a location in Lakeview.

Irazu Costa Rican Restaurant & Catering

Any meal at this Bucktown BYOB stable should begin with an order of fried empanadas stuffed with beef and potatoes, spinach and cheese, or the sweeter plantain and cheese combination. Cover them with plenty of the Costa Rican restaurant's creamy empanada sauce and a squeeze of the hot sauce stationed on every table. Bring a bottle of rum to spike the fresh pina colada mix that helps tame the heat.

Siblings Juan and Nathalie Betancourt bring Colombian food to Humboldt Park, serving chicken, beef, cheese, and sweet plantain empanadas along with spicy or mild version of aji, a green sauce made with onions, peppers, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice also commonly used on arepas. Empanadas serve as the starter for a three-course meal deal for two that also includes arroz con pollo, fried cassava, and flan.

The lobster empanadas, made with big pieces of claw and tail meat, chihuahua cheese, and flaky pastry dough and served topped with avocado slices with a side of chipotle aioli have been a favorite at this Latin-inspired seafood spot since it opened along the Chicago River in 2020. They're available along with the rest of Azul's menu on the Cielo rooftop; enjoy them with pitchers of margaritas and sangria.

In one interation or another, Cafe Central has been around since 1952, and this iconic Puerto Rican restaurant continues to provide family-friendly fare in West Town. Pastelillos are the Puerto Rican version and at Central, there are plenty to pick from.

In West Town, Chicago Empanada Mama is a full-service Puerto Rican restaurant with an assortment of empanadas to pick from including guava with gruyere; and chicken, basil, and cheese. Wash them down with a cocktail.

Dell' Rooster Restaurant & Bar

Dell'Rooster is a West Town pan Latin restaurant good for date nights or family meals. There are two empanadas on the menu. The Caribbean version comes stuffed with bone marrow, braised beef, and cheese. The Dell'Rooster version is simpler with corn and cotija. They're larger than standard empanadas, so hearty appetites will be rewarded.

Get a taste of Peru in River North with brisket, raisin, and onion empanadas served with herbaceous huacatay sauce, stewed chicken empanadas filled with sweet yellow peppers and rocoto pepper cream, and a vegetarian version featuring sweet corn, cilantro, queso fresco, and huancaina, a mild cheese sauce. Order two pieces as a snack or a tasting trio that offers one of each. The restaurant also features a rotating empanada of the day as part of its happy hour menu from 5-7 p.M. On weekdays.

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Fons - Plant Based EmpanadasThe Loop

Fons is a mini chain from Venezuelan owners who use many South American countries as influences for their meat- and dairy-free selections. They make their own vegan cheese and use items like jackfruit as meat substitutes. Find them at various locations and at select farmers markets.

Peruvian street food inspired the menu at this Loop rooftop bar, which offers chicken empanadas spiced with panca peppers and served with a side of aji amarillo, a spicy and creamy green sauce. A vegetarian version combines kale, provolone, and cremini mushrooms and comes with romesco sauce.

This Hyde Park institution serves Italian fare with a splash of Spanish tapas including empanadas stuffed with spinach and bechamel, or chicken, onions, red peppers, green olives and hard boiled eggs. Piccolo Mondo also features an Argentinean bakery in front serving traditional pastries including croissant-like medialunas and cañoncito, a cannon-shaped pastry stuffed with dulce de leche.

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