How to Choose Your First Empanada (A Straight Answer)

You're on the site. Five flavours in front of you. You want to try one. Which one?

It's the most common question we get, and the most avoided answer is "whatever you fancy." That's not helpful. So below is the straight answer to every question people actually search before their first order, based on what gets reordered, what gets sent back to the kitchen with compliments, and what first-timers tell us they wish they'd picked.

What's the most popular Argentum empanada flavour?

Carnivore. It's the bestseller across retail and catering, by a clear margin. Grass-fed beef brisket, slow-cooked for hours until it pulls apart, folded with onion, garlic, red capsicum, and green olives. That's it. No filler, no mince stretched out, no shortcuts. Slow protein in a sealed pastry.

If you like a really good brisket sandwich, a proper Cornish pasty, or anything from an Argentinian asado, that's the comparison. The bite is rich and beefy without being heavy, and the green olives keep it bright instead of one-note. Catering clients reorder it more than any other flavour, and most first-time retail buyers who get it tell us the same thing later: they wish they'd bought two packs.

Patagonia is the close second, and it's the flavour meat eaters quietly come back for after a party. More on that further down.

If you only want one recommendation and nothing else, stop here and order the Carnivore 12-pack. If you can stretch to $85, keep reading and look at the Chef's Box first.

Should I start with Carnivore or Classic?

Two safest first picks. Two different answers depending on what you usually eat.

Pick Carnivore if you usually order the steak sandwich at the pub, the brisket on a barbecue plate, or the beef option on any menu. It's grass-fed beef brisket pulled tender, with onion, garlic, red capsicum, and green olives. No olives in the way, the olive flavour is woven in. Closest comparison: an Argentinian asado wrapped in pastry. Heavy in the best sense. The empanada you eat with a glass of red.

Pick Classic if you usually order the margherita pizza, the cheese toastie, or a basic baked pasta. It's our three-cheese empanada: provolone, parmesan, mozzarella, with slow-caramelised onion. Vegetarian without making a thing of it. Caramelised onion brings sweetness, provolone gives sharpness, parmesan brings salt, mozzarella does the stretch. Kid-friendly, neutral palate friendly, and the safest pick for households with mixed eaters.

If the table can't agree, get a 4-pack of each as part of the Chef's Box. That's literally what we built it for.

What if I don't eat beef?

Two clear answers. Both excellent.

If you want chicken, order The Athlete. Free-range chicken, pulled by the kitchen team, with lemon, green olives, red capsicum, a whisper of curry, and mozzarella tying it together. Wholemeal dough. If you usually order Thai green curry, a chicken tikka roll, or a Vietnamese chicken salad, this is the empanada that lands. The curry is subtle. It's not a curry empanada, it's a seasoned chicken empanada with a thoughtful edge. Lighter than Carnivore on the bite, but no less interesting.

If you want fully plant-based, order Patagonia (see the vegan section below). It's not a chicken substitute, it's a properly built vegan empanada that also happens to be the flavour meat eaters come back for first.

Worth noting: Habibi Yalla is technically beef too, but a very different beef. Minced, open-top, Levantine-spiced. If "don't eat beef" means "don't love slow-cooked brisket," Habibi Yalla and Athlete are the two to consider.

How spicy are Argentum empanadas?

Honestly, not very. Argentinian empanadas are seasoned, not chilli-driven, and ours follow that tradition.

Carnivore is savoury and aromatic from the onion, garlic, and capsicum, no chilli. Classic is sweet from the caramelised onion, salty from the cheese, no heat at all. Patagonia is earthy from the mushrooms and kale, no heat. Habibi Yalla has lemon and parsley brightness with a touch of Levantine spice, but it sits at warm not spicy.

Athlete is the closest to anything chilli-adjacent because of the curry note, but again, it's a whisper, not a kick. Kids eat them all. Spice-averse parents eat them all. If you want heat, serve them with our chimichurri or a chilli oil on the side.

Quick verdict on the heat scale (out of 5): Classic 0, Patagonia 0, Carnivore 1, Habibi Yalla 1, Athlete 1 to 2 depending on your tolerance for curry. None of them will make you sweat.

What if I'm vegetarian?

Order The Classic. Three cheeses (provolone, parmesan, mozzarella) and slow-caramelised onion. That's the whole empanada. No filler vegetables added to make a meat-replacement statement, no faux-meat anything. Just a properly built cheese-and-onion empanada that happens to be vegetarian.

It's the one we recommend for kid-friendly dinners, mixed-eater hosting, and anyone who wants something familiar on the bite. The caramelised onion does a lot of work, sweet enough to balance the saltiness of the parmesan, slow enough that you taste the time. Most converted sceptics started here.

Patagonia is also vegetarian (it's vegan, so by definition), and worth ordering in the same shop. The two cover different cravings: Classic is for cheese nights, Patagonia is for vegetable-forward nights.

What if I'm vegan?

Order Patagonia. Grilled mushroom, spinach, kale, carrot, garlic, onion, and potato cheese, wrapped in our signature green dough. Fully vegan, no asterisk.

This is the empanada we're quietly proud of. It doesn't read like a vegan alternative because it wasn't built as one. The grilled mushrooms carry umami the way slow-cooked meat does in Carnivore. The potato cheese gives it richness without any dairy. Spinach and kale add the green note, carrot brings sweetness, and the green dough is both a visual signal and a culinary one (it tastes a touch herbaceous on the bite).

If you usually order a roast vegetable salad, a Sunday roast with extra greens, or a mushroom risotto, Patagonia is the empanada that lines up. We've lost count of the meat eaters who ordered it alongside Carnivore at a party and came back for Patagonia first. Worth ordering even if you're not vegan. Especially if you're not vegan.

What if I'm picky about onions or olives?

This one matters, because four of the five flavours have onion in some form, and three have olives.

• If you can't do onions at all: none of our flavours are onion-free. Onion is the foundation of Argentinian empanada filling. You're going to feel it. Closest to a low-onion pick: Classic, where the onion is slow-caramelised into the cheese until it's barely a separate ingredient.
• If you can't do olives: Carnivore has green olives. Athlete has green olives. Habibi Yalla and Classic and Patagonia do not. So your safe picks are Classic, Patagonia, and Habibi Yalla.
• If you specifically don't like raw onion but cooked is fine: all our onions are cooked. Caramelised in Classic, slow-cooked into the filling in Carnivore and Athlete. You will likely be fine.

One thing worth flagging: Carnivore no longer has black olives. Earlier versions of our recipe and some old write-ups mention them. The current Carnivore filling uses green olives only, and the flavour is brighter for it.

How many empanadas should I order first time?

Quick rule of thumb:

• 4 empanadas = a meal for one person, with a side. Decent lunch, light dinner.
• 12 empanadas = dinner for a small household (3 to 4 people), or lunch leftovers for the week.
• 16 to 20 empanadas = a tasting for 4 to 5 people across multiple flavours. The Chef's Box (20 across 5 flavours) is built for exactly this.
• 60 empanadas = a small party (15 to 20 guests as finger food).
• 100+ empanadas = corporate or larger events (25 to 30+ guests).

For a first order specifically: get at least 12. Empanadas keep 6 months sealed at -18C, so anything you don't eat the first night sits in the freezer ready for next time. First-timers who order a 4-pack "just to try" usually regret it by dinner. Our minimum online order is $85 across Sydney delivery, pickup, and markets, so a single 4-pack won't clear the floor anyway. A 12-pack or the Chef's Box does.

What if I want to try every flavour?

Get the Chef's Box. Twenty empanadas, four of each flavour, chef-selected. We designed it specifically for this problem. Too many first-time buyers pick one 12-pack, love it, then realise six months later they've never tasted the other four.

The Chef's Box is $85, which lines up exactly with our minimum online order. It's the cleanest way to taste the whole range in one shop, without committing to packs of one flavour you haven't tried yet. Pair it with a 2-pack of Franui chocolate raspberries from the freezer and you've got the full Argentinian rhythm: something savoury, something sweet after.

If you'd rather skip the chef's selection and pick your own, you can buy individual 4-packs alongside a 12-pack to reach the $85 minimum. Most people don't bother. The Chef's Box is the lower-friction answer.

Should I get baked or frozen for my first order?

For retail at home, get frozen. That's our default and the format the website ships in.

Frozen empanadas arrive sealed in our catering boxes, keep 6 months at -18C, and bake from frozen in 18 to 22 minutes at 190C (under 25 minutes max, no thawing). The pastry crisps properly, the filling stays moist, and you bake exactly what you need: pull two out for a snack, twelve for dinner, the rest stays in the freezer.

Baked is the format you'll see at our markets and on catering orders. We bake them in our kitchen in Bondi Beach and deliver them warm, ready to eat immediately. It's the right call for parties, boat charters, and offices, where you want hot food at a specific time. It's the wrong call for a first retail order at home, because they don't keep as long once baked.

Fried in beef tallow is a third option, available on request for catering. Premium texture, richer mouthfeel, slightly higher cost. Not on the standard online ordering flow. If you want it, message us.

Short version for a first order: frozen 12-pack or Chef's Box, you bake at home from frozen, 190C, 18 to 22 minutes. That's it.

What flavour goes best with what occasion?

If you're matching empanadas to a moment, this is the cheat sheet.

Occasion	Best flavours	Why
First-ever order	Chef's Box, or Carnivore 12-pack	Covers all five, or the safest single pick
Weeknight dinner for 2 to 4	Carnivore + Classic	One meaty, one vegetarian. Universal.
Kid's lunchbox	Classic	Mild, cheese, no olives, no chilli
Post-gym meal	Carnivore or Athlete	Highest protein per bite
Vegetarian-only dinner	Classic + Patagonia	Cheese-led and vegetable-led, contrast
Vegan dinner party	Patagonia	Fully vegan, broadly loved
Adventurous foodie	Habibi Yalla	Open-top, lemon, parsley, talking point
Catering 15 to 20 guests	Party Box (60)	Right headcount math, mixed flavours
Office catering 25 to 30	Corporate Box (100 baked)	Delivered hot, structured for a meeting
Boat party 30+	Mixed Party Box or Corporate Box	One-handed, wind-stable, no plates
Sunday afternoon	Any + Franui chocolate raspberries	The full Argentinian rhythm: savoury then sweet

The three mistakes first-time buyers make

Buying too little

The minimum useful first order is a 12-pack or the Chef's Box. A 4-pack on its own won't clear the $85 minimum, and one or two empanadas isn't a meal. Empanadas keep 6 months at -18C, so a 12-pack isn't a commitment, it's a freezer staple.

Thawing them

Don't. Cook from frozen, always. Thawing introduces moisture and ruins the pastry. The cooking guide covers this in detail (190C, 18 to 22 minutes, under 25 minutes max, fan-forced is fine).

Skipping Patagonia because it's vegan

This is the most common miss. Meat eaters assume it's "the vegan option" and order four of something else. Then they try one at a party and spend the next week asking if we can deliver Patagonia specifically. Order one pack with whatever else you choose. You'll see what we mean.

The simplest answer in one sentence

If you can spend $85 on your first order, get the Chef's Box. If you'd rather start narrower, get the Carnivore 12-pack. Both get you into Argentum properly. Everything else is personal preference from there.

Where to go next

• Browse the full range
• Best empanadas in Sydney
• Empanadas near me: delivery, pickup, markets
• How to cook Argentum empanadas

Frequently asked questions

What's the most popular Argentum empanada flavour?

Carnivore. It's the bestseller across retail and catering. Grass-fed beef brisket, slow-cooked, with onion, garlic, red capsicum, and green olives. First-timers feel safe ordering it, catering clients reorder it most often, and the green olive note keeps it bright instead of heavy. Patagonia is the close second.

Should I start with Carnivore or Classic?

Carnivore if you usually order the steak option (slow-cooked grass-fed beef brisket). Classic if you usually order the cheese option (three-cheese with caramelised onion, vegetarian, kid-friendly). If the table can't agree, the Chef's Box covers both and three more.

What should I order if I'm vegetarian?

Order The Classic. Three cheeses (provolone, parmesan, mozzarella) and slow-caramelised onion. Not framed as a vegetarian substitute, just a properly built cheese-and-onion empanada that happens to be meat-free. Patagonia is also vegetarian by virtue of being vegan, and worth pairing.

What if I'm vegan?

Order Patagonia. Fully vegan: grilled mushroom, spinach, kale, carrot, garlic, onion, and potato cheese, in our green dough. It doesn't read like a vegan substitute. Meat eaters often reorder it first after a party.

How spicy are Argentum empanadas?

Not very. None of the five flavours are chilli-driven. Argentinian empanadas are seasoned, not spicy. Athlete has the most warmth (a whisper of curry), Habibi Yalla has Levantine spice notes, Classic and Patagonia have none. Kids eat them all.

How many empanadas should I order first time?

Order at least 12 or get the Chef's Box. Argentum's minimum online order is $85, which lines up with a 12-pack of any single flavour or the 20-piece Chef's Box. Empanadas keep 6 months at -18C, so leftovers go in the freezer.

Should I get baked or frozen for my first order?

Frozen. That's the retail default. Sealed in our catering boxes, 6 months at -18C, bakes from frozen in 18 to 22 minutes at 190C. Baked is the format for markets and catering, fried in beef tallow is a catering-only option on request.