Medellin: Learn to make Colombian empanadas from scratch

This empanada lesson is interesting because it happens in a real family home in Medellín, not a generic cooking school. In Antioquia, the food lesson is also a people lesson, with genuine back-and-forth while you cook.

I love the hands-on part, where you make the dough and shape the empanadas yourself. I also love the warm welcome and the chance to share time with the hosts, including conversation in English and Portuguese.

One consideration: it lasts 150 minutes, so you’ll want to arrive ready to focus and eat. If you’re expecting a quick snack-and-go, this is more hands-on and sit-down than that.

Key things I’d plan around

• Family home setting at Casa 201, with cooking that feels personal
• You choose fillings, including meat, chicken, and a monthly surprise
• Vegetarian and vegan-friendly options with a hogao-style topping
• Small group of up to 9, so you get real time at your station
• Enjoy the empanadas with a drink, plus a welcome drink to start

Casa 201 in Medellín, where cooking feels like visiting family

The class meeting point is Casa 201 in Medellín, in Antioquia. That detail matters, because you are not just learning a recipe in theory. You’re stepping into a home kitchen where people cook the way they actually cook, with timing that makes sense for a family table.

From the start, the tone is friendly. They set you up with a local welcome drink, then get you moving into the lesson. You’ll be surrounded by ingredients, tools, and a relaxed rhythm that makes it easier to ask questions and learn without feeling rushed.

The group is small, limited to 9 participants. That size is what turns this into an active lesson, not a spectator show. If you’re worried you’ll stand in the back or only watch, this is the opposite. You’ll have time to practice, adjust, and learn by doing.

The 150-minute flow: welcome drink, quick empanada history, then hands-on cooking

This is a 150-minute experience, which is a good length for learning pastry basics. Short classes tend to skip the tricky parts. Here, you have time for the full sequence: explanation, prep, shaping, cooking, and finally eating what you made.

You’ll get a brief history of empanadas. I like that this isn’t a long lecture. It gives you context for what you’re making, then quickly moves back to the main event, the process. It also helps you understand why certain choices matter, like how fillings affect seasoning and how the dough behaves.

Then comes the main course of the afternoon: preparation and cooking. You’ll be working with your guide and their team, including the family member described as the empanada genius. That kind of setup tells you one thing right away: this isn’t just a “teach and leave” job. Cooking is part of their home life.

Choosing your empanada fillings: meat, chicken, monthly special, plus vegan choices

One of the strongest parts of this experience is that you can tailor your batch. The lesson explicitly offers different flavors and lets you choose ingredients based on your preference, and they even mention vegan options.

Here are the filling options you can expect:

• Meat filling
• Chicken filling
• A special filling that changes every month
• Vegetarian option: mushrooms, corn, cheese, and potato with hogao

That last one is especially useful if you’ve never had Colombia’s style of empanada filling. Hogao, in this context, is a key flavor element. You’re not just learning how to fold pastry. You’re learning how Colombian flavor builds in a filling, so your final empanada tastes like food you could recognize, not just “homemade pastry.”

If you’re a vegan or vegetarian, this matters for more than comfort. It means your experience stays fully integrated with the group. You’re not waiting around for a separate meal. You’ll make your own empanadas using the ingredients that fit your diet.

Tip for planning: decide before you arrive which fillings you want to try. The more intentional you are, the easier it is to keep your time focused when you’re hands-on.

From dough to shape: what you actually learn while you make the empanadas

The best part of this lesson is that you don’t just assemble. You learn by doing. You will prepare and cook with your own hands, guided through the steps as you go.

What I like about this format is that it teaches practical control. When you shape empanadas yourself, you feel where the dough wants to stretch, where it tears, and where the seam needs attention. Those are small details, but they’re exactly what make the difference between “it kind of works” and empanadas that hold their filling.

Also, the class is set up for mixed experience levels. Some people come for their first empanada ever. Others come for the method, because they want to repeat it later at home. The small group setup helps you get feedback while there’s still time to adjust your next batch.

They also speak English and Portuguese, so you’re more likely to get clarity even if cooking terms don’t match your vocabulary. For me, that’s a big deal. Food learning gets easier when you can ask one more question and actually understand the answer.

Cooking and tasting: learning to trust the process

By the time you reach the cooking stage, you’ll understand that empanadas are about the balance between dough and filling. If the filling is too wet, it can affect the final texture. If the dough is too thick or too thin, it changes how the empanada bites.

The lesson includes time to cook, then enjoy the empanadas you made. And you won’t just have water on the side. You’ll enjoy them with another drink, after the initial welcome drink.

Here’s why this tasting moment is valuable: you’re tasting a result that matches the choices you made. That feedback loop helps you learn faster. If you make a filling choice, then taste it right away, you start to understand which fillings you personally enjoy and which technique you might refine next time.

Some people may even end up with extras to take away, depending on how much you end up making and how the pace lands. So if you like the idea of practicing with leftovers later, keep a little room in your bag.

The real reason it feels special: warmth, conversation, and sharing your own food story

Plenty of cooking classes focus on food. This one also focuses on people, and that shows in how they describe sharing with locals and getting to them.

The hosts are described as very welcoming, and the lesson is explicitly set up so you share time with the family while you cook. That changes the vibe. Instead of feeling like you’re paying for instruction, it feels like you’re being invited into a normal day of cooking and conversation.

English is the instructor language, and they also speak Portuguese. That mix often helps when your Spanish is limited. But even if language is simple, warmth does the heavy lifting. You’ll feel comfortable enough to ask how something should look or taste.

This is also a good choice for families. The small-group format means everyone can participate, and you can expect you’ll all stay involved, not only the loudest person in the room. If you’re traveling with kids or a group of friends, this kind of hands-on participation tends to work better than a purely guided walk.

Price and value: what your $56 actually buys you

The price is $56 per person for 150 minutes. That can sound straightforward until you look at what’s included.

You get:

• A local welcome drink
• A brief history of empanadas
• Preparation and cooking with your own hands
• Multiple filling options, including vegetarian and vegan-friendly ingredients
• Enjoying your empanadas with another drink

So you’re paying for instruction, ingredients, and the dining experience, in a small group, in a home setting. For me, that’s the value equation. You’re not just learning how to make food. You’re getting the cultural context, the guided practice, and the meal tied to your own choices.

If you compare this to classes that include only one simple component, this one gives you multiple flavors and a more complete process. And the small group helps you actually use the time.

Who this empanada class suits best (and who might want a different activity)

This experience is a great fit if you want:

• A hands-on food lesson, not a demo
• A small-group setting where you can talk and ask questions
• Options for vegans or vegetarians, with specific filling ingredients like mushrooms, corn, cheese, potato, and hogao
• A Medellín experience that feels social and local, in a family home

It may be less ideal if:

• You’re not interested in cooking at all and just want to eat
• You prefer a shorter, lighter activity (this is a 150-minute session)
• You are very tight on time and cannot plan around a meal included in the experience

Quick practical tips so you have an easier time

The hosts make it clear you just need a good disposition, a smile, and appetite. I’d add a couple practical points based on how these lessons usually run in a home kitchen.

• Come hungry enough that you can taste what you make without rushing.
• Wear something you can move in. Even with care, cooking can get messy.
• Decide your likely filling preferences ahead of time, especially if you’re vegetarian or vegan.
• Bring questions. The best learning happens when you ask what something should look like and how to adjust.

Should you book this empanada class in Medellín?

I think you should book it if you want an authentic Medellín food experience that’s genuinely hands-on. The small group size, the chance to choose fillings (including vegan and vegetarian options), and the family-home warmth make it more than a recipe. It’s a chance to learn a Colombian staple in a way you can actually repeat later.

If you’re the type who enjoys talking while you cook, this will fit you well. If you want a quick activity, or you’d rather avoid pastry prep altogether, you might feel this is more work than you planned.

If you do book, go with a flexible mind, pick your fillings early, and expect to leave with both better empanada skills and a story you’ll actually remember from Medellín.

FAQ

How long is the Medellín empanada-making experience?

The experience lasts 150 minutes.

Where is the meeting point?

The meeting point is Casa 201.

Is the class taught in English?

Yes, the instructor speaks English.

What is included in the price?

The experience includes a local welcome drink, a brief history of empanadas, preparation and cooking, and you also enjoy the empanadas with another drink.

Are vegetarian or vegan options available?

Yes. Vegetarian options include mushrooms, corn, cheese, and potato with hogao. The experience also notes that vegan preferences can be accommodated.

What fillings can you choose from?

You can choose from meat, chicken, and a special filling that changes every month. Vegetarian options include mushrooms, corn, cheese, and potato with hogao.

How large is the group?

The group is small, limited to 9 participants.