Empanada fillings commonly include beef, chicken or spinach and cheese, and Nadas shares a taste of the classics and more with Colombian-style empanadas in novel, sweet-savory pairings like Guava & Cheese and Mango Pork. At the Specialty Food Association's Summer Fancy Food Show 2026, Nadas showcased its homemade, gluten-free Colombian Rainbow Empanadas, which are naturally colorful, non-soy and prepared with a base of corn. Preparing these colorful, generously stuffed, flavor-filled bites as part of a meal or snack calls for up to 12 minutes in the oven or toaster oven, or for an even faster preparation method, an air fryer.
Leaving no snacker hungry, Nadas also offers several plant-based empanadas: Vegan Chorizo & Sweet Potato, Vegan Beef & Plantain, and Vegan Black Bean & Sweet Potato.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Rainbow Latin Snacks
- Naturally colorful formats are making traditional handheld foods more visually distinctive, creating room for premium multicultural snacks that stand out in frozen aisles and social food moments.
- Sweet-savory Fillings
- Unexpected pairings such as guava and cheese or mango and pork reflect growing demand for adventurous comfort foods that blend familiarity with discovery.
- Air-fryer Convenience
- Fast-prep frozen empanadas align with air-fryer cooking habits, opening space for snackable meals designed around speed, texture and minimal cleanup.
Where This Applies
- Frozen Foods
- Gluten-free, corn-based empanadas illustrate how frozen meals can evolve through cleaner labels, global flavors and formats suited to modern appliances.
- Plant-based Foods
- Vegan chorizo, beef and bean fillings show how meatless options are expanding beyond burgers into culturally rooted comfort foods with broader snacking appeal.
- Specialty Grocery
- Premium handmade empanadas with regional Colombian identity offer retailers differentiated products that combine authenticity, convenience and visual shelf appeal.
