Try this delicious and easy to make Embutido, a Filipino meatloaf made from ground pork made flavorful with onions, carrots, bell pepper, relish, and raisins. With egg and sausage filling to make it more special. Perfect for everyday or special occasions.
Embutido is the Filipino version of a meatloaf using ground pork meat. It is usually served during special occasions like Fiesta, birthdays and of course at holidays. And since Christmas is just around the corner, I thought it is about time to remind you of this classic.
The name itself has Spanish origins that refer to cured sausages but Filipino Embutido is something different. It does not need to be cured at all. Rather, it is wrapped in foil and then steamed and it is ready to eat.
Some recipes recommend baking them instead, which I've tried but I have to say that the steamed version tastes better and has a better texture than the baked one.
A special embutido have sausage and hard-boiled egg in the middle but you can leave them out and it will still taste great.
After being steamed, they can be frozen and they can last at least a month.
Embutido can be eaten cold but I personally prefer to fry them before eating served with hot steamed rice dipped in ketchup or sweet chili sauce.
One of our readers, Ann Damirez, suggested broiling it a bit in the oven after steaming it to give a bit of a char and a crisp on the outside. I think it is absolutely a wonderful idea. Then I can skip the frying part and make my life a little easier. 
Embutido Recipe (Filipino - ground pork meatloaf)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 pieces raw egg
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup breadcrumbs or 3 pieces sliced bread cut into really small pieces
- 1 big carrot - diced (small)
- 1 big onion - diced (small)
- 1 medium green bell pepper - diced (small)
- ⅓ cup sweet pickle relish
- 3 tablespoons tomato sauce or ketchup
- ⅔ cup raisins
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoons pepper
- 6 pieces Vienna sausage or 3 hotdogs
- 2 hard-boiled eggs - each cut into 4
Instructions
- Put all ingredients, except the last 2, in a large bowl.
- Mix everything together using your hand to make sure that all is well incorporated. Set aside.
- Cut 2 pieces of aluminum foil about 12 inches long each. Take half of the meat mixture and flatten it on of the foil, covering about a half. Don't forget to leave some space at the ends, about 2 inches each side.
- Place the sausages and hard boiled eggs on the middle of the flattened meat.
- Roll the foil so that the meat forms a cylinder or log, locking the sausage and egg in the center. Twist the ends of the foil to lock.
- Steam for 50-60 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
My dear Bebz,
Please add 1 cup cheddar cheese in this recipe and further increase the delectability level! I used 3 bread slices because the sugar in the bread slices gives that little sweet flavor to offset the saltiness in the cheese. Keep on sharing you recipes because you give us delight when we cook for our loved ones and inspires us to continue to improve our simple tastes! God bless to you and family.
Thank you for this tip, Liberty! I will add it to the notes section!
hi, was thinking to use ground beef any thoughts? Also same concern about tin foil. Any suggestions on other options besides tin foil? I stumbled upon your site. Was craving for some bilo-bilo recipe. Made it twice now:) This whole COVID thing gave me the courage to never be afraid to try. Not much of a cook:( Were interacial family so its hamburger & mac & cheese kind'a thing in our household. Hope to hear from you! Take care.
Hi Beth, ground beef is ok or you can also use half beef and half pork. As for the foil, I have some alternatives but they will be more difficult to find. Or you can place it in a loaf pan like a meatloaf.
Is it possible to add cheese to the recipe? I remember having some chunks of cheese in embotido.
Sure you can Hanna.
I have tried a few of your recipes and they always turned out great! Thank you for sharing with us!
So happy to hear that you are enjoying our recipes, Michelle. Thanks for the great review.
Hi,
Can I use yellow bell pepper instead of green?
Thanks,
Raquel
Of course, you can!
Red bell pepper for the embutido is best because it give out much better aroma than green or yellow pepper per my cooking
Hello!
I will be trying this for xmas eve but wondered if puede substitute yung sweet pickle for crushed pineapple?? Or kung puede leave it out completely? Ano kaya? Thank you so much in advance!
If I make smaller logs - do I need to steam it for the same amount of time?
Also, can I steam in advance and keep in fridge til I'm ready to fry them?
If you will cook it all together then just use the same amount of time. Yes, you can freeze the steamed embutido and thaw before frying.
Hello, may I know the best type of pork meat to use? Is it pure karne or do I use fat also? Thanks🙂
Some fats are needed so the embotido will not come out dry.
I realy loved all your recipe. Well balanced ingredients and perfectly delicious. I am an executive chef here in a boutique hotel in Canada, and trying some of your creations are great twist. and recomends your website to our kababayan guests. Big Compliment! keep up the good Cooking. 💚
Wow! That is so nice of you to say! I am happy that you find our recipes good and thanks for your recommendations...ingat and stay safe always.😊
I really like this recipe and I tried your other recipe and they are good and easy to follow. For the Embutido, can I use ground chicken instead? And if yes, will it be the same amount of time when I steam it? Thanks.
Hi Angeli, sure go ahead.
Yummmmmy embotido..:)
Hi, can I make this ahead, and steam only the following day? By the way, i’ve tried a lot of your recipes, thanks for sharing your talent. 🙂
Glad to hear that you like our recipes, Cherry. Sure you can make it ahead but I will also wrap them in alu. foil just before steaming.
I'm going to try this. Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome, Grace.
Hi can I use chicken sausage instead of Vienna sausage?
Sure, I also sometimes do.
I don’t have a steamer, can I bake this instead? What’s the oven setting and how long? 😊 I. tried your other recipes and I love them all! I did Maja Blanca, Ube halaya, Cassava Cake and Longanisa recipes!! 😋 I’m a huge fan! Thanks in advance!!
Wow that is a lot and happy that you like them all. Yes, you can bake it in the oven. It will take about 1 hour at 180°C at the middle rack.
Hi. Is there any difference in the texture of embutido when baked or steamed?
Hi Cath, I find that steamed embutido is moist while baked ones a bit dryer.
Hi Bebs,
Can I airfry it or is it best to fry it in oil?
I think it should work with the airfryer.
Delicious embutido. I like it. I want to know more recipes from you
Thanks, Arlene. There are plenty here for you to try.
This recipe tastes good! Thank you for sharing! Just my concern is the finished product is not that compact. Can you advise how I can make it more compact so it won't disintegrate? Or will it be compact after freezing? Thanks!
Hi Lory, try to roll it as compact and tight as you can. In the video, you will see that it should already stick together and hold its form prior to rolling.
I tried the embutido and I really liked it. The taste was delish! I forgot to put the carrots though. But it turned out good.
Great that you like it, with or without the carrots 😉
Hi, What name brand is your steamer ? I am also enjoying your videos of how you show step by step / the process. Thanks
Hi Di, I left that steamer in Germany 🙁 i forgot which brand it was.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Its yummy!
Glad to hear it, Ina.
I would love to see a simple recipe for Kare Kare.
Salamat!
Hi Mille, here is the link to our Kare Kare recipe. You can make it more simple by just using basic ingredients like eggplant, pechay, and yard-long beans. You can also use pork hocks or even belly instead of oxtail and tripe.
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I love your recipe, keep up the nice work and continue sharing... Love u
Glad that you are loving our recipes. Thanks for your encouraging comment.
My mom always cooked this for big events but she uses this very thin lining that wraps the embutido and steams it. This thin white lining is also edible.
Do you know what this is? Is it available outside of the US ? If so, where can we get it?
Hi Len, could it be bean curd or soybean sheet? The one they use for kikiam? That is an idea...
It is called sinsal. It looks like very thin and has a bit fatty lines. It is used to wrap a similar dish called morcon.
the white lining is thin fat from offal of pork, usually lined on the aluminum foil to prevent meat from clinging onto the foil. i usually get it from batchoy spleen (i think). i believe they are not being preserved for commercial sale.
Can we wrap the embutido in parchment paper and steam it? It is because they say using aluminum foil can cause some aluminum to get into our food and aluminum is a suspect in alzheimer's disease
Hi Eleanor, I haven't tried using parchment paper for wrapping and steaming embutido in, so I can not say if it would work or not. Sorry that I could not help you.
This Embutido Recipe is one of the Great Pinoy Recipe. I Actually made this one with some twist and can be seen on my Blog.
Hello, Good day... Can i use red bell peppers instead of green?
Sure you can...
This embutido recipe is for keeps. My partner who is a picky eater loved it, although I didn't add raisins and eggs as per his request and I totally forgot to add flour it still held its' shape when I fried it and still tasted amazing.. I was able to make 7 logs.
That is great, Irish! Happy that your hubby likes it! Thanks for the 5 stars.