Puerto Rico
54 recipes to explore
Mofongo (Garlic Plantain Mash)
Puerto Rico's signature dish: fried green plantains pounded in a pilón with garlic, olive oil and crispy pork crackling, shaped into domes and served with a warm chicken broth or a savoury stew.
Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas)
Puerto Rico's national dish: rice cooked with pigeon peas, sofrito, ham, olives and annatto oil until golden and fluffy. The star of every Christmas table and family party.
Pernil (Puerto Rican Roast Pork Shoulder)
A whole pork shoulder rubbed with a pounded paste of garlic, oregano, black pepper and vinegar, marinated overnight and slow-roasted until fall-apart tender under a sheet of crackling skin (cuerito).
Tostones with Mayo-Ketchup
Green plantain slices fried twice, flattened in between, until crisp and golden. Dip in garlic water for extra flavour and serve with Puerto Rico's favourite sauce: mayo-ketchup.
Habichuelas Guisadas Boricuas (Puerto Rican Stewed Pink Beans)
Pink beans simmered in sofrito with ham, tomato sauce, olives and soft cubes of squash until thick and saucy. Spooned over white rice for the everyday Puerto Rican lunch.
Carne Guisada Puertorriqueña (Puerto Rican Beef Stew)
Beef chunks simmered slowly with sofrito, tomato sauce, olives, potatoes and carrots until tender in a rich, savoury gravy. Served with white rice and stewed beans.
Asopao de Pollo (Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice Soup)
A thick, soupy chicken and rice stew somewhere between a risotto and a soup, made with sofrito, annatto, olives, capers and peas. Puerto Rico's ultimate comfort food.
Alcapurrias (Puerto Rican Stuffed Fritters)
Torpedo-shaped fritters with a dough of grated green banana and yautía (taro), stuffed with savoury picadillo and fried until crisp. The star of Puerto Rico's beachside kiosks. Makes about 12.
Bacalaítos (Crispy Salt Cod Fritters)
Large, thin and crispy fritters made from a light batter of flour, flaked salt cod, garlic and coriander. A Puerto Rican beach kiosk classic. Makes about 12.
Pastelillos de Carne y Queso (Puerto Rican Turnovers)
Thin, flaky turnovers filled with seasoned minced beef and melting cheese, crimped with a fork and fried until blistered and golden. Made with ready-made discos for an easy party snack. Makes 12.
Sorullitos de Maíz (Cornmeal and Cheese Sticks)
Slightly sweet cornmeal dough with melted cheese, rolled into finger shapes and fried until crisp and golden outside and soft inside. Served with mayo-ketchup. Makes about 24.
Pasteles Puertorriqueños (Puerto Rican Christmas Pasteles)
The Christmas treasure of Puerto Rico: a soft masa of grated green banana, plantain and yautía with annatto, filled with stewed pork, wrapped in banana leaves and boiled. A family project. Makes about 12.
Piononos (Sweet Plantain Rings Stuffed with Beef)
Strips of fried ripe plantain curled into rings, filled with savoury picadillo, sealed with beaten egg and fried until golden. Sweet and savoury in every bite. Makes 12.
Chuletas Can-Can (Crispy Puerto Rican Pork Chops)
Extra-thick pork chops with the belly and skin still attached, marinated in garlic and oregano and fried until the skin puffs into crackling ruffles. A showstopper of Puerto Rican mountain restaurants.
Arroz Mamposteao (Puerto Rican Fried Rice and Beans)
Leftover white rice and stewed beans fried together with bacon, sofrito and peppers until the rice soaks up all the bean sauce and gets slightly crispy. Ready in 25 minutes.
Pollo Guisado Boricua (Puerto Rican Chicken Stew)
Chicken pieces simmered in sofrito, tomato sauce, olives and a splash of white wine with potatoes, until tender and saucy. Weeknight comfort food served with rice.
Tembleque (Coconut Pudding)
A silky, wobbly Puerto Rican pudding made from just coconut milk, sugar, cornflour and a pinch of salt, set in a mould and dusted with cinnamon. Naturally dairy-free.
Coquito (Puerto Rican Coconut Eggnog)
Puerto Rico's Christmas drink: a creamy blend of coconut milk, cream of coconut, condensed and evaporated milk, cinnamon and white rum, served ice-cold in small glasses. Easy to make alcohol-free.
Flan de Queso (Puerto Rican Cream Cheese Flan)
A rich, dense flan made with cream cheese, condensed and evaporated milk and eggs, baked in a water bath under amber caramel. Halfway between flan and cheesecake.
Mallorcas (Puerto Rican Sweet Rolls)
Soft, buttery spiral rolls dusted with lots of powdered sugar. Eaten for breakfast, often split, buttered and pressed on a griddle, or filled with ham, egg and cheese. Makes 8.
Sofrito Boricua (Puerto Rican Green Seasoning Base)
The green heart of Puerto Rican cooking: onion, peppers, sweet ají dulce, lots of garlic, culantro (recao) and coriander blended into a fragrant paste. Freeze in portions for rice, beans and stews.
Arroz con Pollo Boricua (Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice)
Chicken pieces browned and simmered with sofrito, olives and capers, then cooked with rice coloured gold by achiote. A one-pot Puerto Rican Sunday classic, with crispy pegao at the bottom.
Bistec Encebollado (Puerto Rican Steak and Onions)
Thin beef steaks marinated in vinegar, garlic and adobo, simmered under a mountain of sweet, soft onions until tender. Served with white rice, beans and tostones.
Serenata de Bacalao (Puerto Rican Salt Cod Salad with Viandas)
Flaked salt cod tossed with onion, tomato, avocado and a generous olive oil and vinegar dressing, served over boiled viandas: yuca, green bananas, sweet potato and yautía.
Tripleta (Puerto Rican Three-Meat Sandwich)
A loaded street sandwich of three meats, cubed steak, roast pork and ham, on pan sobao with cheese, lettuce, tomato, crunchy potato sticks and garlicky mayo-ketchup.
Jibarito (Plantain Steak Sandwich)
A steak sandwich where the bread is replaced by two big, crispy flattened green plantains, filled with thin steak, cheese, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayonnaise. Born in Chicago's Puerto Rican community.
Sándwich de Mezcla (Puerto Rican Party Sandwiches)
Soft white bread spread with a bright orange blend of cheese spread, luncheon meat and roasted red peppers, crusts trimmed and cut into small triangles. The must-have snack at every Puerto Rican party.
Pinchos de Pollo (Puerto Rican BBQ Chicken Skewers)
Chunks of chicken marinated in adobo, garlic and citrus, grilled over charcoal and brushed with a sticky guava barbecue sauce. Served with a slice of bread on the tip, kiosk style.
Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rican Coconut and Ginger Rice Pudding)
Rice simmered in coconut milk and a spiced infusion of fresh ginger, cinnamon, cloves and star anise, sweetened with brown sugar and raisins and set in a dish. A Puerto Rican Christmas essential.
Besitos de Coco (Puerto Rican Coconut Kisses)
Chewy little coconut macaroons made with grated coconut, brown sugar, egg yolks, butter and a little flour, baked until golden on the outside and moist inside.
Piña Colada (Puerto Rico's National Drink)
White rum blended with cream of coconut, pineapple juice and ice until smooth and frosty, garnished with fresh pineapple and a cherry. Contains alcohol (alcohol-free version in the steps).
Límber de Coco (Puerto Rican Frozen Coconut Cups)
A creamy blend of coconut milk, cream of coconut, evaporated milk and cinnamon frozen in small plastic cups and eaten by squeezing the cup. Puerto Rico's favourite homemade summer treat.
Cazuela (Puerto Rican Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Pudding)
A dense, spiced holiday pudding of mashed sweet potato and calabaza with coconut milk, eggs and warm spices, traditionally baked in a banana leaf-lined dish. Like a Caribbean pumpkin pie without the crust.
Arroz con Salchichas (Puerto Rican Rice with Vienna Sausages)
Golden rice cooked with sofrito, tomato sauce, olives and little Vienna sausages in one pot. A cheap, quick Puerto Rican family favourite with a nostalgic taste.
Canoas de Plátano (Stuffed Sweet Plantain Boats)
Whole ripe plantains fried until caramelised, split open like canoes, filled with savoury beef picadillo, topped with cheese and baked until melted. Sweet and savoury in every bite.
Yuca en Escabeche (Puerto Rican Pickled Cassava)
Tender boiled yuca soaked in a warm escabeche of olive oil, vinegar, sliced onion, garlic, bay leaf and peppercorns. Better the next day, served cold or at room temperature.
Mofongo Relleno de Camarones (Mofongo Stuffed with Shrimp in Creole Sauce)
Garlicky mashed green plantain shaped into a bowl and filled with shrimp simmered in a tomato and sofrito creole sauce. The restaurant-style version of Puerto Rico's iconic dish.
Pique Boricua (Puerto Rican Chilli Vinegar)
A bottle of vinegar infused with hot chillies, sweet ají dulce, garlic, onion, peppercorns and oregano. The fiery condiment on every Puerto Rican table, splashed over rice, beans and fritters.
Bacalao Guisado (Puerto Rican Salt Cod Stew)
Flaked salt cod stewed with potatoes, sofrito, tomato sauce, peppers and olives until thick and savoury. Served with white rice, boiled viandas or fried plantains.
Habichuelas Blancas Guisadas (Puerto Rican Stewed White Beans)
White beans simmered in a sofrito and tomato sauce with ham, calabaza pumpkin and potato until thick and creamy. Spooned over white rice for the classic arroz con habichuelas.
Funche (Puerto Rican Cornmeal Porridge)
A soft, savory cornmeal porridge cooked low and slow with sofrito until thick and creamy, like a Puerto Rican cousin of polenta. Served warm with avocado and cheese, it's a breakfast that keeps you full all morning.
Trifongo (Puerto Rican Triple Mash)
Green plantain, sweet ripe plantain and yuca are boiled and fried, then mashed together with warm garlic oil and crispy pork cracklings. A rich, savoury-sweet mash that soaks up any stew or sauce beside it.
Bien Me Sabe (Coconut Custard Cake)
A rum-soaked sponge cake blanketed in a silky coconut custard and crowned with a cloud of soft meringue — the dessert Puerto Rican families bring out for weddings, Christmas and birthdays.
Green Papaya Sweet (Dulce de Lechosa)
Shredded green papaya slow-simmered in a cinnamon-scented sugar syrup until the shreds turn glassy and amber. A beloved Puerto Rican preserve, traditionally spooned over slices of fresh white cheese.
Cream Cheese Pastries (Quesitos)
Golden, flaky puff pastry rolls hugging a sweet, tangy cream cheese filling, finished with a brush of sugar syrup for that glossy bakery-case shine. A Puerto Rican breakfast classic, best with a cup of strong coffee.
Puerto Rican Water Bread (Pan de Agua)
A crackling, golden crust wrapped around a soft, airy, lightly sweet interior — the daily loaf of Puerto Rican panaderías, perfect warm with butter and coffee.
Coconut Flan (Flan de Coco)
A silky baked custard where coconut milk takes the place of plain milk, giving classic flan a rich tropical depth under a layer of dark, bittersweet caramel. Chilled until perfectly set, it slips out of the mold with its own golden sauce.
Fried Pork with Potatoes (Carne Frita con Papas)
Cubes of pork shoulder marinated in sour orange, garlic and oregano, fried until deeply golden and crackly, then tossed with crisp fried potato chunks. A classic Puerto Rican plate that disappears fast at the table.
Octopus Salad (Ensalada de Pulpo)
Tender boiled octopus tossed with sweet peppers, red onion and cilantro in a bright vinegar-and-olive-oil dressing. A chilled coastal favorite served as an appetizer with crackers or tostones.
Stewed Breadfruit (Pana Guisada)
Chunks of breadfruit simmered low and slow in a savory sofrito-tomato broth with ham and olives until tender and deeply flavorful. A classic Puerto Rican side that's just as good as the root-vegetable guisados it stands beside.
Cassava Casserole (Pastelón de Yuca)
Creamy mashed yuca layered with a savory sofrito-spiced beef picadillo and melted cheese, baked until golden on top. A Puerto Rican home-cooking classic that stands in for lasagna on any family table.
Fish in Creole Sauce (Mojo Isleño)
Golden fried fish smothered in a vibrant Puerto Rican Creole sauce of soft onions, peppers, tomato, briny olives and capers. A classic island dish, equally good with rice or just warm bread to mop up the sauce.
Boiled Land Crabs (Jueyes Hervidos)
Whole Puerto Rican land crabs boiled in a bold broth of garlic, onion, peppers and culantro until the shells turn bright orange-red, then cracked by hand and dipped in a quick garlic-lime sauce. A beloved beach-side and holiday snack along the island's coast.
Mild Arroz con Pollo for Kids
Puerto Rico's favourite one-pot chicken and rice, gently sweetened with peppers and tomato, coloured golden with achiote and studded with peas — all the flavour of the classic, none of the heat.