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Puerto Rican Recipes

14 recipes

Puerto Rican cooking, called cocina criolla, blends Spanish, Taíno and West African influences with Caribbean ingredients. Nearly every savory dish starts with sofrito, a green base of onion, peppers, garlic and culantro, and with adobo, a dry rub of garlic, oregano and salt. Rice is eaten daily, often with stewed beans, and plantains show up green, ripe, fried, mashed or boiled. Pork is the festive meat, roasted as pernil or tucked inside pasteles at Christmas, while salt cod, root vegetables such as yautía and yuca, and pigeon peas fill everyday pots. Roadside kiosks sell fritters like alcapurrias and bacalaítos, and bakeries sell sweet mallorca bread for breakfast. Desserts lean on coconut, from tembleque to arroz con dulce, and the holiday season brings coquito, a chilled coconut drink with rum. Lunch is the main meal, and long family tables are the norm on weekends and holidays.

Staple ingredients

Soups

Salads

Main Dishes

Side Dishes

Breads

Desserts

Snacks

Drinks

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

Common questions

What is Puerto Rican food known for?

Mofongo, pernil, arroz con gandules, pasteles and fried kiosk snacks such as alcapurrias. Most dishes rest on sofrito and adobo, with rice, beans and plantains on the side.

What is the national dish of Puerto Rico?

Arroz con gandules, rice cooked with pigeon peas, is the dish most people name, especially served with roast pork at Christmas. Mofongo is probably the best known dish abroad.

Is Puerto Rican food spicy?

No, it is seasoned rather than hot. Garlic, oregano, peppers and herbs carry the flavor, and anyone who wants heat adds pique, a hot pepper vinegar, at the table.