Puerto Rican street food recipes reflects the exciting culture of this Latin American country. Spicy heat is definitely part of Puerto Rican cuisine.
Many recipes call for sazon, a Puerto Rican mix of spices which includes coriander, cumin, achiote, garlic powder, oregano, and salt and pepper.
Another common ingredient in Puerto Rican recipe lists is sofrito. Sofrito consists of fresh ingredients that lend complexity to dishes.
There are many versions of sofrito, but some common ingredients are garlic, cilantro, hot pepper, tomatoes, and onions.
From spicy mains with rice, pork, beef, meat pies and fritters to coconut-based delectable desserts like arroz con dulce (rice pudding), budin de pan (bread pudding), and refreshing limber do coco (coconut ice) there is an array of great Puerto Rican street foods in this article.
If a trip to Puerto Rico isn’t in your plans over the next while, you don’t need to wait to try these wonderful foods.
Follow the easy recipes here to create and enjoy amazing dishes reminiscent of the street foods of Puerto Rico. I guarantee you that some of these will make your list of favorite dishes.
Best Puerto Rican Street Food Recipes: Quick Table
| Recipe | Calories (Per Serving) | Preparation Time |
| Alcapurrias | 442 | 20 Min |
| Bacalaitos | N/A | 15 Min |
| Sorullitos De Maiz | 43 | 15 Min |
| Tostones | N/A | 10 Min |
| Empanadillas | N/A | 1 Hour |
| Pasteles | 320 | 1 Hour 30 Min |
| Morcilla | N/A | 1 Hour |
| Pinchos | 406 | 15 Min |
| Rellenos De Papa | 106 | 30 Min |
| Piononos | 359 | 15 Min |
| Jibarito | 463 | 1 Hour |
| Pernil Asado | N/A | 30 Min |
| Chicharrones | 590 | 10 Min |
| Arroz Con Gandules | N/A | 5 Min |
| Tripletas Sandwich | N/A | 20 Min |
| Mofongo | 771 | 20 Min |
| Tembleque | 160 | 5 Min |
| Carne Guisada | 461 | 15 Min |
| Coquito | 547 | 15 Min |
| Budin De Pan | 488 | 30 Min |
| Limber De Coco | 212 | 5 Min |
| Arroz Con Dulce | 322 | 1 Hour 5 Min |
| Quesitos | N/A | 10 Min |
| Pan De Mallorca | N/A | 20 Min |
| Arroz Con Habichuela | 293 | 30 Min |
1. Alcapurrias
Alcapurrias, or stuffed fritters, can be filled with any number of things. In this recipe the filling, called picadillo, has a ground beef base with chopped vegetables and fantastic seasonings.
Deep-fried to a golden brown, this popular street food is easily made at home.
Calories Per Serving: 442
Total Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
2. Bacalaitos
Puerto Rican codfish fritters are a terrific snack any time of the day. A simple mix of flour, water and cornstarch makes a great batter, and the codfish is seasoned to perfection.
Try this simple recipe in your own kitchen so you can enjoy these tasty codfish fritters anytime.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
3. Sorullitos De Maiz
Looking for a new, nutritious breakfast food? These cornmeal fritters are a great way to start the day, and make a great snack as well.
These fun, little cornmeal and cheese logs are fun to eat and taste delicious!
Calories Per Serving: 43
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
4. Tostones
Double-fried green plantain is a delicious addition to any meal. They are easy to make and these golden, crispy delights look beautiful on a plate.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
5. Empanadillas
An empanadilla is the Puerto Rican version of a hand pie. The flaky pie pastry is filled with delicious filling. Signature Puerto Rican seasonings like sazon and adobo, pimento-stuffed olives, and red pepper make this a very tasty hand pie.
Empanadillas are fried rather than baked, and achieve a lovely crispiness.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 1 Hour
6. Pasteles
Pasteles are part of Christmas time traditions among Puerto Ricans. The multi-step process requires a good deal of time, but the result is worth it.
Gather your friends and family, and follow the step-by-step process laid out in this recipe to make these special patties filled with meat.
Calories Per Serving: 320
Total Preparation Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
7. Morcilla
Don’t let the translation scare you. Blood sausage might sound a little off-putting, but this mix of pork blood, pork meat, rice and a fabulous mixture of spices and seasonings is delicious.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 1 Hour
8. Pinchos
These tasty chicken skewers are marinated in a mixture of adobo, sazon, oregano, white vinegar, and bay leaves to infuse the chicken with incredible flavor.
Grilled with added barbeque sauce, these pinchos will please everyone, young and old.
Calories Per Serving: 406
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
9. Rellenos De Papa
Fried, stuffed potato croquettes make a wonderful appetizer, and a great snack!
These potato croquettes are stuffed with a tasty ground beef filling, and are light and fluffy on the inside, while you enjoy the deep-fried exterior – a perfect combination!
Calories Per Serving: 106
Total Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
10. Piononos
Piononos are stuffed, fried, sweet plantains. The filling is ground beef with all the delectable savory seasoning you would expect in a Puerto Rican recipe.
Piononos look really beautiful as the plantains are actually rolled with the beef filling inside. The really good thing is that Piononos taste as good as they look!
Don’t wait to try making these fun and delicious appetizers in your own kitchen.
Calories Per Serving: 359
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
11. Jibarito
A jibarito is a steak sandwich with lettuce, tomato and aioli. The Puerto Rican twist that really makes this sandwich top drawer is the use of fried plantain instead of a bun.
Use a cheaper cut of steak (flank in this recipe) and marinate it for lots of delicious flavor!
Calories Per Serving: 463
Total Preparation Time: 1 Hour
12. Pernil Asado
Love pork roast? You will absolutely adore this Puerto Rican roasted pork shoulder. Seasoned with oregano, garlic, and sazon, this is an easy recipe to replicate in your home.
Don’t leave out the broiling at the end to crisp up the layer of fat.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
13. Chicharron
Fried pork belly is super tasty. Everyone will love these melt-in-your-mouth flavorful pieces of pork. They are a popular Puerto Rican street food, and they are easily made at home.
Other than sitting in the fridge overnight, chicharron are quick and simple.
Calories Per Serving: 590
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
14. Arroz Con Gandules
This is a delicious rice dish that will soon become a favorite for lunch and dinner meals. A medium-grain rice is best for this recipe.
To the rice are added sofrito, sazon, Spanish olives, tomato sauce and salted pork, but one of the main ingredients which adds so much to this dish is gandules, or pigeon peas – they taste wonderful!
Don’t wait to try this in your own kitchen.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 5 Minutes
15. Tripletas Sandwich
A whole meal in itself, this Puerto Rican sandwich contains three different kinds of meat: steak, ham, and pork, known as pernil. With lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cheese all nestled within a pan sobao, this sandwich is a great, tasty treat!
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
16. Mofongo
Mofongo is mashed, fried plantains. You’ll find different versions of mofongo at street vendors in Puerto Rico, but this recipe is easy to make at home.
Green plantains are mixed with pork rinds, bacon and garlic to provide wonderful flavor.
Calories Per Serving: 771
Total Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
17. Tembleque
Coconut Pudding – ahh. There are two words there that make me want some of this favorite Puerto Rican dessert right now – coconut, and pudding. I love both, so if they’re combined it must be good!
This is a simple recipe which uses few ingredients. Try it in your kitchen.
Calories Per Serving: 160
Total Preparation Time: 5 Minutes
18. Carne Guisada
Carne guisada is a meaty, rich-tasting beef stew. Any kind of stew is comfort food, and this Puerto Rican meat stew is no exception.
With potatoes and carrots, this stew has what you would expect in a stew, but what sets it apart from others is the wonderful seasonings that speak to the cuisine of Puerto Rico like sofrito and adobo.
Calories Per Serving: 461
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
19. Coquito
Coquito is eggnog, so it is no surprise that this is a popular Puerto Rican drink during the holidays. This recipe for Coquito includes coconut which gives it a definite tropical flavor.
Along with sweetened condensed milk, and cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, this delicious nog includes Puerto Rican rum.
Calories Per Serving: 547
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
20. Budin De Pan
I adore bread pudding, but I often find that bread pudding can be on the dry side. This recipe for Puerto Rican bread pudding, budin de pan, does not disappoint.
There are a number of fabulous things that happen in this recipe and they all combine to create a bread pudding that you will seriously want to eat again and again.
Follow this recipe and see how easy it is to create this delicious dessert.
Calories Per Serving: 488
Total Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
21. Limber De Coco
Made from coconut milk, evaporated milk, sugar, and with cinnamon and a splash of vanilla extract, this recipe for coconut ice is just as refreshing as it sounds.
Close your eyes while you’re drinking it and just imagine you’re on a street in Puerto Rico.
Calories Per Serving: 212
Total Preparation Time: 5 Minutes
22. Arroz Con Dulce
Rice pudding has many fans. This recipe for Puerto Rican rice pudding, or arroz con dulce, includes ginger, cloves, raisins, coconut milk as well as shredded sweetened coconut.
All of these flavors mix together in this unforgettable rice pudding.
Calories Per Serving: 322
Total Preparation Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes
23. Quesitos
Beautiful puff pastry filled with cream cheese and dusted with confectioner’s sugar, quesitos are the perfect lovely treat to serve the next time you have guests over for the afternoon. They are the perfect pairing with coffee or tea.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
24. Pan De Mallorca
Pan de Mallorca are tempting yeast bread rolls, sprinkled with powdered sugar. They are wound into coils which gives them their characteristic shape.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
25. Arroz Con Habichuela
This is a staple Puerto Rican cooking. This recipe for rice with beans is incredibly tasty, plus it is easy on the pocketbook.
Choose either medium or long grain rice for this dish. Add sazon and adobo seasoning, kidney beans, sofrito, and green olives and you have a flavorful, filling side dish.
Calories Per Serving: 293
Total Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Common Puerto Rican Appetizers?
Puerto Rican appetizers are a great way to start any gathering or meal! Some of the most popular include “Tostones con Mojo” (fried plantains served with garlic sauce), “Empanadas de Carne” (meat-filled pastries), and “Alcapurrias” (stuffed fritters made from green bananas).
What Dessert Is Puerto Rico Known For?
Puerto Rico is known for many delicious desserts, but one of the most popular is the flan de coco. Flan de coco is loved by locals and visitors alike and is a staple in any Puerto Rican kitchen.
What Is The Most Popular Puerto Rican Street Food?
The most popular Puerto Rican street food is alcapurria. The fried delight is made with a mix of mashed plantains, ground beef and spices, deep-fried in a banana leaf. It’s a snack that you’ll find on every corner, so don’t be shy and give it a try!
25 Exciting Puerto Rican Street Food Recipes
Course: Street Food RecipesPuerto Rican street food recipes are a mix of Spanish, Taíno, and African influences and includes a variety of delicious and flavorful dishes.
Ingredients
Directions
- Pick a recipe from the list above
- Click the recipe name and visit the website
- Collect the ingredients and cook the food
- Enjoy – don’t forget to leave a review
Recipe Video
