17 Tasty Puerto Rican Recipes

Puerto Rican cuisine is a fusion of flavors and cultures that illustrate the island’s complicated past. The liveliness of Puerto Rico is obvious in its cuisine, which draws foodies from all over the world.

You’ll find everything here, from substantial soups and stews to roasted and grilled meats, rice preparations, plantain meals, and more.

1. Pernil

Pernil is a slow-cooked hog roast, generally a shoulder, butt, or leg, that is popular around the holidays. It’s a typical Puerto Rican cuisine, as well as a classic Dominican dish, albeit there are some little variations that make a big difference.

As the pernil cooks, the exterior skin and fat layer crisp up and produce a crust known as the Cuero. It’s quite excellent, and you should make sure to slice up the crackling crust and serve it with everyone’s share.

2. Puerto Rican Picadillo

Picadillo is a classic Latin American meal made with ground beef. However, if you want to avoid the beef, you may use ground turkey (see also ‘28 Easy Keto Recipes That Use Ground Turkey‘).

Authentic Caribbean recipes can vary significantly depending on the specific region you’re in.

For instance, Puerto Rican picadillo is known for its use of sofrito, while Cuban picadillo typically features potatoes and raisins.

However, one element that remains consistent across all authentic Caribbean picadillo versions is the delightful combination of bell peppers and tomato sauce.

3. Puerto Rican Chicken Stew

If you’re searching for a flavorful chicken stew dish with loads of herbs and robust ingredients, go no further than Pollo Guisado.

Chicken stew is a simple midweek dinner option. This is especially true in the United States, where we simply season some slices of chicken, chuck it into a pot with veggies and liquid, and braise so that it’s ready to eat.

This is also true in many Caribbean and Latin American nations where Pollo Guisado is the de facto standard. This dish has been adapted from Dominican, El Salvidor, Spanish, Mexico, and other cultures.

Ingredients differ from one nation to the next and from one cook to the next.

4. Scrambled Eggs With Sofrito

Sofrito is a traditional Spanish sauce that is cooked in hot oil until it becomes a delicious, flavorful basis for a plethora of foods.

A basic egg scramble is combined with sofrito to create a fantastically tasty breakfast with a dash of heat that is ideal for slathering on toast with a side of avocado.

Perico goes well with arepas (cornmeal cakes). It’s commonly served with fresh queso fresco (palmita or palmizulia in Venezuela) or matured Cotija (queso de ao in Venezuela).

5. Tostones

Tostones are golden coins of crunchy and salty goodness. Twice-fried plantains are a popular snack across the Caribbean that will make you feel like you’re walking on sunlight.

And after you’ve mastered all of the methods, they’ll work flawlessly every time.

Tostones (also known as Patacones) are fried, mashed, and fried again until crisp.

They’re highly popular in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine, where they’re consumed as side dishes at family dinner tables as well as late-night street seller snacks.

6. Coquito

Coquito is a typical Nochebuena drink in Puerto Rico that is similar to eggnog but made with coconut milk.

The fundamental components for this cocktail are always the same: coconut cream, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and Caribbean Rum.

Some coquitos consume egg, whereas others do not. By omitting the eggs, the drink has a longer shelf life, making it ideal for enjoying throughout the Christmas season.

This is one delightful drink, with its creamy texture, warming spices, and delicate coconut taste.

7. Arroz Con Pollo

In Spanish, arroz with pollo means “rice with chicken.” It is a traditional meal of Spain and Latin America, with numerous distinct ways to cook it that are unique to each country.

It’s the ideal evening supper, and the leftovers make excellent lunches. It’s a simple one-pot supper that doesn’t taste like it.

The rice is so tasty that you’ll want to eat it right out of the pan, and if you’d prefer to use all chicken thighs instead of drumsticks, go ahead and do so.

8. Puerto Rican Fried Chicken

Crispy Puerto Rican fried chicken is produced using a flour and cornstarch mixture, famous Latin seasonings, and an egg wash to make the greatest fried chicken dish.

A flour and Cornstarch combination is required for this recipe. If you want a gluten-free dish, leave out the flour and instead use a light coating of corn starch (with seasonings added).

9. Piña Colada

Pia Colada is a creamy tropical beverage with a strong pineapple taste. The phrase “Pia Colada” refers to the straining of pineapples, which consists of freshly squeezed pineapples to produce the juice.

For a more delicious pineapple flavor, mix this drink with homemade pineapple juice and fresh pineapple chunks. Today, however, canned pineapple juice and tinned pineapple chunks are widely accessible in supermarkets.

10. Mofongo

The cuisine known as plantain mofongo, which is made from fried green (unripe) plantains mixed with garlic and crackling pig rinds known as chicharrón, is said to have its origins in Puerto Rico.

Plantains are cut into slices, cooked till soft, and then mixed with garlic paste and pig cracklings to produce mofongo. You may either shape the mixture into balls or a half-dome.

If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you may use a potato masher to make mofongo, which is normally mashed.

11. Puerto Rican Flan

My Puerto Rican flan recipe is a delectable dessert with smooth velvety set custard sprinkled with vanilla and coated with caramel sauce, excellent for dinner parties or simply an indulgent night-in.

If you enjoy custard and caramel, you will enjoy this amazing dish. Puerto Rican flan is also a terrific opportunity to test your culinary skills, as flan needs precise baking methods.

So, if you’re looking to try something new, check out this recipe.

12. Bacalaitos

Bacalaitos are deep-fried codfish fritters seasoned with customary Puerto Rican herbs and spices and created from a batter based on flour.

You discard the salt from the fish and shred the flesh before adding flavorful herbs and veggies. This is mixed with an easy-to-make batter and then dipped into hot oil.

The crisp outcome resembles a cross between a salted chip and a funnel cake. But, since that sounds a little strange, in the greatest way.

13. Habuchuelas Guisadas

Habichuelas, meaning beans in English, are what the Dominicans name beans.

Cranberry, pinto, red kidney, navy, and black beans are categorized as habichuelas. There are names for several more varieties of beans and pulses.

In between a soup and a sauce, there are habichuelas guisadas. The beans are used to “wet” the rice, or the concón, if you are fortunate enough to find some, so they should have some “salsa,” or liquid, but still be extremely creamy.

For example, the beans shouldn’t ever resemble Mexican refried beans or be so watery that they resemble soup.

14. Soncocho Soup

Spanish Canary Island ancestors of some Puerto Rican families had an impact on the combination of vegetables and herbs in this comforting stew.

Corn and pumpkin were added to the soup to make it more representative of the Puerto Rican veggies. In the 1700s, only farm animals were given grain to eat in the Canary Islands.

15. Bacalao Fish Stew

This Puerto Rican favorite, Bacalao fish stew, is simple to make and bursting with flavor. White fish is a great source of B vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids.

While cilantro gives off a flavor of Mexico or Latin America, capers and oregano reveal a Mediterranean influence. The stew is a stunning fusion of flavours and cultures that perfectly captures the essence of the island.

16. Asopao De Pollo

A filling stew prepared with rice, chicken, sofrito spice, and vegetables is called asopao. It has some similarities to soup and arroz with pollo. One of those cuisines that immediately brings back memories of home for Puerto Ricans.

Chicken, rice, and sofrito are the essential components of Puerto Rican asopao. Your option will determine whether you use bone-in or boneless chicken.

Other components include tomato sauce, chicken stock, and your choice of vegetables, along with typical Latin flavors like adobo and sazon.

17. Jibarito

Jibaro is a term used to describe the rural, agrarian inhabitants of Puerto Rico. A jibarito, on the other hand, is a distinctive and creative sandwich that Puerto Rican immigrants in Chicago made at the Borinquen restaurant in Humboldt Park.

It is now available all around the city.

The use of crushed, fried plantains in place of bread makes this sandwich stand out. You may add any of your preferred sandwich components, and it is amazingly delicious.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Puerto Rican Food Healthy?

Puerto Rican cuisine has its own particular flavor, influenced by both Spanish settlers and African immigrants, as well as local Caribbean peoples.

The Puerto Rican diet is generally nutritious, with plenty of wonderful tropical fruits and bountiful fresh fish. However, like with any national or ethnic cuisine, there are a few dietary traps to be aware of, for example, Guyanese cuisine.

What Is Puerto Rico’s National Dish?

Arroz with gandules is claimed to be Puerto Rico’s national cuisine, along with roasted pig. Gandules (also known as pigeon peas) are an unfamiliar ingredient to most people outside of the Caribbean.

Pigeon peas are tiny, oval beans with a nutty flavor that are popular across the Caribbean West Indies. They are available fresh, frozen, tinned, or dried.

When they are young, they are a vivid green hue. If you can buy them fresh or frozen, go for it.

What Influenced Puerto Rican Food?

Puerto Rican cuisine is a one-of-a-kind mash-up of ingredients, cultures, and recipes.

Native Tano Indians, Spanish conquistadores, and African slaves have all historically affected what has become known as cocina criolla, or Creole food, on the island.

Local recipes often include various types of meat, garlic, olive oil, and rice.

They also frequently include plantains, a starchy regional staple that tastes like a hybrid between a banana and a potato.

The spice features that replicate the colorful Puerto Rican culture, on the other hand, make the island’s most distinctive and emblematic cuisine worth a try.

Final Thoughts

There are many exciting influences which have gone into the creation of these delicious Puerto Rican dishes.

The flavors are full and the colors are bright, making these dishes a perfect way to add some Puerto Rican magic to your diet.