Homemade Alcapurrias (Puerto Rican Fritters)
If there’s one thing that Puerto Ricans do best, it’s fritters! Learn how to make these Alcapurrias at home. The dough (masa) is filled with flavorful homemade picadillo (the meat filling), and the assembly plus frying process are easy!
Why We Love This Recipe
Alcapurrias are popular Puerto Rican fritters, made with taro or yuca, green plantains, sofrito, stuffed with picadillo, and fried to perfection.
As a savory over sweet kind of person, it’s no surprise how much I love the concept of deep fried, meat stuffed fritters.
What makes Alcapurrias unique to Puerto Rico lies not only in the super flavorful meat filling, but in the fritter dough (masa) itself.
If you like classic Puerto Rican recipes like this one, you will probably also love empanadillas and pasteles, two other island staples that feature similar ingredients.
Ingredients
This is one of those dishes where you’ll either have to find a local Latin market, or do a bit of digging to find all the necessary ingredients. I promise they are 100% worth the work.
Here’s what you’ll need:
For the picadillo filling
- Sofrito
- Ground beef
- Tomato sauce
- Pimento stuffed olives, sliced
- Sazon seasoning
- Adobo seasoning
For the masa (dough)
- Green plantains, peeled and chopped into large pieces
- Taro or yucca root
- Achiote oil or olive oil
- Sazon seasoning
- Salt
Assembly tools & ingredients
- Parchment paper
- Achiote oil
- Cooking oil (can be canola or vegetable)
See recipe card for exact measurements.
How to Make Alcapurrias (Step by Step Instructions)
Tip: To prevent your hands from getting stained brown, use a pair of gloves when peeling and processing the plantains and yucca.
Featured Review
5 stars!! My PRican sweetheart loved them, and so did I. The recipe was easy to follow and I am so proud to have cooked something so authentic and delicious without knowing what it’s supposed to be like! Thank you for your great recipe and your help in the kitchen!
Nancy Nalbandian
What to Eat with Alcapurrias
Freezer tips
I’ve tested out freezing Alcapurria before frying a few times and I can confirm that this method will work 👍
Instead of making your alcapurrias in parchment paper, layer the masa in the base of a rectangular silicone mold, add the meat filling to the center, then top with more masa. Freeze and your ready to fry whenever!
The biggest difference to note when frying at room temperature vs. frying from frozen is that the cook time will vary.
Thankfully the picadillo meat is already fully cooked, so once the Masa appears golden brown, you’re good to pull them out and cool on a paper towel as usual.
Air fryer ideas
While I haven’t experimented with air frying these just yet, I’m pretty certain that it would be a bit of a mess due to the consistency of the dough.
The best approach to air frying your Alcapurria would be to freeze them first, and then air fry at around 375°F until golden brown and crispy on the outside.
Buen Provecho,
Crispy Alcapurrias (Puerto Rican Fritters)
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 12–15 alcapurrias 1x
- Category: Appetizer, Snack, Small Plate
- Method: Fried
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
If there’s one thing that Puerto Ricans do best, it’s fritters! Learn how to make these alcapurrias at home. The dough (masa) is filled with flavorful picadillo meat filling, and the assembly plus frying process are easy!
Ingredients
For the Picadillo (filling):
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/3 cup sofrito
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup pimento stuffed olives, sliced
- 2 tsp sazon seasoning
- 2 tsp adobo seasoning
For the Masa (dough):
- 2 lbs (about 8) unripe green bananas, peeled and chopped into large pieces
- 2 lbs yucca, taro or yautia root, peeled and chopped into large pieces
- 2 tbsp achiote oil or olive oil
- 1 tsp sazon seasoning (salt free)
- 2 tsp salt
For Assembly:
- Parchment paper
- 1/4 cup achiote oil
- 2 cups cooking oil
Instructions
- Make the picadillo. Start with the ground beef and sforito in a pan over medium heat. Continue to cook until beef has browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the tomato sauce, olives, and seasonings. Stir and cook another 10 minutes, until the beef is fully cooked.
- Make the masa. In your food processor, combine the yucca or taro and bananas and pulse until a smooth and consistent masa is formed. Do this in batches if necessary. Add the achiote oil, sazon, and salt and pulse a few more times to combine.
- Prep the masa. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper. Brush the paper with achiote oil, add a large scoop of the masa and spread out flat with a spatula.
- Fill the alcapurrias. Top the masa with a spoonfuls of the picadillo, making sure to add a small enough amount that you have a few inches of dough around all edges of the filling.
- Close the fritters. Using the parchment paper, carefully fold the masa over the filling, folding the edges until fully sealed and no picadillo is visible. Continue this process until you’ve used all of your masa and/or filling.
- Fry. Heat vegetable oil to 350°F in a heavy bottomed pan. Fry the alcapurrias until golden brown and crisp all around, flipping to brown on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and enjoy!
Notes
Freezer tip: Instead of making your alcapurrias in parchment paper, layer the masa in the base of a rectangular silicone mold, add the meat filling to the center, then top with more masa. Freeze and your ready to fry whenever!
Thanks you was delicious
I’m so glad you enjoyed the alcapurrias Milagros!
Very good and delicious thank you for the recipe
Thank you for trying it Milagros!
First time i make alcapurrias
Love that is easy to understand the instructions and step by step of making these Spanish ingredients great job love it
Thank you David! I’m so glad you liked it.
I’m so happy to hear you’re loving Puerto Rican food!
Use whatever you’ve got! I got mine for under $40 on Amazon I believe.
Love them thank you. Took me back when I was a kid. I made these with my grandmother. We also ended up making yuca and yautía ones with crab and ginger mango filling.
Thanks for your comment Jared, I love that you made these with your grandmother. The yautía ones with crab sound seriously delicious!
These are absolutely mouthwatering, and you have made them accessible!
Thank you for unpacking this recipe and sharing your skills.
Really appreciate your descriptions and beautiful photography.
I always thought these would be too difficult to make, but you inspire confidence.
Gracias!
Thank you so much for your kind comment! They take a bit of planning and patience, but the result is totally worth it 🙂
I might try them, I am always up to trying new foods and these sound really good. Thanks for the recipe!!
Is the yuca and plantains cooked before adding to the food processor
Nope, just peel, chop roughly and add to the food processor raw.
5 stars!! My PRican sweetheart loved them, and so did I. The recipe was easy to follow and I am so proud to have cooked something so authentic and delicious without knowing what it’s supposed to be like! Thank you for your great recipe and your help in the kitchen!
Thank you so much for your review Nancy!
I’ve been looking for an easy way to make this so thank you. One question, I live in Tennessee where yucca is not available in fresh form, could I use frozen yucca? I miss these, I grew up with this food but it’s so hard to find ingredients.
Hey Ana, thanks for your question. To be honest, I haven’t experimented with frozen yucca. I would try defrosting it and pulsing it in your food processor to see how it behaves. If it comes together to form a paste, it should work. Best of luck!
How many alcapurrias does the recipe make? It just says 2-3 servings. What is a serving size and how many servings will the recipe make? Thank you!
This recipe makes about 12 alcapurrias!
How many does this recipe make?
Hi Marlene, this recipe makes about 12 alcapurrias.
Hello Salima,
I followed your recipe to a “T”. The filling after it was done was too salty.
I will do it again but would decrease the amount of the seasonings.
Thank you for sharing!
How many can we make with this recipe?
Hi Margy, this recipe makes about 12 alcapurrias.
I haven’t made it yet but I will be making it. I hope it brings me back to Salinas, PR. Where my cousin made them and sold it to people coming in to the beach and enjoy them.
I’ve been wanting to try making them. They were great!!!
I tried it and it was a good idea to freeze then fry. Thanks
I made these and they were so freaking good
Can you make this with just plantains?
If you do not have a food processor is it originally grated?
Hi Ramona, I haven’t tried making these with just plantains. I find the blend of the plantains and yuca reminds me most of the alcapurrias I grew up with, but feel free to experiment with your own masa blend!
What can I add if the masa is to wet? Can I add flour?
I would add more of the root veggies or plantain. That said, your masa should be slightly wet and sticky.
I have started using silicone candy bars molds to make my alcapurrias. I freeze them, then they are easy to fry.
Can I make the dough ahead of time? Is it plantains or green bananas better?
Hi Michele, you can make the dough 1 day in advance. Just make sure to store in the fridge in an air tight container to keep it moist. Unripe green bananas are best here.