Papas Rellenas (Stuffed Potato Croquettes)
Learn how to make Puerto Rican-style, seasoned ground beef stuffed potato croquettes, also known as Papas Rellenas. This popular Spanish appetizer consists of mashed potato balls stuffed with picadillo filling, deep fried to crispy, creamy perfection. My version of this classic Puerto Rican recipe is not breaded! Papas Rellenas are an impressively tasty dish to serve as an appetizer, side dish, or snack.
It’s not every day we get to enjoy mashed potatoes, and on really special days, we get Papas Rellenas de Puerto Rico.
The combination of the fluffy, light mashed potatoes, with the spicy, savory Puerto Rican-style picadillo filling, and the perfectly crunchy deep fried exterior is a treat you have to experience.
Similar to the magical fried texture in these bacalaitos and croquetas de jamón, this tapas-style appetizer will have you living for happy hour.
🧾 Ingredients
Step by Step Instructions
Reminder: You can always add another small scoop of the potato filling over the top of the filling, to help create a solid seal. This is important when frying, to prevent them from breaking open in the oil.
Important Frying Tip
Remember that adding add another small scoop of the potato filling over the top of the filling is crucial to help create a solid seal.
Also take a moment to seal all the way around the croquettes with your hands. This is important when frying, to prevent them from breaking open in the oil!
More Fried Appetizers
Here are some more Latin-style appetizers with similar flavors:
Buen Provecho,
Crispy Papas Rellenas (Potato-Stuffed Croquettes)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
- Method: Fried
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Learn how to make Puerto Rican-style picadillo stuffed potato croquettes, aka Papas Rellenas. This popular Spanish appetizer consists of mashed potato balls stuffed with seasoned ground beef, deep fried to crispy, creamy perfection. They’re an impressively tasty dish to serve as an appetizer, side dish, or snack.
Ingredients
For the Picadillo Filling
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/3 cup sofrito
- 1 tsp sazon seasoning
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup pimento olives, sliced in half
For the Potatoes
- 3 lbs potatoes
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp sazon seasoning
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 1/4 batch of Puerto Rican picadillo (I like making a full batch and using the extras for other meals)
- 4 cups canola or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Make the picadillo. Add the ground beef, onion and bell pepper to a pan. Brown the meat while breaking up before adding the sofrito, sazon, adobo and bay leaves. Once fragrant, add tomato sauce and olives. Cover and cook another 10 minutes until the beef is fully cooked. Set aside to cool.
- Peel, chop & boil the potatoes. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Prep the potatoes by peeling and chopping into halves or quarters (depending on their size). Add to the boiling water and cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
- Mash & season the potatoes. Mash the potatoes until all of the solid chunks have broken down and a consistent mash is formed. Mix in the corn starch, sazon, and adobo seasoning until the potatoes resemble a dough.
- Form & stuff the potatoes. Using a ½ cup measuring cup or small scoop, grab large balls of the potatoes. Flatten the ball gently, fill with a tablespoon or two of the picadillo. Carefully form the potatoes around the filling, adding an additional scoop of the potato mixture if needed.
- Fry. Fry the croquettes in 350°F oil until golden brown and crispy all around. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain any oil. Enjoy!
Notes
- If the potato dough isn’t sticking, add another teaspoon or two of cornstarch to help bind.
- There will be leftover Picadillo filling. Enjoy over rice or with bread!
Wow! I haven’t had these since I was a little girl😍
I’m so ready to cook them, but I forgot to grab the Adobo out of the store this morning🤦🏽♀️
The fact that they aren’t breaded means they’d be great during Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread celebration! Thanks.
Made these today! At first I thought that the tsp of Sazón and the 3 tbs of corn starch was too much, but they came out delicious! The lightly crispy coating is just as I recall having them as a child. I much prefer this delicate version to the one with eggs and breadcrumbs.
Thank you for sharing! ❤️
I followed the entire recipe and my potatoes fell apart and didn’t turn golden brown even though pot was extremely hot
Hi Kathy, did you use a food thermometer to ensure your oil stayed around 350°F while frying? This is likely why your potatoes fell apart.
Followed all steps and taste great but my 1st batch exploded in the oil so i ended up air frying the rest I’m going to try on the stove again soon. What did i do wrong?
Hi Ashley, did you use a food thermometer to ensure your oil stayed around 350°F while frying? This is likely why your potatoes fell apart.
The meat is absolutely delicious. However once in the oil the potatoes seemed to melt right off. The oil was hot and I used a small pot. The 2 that are in are ruined. I just put one in air fryer and one in oven to see what happens.
Hi Jen, did you use a food thermometer to ensure your oil stayed around 350°F while frying? This is usually the main reason why the potatoes fall apart.
I LOVE IT! And the are goooood! I can’t eat eggs and this recipe works really well for me. I even did a vegetarian version for my daughter with fake beef. Thank you!
I made these, and they turned out great! Definitely watch the oil temp, and follow recipe. They were crispy on the outside and soft inside. Filling the dough was tricky at first, but it got easier as I went. The picadillo is enough flavor to carry them on their own (I made a 2x batch for the leftovers!), but I made the 5 minute cilantro lime sauce to go with them, and I thought they matched well. Family was impressed, will make again.
So glad you enjoyed these Nick! Great idea pairing them with the cilantro lime sauce. Thank you for your review!
There seems to be something wrong with the potato dough recipe. Maybe it depends what kind of potatoes you use and their starch content, but I had to add about a cup of flour to get them stiff enough to work with.
Hi Bones, I’m sorry to hear you had that problem. We’ve tested this recipe several times, with both russet and yukon gold potatoes. You shouldn’t need any flour in the potato dough. Try adding an additional teaspoon of cornstarch and mixing well next time.
i love watching you cook but don’t always see them i’m trying i just goggle potato balls