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These authentic Puerto Rican Pasteles are the perfect savory treat. Made with a flavorful pork (or chicken) filling stuffed in masa infused with achiote, sazon, and sofrito, they are a Puerto Rican tradition. Wrapped in banana leaves and tied with twine, they’re the epitome of holiday comfort food.

Puerto Rican pasteles on a plate.

A Holiday Tradition

It’s not every day I get to enjoy a batch of homemade pasteles. In fact, I spent several days driving around the island on my most recent visit trying to find them!

This traditional Puerto Rican staple is a true labor of love, usually only made during the holidays when there’s lots of family around to help.

Whether you’re making these as a Christmas treat or just to settle a craving, it’s important to pour love and attention into every step.

In this version, we’re infusing both the masa and the pork filling with flavor from achiote oil, sofrito, and sazon. I’ve also tested this recipe with chicken and it works great, if you’re interested in going that route! From there, everything gets wrapped up in banana leaves and tied with a twine bow.

Once boiled and cooked through, it’s up to you whether you’d like to enjoy with a couple drops of this homemade Puerto Rican hot sauce or ketchup. Or go the extra mile and serve them over a bed of arroz con gandules.

No wrong choices here!

Puerto Rican pasteles on a plate.
Bowls of chicken, sazon, adobo, and more.
Green bananas, squash, sofrito, and more.
Cooking twine, banana leaves, and more.

Making the Filling

Heads up! Both the filling and the masa can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until ready to assemble.

Chicken with spices and olives in a pot.
Warm the achiote oil over medium heat before adding the diced pork or chicken. Spoon in the sofrito and cook until fragrant, then add the adobo, sazon, and olives. Sautée until the meat is fully cooked.
Pasteles chicken filling in a pot.
 Reserve about a half cup of the liquid from the meat filling and set aside for the masa. Let the meat cool, then store in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use.

Making the Masa

Tip: Wear gloves during for the next steps as some of the ingredients can stain your hands.

Peeled banana, plantain, squash and more.
Peel the pumpkin, yautia or taro, plantains, and bananas. Careful as the taro or yautia can be slippery when peeled! Learn how to peel a green plantain (also helpful for green bananas).
Squash being grated into a bowl.
Grate all of the peeled veggies into a bowl. I use a box grater here but a food processor with a grating attachment works great if you have one!
Grated masa ingredients in a food processor.
Blend the grated veggies in a food processor. This will likely have to happen in batches, depending on the size of your food processor. Blend until the masa is ‘as smooth as a babies bottom’, as my aunts would say.
Pasteles masa in a bowl.
Transfer the masa to a bowl and add the reserved liquid from the meat filling, as well as the sofrito, sazon, and achiote oil. Mix until everything is evenly distributed. If you’re waiting to assemble the pasteles the next day, store the masa in the fridge. This is a great place to pause for the day.

Assembly

Tip: Watch the video above for a visual aid in assembling the pasteles.

A banana leaf being brushed with oil.
To assemble the pasteles layer a square piece of banana leaf on top of a slightly larger piece of parchment paper. Brush with achiote oil.
Chicken filling going over masa.
Spread about ½ cup of the masa in a oval shape at the center of the banana leaf and spread it out thin. Top with a couple spoonfuls of the meat filling.
Pasteles being folded.
To close the pasteles, start by pulling the banana leaf and parchment paper up on one side and fold in half, to enclose the filling in the masa.
Pasteles being folded.
Fold the paper (and leaf) in until they meet the masa and filling at the center, sealing the pastele tightly.
Pasteles being folded.
Fold the empty space at both edges of the leaf and paper in over the pasteles. Repeat these steps.
Pasteles being tied off.
Stack two pasteles on top of each other and tie together with a long piece of cooking twine both vertically and horizontally. Repeat these steps until all the filling or masa runs out. From here you can either boil them or freeze to enjoy later.

If cooking from frozen: Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Pasteles boiling in water.
If cooking immediately, add to a pot of boiling salted water, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Carefully remove from the water with tongs.
Pasteles on a plate.
Let the pasteles cool for 10 minutes before carefully unwraping (being careful to not burn yourself). Serve with arroz con gandules. Top with ketchup or pique.
Puerto Rican pasteles on a plate.

Staple Substitutions

If you don’t have time to make all of the staple ingredients (sofrito, sazon, & adobo) from scratch, here are some substitutes:

  • Achiote oil: You can buy a bottle of achiote oil or substitute it with a regular cooking oil like avocado or canola. Just know it won’t provide the same vibrant color.
  • Sazon seasoning: Buy a jar of sazon or substitute with equal parts of ground annatto seeds, coriander, cumin, garlic, and oregano.
  • Adobo seasoning: Buy adobo seasoning or substitute with equal parts of ground onion, garlic, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper.
  • Sofrito: Buy a bottle of premade sofrito or substitute with ½ cup of minced cilantro, ½ diced small yellow onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and ½ diced bell pepper.
  • Banana leaves: Buy them online or at a local market. If you can’t find these, you can just use parchment paper. Note that the banana leaves provide a tasty herby flavor and help to keep the pasteles moist.
Pasteles on a plate.

What to Eat with Pasteles

Pasteles are often enjoyed on their own, but they also go great with rice, beans & plantains.

Many Puerto Ricans love serving them with hot sauce (like this homemade pique) or ketchup.

Here are a few of my favorite pairings & toppings:

10 Minute Pique (Puerto Rican Hot Sauce)

Puerto Rican Rice & Beans with Sofrito (Arroz con Gandules)

Puerto Rican Style Stewed Black Beans (Habichuelas Negras)

Habichuelas Guisadas (Puerto Rican Stewed Beans)
Chicken filling on masa.
Pasteles on a white counter.

Equipment

As mentioned above, this recipe is a labor of love and requires quite a few steps. Here are the special tools you’ll need:

  • Food safe gloves
  • Box grater (if you don’t have a grater attachment for your food processor)
  • Food processor
  • Parchment paper
  • Cooking twine
  • Tongs
Pasteles in a freezer bag.

Freezing & Cooking Directions

When we make pasteles, I always try to make extra to freeze. They hold up great in the freezer (freeze after wrapping, just before boiling) and can be boiled when ready to enjoy.

From frozen, they require about 20 minutes of additional time in the boiling water for a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes of cook time.

Puerto Rican pasteles on a plate.

More Traditional Puerto Rican Recipes

8 Hour Moist Tender Puerto Rican Pernil Recipe

Grilled Puerto Rican Pinchos de Pollo (Chicken Skewers)

Traditional Puerto Rican Mofongo (25 Minutes!)

Empanadillas (fried Puerto Rican turnovers)

Buen Provecho,

Salima written in cursive
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Puerto Rican pasteles on a plate.

Puerto Rican Pasteles (Meat-Stuffed Masa Pockets)

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  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 3 hour
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 4 hours
  • Yield: 10 pasteles 1x
  • Category: Main Dish, Appetizer, Entree
  • Method: Boiled
  • Cuisine: Puerto Rican
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

These authentic Puerto Rican Pasteles are the perfect savory treat. Made with a flavorful pork (or chicken) filling stuffed in masa infused with achiote, sazon, and sofrito, they are a Puerto Rican tradition. Wrapped in banana leaves and tied with twine, they’re the epitome of holiday comfort food.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Meat Filling:

For the Masa:

Assembly Ingredients:

Instructions

  1. Make the meat filling. Heat the achiote oil over medium heat in a pot before adding the diced pork or chicken. Add the sofrito and cook for a few minutes before adding seasonings and olives and sautéing until the pork is cooked through. Taste to see if you’d like to add additional salt. 
  2. Store the filling. Reserve a half cup of the liquid broth from the meat filling and set aside. Once the meat is cooled, store in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use.
  3. Make the masa. Wear gloves during this step as the filling ingredients will stain your hands. Peel the pumpkin, yautia or taro, plantains, and bananas. Grate all of the peeled veggies with a box grater or food processor before blending in a food processor.
  4. Season the masa. Mix in the reserved broth from the meat filling, plus the sofrito, sazon, and achiote oil into the masa until evenly distributed. Store in an air tight container the fridge until ready to use.
  5. Assemble the pasteles. Start with a piece of the parchment paper at the base and layer a banana leaf on top.
  6. Add the masa & filling. Brush the leaf with achiote oil before spreading about ½ cup of the masa in a oval shape at the center of the leaf, flattening with a spatula. Top with a couple spoonfuls of the meat filling.
  7. Close the pasteles. Pull the banana leaf and parchment paper up on one side and fold in half, enclosing the filling entirely. Fold the paper (and leaf) in until they meet the masa and filling at the center, sealing the pastele tightly. Fold the empty space at both edges of the leaf in as well. 
  8. Tie off the pasteles. Tie two pasteles together with a long piece of cooking twine both vertically and horizontally (like you would tie a bow on a gift) to hold everything in. Repeat these steps until all the filling or masa runs out.
  9. Boil or freeze. If saving for later, store in an air tight container or bag and freeze. If cooking immediately, add to a pot of boiling salted water, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Carefully remove from the water with tongs.
  10. Unwrap. Carefully unwrap the pasteles (being careful to not burn yourself) and serve with pique or ketchup.

Notes

  • Both the filling and the masa can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until ready to assemble.
  • If boiling pasteles from frozen, cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.

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