This super simple Pupusas Recipe can be ready and on the table in just over a half hour. Filled with gooey cheese, these pupusas are simple, delicious and are a great side or appetizer.
Pupusas are like a corn flour almost flatbread-like pocket shell that’s filled with melty cheese and can include other ingredients, like beans, and sometimes meat, that are native to El Salvador.
This Pupusas Recipe is very close to the authentic ones I used to get from previous El Salvadorian coworkers over the years. They’re so good, filled with ooey, gooey cheesy goodness and my favorite queso fresco inside and sprinkled on top.
These are a kid-friendly recipe, even my youngest of kids get excited for these. The kids say they kind of remind them of a quesadilla, but better and with even more flavor – if that’s even possible.
They have the best crispy outside from the cast iron pan we use, which melts that cheese so perfectly on the inside, making every bite the best one. Dip it in refried beans, melted cheese, salsa and more!
Pupusas are a quick and easy appetizer or side dish that you can pair with any dinner recipe and you’ll have a complete tasty meal in no time, trust me when I say you will want to make these.
When I say that this is an easy recipe, I mean it. It only takes 4 main ingredients to throw these together, and they come together in no time! Doubling them is even better because you’re gonna want more after that first one!
Some of our other favorite side dish/appetizer recipes we have on our site include: Southwest Egg Rolls, Mexican Street Corn and Easy Spanish Rice.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Only requires 4 ingredients and comes together relatively quickly!
- Even the pickiest of eaters will love this recipe.
- You can double or triple this recipe and freeze the leftovers for a super easy ready made meal for the future!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):
Masa harina corn flour
Water
Fine sea salt
Mozzarella cheese
Queso fresco
HOW TO MAKE PUPUSAS, STEP BY STEP:
- In a large mixing bowl, add the masa, water, and salt and stir together.
- Using your hands, start kneading the ingredients together until a soft, smooth, moist dough forms. You may need to add a little more water, up to ¼ cup to get it to the right consistency. You know it is ready when you can gently pinch some of the dough together and it doesn’t crack.
- Use a dish towel to cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
- Mix together the mozzarella and queso fresco in a small bowl and set aside.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions, you can do this by weighing them on a kitchen scale or just eyeballing it.
- Grab one of the dough pieces and pat it into a large circular disc in your hands.
- Then add 1/8th of the cheese mixture to the center of the dough disc and fold it and pinch the dough closed over the cheese then roll it into a ball.
- Gently pat and press the ball into a round disc about 1/4th inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough and cheese to make all 8 dough pockets.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, once hot, spray with cooking spray. Cook for about 5-6 minutes per side until they’re golden brown and slightly charred. Place them on a wire rack to cool down while you are cooking the remaining pupusas.
- Serve and enjoy immediately.
WHAT ARE PUPUSAS?
Pupusas are homemade round corncakes. They’re kind of like a flatbread or a pancake but have a pocket that you can stuff things inside of.
Pupusas are made from corn flour, also called masa, and this particular Pupusas Recipe is filled with various kinds of cheese. It’s also common to add beans and meat to some pupusa recipes.
They’re a traditional dish from El Salvador and are made on a griddle or a cast iron skillet and traditionally served with curtido (a pickled slaw) and salsa roja (a tomato-based sauce or salsa).
We however served these with refried beans on the side as a dipping option since we did not add them to the Pupuas in the first place, which you can do if you’d like.
HOW DID PUPUSAS ORIGINATE?
WHAT ELSE CAN I ADD TO THESE?
HOW TO STORE:
Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to a week if you just used cheese in the filling. If you added beans or meat, they’ll keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator.
These can also be frozen cooked or uncooked, to do that make your Pupsas Recipe and if cooked or uncooked they will both be stored in a freezer container separated by parchment paper.
To defrost, remove from the freezer into the refrigerator overnight, cook the uncooked Pupusas per the directions.
To reheat the cooked recipe, I recommend using the oven. I suggest skipping the microwave to reheat them because they’ll become soggy in the microwave, but this can be used in a last resort effort. Cook at 350 degrees F until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Keep any dough you are not working with covered so it doesn’t dry out.
- Use a cast iron skillet, not a non-stick pan to make these as it helps crisp them up better and give them that charred texture on the outside.
- You can make these spicy by adding in slices of jalapenos.
- Don’t make these too big, keep them a smaller size so they’re easier to handle!
- These can easily be doubled or tripled depending on how many you are serving.
- Many differing filling options can be added to this recipe, see some of my suggestions above.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
This Pupusas Recipe is super easy and the perfect hand held treat to whip up any time of the year. Super filling and effortless, one recipe the whole family will devour.
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
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Pupusas Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups masa harina corn flour
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup queso fresco crumbled
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the masa, water, and salt and stir together.
- Using your hands, start kneading the ingredients together until a soft, smooth, moist dough forms. You may need to add a little more water, up to ¼ cup to get it to the right consistency. You know it is ready when you can gently pinch some of the dough together and it doesn’t crack.
- Now, use a dish towel to cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
- Toss together the mozzarella and queso fresco in a small bowl and set aside.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions, you can do this by weighing them on a kitchen scale or just eyeballing it.
- Grab one of the dough pieces and pat it into a large circular disc in your hands.
- Then add 1/8th of the cheese mixture to the center of the dough disc and fold it and pinch the dough closed over the cheese. Roll it into a ball.
- Gently pat and press the ball into a round disc about 1/4th inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough and cheese to make all 8 dough pockets.
- Heat a griddle over medium heat. Once hot, spray with cooking spray. Cook for about 5-6 minutes per side until they're golden brown and slightly charred. Place them on a wire rack to cool down while you are cooking the remaining pupusas. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Keep any dough you are not working with covered so it doesn’t dry out.
- Use a cast iron skillet, not a non-stick pan to make these as it helps crisp them up better and give them that charred texture on the outside.
- You can make these spicy by adding in slices of jalapenos.
- Don't make these too big, keep them a smaller size so they're easier to handle!
- These can easily be doubled or tripled depending on how many you are serving.
- Many differing filling options can be added to this recipe, see some of my suggestions above.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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