Alcapurrias are one of the most popular fritters in Puerto Rico! You can find them on the street, in restaurants and made at home. They are crunchy on the outside with a creamy interior and a tasty beef filling. The dough or masa and beef filling (picadillo) are super easy to make. I will show you how with easy step by step photos!
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What are alcapurrias?
Alcapurrias are basically a fitter which is a dough or something covered in a batter that is fried. The dough is a bit unusual because it is made with green plantain and yautia. You shred the plantain and yautia in your food processor and then blend into a smooth dough. The dough does not contain any wheat flour so these are gluten free. Bonus! The filling or picadillo is a tasty ground beef with Latin style spices and chopped olives. Wrap the beef in the dough, fry them and you have a tasty fritter! These are a close cousin to carimañolas which are popular in Colombia and Panamá.
What is yautia?
Yautia, also known as malanga is a plant cultivated for its root. They are dark brown and kind of fibrous or hairy on the exterior and shaped a bit like a thick turnip. When you peel with with potato peeler the inside is a fleshy starch like a potato with a nutty, creamy taste when cooked. There are a few varieties with the yautia blanca (white interior) the most common but others have a purplish (yautia lila) or yellow (yautia amarilla) interior. These are very easy to work with, just peel the exterior with potato peeler until you see the starchy interior.
What is plantain?
Plantains are in the banana family but are quite different. If you don’t look closely, you might mistake it for a banana but they are a bit larger. The are usually sold individually and not clustered together in a bunch like bananas. However, these are usually darker green and have a much thicker skin. Unlike bananas, these are starchy and cannot be eaten raw. Once cooked they have a creamy, slightly sweet and nutty flavor. They can be a bit tricky to peel but I have easy steps below to show you how.
How to peel plantain:
- Step 1: Cut the ends off of the plantains.
- Step 2: Use a small thin bladed knife and make a score lengthwise down the plantain. Just penetrate the skin only with the knife.
- Step 3: Lift the skin away with your thumb and peel off all the skin. If some bits of skin remain you can scrap them gently with the side of a knife.
Step by step photos to make alcapurrias:
- Step 1: Gather your ingredients and have them measured, chopped and ready to go: yautia, plantain, ground beef, olives, olive oil, onion, salt, cumin oregano, sofrito, sazòn and garlic.
- Step 2: Add the olive oil to a skillet on medium heat then sauté the onion until translucent.
- Step 3: Add the ground beef, salt, garlic, cumin, oregano, sofrito, sazón and chopped olives.
- Step 4: Simmer and stir fry the beef. Brown all the beef then set it aside to cool.
- Step 5: While the meat is cooling, peel the yaitua and plantain then shred them with the grater blade of your food processor.
- Step 6: Depending on the size of your food processor you may have to work in batches.
- Step 7: Change the food processor blade to the cutter blade to puree the shredded plantain and yautia.
- Step 8: Place the dough in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight is also fine.
- Step 9: Scoop the dough using a standard ice cream scoop.
- Step 10: Place the dough ball on parchment paper then flatten into about a 3-4 inch circle. Take 1 tablespoon of the picadillo and place it into the center of the dough.
- Step 11: Lift one side of the parchment paper so the circle of dough forms a taco shape and continue rolling into a cigar shape.
- Step 12: Once it forms a cylinder press the ends together to close it off. You want all the meat encapsulated in the dough.
- Step 13: Place the alcapurrias in oil heated to 350°F until they are brown on one side then flip them over to fry the other side. You want them dark brown, not just golden brown, so the dough cooks all the way through. This should take 6 or 7 minutes and feel free to flip them a couple time for even browning. Work in batches of 3 or 4 depending on the size of your frying pan.
- Step 14: Place the fried alcapurrias on a plate lined with paper towel to drain.
Frequently asked questions:
You can store these in the refrigerator for 4 days after they have been fried.
Reheat in the oven at 250°F for 10 minutes until warm in the center. I like to put them in my air fryer for 5 minutes at 250°F.
Yes, wrap them in plastic wrap and place in an air tight container before frying. Remove them from the freezer and allow to thaw for about 1 hour before frying.
Other favorite Puerto Rican recipes:
- Pernil - slow roasted pork shoulder that is melt in your mouth tender.
- Shrimp Monfongo - Fried plantain with garlic, pork rinds topped with a spicy sauce with shrimp.
- Barriguitas de vieja - pumpkin fitters with powdered sugar.
- Shrimp asopao - A rice stew similar to gumbo.
- Tres leches cake - A sweet soaked sponge cake with whipped cream popular through all of Latin America.
Alcapurrias Recipe
Ingredients
Dough - Masa
Instructions
Prepare the beef filling - Picadillo
- Add the olive oil to a skillet on medium heat then sauté the onion until translucent.
- Add the ground beef, salt, garlic, cumin, oregano, sofrito, sazón and chopped olives.
- Simmer and stir fry the beef. Brown all the beef then set it aside to cool.
Prepare the dough - Masa
- While the meat is cooling, peel the yaitua and plantain then shred them with the grater blade of your food processor. Depending on the size of your food processor you may have to work in batches.
- Change the food processor blade to the cutter blade to puree the shredded plantain and yautia.
- Place the dough in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight is also fine.
Filling and Frying the Alcapurrias
- Scoop the dough using a standard ice cream scoop.
- Place the dough ball on parchment paper then flatten in into about a 3-4 inch circle. Take 1 tablespoon of the picadillo and place it into the center of the dough.
- Lift one side of the parchment paper so the circle of dough forms a taco shape and continue rolling into a cigar shape using the paper.
- Once it forms a cylinder press the ends together to close it off. You want all the meat encapsulated in the dough.
- Place the alcapurrias in oil heated to 350°F until they are brown on one side then flip them over to fry the other side. You want them dark brown, not just golden brown so the dough cooks all the way through. This should take 6 or 7 minutes and feel free to flip them a couple time for even browning. Work in batches of 3 or 4 at a time depending on the size of your frying pan.
- Place the fried alcapurrias on a plate lined with paper towel to drain.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can store these in the refrigerator for 4 days after they have been fried.
Reheat in the oven at 250°F for 10 minutes until warm in the center. I like to put them in my air fryer for 5 minutes at 250°F.
Yes, wrap them in plastic wrap and place in an air tight container before frying. Remove them from the freezer and allow to thaw for about 1 hour before frying.
Olmedo
Another hit from Analida's Ethnic Spoon! My family loves this recipe!
Maria Elena de la Guardia
Excellent recipe, very tasty
Alfredo Neuman
Delicioso! ¡A mi familia le encanta tu receta!