Frituras

Alcapurrias

Name: Alcapurrias
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients: 2 green bananas; 1 lb yautía (taro root); 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon salt; 1 lb ground beef; 1/4 cup sofrito; 1 packet sazon con culantro y achiote; 1/2 cup tomato sauce; Manzanilla olives (optional)

The ultimate Puerto Rican street food — shredded green banana and yautía fritters stuffed with seasoned beef.

1 hour Medium

By Josh Ortiz·August 2026·7 min read

If bacalaítos are the quick, casual fritter of Puerto Rico, then alcapurrias are the grand dame — the labor of love that requires grating, mixing, stuffing, shaping, and frying, but rewards you with something that no other fritter in the Caribbean can match. An alcapurria is a torpedo-shaped fritter made from a masa (dough) of grated green banana and yautía (taro root), wrapped around a savory filling of seasoned ground beef, then deep-fried until the outside is shatteringly crispy while the inside stays tender and starchy. The result is a crispy, golden shell encasing juicy, sazón-spiked beef — it's the food that every kiosk along the beaches of Piñones, Piñones, and Piñones is famous for. Alcapurrias are the ultimate Puerto Rican street food, and while they take more effort than other fritters, the payoff is extraordinary.

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What Are Alcapurrias?

Alcapurrias are Puerto Rico's most iconic stuffed fritter — a thick masa made from grated green banana and yautía, filled with seasoned ground beef (picadillo), and deep-fried until golden. The masa is what makes them unique: unlike a flour or corn batter, the grated root vegetables create a dense, starchy shell that crisps beautifully in hot oil while staying tender inside. The filling is classic Puerto Rican picadillo — ground beef cooked with sofrito, sazon, tomato sauce, and olives. Some families add capers, some add raisins for sweetness, and some keep it simple with just the basics.

You'll find alcapurrias at every kiosko (food stand) on the island, especially along the coast. They're the food you eat standing up, paper napkin in hand, watching the waves. They're bigger than bacalaítos, more substantial than empanadillas, and more complex than anything else in the fritura family. Making them at home is a weekend project — the grating alone takes time — but it's one of those recipes that connects you directly to the island's street food tradition.

Ingredients

Scale recipe:

8 servings

For 8 alcapurrias:

2 (unripe) bananas — firm, with green skin. These create the starchy base of the masa. Do NOT use ripe bananas.
1 yautía (taro root) — also called malanga or dasheen. The white-fleshed variety is traditional. Find at Latin or Asian groceries.
1/4 vegetable oil — mixed into the masa for tenderness and to help it fry evenly.
1 salt — for seasoning the masa. Taste before adding more — the filling is already salty.
1 ground beef — lean beef works best. The filling should be saucy but not greasy.
1/4 sofrito — the flavor base for the picadillo filling.
1 sazon con culantro y achiote — for color and that unmistakable Puerto Rican flavor.
1/2 tomato sauce — gives the filling its saucy, reddish character.
Manzanilla olives (optional) — a few olives in the filling add briny pops. Some families use capers instead.

Mainland Swaps

No yautía? White potato is the closest starchy substitute — use about 1 lb, peeled and grated. The texture will be slightly different but still work. Some people use a mix of green banana and potato.
Grating is too hard? A food processor with the grating attachment makes quick work of the bananas and yautía. Don't puree them — you want a fine grate, not a paste.
No green bananas? This is tough — ripe bananas won't work at all (too sweet and mushy). If you can only find ripe ones, wait a few days. Green bananas are available at most Latin groceries.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Make the masa. Peel and finely grate the green bananas and yautía. Squeeze out any excess moisture with your hands, then mix together in a large bowl with the oil and salt. The masa should hold together when pressed — add a tablespoon of water if it's too crumbly.

Cook the filling. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef. Add the sofrito and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the sazon, tomato sauce, and olives. Simmer 5 minutes until saucy but not watery. Let it cool slightly — hot filling will make the masa fall apart.

Shape the alcapurrias. Take about 1/2 cup of masa and flatten it into an oval on your wet palm. Place a generous spoonful of filling in the center. Fold the masa over and pinch to seal, shaping into a torpedo about 5 inches long. Wet your hands as needed to keep the masa from sticking.

Fry until golden. Heat oil to 350°F in a deep pot. Carefully lower the alcapurrias into the oil — don't drop them or the masa will crack. Fry 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally, until the exterior is deep golden brown and crispy all over.

Drain and serve. Remove to a wire rack or paper towels. Let them rest for 2-3 minutes (the inside is molten hot). Serve with ketchup, mayo, or your favorite hot sauce. That first bite — crispy shell, tender masa, savory beef — is pure magic.

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Tips for Perfect Alcapurrias

Squeeze the moisture out. After grating the bananas and yautía, squeeze them in a clean towel or cheesecloth. Too much moisture makes the masa fall apart in the oil.
Wet your hands. Keep a bowl of water nearby while shaping. Wet palms prevent the masa from sticking and help you create smooth, crack-free alcapurrias.
Let the filling cool. Hot filling will soften the masa and make shaping impossible. Cook the picadillo first, then make the masa while it cools.
Fry at the right temperature. Too cool and they absorb oil and get greasy. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks through. 350°F is your target — use a thermometer.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yautía is a starchy root vegetable also known as taro, malanga, or dasheen depending on where you're from. The white-fleshed variety is used in Puerto Rican cooking. It has a mild, slightly nutty flavor and a dense, potato-like texture when raw. Find it at Latin or Asian grocery stores — it's usually sold as a rough-skinned brown tuber. If you can't find it, white potato is the closest substitute.

You can try, but it's not the same. Baked alcapurrias won't develop the signature crispy exterior that frying provides. If you must, bake at 400°F on a greased baking sheet for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway. The texture will be more like a baked turnover than a fritter. Some people air-fry them at 375°F for 12-15 minutes with decent results — crispy-ish on the outside but missing the deep-fried magic.

Yes — this is the best meal prep hack for alcapurrias. Shape them completely, then freeze on a baking sheet in a single layer. Once solid, transfer to a freezer bag. They keep for 2-3 months. To cook from frozen, fry directly at 350°F for 7-9 minutes (a couple minutes longer than fresh). Don't thaw them first — the masa will get too wet and fall apart.