Pupusas Recipe

5 from 18 votes

Pupusas are handmade corn masa cakes filled with seasoned red beans and queso Oaxaca or mozzarella, then cooked on a skillet until golden.

Prep Time45

Cook Time15

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Salvadoran

Servings:

Author: Kristyn Merkley

Ingredients

Filling

¼ cup vegetable oil
½ white onion, cut in half and split into layers
1 (15-ounce) can Central American red beans or red kidney beans
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces grated queso Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese

Dough

3 cups instant corn masa flour
2 teaspoons salt
2⅔ cups hot water

Instructions

Filling

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion layers to the skillet and cook, turning frequently, until blackened on all sides. Remove from the heat, and scoop the onions out of the skillet and into a blender or food processor, preserving the oil.
Add the red beans and the bean liquid to the blender, and blend until smooth. Pour the bean mixture back into the skillet with the oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Stir in the salt and adjust seasonings according to taste. Let the beans cool while you make the dough.

Dough

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the corn masa flour, salt, and hot water until the dough is thick and sticky. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
Scoop the dough into 12 equal-sized balls, about ¼ cup each (I used an ice cream scoop to make things easier). Cover the balls with a damp towel so they don’t dry out while assembling the pupusas. Stir the cheese into the cooled beans.

Assemble

Flatten a dough ball in your hand (spray your hands with cooking spray to prevent the dough from sticking, if preferred). Pinch the sides of the dough up to form a cup shape.
Drop 2 tablespoons of the bean mixture into the center of the dough, then fold the edges over to enclose the beans completely. Gently flatten the dough to a 4-5-inch disk. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Cook the pupusas for 3-4 minutes per side, until the center puffs up slightly and the sides have browned spots. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips.

Masa dough can dry out while you assemble the pupusas, so keep the dough balls under a damp towel until you are ready to use them.
Cool the bean mixture before stirring in the cheese and filling the dough. A cooler, thicker filling is easier to handle and less likely to make the dough tear.
Make sure the edges of the dough meet completely around the filling before flattening. If a little filling pokes through, gently patch the dough before cooking.
Medium heat gives the dough time to cook through while developing golden-brown spots on the outside. If the skillet is too hot, the outside may brown before the dough is cooked.
For a heartier filling, add a little cooked, finely shredded pork or chicken to the bean and cheese mixture. Keep the filling thick so the pupusas are still easy to seal.

Make ahead of time. Make this pupusas recipe ahead of time and freeze it to be cooked later. Assemble the pupusas and place them on a baking sheet. Freeze until solid and then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To fry: thaw and cook according to recipe directions.

Store the dough. Store leftover pupusa dough in the fridge for 1-2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to place it in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Allow the dough to warm up to room temperature before shaping. If the dough seems a bit dry, add some warm water.

Store. Store cooked pupusas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months. Thaw before reheating.

Nutrition