Pupusas, the national dish of El Salvador, are a simple and affordable recipe to make. Stuff them with cheese, beans, or meat, and fry them up for a filling snack or lunch!
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Recipe Origins
Pupusas originated from the Pipil tribe that used to live in what is now El Salvador. There have even been remains of the Pipil tribe’s tools used to cook pupusas found from around 2000 years ago!
Pupusas saw a shift in the Pre-Columbian vs Post-Columbian era. Prior to 1570, they were filled mostly with herbs, vegetables, and flours. In 1570, meat began to be incorporated into the filling as well.
On April 1, 2005, Pupusas were declared the national dish of El Salvador! Every second Sunday of November is National Pupusa Day.
Why Make this Recipe
- 4 Ingredients: This recipe only has a few ingredients and is incredibly affordable to make! Once you have the ingredients in your home, you can easily make Pupusas as a delicious snack from here on out!
- “Travel” to El Salvador: If you’ve always wanted to go to El Salvador but aren’t able to, this recipe is a great thing to try out! You can taste the national dish of El Salvador easily, without ever having to leave your home.
What Ingredients are in this Recipe
- Masa Harina: Masa harina comes from grinding corn up. I used white masa harina, though it also comes in yellow.
- Salt: I use Kosher salt but you can use table salt
- Cheese: I used a shredded, Italian Blend, which was mostly mozzarella. A traditional filling is Quesillo cheese if you can find it!
- Oil: The oil is meant to cook the pupusas. I used vegetable oil, but you can use any oil with a low smoking point. Another good option is sunflower oil!
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Make the Dough
In a mixing bowl, whisk together salt and masa harina. Then use a mixing spoon to mix in the water. When the dough gets too hard to mix, begin kneading the dough with your hands until everything is combined.
Step 2: Fill the Pupusas with Cheese
Form the dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Use your palm to flatten the balls into a disk.
When they are flat, lay about 1 tbsp of shredded cheese in the middle, then ball up the dough to form a ball again. Finally, flatten into a disk again now that the cheese is inside.
Step 3: Cook the Pupusas
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, and allow to heat up. Add the pupusa into the pan, and cook for about 5-10 minutes on one side, until the outside is crispy and you see a few small char marks. Flip the pupusa and grill again on the other side. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- An easier option to add mozzarella into the middle of the pupusas could be mozzarella balls, sliced in half (to keep them thinner). Simply form the dough around the mozzarella ball, and flatten it into a disk. This may be easier than trying to fit shredded parmesan in the dough.
- You don’t have to fill your Pupusas with anything if you don’t want to. You can leave them plain.
- Other great filling options are Refried beans; Cheese and Refried Beans; Chicharon and Cheese; Just Chicharon; or Cheese, Refried Beans and Chicharon.
- You can dip the pupusas in salsa. Additionally, you can make a curtido to serve with the pupusas!
Recipe FAQs
What is the Difference Between Arepas and Pupusas?
I also have a recipe for Arepas from Colombia up on my website. Arepas are pretty similar to pupusas, though there are a few differences between the two!
The main differences are that arepas are made with masarepa, while Pupusas are made with masa harina. Both are corn flours, but masarepa is precooked!
The other major difference is that arepas are stuffed with fillings AFTER cooking, whereas pupusas are filled prior to cooking.
Why are Pupusas Important in El Salvador?
As mentioned in the “Recipe Origins” section above, Pupusas have a long history in El Salvador. The recipe is now the national dish of the country and is eaten quite frequently in El Salvador as well as in the United States. You can also enjoy the flavors of El Salvador with a Pan con Pollo Salvadoreño – so yummy!
If you enjoyed this Pupusa Recipe, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Arepas from Colombia
- Homemade Creamed Corn in the Instant Pot
- Shrimp Soup from El Salvador
- Espumillas from Ecuador
- Elote Loco
Pupusa Recipe from El Salvador
Ingredients
- 3 cups masa harina
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 ¾ cup water
- 1 cup Quesillo Cheese, can sub shredded mozzarella or monterey jack
- Vegetable oil, for cooking
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together salt and masa harina. Then add the water. Knead the dough with your hands until it forms a playdoh-like consistency.
- Form the dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Use your fingers to form a pocket in the middle of the ball, leaving the edges thick.
- Add about 1 tbsp of shredded cheese in the middle of the pupusa dough. Then use the edges of the dough to cover the cheese pocket, sealing off the pupusa.
- Wet your hands lightly in water, and use your hands to gently flatten the pupusa into a disk.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, and brush lighrtly with oil.
- Add the pupusa into the pan, and cook for about 3-5 minutes on one side, until the outside is crispy and you see a few small char marks. Flip the pupusa and grill again on the other side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Masa Harina: Masa harina comes from grinding corn up. I used white masa harina, though it also comes in yellow.
- Salt: I use Kosher salt but you can use
- Cheese: I used a shredded, Italian Blend, which was mostly mozzarella. A traditional filling is Quesillo cheese, but you can use anything melty.
- Oil: The oil is meant to cook the pupusas. I used vegetable oil, but you can use any oil with a low smoking point. Another good option is sunflower oil!
- You don’t have to fill your Pupusas with anything if you don’t want to. You can leave them plain.
- Other great filling options are Refried beans; Cheese and Refried Beans; Chicharon and Cheese; Just Chicharon; or Cheese, Refried Beans and Chicharon.
- You can dip the pupusas in salsa. Additionally, you can make a curtido to serve with the pupusas!
Jamal says
did not work grrrrrr my mom makes better.
The Foreign Fork says
Hey Jamal, what about the recipe did not work? I’d be happy to investigate or make suggestions depending on the issue you had 🙂
Molly says
I made these today and they tasted almost like the ones we get from a local Salvadorian restaurant! Thanks for the recipe. I used a mix of mozzarella and jack and some with refried beans and cheese. To make it more authentic, I’m going to try to get quesillo and loroco next!
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Molly,
I’m so glad you like the recipe 🙂 Loroco sounds delicious, I hope you enjoy!
Michelle says
Living in El Salvador. They don’t use oxacan blend cheese. The cheese used for Salvadoran pupusas is Quesillo cheese. Traditional fillings are just the cheese, cheese and refried red beans, cheese, beans, and la roco, and if you want meat cheese, beans and Salvadoran chicharon. If you ask a Salvadoran to put carne in you are going to get a pastele
David Rios says
Everything was pretty good except that we never stuff them with taco filling or with jalapeños, that would not be a pupusa. You can stuff it with cheese, refried beans, cheese and chicharon. If you want to keep it authentic and not try to americanize it.