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Bollitos de Yuca (Dominican Cheese-Filled Cassava Balls)
Boiled cassava mashed smooth with butter, milk and parsley, wrapped round cubes of cheese, rolled in egg and flour and fried until golden, crisp outside and molten in the middle.
Dominican · medium · serves 6
prep 30 min · cook 40 min · plus 2 h hands-off time
~586 cal · 15g protein · 61g carbs · 31g fat · 3g fiber · 3g sugars · 13g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Bollitos de are small balls of mashed boiled with a piece of cheese hidden in the middle, coated and fried until golden. In the Dominican Republic they are served as an appetizer or alongside a meal, and they are one of the picaderas, the platters of little fried things that are passed round at family parties, birthdays and Christmas. In working-class neighbourhoods they are also a staple of the street fritura stands.
, , was the staple of the Taíno, the island's first people, and the bollito joins it with ingredients that came later: butter, milk, wheat flour and cheese. Some cooks flavour the dough with a touch of anise and leave out the cheese for a slightly sweet version.
They are not the same as chulitos, which are made from raw grated and usually filled with meat. Bollitos use boiled until soft and mashed, which gives them a smooth, tender inside. Dominican cooks usually fill them with a mild cheddar-style cheese or queso de freír.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 700 g (1 1/2 lb) (), fresh or frozen, weight before peeling if fresh
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) evaporated or whole milk, add it a little at a time; you may need less
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 225 g (1/2 lb) mild cheddar or queso de freír, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, for coating
- 4 cups vegetable oil, for deep frying
Instructions
- 1Peel the cassava, cut it into chunks and remove the woody cord from the centre. Boil in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, until very tender and starting to split. Drain well.
- 2While it is hot, mash the cassava until completely smooth, then beat in the butter, parsley and salt and enough milk to make a soft dough that holds its shape. Let it cool enough to handle.✎ Chef’s noteMash it hot. Cold cassava turns gluey and lumpy.
- 3Take about 2 tablespoons of dough, flatten it in your palm, set a cube of cheese in the middle and close the dough round it, rolling it into a smooth ball with no cracks.
- 4Dip each ball in the beaten egg, then roll it in flour, shaking off the excess. Set them on a tray and chill, uncovered, for 2 hours so they firm up.✎ Chef’s noteChilled bollitos hold together in the oil and the cheese does not burst out.
- 5Heat the oil in a deep pot to 175C (350F). Fry the bollitos no more than four at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until golden all over. Drain on paper and serve hot.
Dominican home and party tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Cibao. This valley is where the food comes from before anyone cooks it. The Cibao is the country's agricultural centre, growing rice, cacao, coffee, tobacco and plantains, and the midday bandera of rice, red beans and stewed meat is put together largely from what the valley itself grows.
🗺️
Dominican Republic. Dominican cooking is comforting and citrusy, la bandera (rice, beans, and stewed meat), mangú mashed plantains, and hearty sancocho stew. Sofrito, plantain, and a Spanish-African-Taíno heritage define the plate.
🌍
North America. Almost every regional cooking here records who arrived and on what terms. Enslaved West Africans brought rice, okra, black-eyed peas and the techniques behind Lowcountry and Creole food; Chinese railway labour and later Italian, Jewish, Mexican and Vietnamese arrivals built the way the cities eat; and Indigenous foodways sit underneath all of it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Dominican Republic
MangúSilky mashed green plantains under pickled red onions, the Dominican breakfast that carries the day.
La Bandera DominicanaThe Dominican everyday plate: white rice, stewed red beans, and braised meat, often with fried plantain.
Chicharrón de PolloMarinated chicken pieces dredged and fried crisp, a Dominican favorite from colmado counters and family lunches.
Browse all Dominican Republic recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Dominican Republic meal
Morir SoñandoDrink
Habichuelas con DulceDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Bollitos de Yuca (Dominican Cheese-Filled Cassava Balls)?
Boiled cassava mashed smooth with butter, milk and parsley, wrapped round cubes of cheese, rolled in egg and flour and fried until golden, crisp outside and molten in the middle.
Where does Bollitos de Yuca (Dominican Cheese-Filled Cassava Balls) come from?
Bollitos de Yuca (Dominican Cheese-Filled Cassava Balls) is a Dominican dish from Cibao, Dominican Republic.
Can Bollitos de Yuca (Dominican Cheese-Filled Cassava Balls) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Bollitos de Yuca (Dominican Cheese-Filled Cassava Balls) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Bollitos de Yuca (Dominican Cheese-Filled Cassava Balls) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Bollitos de Yuca (Dominican Cheese-Filled Cassava Balls) take to make?
About 3 h 10 min in all: 30 minutes prep and 40 minutes cooking, plus 2 h of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 6.
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