Fried green plantains mashed with garlic and crackling pork, mounded and filled with garlicky shrimp or stew.

Where does Mofongo come from?

Mofongo is a Puerto Rican dish from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Can Mofongo be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Mofongo recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Mofongo take to make?

About 45 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking), serving 3.

Mofongo — a San Juan, Puerto Rico recipe

Name: Mofongo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients: 4 green plantains, peeled and chunked; 1 cup chicharrón (pork cracklings); 1 lb shrimp, peeled (the topping); 8 cloves garlic; 1/3 cup sofrito (blended peppers, onion, cilantro, garlic); 1/2 cup tomato sauce; 3 tbsp olive oil; as needed neutral oil for frying; 1 lime; a handful cilantro

North America → 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico → San Juan

Mofongo

Puerto Rican · medium · serves 3

prep 20 min · cook 25 min

~719 cal · 63g protein · 94g carbs · 13g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Dome of mashed plantain topped with garlicky shrimp

🇵🇷 San Juan

Mofongo descends from West African fufu, remade in Puerto Rico with fried plantains pounded in a wooden pilón with garlic and chicharrón. Shaped into a dome and flooded with a garlic-tomato sauce and shrimp, it’s the island’s most beloved plate.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 3 —

•

4 green plantains, peeled and chunked

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1 cup chicharrón (pork cracklings)

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1 lb shrimp, peeled (the topping)

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8 cloves garlic

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1/3 cup sofrito (blended peppers, onion, cilantro, garlic)

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1/2 cup tomato sauce

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3 tbsp olive oil

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as needed neutral oil for frying

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1 lime

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a handful cilantro

Instructions

1

Fry the plantain chunks until tender and golden, about 6 minutes; drain.

2

Pound the hot plantains in a mortar (or sturdy bowl) with half the garlic, the chicharrón (or mushrooms), and a little oil into a chunky, garlicky mash. Shape into domes.

3

Sauté the shrimp (or mushroom scallops) with the rest of the garlic, sofrito, and tomato sauce into a quick garlicky sauce.

4

Hollow the top of each mofongo dome and fill with the shrimp and sauce.

5

Finish with lime and cilantro. Serve at once, while the mash is warm and the garlic is loud.

San Juan tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

San Juan. Old-city kitchens pounding plantains into mofongo.

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Puerto Rico. The island where garlic, plantain, and pork are gospel.

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North America. A collision of Indigenous, colonial, and immigrant tables.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

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Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →