Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Mofongo
Fried green plantains mashed with garlic and crackling pork, mounded and filled with garlicky shrimp or stew.
Puerto Rican · medium · serves 3
prep 20 min · cook 25 min
~719 cal · 63g protein · 94g carbs · 13g fat · 8g fiber · 38g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Mofongo is a cornerstone of Puerto Rican cooking, a dish that carries the island's deep African heritage in both its main ingredient and its technique, echoing the of West Africa. It is both everyday plate and centrepiece.
Green are fried, then mashed in a wooden pilon (mortar) with garlic, olive oil, and crisp chicharron until they form a dense, savoury, garlicky mound. Mounded on the plate, it is often hollowed and filled with garlicky shrimp, stewed meat, or seafood in sauce.
Rich, garlicky, and satisfying, mofongo is a source of real pride and nostalgia for Puerto Ricans. It is the taste of home, of the and the pilon, and of the island's layered Taino, Spanish, and African roots.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut- and egg-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 3
4 green , peeled and chunked
1 cup chicharrón (pork cracklings)
Hard to find? pork scratchings or pork rinds from a packet, roughly crushed - the shop-bought kind are drier and saltier than fresh chicharron, so hold back on the salt elsewhere
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 for frying
1 lime
a handful cilantro
Instructions
1
Fry the green plantain chunks until tender and golden, about 6 minutes, then drain.
2
Pound the hot plantains in a mortar (or sturdy bowl) with half the garlic, the chicharron (or mushrooms), and a little oil into a chunky, garlicky mash.
✎ Chef’s note
Pound the plantains while still hot. They mash easily and hold together, whereas cooled plantain turns stiff and crumbly.
3
Shape the mash into domes.
✎ Chef’s note
If the mash feels dry or crumbly as you pound, work in a splash of warm broth. It should hold together in a dome without turning pasty.
4
Saute the shrimp (or mushroom scallops) with the rest of the garlic, sofrito, and tomato sauce into a quick garlicky sauce.
5
Hollow the top of each mofongo dome and fill it with the shrimp and sauce.
6
Finish with lime and cilantro and serve at once, while the mash is warm.
San Juan tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
San Juan. San Juan pounds green plantain with garlic and pork crackling into mofongo, packed into a bowl and filled with stew or seafood. Puerto Rican cooking is built on sofrito and adobo, in arroz con gandules, slow-roasted pernil, and fried alcapurria snacks.
🗺️
Puerto Rico. The sofrito here is recaito, and it is greener than the Cuban and Dominican versions because of the culantro and ajies dulces in it. Names matter too: pernil is the roast shoulder, while lechon asado is the whole pig turned over coals along the road to Guavate, and arroz con gandules uses pigeon peas rather than any bean.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Puerto Rico
MallorcaA soft, buttery coiled sweet bread, pressed warm and snowed with powdered sugar, the pride of Puerto Rican panaderías at breakfast.
Arroz con GandulesRice cooked with pigeon peas, sofrito, and pork in one pot, forming a prized crust, Puerto Rico's national dish.
TemblequeA wobbling coconut pudding set with cornstarch and dusted with cinnamon, a light Puerto Rican holiday classic.
Browse all Puerto Rico recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Mortar and pestle.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Puerto Rico meal
CoquitoDrink
TemblequeDessert
Arroz con GandulesLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Mofongo?
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?
This Mofongo recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Mofongo 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 count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), 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 Mofongo take to make?
About 45 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking), serving 3.
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