Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Pupusas con Curtido
Hand-patted masa cakes stuffed with cheese and beans, griddled until molten, served with tangy cabbage curtido.
Salvadoran · medium · serves 4
prep 30 min · cook 20 min
~816 cal · 46g protein · 119g carbs · 19g fat · 19g fiber · 14g sugars · 10g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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The pupusa is the national dish of El Salvador and a source of deep pride, so beloved it has its own national day. A pre-Columbian food of the Pipil people, it has been made in the region for centuries.
A disc of nixtamalized corn is patted around a filling, classically cheese and refried beans, or chicharron, or the flower buds called loroco, then sealed and griddled on a comal until spotted brown and the cheese oozes at the edges. It takes real practice to keep the filling sealed inside.
It is always eaten with curtido, a tangy cabbage slaw, and a thin salsa roja, spooned on with each bite. Warm, molten, and satisfying, the pupusa is Salvadoran home and street food at its most comforting and communal.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and gluten-, nut-, egg- 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 4
2.5 cups harina
Hard to find? fresh masa from a tortilleria - the one thing that is not a substitute is ordinary cornmeal. Masa harina is nixtamalised, treated with alkali, which is what lets it bind and gives it the flavour; untreated cornmeal will not hold together and does not taste of the same thing at all
1.5 cups quesillo or mozzarella, grated
1 cup refried beans
4 cups green cabbage, shredded (curtido)
1 carrot, grated
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
3 tomatoes
1/2 onion (for the salsa roja)
for the griddle
Instructions
1
Make the curtido first: pack the cabbage, carrot, oregano, and a pinch of salt into a jar with the vinegar and a splash of water. It is best after a few hours.
2
Mix the masa harina with warm water and salt into a soft, smooth dough that is not sticky.
✎ Chef’s note
The dough should feel like play-doh. If it cracks at the edges when you flatten it, work in a little more warm water.
3
Roll a ball of dough and flatten it in your palm, then cup it into a small bowl shape.
4
Fill with cheese and beans, then pinch the dough closed over the filling and gently pat it back into a flat disc, keeping the filling sealed inside.
5
Griddle the pupusas dry (or lightly oiled) over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until freckled brown and the cheese starts to ooze.
6
Blend and briefly cook the tomatoes and onion into a thin salsa roja.
7
Serve the pupusas hot, topped with curtido and salsa roja.
Salvadoran pupusería tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
San Salvador. Olocuilta, north of the capital, is where people drive for them, and its speciality is the rice-flour pupusa rather than the corn one. Loroco, an edible flower bud with a green almost artichoke taste, is a classic filling alongside cheese, and the curtido on the table has been souring for days.
🗺️
El Salvador. Curtido is not a garnish but the other half of the dish: cabbage, carrot and onion lightly fermented in vinegar with oregano, piled on top so the sourness cuts through the cheese. The pupusa is patted between wet palms, sealed around the filling and cooked on a comal, and the seam is the part cooks are judged on.
🌍
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 El Salvador
Plátanos Fritos con Frijoles y CremaCaramelized fried plantains with thick refried beans and a swirl of crema, the humble Salvadoran típico breakfast.
Panes con PolloWarm baguette rolls stuffed with relajo-spiced chicken, salad, and a savory gravy, El Salvador's festive sandwich.
Quesadilla SalvadoreñaA sweet, dense pound cake made with hard cheese and topped with sesame seeds, El Salvador's coffee-break classic.
Browse all El Salvador recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Griddle or flat pan, Blender.
Storing it: Best fresh and hot. Keep batter covered in the fridge for up to a day, and rewarm cooked ones in a dry pan.
Make it a El Salvador meal
Horchata de MorroDrink
Quesadilla SalvadoreñaDessert
Yuca Frita con ChicharrónLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Pupusas con Curtido?
Hand-patted masa cakes stuffed with cheese and beans, griddled until molten, served with tangy cabbage curtido.
Where does Pupusas con Curtido come from?
Pupusas con Curtido is a Salvadoran dish from San Salvador, El Salvador.
Can Pupusas con Curtido be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Pupusas con Curtido 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 Pupusas con Curtido 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 Pupusas con Curtido take to make?
About 50 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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