Pupusas
Updated Feb. 19, 2025
- Total Time
- 55 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons neutral oil
- 1jalapeño, seeded and diced
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- 1(15-ounce) can black beans, drained
- 2ounces low-moisture mozzarella or Oaxaca cheese, shredded (½ cup)
- Curtido or salsa, for serving (optional)
- 1cup masa harina
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- Neutral oil, for frying
For the Filling
For the Dough
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
577 calories; 40 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 516 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the filling: In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the oil, jalapeño and a pinch of salt. Cook until jalapeño has slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Step 2
Stir in the beans and a pinch of salt. Mash with a fork or potato masher until most of the beans are mashed but mixture is still chunky. Taste and season with salt, if necessary. Transfer mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until cool, 10 to 15 minutes. Once cool, remove from the fridge and stir in mozzarella until combined. Divide the mixture into 4 portions.
- Step 3
Make the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the masa harina, salt and ¾ cup warm water. Mix with straight, stiff fingers to form a dough. Using both hands, roll into a ball and return to the bowl. The dough should not be overly sticky, but also shouldn’t be so dry it crumbles. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Step 4
Divide the masa into 4 portions and roll into balls. While working with one ball, keep the others covered so they don’t dry out. Using your thumb, create a divot in the middle of the ball. Continue pressing all around the divot to create a bowl shape large enough to hold 1 portion of the bean filling.
- Step 5
Add the bean filling to the masa and pinch around the edges until it’s closed. Roll again to make a uniform ball and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Using the palm and fingers of one hand, press the ball into a ½-inch-thick cake that is about 4½ inches in diameter. (Masa is very malleable, so pinch to close any cracks. It’s OK if some filling pokes through the surface of the corn cake.) Repeat with remaining portions of dough. If at any point the masa is cracking too much, moisten your hands with warm water and knead masa to reintroduce some moisture into the dough.
- Step 6
In a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, gently add the pupusa by putting it on your fingertips and placing it in the pan away from you like you are waving away a fly. Add a second pupusa to the pan and fry both until the sides touching the pan are crispy with splotches of darker spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pupusas and cook until the second sides are also crispy, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and season with salt. If there is any residue in the pan, wipe it out with a paper towel and start with fresh oil to cook the remaining pupusas. Serve warm with curtido or salsa alongside, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
I was taught not to use oil, just a very hot comal (skillet), to cook a pupusa. No spices in the beans, though **red bean refried beans** are a must. No black bean and no pinto bean. My pupusas were judged on how well I got the filling into every bite. Pupusas with crispy cheese bites are the faves here. Catch a video to see the technique of making a bowl in your palm, adding the filling, then patting it back-and-forth to flatten it.
Based off previous times I’ve made pupusas, the jalapeno and seasonings aren’t really needed for it to be good. To save the trouble of mashing the beans its very convenient to buy red refried beans.
My first attempt at this was a messy disaster. I had way too much filling for the dough, but everything tasted great. I’m just curious if the ratios of dough to filling are working for others or if Im just a disaster at the filling process.
I adore recipes like this. They humble me. I say "I'll watch the video and just do what he does" and then I will never again have to pay someone who has been making this dish his or her entire life to demonstrate the technique. Well, it turns out it's really hard. Stick with the expert, and tip him or her generously.
I love these pupusas. I added some charred poblano pepper from last summer that I had in the freezer because I was a little short on beans. Thanks to the wonderful demo of how to fill them and the explanation of the desired low masa to filling ratio, I finally achieved non-doughy pupusas. Crisping them in oil is genius and really adds a layer of flavor without making them greasy. And the test for doneness by looking for slight oozing was very helpful. Mine were indeed molten inside. I served them with homemade curtido and a traditional red salsa. If I score some squash blossoms, I’ll definitely try out that variation. The beauty of the pupusa, IMO, is that there are so many different filling variations. I know they were good because I’d planned four meals for two and made 8 pupusas. However, my husband went back for another half, and I may have pecked at the remaining half a little.
Making this tonight (I made carnitas yesterday for filling) and just want to say that your explanations in the video were incredible. And your enthusiasm was contagious, making my pretty cruddy day suddenly feel brighter. Watch the video, folks, and learn from DJ Pupusito!