Pupusa Recipe
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4.9
285 reviews
Excellent
Pupusa Recipe
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Pupusas are thick corn masa flatbreads filled with a blend of melty cheeses, pickled jalapeños, and roasted butternut squash. The dough is made soft with masa harina and water, then shaped into rounds enclosing the filling. Serving these savory pockets with curtido — a tangy cabbage-carrot slaw with vinegar and oregano — balances their richness well.
Description
The Pupusa Recipe offers a traditional masa dough combined with cheese, jalapeño, and butternut squash filling, providing a mix of creamy, mildly spicy, and sweet flavors. The masa dough is soft and pliable, requiring careful handling and oiled hands to prevent sticking while shaping each pupusa around the filling. Cooking on a hot griddle creates a lightly crisp exterior and toasted edges, while the interior melts the cheese.
Curtido, a fermented slaw featuring cabbage, carrot, apple cider vinegar, and oregano, is prepared in advance to develop its tangy taste. It contrasts nicely with the warm, soft pupusas and is a customary accompaniment.
Practical tips include using a cookie scoop to portion dough evenly, keeping hands oiled for easier shaping, repairing any masa tears by pinching, and keeping finished pupusas warm in a low oven on a rack to maintain texture before serving.
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Ingredients
Curtido:
- 1/2 cabbage 2 cups of shredded cabbage, head
- 1 carrot grated, medium
- 1 tablespoon oregano if you can't find Mexican oregano, use Italian!, dried, Mexican
- 1 cup water hot
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Pupusa Dough:
- 3 cups masa harina such as maseca, 11.8 ounces/334g
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 3/4 cup water from the faucet is fine, cold
Filling:
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese or Oaxacan cheese or any other melty cheese, shredded, 7.5 ounces
- 1/2 cup jalapeno pepper diced, pickled
- 1/2 cup butternut squash diced, roasted
For Hands:
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil
Instructions
To Make the Curtido:
- To a medium bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrots and Mexican oregano. In a measuring cup, stir together the hot water, vinegar, salt and sugar; pour it over the cabbage/carrot mixture. Allow it to come to room temperature and then cover it with plastic wrap and transfer it to the fridge for at least 4 hours and preferably a day before serving.
- To Make the Pupusa Dough:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the masa harina and salt. Pour in the cold water and using a spatula, stir the masa until mostly combined. Then, using your hands, mix the dough until a very soft dough forms. The dough will be very soft. This is totally okay; this means a delicious pupusa is on the way!
- I found it easiest to use a 2 ounce ice cream scoop and scoop out the masa into balls onto a piece of parchment. You could also do this with your hands but be sure to make the water/oil mixture above and coat your hands with it first.
To Assembe the Pupusas:
- Add the water to a measuring cup and pour in the oil (you can eyeball this). Lightly dip your hands in the water/oil mixture, making sure your palm are evenly coated. This will make it so the masa doesn’t stick to your hands.
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. I like to place the pupusas in the oven while I make the rest of the pupusas so they can stay warm and melty. I placed a cooling rack atop a baking sheet and placed it in the oven.
- Working one at a time, flatten the balls gently until they're about 1/2-inch thick discs. Place a tablespoon or two of mozzarella cheese, a small bit of diced jalapeño and squash into the center and wrap the dough around the filling creating a half moon shape. Pinch the edges to seal it completely. And then pat the dough gently, flattening it and alternating hands until it reaches about 1/4-inch thick and about 4-inches in diameter. Feel free to re-grease your hands as needed. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
- Meanwhile, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of neutral oil and brush the surface with a silicon brush. Add the pupusas to the pan, fitting two to three at time. Don’t be shy to break out another cast iron skillet (if you own it). Cook each pupusa for 4 to 6 minutes per side and then transfer to the baking sheet in the oven. Repeat this process until you’ve worked your way through all of the pupusas.
To Serve the Pupusas:
- Serve the pupusas with the curtido, wedges of lime and salsa.
Notes
- Keep hands well-oiled to handle sticky masa dough more easily.
- Use a cookie scoop or similar to portion dough balls evenly and speed preparation.
- If masa tears during shaping, pinch it closed to prevent filling leakage.
- Warm finished pupusas in a low oven on a rack to maintain texture while cooking batches.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
14g
Calories
125kcal
(6%)
Carbohydrates
10g
(3%)
Protein
2g
(4%)
Fat
3g
(5%)
Saturated Fat
2g
(10%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
5g
(29%)
Sodium
500mg
(21%)
Potassium
12mg
(0%)
Sugar
1g
(2%)
Calcium
1mg
(0%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 14Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 125 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 14g | |
| Calories | 125kcal | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 10g | 3% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 3g | 5% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 5g | 29% |
| Sodium | 500mg | 21% |
| Potassium | 12mg | 0% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Calcium | 1mg | 0% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
285 reviews
Excellent
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