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    Puerto Rican and Caribbean-Inspired Recipes

    Experience the Puerto Rican culinary heritage as we share easy recipes, expert tips, and fascinating stories. We invite you to savor the true essence of Puerto Rican cuisine. Delight in a symphony of bold flavors, tropical ingredients, and cultural fusion. Explore our collection of Puerto Rican-inspired and Caribbean-twist recipes.

    Puerto Rican Basics

    Easy Puerto Rican recipes for everyday cooking. These dishes are the foundation of many meals, built for real kitchens and regular use. Just because they are easy doesn't mean they are basic. These recipes focus on flavor, technique, and versatility you'll come back to again and again.

    • Completed Sofrito sitting on a table with other ingredients to make sofrito.
      Puerto Rican Homemade Sofrito
    • A bottle of achiote oil is at the center of the image, with a mason jar full of achiote seeds and a bottle of oil behind it.
      Achiote Oil
    • Small mason jar filled with Puerto Rican Garlic Paste with a jar of oregano and a jar of coriander seeds at either side of it. A small wooden bowl with garlic paste sits in front of the mason jar with garlic paste as well as a few garlic cloves.
      Puerto Rican Garlic Paste
    • There are three containers with cooked white rice: the top right is an orange Pyrex container with rice. Below to the left is a bowl of white rice, and at the bottom right is a small wooden bowl with "pegao," the rice that sticks to the pan.
      Arroz Blanco, Puerto Rican White Rice
    • A plate of chuletas (pork chops), white rice, navy beans, and sliced tomatoes.
      Chuletas Fritas, Puerto Rican Fried Pork Chops
    • A spoon full of stewed beans hovering over a bowl of cooked beans.
      Habichuelas Guisadas, (Puerto Rican Stewed Beans)
    • Close-up of a roasted chicken thigh served with guineos en escabeche, cherry tomatoes, and a side of macaroni salad partially visible.
      Puerto Rican Pollo Asado, Oven-Roasted Chicken
    • Green Dutch oven filled with cooked arroz con pollo. There is a wooden spoon resting on the handle of the Dutch oven as well as a black kitchen towel on the other handle.
      Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo, Chicken and Rice
    See more Traditional Puerto Rican Classics →
    Tupperware cookie container lined with brown parchment paper and full of polvorones on a table with a kitchen towel around the container and some loose cookies in front of it.

    viral recipe!

    Puerto Rican Polvorones (Shortbread Cookies)

    Delicate, buttery, and mildly sweet, these jam or sprinkle-decorated cookies melt in your mouth, crumbling with each bite. 

    Get the recipe

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    Beef, Lamb, & Pork
    Chicken, Turkey, & Duck
    Rice, Pasta, Grains
    Desserts, Sweets, and Breads

    Latest Recipes

    • Overhead view of a single bowl of plantain soup with a cream swirl, bread slice on the rim, and wooden spoon on a blue napkin.
      Sopa de Plátano (Plantain Soup)
    • Top-down view of a shallow brown bowl filled with a golden, blended seasoning, with a metal whisk resting inside, on a light terrazzo background.
      Homemade Puerto Rican Adobo Seasoning
    • Overhead view of a stainless steel pot filled with chicken broth on a wooden countertop.
      Homemade Chicken Broth Recipe
    • Arroz con gandules covered with banana leaves, served alongside carne frita on a holiday table.
      Arroz Con Gandules Recipe (Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas)

    Browse All Recipes

    Three Kings Favorites

    Puerto Rico is known for celebrating Christmas longer than anywhere else. On January 6, we celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings at the manger. Children receive a second round of gifts, and adults gather for more parties and festivities. Join in the fun with these crowd-pleasing recipes.

    • Collage of traditional Puerto Rican Christmas dishes including pernil, arroz con gandules, coquito, tembleque, arroz con dulce, and guineitos en escabeche, with a banner that reads
      15 Puerto Rican Christmas Essentials (And a Few Delicious Extras)
    • Two glasses of cookies-and-cream coquito with crushed-cookie rims, surrounded by Oreo cookies and coquito ingredients, blurred in the background.
      Bacardi Gold Cookies and Cream Coquito
    • Top view of a molded pistachio tembleque garnished with shredded coconut and chopped pistachios on a white plate.
      Pistachio Tembleque
    • Overhead view of Puerto Rican ropa vieja (shredded beef stew) with white rice, stewed beans, and tomato slices, on a plate.
      Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef Recipe)
    See more Three Kings Day →
    A woman with short curly hair smiles and holds a wooden spoon in a cheerful kitchen with flowers and utensils behind her.

    Hey, I'm Zoe!

    I make Puerto Rican-inspired recipes that are easy to follow, full of sabor, and perfect for anyone who wants a little taste of home, or wants to learn it."

    About Zoe

    Rice, Pasta, and Grains

    • Close-up of a forkful of arroz mamposteao, Puerto Rican rice and beans, held above a bowl on a blue patterned cloth.
      Mamposteao, a Puerto Rican Leftover Rice Comfort Food
    • Overhead view of Puerto Rican Crab Rice (Arroz con Jueyes) in a red Dutch oven, showing rice simmered with crab meat, olives, red peppers, and sofrito. A wooden slotted spatula rests beside the pot on a terrazzo countertop.
      Puerto Rican Crab Rice, Arroz con Jueyes
    • Close-up of Puerto Rican chicken paella with bone-in chicken thighs, longaniza sausage, pigeon peas, and sliced plantains, garnished with fresh cilantro in a large paella pan.
      Puerto Rican Chicken Paella with Sausage and Plantain
    • Close-up of Seafood Pomodoro pasta with linguine, topped with culantro gremolata and shredded Parmesan in a white bowl.
      Seafood Pomodoro Pasta with Linguine
    See more Rice, Pasta, and Grains →

    Popular Recipes

    You'll find these favorites show up again and again. They're well-loved for a reason. Hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoy making them. ¡Buen provecho!

    • Two rock glassed filled with pistachio coquito and decorated with cinnamon sugar on the rims. A Puerto Rican Christmas decorated bottle sits behind them along with a bottle of regular coquito and a bottle of rum.
      Pistachio Coquito
    • A blue and white dessert plate with a slice of bread pudding and caramel sauce on top of it.
      Budín de Pan (Puerto Rican Bread Pudding)
    • Close-up of shrimp and scallop stew over white rice, black beans, and fried sweet plantain, with a side of avocado and extra stew in the background.
      Quick Shrimp and Scallop Stew
    • A fork full of Pernil with a large serving bowl, avocados, dinner rolls, and small serving bowls with meat on the background.
      Instant Pot Puerto Rican Pernil (Pork Roast)
    • Close-up of a roasted chicken thigh served with guineos en escabeche, cherry tomatoes, and a side of macaroni salad partially visible.
      Puerto Rican Pollo Asado, Oven-Roasted Chicken
    • empanadas inside a paper towel lined bowl.
      Puerto Rican Empanadillas
    • Guineitos en escabeche served in a bowl with onions and green olives, a traditional Puerto Rican green banana salad
      Guineitos en Escabeche, Puerto Rican Pickled Green Bananas
    • A hand holding a white bowl of funche topped with a dab of butter.
      Funche, Puerto Rican Grits

    Low Carb Recipes

    • Plates of biftec encebollado with onions, avocado, and yuca served family-style.
      Biftec Encebollado (Puerto Rican Steak and Onions)
    • Pot of Puerto Rican fish broth on a wooden cutting board, showing its golden color and clean, simmered appearance.
      Puerto Rican Fish Broth, Caldo de Pescado
    • Overhead view of a skillet filled with Mojo Isleño, a chunky Puerto Rican tomato sauce with olives, onions, and garlic, simmering on a striped wood board.
      Mojo Isleño, Puerto Rican Tomato Sauce for Fish and Seafood
    • Steamed mussels and clams served in a rustic terracotta dish, with crusty bread and a small bowl of sofrito sauce on the side.
      Puerto Rican Steamed Mussels With Sofrito White Wine Sauce
    See more Low-Carb Recipes →

    Recently Updated Recipes

    • A close-up of pumpkin fritters coated in cinnamon sugar, one with a bite showing its bright orange, fluffy center, on a white plate over a green dotted napkin.
      Pumpkin Fritters, Barriguitas de Vieja (Old Lady Bellies)
    • A hand grasps a blue-rimmed glass of piña colada, garnished with toasted coconut and cherries, next to a bowl of shredded coconut.
      Puerto Rican Piña Colada
    • Whole Puerto Rican fried red snapper on a plate with tomato sauce, lemon slices, and plantains.
      Puerto Rican Fried Red Snapper, Chillo Frito
    • Close-up of a creamy pistachio limber topped with cinnamon, shredded coconut, and chopped pistachios, partially popped out of its plastic cup on an orange surface.
      Creamy Limbers de Pistachio, Homemade Ice Pops
    Woman holding a wooden spoon and smiling in a kitchen with hanging utensils and a vase of flowers on the counter.

    Hola! I'm Zoe. I love all things food and enjoy cooking. I created this site to reconnect with my Puerto Rican heritage while living in the United States. This is a great place to reconnect if you are floating in the diaspora. I would love to hear from you!

    About Zoe →

    Puerto Rican Christmas

    • A hand holding a smashed plantain. The rest of the plantains are in a towel-lined bowl sits behind it.
      Tostones de Plátano (Puerto Rican Smashed Fried Plantains)
    • Plate of Pecan Crusted Cheesecake and Guava Berry Coulis.
      Pecan Crusted Cheesecake with Guava Berry Coulis
    • Two highball glasses of sangria decorated with a fruit skewer of maraschino cherries, oranges, kiwi, and plums.
      Tropical Red Sangria with Rum
    • A hand holding a fried bacalaito.
      Bacalaitos, Puerto Rican Cod Fritters
    • A fork holding a buffalo chicken meatball dipped in buffalo sauce.
      Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
    • Large pot with cooked yellow rice.
      Arroz Amarillo, Puerto Rican Yellow Rice
    See more Christmas Recipes →

    Popular Recipes

    • A plate of polvorones cookies with three semi-stacked cookies on top of the table resting in front of the plate.
      Puerto Rican Polvorones (Shortbread Cookies)
    • A blue and white dessert plate with a slice of bread pudding and caramel sauce on top of it.
      Budín de Pan (Puerto Rican Bread Pudding)
    • Close-up of a roasted chicken thigh served with guineos en escabeche, cherry tomatoes, and a side of macaroni salad partially visible.
      Puerto Rican Pollo Asado, Oven-Roasted Chicken
    • Close-up of shrimp and scallop stew over white rice, black beans, and fried sweet plantain, with a side of avocado and extra stew in the background.
      Quick Shrimp and Scallop Stew
    • A fork full of Pernil with a large serving bowl, avocados, dinner rolls, and small serving bowls with meat on the background.
      Instant Pot Puerto Rican Pernil (Pork Roast)
    • A hand holding a white bowl of funche topped with a dab of butter.
      Funche, Puerto Rican Grits

    I’d love to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Leave a review and rating below. Let’s connect on Instagram, and don’t forget to join my weekly email list for fresh new recipes.

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