Traditional Plantain Mofongo Recipe

Mofongo, Puerto Rico
Tina Wang / Getty Images
  • Total: 15 mins
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 5 mins
  • Yield: 4 mofongos (4 servings)
Ratings (38)

By Hector Rodriguez

Updated 04/02/18

This traditional mofongo recipe is made from fried green (unripe) plantains mashed together with garlic and pork rinds/cracklings.

Plantain mofongo is thought to originate from Puerto Rico and there are similar mashed plantain dishes from the other Spanish-speaking islands. Cuba has fufu de plátano and The Dominican Republic has mangú.

The dish most likely has its origin in African cuisine. The slaves brought with them a dish called foo foo or fufu, which is made in the same manner as mofongo from various mashed starchy vegetables such as yams, cassava, and plantains.

Mofongo is traditionally mashed in a mortar and pestle, but if you don't have one you can use a potato masher.

What You'll Need

  • 2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
  • 3 plantains (green, unripe)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic paste
  • 6 ounces pork rinds (cracklings, crushed)

How to Make It

  1. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a frying pan or deep fryer to 350 F.
  2. While the oil is heating up, peel the plantain and cut into 1-inch rounds.
  3. Fry the plantain until golden and tender. This will take approximately 4 to 6 minutes.
  4. Remove cooked plantain from the fryer and allow to drain on paper towels.
  5. Put the garlic paste in a mixing bowl and then add fried plantains. Mash until thoroughly blended.
  6. Add the pork rinds/cracklings. Continue to mash and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
  1. At this point, you can shape the mofongo into 4 balls and serve hot.
  2. Another way to serve it is to divide the mofongo into 4 equal portions. Using a small condiment bowl as a mold, push the mofongo down to the bottom of the bowl. With the back of a spoon, smooth over and level off the mix. Then use the spoon to scrape around the bowl and remove the mash in a half-dome shape.
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
1120 Calories
116g Fat
9g Carbs
13g Protein
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)