How to Make Pupusas

Pupusas are the national dish of El Salvador. They are basically thick corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, pork meat, refried beans or a combination of the three.

My very best friend is from El Salvador and so I wanted to surprise her with some pupusas.

Pupusas are very easy to make once you get the hang of it.

In fact they are very similar to gorditas and arepas.

You can read more about the differences between gorditas, arepas and pupusas here.

I had to make them four times in order to get them just right.

The first time the masa was too dry and was cracking.

The second and third time I had a hard time getting enough cheese in them and closing them.

The fourth however was a success.

Therefore today I’m going to show you exactly how to make pupusas!

Pupusa Ingredients

• 2 cups Maseca
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• mozzarella cheese
• oil

You should be able to find Maseca in your local grocery store.

As for the mozzarella cheese this is hands down my favorite kind. It melts amazingly. I highly recommend you use this one.

How to Make Pupusas Recipe

Add the 2 cups of Maseca to a mixing bowl and add the salt.

Now slowly add the water while mixing with your hands.

You should have a moist soft dough.

Divide the dough into 6 even sized balls.

For the next part I used a ziploc bag. I cut through the sides of the bag basically making a flap. This makes it so easy to put the dough balls inside and flatten them. The plastic prevents the dough from sticking to the pot or your hands.

I used a heavy pot to flatten the ball.

Now put as much cheese as you can on top of the flattened dough.

Now fold it as if you were making an empanada. Use the plastic bag to help you do this.

Now shape it back into a ball. You can use the plastic bag to help you do this. The ball does not have to be perfect.

What I do is take the two ends and kind of push them in and up in order to make a ball.

See it’s totally not a perfect ball but it works.

Put the flap back over the ball because now we are going to flatten this ball again.

Don’t make the pupusa too flat. It shouldn’t be like a tortilla. They should be thick like the one shown below.

Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Coat the skillet with some oil. I don’t use a lot of oil just enough to keep the pupusas from sticking.

Once the oil is hot add the pupusa.

Cook the pupusa for about 3- 4 minutes then flip it and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until nicely browned and cooked through.

Transfer the cooked pupusa to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the above steps with the remaining five balls.

Add oil as needed to keep the pupusas from sticking.

What to Serve with Pupusas?

Pupusas are commonly served with curtido.

Curtido is a delicious slaw that goes perfectly with the pupusas.

Pupusas

Pupusas are great anytime of the day!

They’re so good you won’t want to share!

Once you master these basic cheese pupusas you should definitely give bean and cheese pupusas a try!

Don’t forget to join the Latin American Foodies Facebook group where you can share photos and recipes of the delicious food you make at home!

If you enjoyed learning how to make pupusas please don’t forget to give it a rating below.

Thank you!!