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    Home » Puerto Rican Recipes

    Published: Apr 30, 2024 by Neyssa

    Malanga Fritters

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    Frituras de malanga are classic Cuban fried fritters that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are easy to make with just a few ingredients, such as malanga, parsley, and garlic!

    Cuban malanga fritters with a garnish of fresh parsley on a wire rack.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Tools
    • Instructions
    • More Latin fried recipes you may love
    • Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients

    It takes only five ingredients to make frituras de malanga.

    • Malanga: Fresh is best, but frozen can also be used in it's place.
    • Parsley: Fresh parsley gives your frituras de malanga a nice herby flavor. Dried parsley can also be used; use half the amount.
    • Garlic: Garlic cloves or garlic powder.
    • Egg: Used to bind the ingredients together.
    • Salt: A pinch of salt goes a long way.
    • Oil: To deep fry these malanga fritters, use neutral oil with a high smoke point. Vegetable oil, canola oil, or corn oil all work great.

    Alternative ingredients

    Customize your malanga fritters by using different ingredients.

    • Root vegetables: Mix or match your malanga mixture with yuca (cassava), taro root, or name (white yam).
    • Herbs: In Puerto Rico, cilantro is the herb of choice. Swap your parsley for cilantro for a Puerto Rican frituras de malanga twist.
    • Seasonings: A pinch of adobo seasoning, onion powder, or black pepper can add more depth of flavor to your savory fritter. Cumin is also a spice used often in Cuban cuisine.
    • Spicy: Add a splash of hot sauce to make spicy malanga fritters.

    A popular Puerto Rican fritters recipe is bacalaitos.

    Tools

    To prepare frituras de malanga, you must transform your malanga into a thick paste by finely grating it.

    You can achieve this using either a box grater for a more traditional approach or a food processor for quicker and easier preparation.

    Instructions

    Grated malanga in a food processor
    1. Make your malanga mixture.
      • First, remove the thin malanga skin using a small, sharp knife or a potato peeler.
      • Next, grate the malanga using either a box grater for a more hands-on approach or a food processor for quicker, more consistent results. Place the grated malanga into a large mixing bowl.
      • Finally, combine the grated malanga with all other ingredients, except for the oil, in a mixing bowl. Stir thoroughly but gently to ensure the mixture is well-blended.
    Deep frying malanga fritters in a small frying pan.
    1. Fry the frituras de malanga.
      • Heat oil in a heavy-bottom frying pan over medium-high heat. Use enough oil to fry your frituras.
        • Tip: Use a smaller frying pan to use less oil. It may mean more batches, but it's a great way to save some money.
      • Once the oil is hot, gently drop a spoonful of the fritura mixture into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd it.
      • Fry until the malanga fritters are golden brown on both sides, 2-3 minutes or 3-4 minutes, depending on how hot the oil is.
      • Remove the malanga fritters from the pan and drain them on paper towels.
    Malanga fritters are dipped in a mayoketchup sauce.

    This easy Cuban recipe is great to enjoy with a cold beverage like horchata de ajonjoli on a hot summer day.

    More Latin fried recipes you may love

    • croquettes on a gray plate
      Ham and Cheese Croquettes
    • Bacalaitos | Codfish Fritters
      Bacalaitos
    • tostones with mayoketchup
      Crispy Garlic Tostones | Twice Fried Plantains
    • fried plantains on a gray plate with rice and beans
      Platano Maduros | Sweet Fried Plantains

    Recipe

    Cuban malanga fritters in a dip on a wire rack

    Malanga Fritters

    These easy-to-make Cuban malanga fritters are small, savory fried fritters that are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
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    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Cuban
    Keyword: fried, fritters, malanga, root vegetables
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 7 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 17 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 103kcal
    Author: Neyssa
    Cost: 5

    Equipment

    • food processor
    • box grater
    • stove
    • frying pan

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound malanga grated
    • 2 cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
    • 1 egg
    • 2 cups vegetable oil or until it reaches one inch in pan
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions

    Malanga Mixture

    • Pulse malanga until shredded in a food processor, or use a hand grater to create a thick paste.
    • Add grated malanga into a large bowl and combine with remaining ingredients, except for the oil.

    Frying Malanga Fritters

    • Heat oil over medium high heat in a frying pan with at least an inch of oil.
    • Add the malanga mixture a teaspoon at a time, being sure to not overcrowd the pan.
    • Fry until one side is golden brown, then flip and continue to fry until the other side is also golden brown. This takes about 2-4 minutes, in total. Lower the heat to medium, if needed.
    • Remove fried malanga and allow it to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Continue frying remaining malanga in batches.

    Notes

    • 1 pound of malanga is about 2 medium-sized malanga vegetables.
    • Eat right away. I would not reheat this, as it is best fresh.
    • Refrigerating the malanga mixture for up to twenty minutes before frying may help if you find your malanga mixture is too runny.
    *This recipe was updated on 4/30/2024. Please excuse the extra egg, hot sauce, and extra seasonings you may see on the in process images. *

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6g | Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 502mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg

    More Cuban Recipes

    • Coffee Flan Recipe | Flan de Cafe on a cake stand
      Coffee Flan
    • Pinchos with lime wedges
      Grilled Pork Kabobs
    • Pinterest image of rice in a bowl
      Puerto Rican Rice Recipes
    • Achiote Oil | Annatto Oil

    About Neyssa

    Neyssa is a Latina food blogger who shares her Cuban and Puerto Rican family recipes for home cooks to make.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Linda says

      September 02, 2023 at 9:14 am

      Can this recipe be made ahead of time and reheated for serving?

      Reply
      • Neyssa says

        April 03, 2024 at 5:59 pm

        Yes! They might not taste as fresh but they are still delicious!:)

        Reply

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    Neyssa is a Puerto Rican and Cuban self-taught home cook who lives right outside of Philly and is on a mission to share recipes that are inspired by her Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage.

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