26 Puerto Rican Foods You Need To Try At Least Once In Your Lifetime

The food of Puerto Rico is vibrant and far too vast to put into a single box. Its culinary culture, which is a mix of the Taíno native people, African, Spanish, and United States influence, showcases the island's range with many cooking techniques, but there's a particular fondness towards frying. Dishes like rice and beans and empanadas do bear a loose similarity to other styles of Latin American cuisines, but if you look close enough, you'll see that Puerto Rican food proudly draws on the diverse influences that have helped to shape the island cuisine we know today.

Starchy plants like yuca and plantains add structure to some dishes, and seafood, pork, and chicken ensure there's no shortage of proteins. And then there's the frying. Anything from plantains to desserts to fritters may be fried in oil until it has reached that coveted golden brown color. And light, fragrant herbs and spice mixes like sazón and adobo keep Puerto Rican dishes from feeling too heavy.

These dishes are just the tip of the iceberg of Puerto Rico's delicious cuisine, and once you've tasted one you won't regret it.

Everyone puts their own spin on arroz con gandules, one of Puerto Rico's national dishes. It is yellow rice and pigeon peas, which are a legume that is popular in Latin American and Caribbean cooking. It's mainly served during the holiday season or prepared for special occasions like weddings and baby showers. How exciting can rice and beans be? Well if you've ever tried this style, you'll know that its popularity lies in its simplicity.

Sofrito, a mixture of peppers, cilantro, onion, and garlic, is often referred to as the most important component in Puerto Rican cooking and when you think about how a dish like rice and beans can be transformed into such a balanced, hearty, and universally enjoyed dish, it makes sense. But watch out, the sofrito can make or break an arroz con gandules and imparts flavor into the rice. Making an arroz con gandules is usually a multi-day affair with different parts taking place on different days but when it all comes together, it's bursting with flavor and one of the most balanced and complete dishes you'll taste!

Pork in its various forms is a staple of Puerto Rican cuisine. It's believed to be a remnant of Spanish colonization. And pernil, which is one of the grandest preparations of pork is also a nod to Spanish influence — pernil is a derivation of "pierna" and means leg in Spanish. 

Traditional Pernil starts off with bone-in pork shoulder, which is then coated in a marinade of sofrito, salt and pepper, and a host of other optional spices, like lime juice, oregano, adobo, olive oil, and even soy sauce. The pernil is marinaded for at least 24 hours and careful cooks are always sure to get the seasoning deep within the small cuts of the meat for extra depth of flavor. 

After the lengthy marinade process, the meat is roasted for at least eight hours. Sure, it's a labor of love to make pernil, but the finished product is more than worth it. The skin is crispy and salty and the meat falls right off the bone. 

You'll know it's the holiday season if you smell this sumptuous dessert! Arroz con dulce is a rice pudding-style dish prepared with coconut milk, raisins, ginger, cinnamon, and rum. It's like a sticky, hug in a bowl. Many countries around the world have their own way of preparing a rice pudding, but the coconut milk in the Puerto Rican version adds a tropical flair. This is a common dessert in many bakeries and restaurants so if you see it on a menu, don't hesitate to try it.

This is a Puerto Rican favorite dessert at Christmas and it's the perfect way to ring in the holidays!

Tostones are crunchy, twice-fried, flattened plantain slices. Yes, it's as simple as that, but that doesn't mean you should doubt the Tostone. They're are eaten all across Latin America and the Caribbean because they're perfect, crunchy bites that they work well as a trusty sidekick with so many different types of dishes. The Tostone is so delicious and simple to make, it's impossible not to love. And if you consider yourself unskilled in the kitchen, tostones are great to try at home because there's only few steps involved.

Across the island, tostones are served as an appetizer or a side dish to many of the stewed dishes because they are the perfect vehicle for dipping into just about anything!

Tembleque, with its smooth texture and coconut flavor, is the perfect end to a filling meal. This wiggly dessert is fun to look at and pronounce but even more delightful to eat. It's a coconut custard, and the name "tembleque" already sounds tempting. This tasty treat has a pudding-like consistency along with an explosive coconut flavor. 

Tembleque is a popular Christmas and New Year's celebration dessert and is a combination of coconut cream, coconut milk, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and cornstarch to help the custard-like mold keep its shape. And when prepared properly, will have just the perfect wiggle. The movement of this dessert is so crucial that it's even borrowed its name from the Spanish word for wobbly.

Breakfast is an amazing meal to eat in Puerto Rico, largely due to the pan de Mallorca. Mallorcas are indeed named after the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca. There, they're named ensaïmadas and they were brought to Puerto Rico by a man named Antonio Rigo in 1900. This sweet, coiled bun is pretty perfect on its own, just sliced into two halves and cooked with butter. Add a cup of morning coffee and voila — a quick and common breakfast! 

But as if a light and sweet breakfast bun wasn't delicious enough, the pan de Mallorca can also be served as a breakfast sandwich. The ham and cheese transform this tasty bun into a full-on meal and it's common to find these all across the island.

Bacalaitos are served across the island but the best are said to be made in the coastal town Piñones. Here the salted codfish fritters are not too thick and they are especially crispy. 

They're an all-purpose food eaten with any excuse — on the beach, as an accompaniment to a meal, or at an outdoor festival. But one thing is always the same — they must have a crunch and the inside must have a chewy bite to it. 

To make these fritters, salted cod is either soaked in water overnight or boiled several times over to remove some of the salt content. The fish is then shredded and mixed with flour, seasoning, and of course Sofrito. Then a little bit of liquid is added (often milk or water) and the fritters are fried in oil and flattened like a pancake.

Olives make another guest appearance here but this time alongside fluffy, perfectly cooked white rice and a bean stew. Throw some pumpkin or potato (sometimes, both!) in there and of course, sazón and sofrito and you have arroz con habichuelas guisadas which, if one was forced to pick, might be the most concise representation of Puerto Rico in a single dish. 

Arroz con habichuelas is a very common lunch around the island and is often served at cantinas and lunch counters. There are many different takes on this — pink beans, pinto beans, white beans — but no matter how it's cooked, it will satisfy your appetite.

Here we see yet again the importance of legumes in Pueto Rican cuisine. Asopao de gandules is also gumbo-like dish (similar to the asopao de camarones) but it's definitely more budget-friendly than the seafood version (no shrimp required). Sometimes you'll find turkey necks, bacon or other meat but this is a fun dish for vegetarians to really get a feel for Puerto Rican cuisine. 

It's warm and hearty and if you want a little extra starch, don't be shy about enjoying it with a side of tostones!

Now you've probably seen tres leches cake because it is a common Latin American dessert that has many (delicious) renditions. Tres leches means three milks, which refers to the condensed, whole, and evaporated milk. There's technically a fourth, which is the whipped cream topping, but who's counting? 

Simple vanilla cake is soaked in the three milks but the Puerto Rican version adds cream of coconut and rum for an even richer cake. While it's not quite as popular as some other Puerto Rican desserts, it really ought to be. 

The plantain is an amazing fruit because in its less ripe form, it can deliver a savory, potato-like crunch with tostones. But only when allowed to fully ripen does it make a proper maduros. The plantain will look nearly black on the outside ... and that's a good thing. 

There are technically only two ingredients needed to make the ever delicious maduros. With very ripe plantains and some butter or oil for frying (just a few minutes on each side), you get delicious sweet maduros to snack on.

They're often served as an easy starter or side dish but they're also featured in some dishes. How could something so simple be so delicious?

It should come as some relief that arañitas, which means "little spiders," does not actually contain spiders. The name is derived from the appearance of little legs sticking out of the finished product. But actually, an arañita is a nest of shredded and fried green plantains that are flavored with garlic and cilantro. 

When fried it becomes sturdy enough to dip, which is exactly what you should do if you ever get your hands on arañitas. They're commonly served with a garlicky dipping sauce. You're welcome in advance.

Puerto rican style albondigas are straightforward hearty pork or beef meatballs swimming in a rich tomato-based sauce. These start with a high-quality sofrito of peppers, garlic and onions, and tomatoes to provide a thick base. In general, meatballs scream "cozy comfort food," and these definitely don't disappoint in that department. But the addition of olives sets them apart from other country's meatballs and gives the dish a salty lift. 

These albondigas are commonly served as a main dish over rice with some chopped cilantro, but sometimes they're made slightly smaller and served as an appetizer. What a way to start a meal!