Cuban Recipes: 10 Classic Dishes to Make at Home

These 10 Cuban recipes cover a practical home-cooking menu: start with arroz congri or tostones for an affordable side, choose ropa vieja or lechón asado for a centerpiece, and use the measured timings and substitutions below when traditional ingredients are unavailable.

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1. Ropa Vieja

Ropa vieja means “old clothes,” referring to the shredded appearance of the beef. Flank steak is traditional, while beef chuck is often easier to find and becomes tender with a longer braise.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak or boneless beef chuck
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can, 14.5 ounces, crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar, plus salt and black pepper

Season the beef, brown it in oil, then sauté the onion, pepper, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer gently for 2½ hours, or until the meat pulls apart. Shred it, return it to the sauce, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add vinegar at the end to sharpen the flavor.

2. Lechón Asado

This roast pork gets its Cuban character from mojo, a garlic, citrus, and oregano marinade. Sour oranges are traditional; use a mixture of orange and lime juice when they are unavailable.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder
• 10 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ cup fresh orange juice and ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper

Cut several deep slits in the pork and rub in the garlic, citrus, oil, and spices. Cover and refrigerate for 10 to 24 hours. Roast covered at 325°F for about 3½ hours, then uncover and cook 30 to 45 minutes more, until deeply browned and tender. Rest for 20 minutes before slicing or pulling.

3. Picadillo a la Criolla

Picadillo is one of the fastest Cuban main dishes: seasoned ground beef cooked with tomato, olives, and optional raisins. The sweet-salty combination is traditional, but raisins can be omitted.

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced; 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• ½ cup beef broth
• ⅓ cup pitted green olives, sliced
• ¼ cup raisins, optional
• 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 bay leaf

Brown the beef for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it into small pieces. Drain excess fat if necessary. Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the sauce, broth, olives, raisins, and seasonings. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve over white rice, with fried plantains if desired.

4. Arroz Congri

Arroz congri combines white rice and black beans in one pot. Using canned beans reduces the cooking time without changing the basic method.

Ingredients

• 2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
• 2 cans black beans, 15 ounces each, drained but not rinsed
• 3 cups water or low-salt broth
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 small onion, 1 green pepper, and 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt

Sauté the onion, pepper, and garlic in oil for 5 minutes. Add the rice and toast for 2 minutes. Stir in beans, liquid, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low, and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes, then fluff. If using dried beans, cook them separately until tender before measuring about 3 cups into the recipe.

5. Moros y Cristianos

Moros y cristianos is another black-bean-and-rice pairing, named for “Moors and Christians.” Recipes vary by household; a useful distinction is to cook the beans and rice separately, then serve them together or combine them at the table.

• Cook 2 cups rice with 3 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt for approximately 20 minutes.
• Simmer 2 cans black beans with 1 tablespoon oil, ½ diced onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon oregano, and ½ cup broth for 20 minutes.
• Serve the beans over or beside the rice. For a one-pot version, use the arroz congri method above.

6. Vaca Frita

Vaca frita uses boiled or braised beef that is shredded, crisped, and finished with lime. It is especially practical when you have leftover ropa vieja or pot roast.

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds cooked flank steak or chuck, shredded
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Juice of 2 limes
• ½ teaspoon cumin, salt, and black pepper

If starting with raw beef, simmer it in salted water for 2½ to 3 hours until tender, then shred and drain well. Heat oil in a wide skillet, add the beef, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until some edges are crisp. Add onion and garlic and cook for another 8 minutes. Finish with cumin and lime juice. Do not crowd the pan; fry in batches for better browning.

7. Cuban Chicken Fricassee

Cuban chicken fricassee is a braised dish with potatoes, tomato, wine, and olives. Bone-in thighs stay moist, while boneless thighs shorten the cooking time by about 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2½ pounds chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, diced; 1 red or green bell pepper, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1 pound potatoes, cut into 1½-inch pieces
• ½ cup pitted green olives
• 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 bay leaf, salt, and pepper

Season and brown the chicken for 8 minutes per side, then set it aside. Cook the onion, pepper, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, wine, and spices, return the chicken, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes. Add potatoes and cook 20 minutes more, until tender. Stir in olives during the final 5 minutes.

8. Yuca con Mojo

Yuca con mojo is boiled cassava topped with warm garlic-citrus sauce. Frozen peeled yuca is a practical substitute and usually cooks more evenly than large fresh roots.

• 2 pounds peeled yuca, cut into 3-inch pieces
• ½ cup olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup fresh lime juice or sour-orange substitute
• ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon oregano

Boil the yuca in salted water for 25 to 30 minutes, until a fork enters easily. Remove the woody central fibers. Warm the oil and garlic over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes; do not let the garlic brown heavily. Stir in citrus juice, salt, and oregano, then spoon over the hot yuca.

9. Tostones

Tostones are twice-fried green plantain rounds: crisp outside, starchy inside, and best served immediately with salt or garlic sauce.

• 2 large green plantains
• 2 cups frying oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Trim the ends, score the peels, and remove them. Cut plantains into 1-inch pieces. Fry at approximately 325°F for 3 to 4 minutes per side until softened but pale. Flatten each piece to about ¼ inch with a plantain press, skillet, or flat-bottomed mug. Fry again at approximately 375°F for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain and salt while hot. Green bananas can work in a pinch, but their texture is less starchy.

10. Flan de Leche

This Cuban milk flan uses a caramel layer and a low oven temperature to produce a smooth custard rather than a bubbly one.

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar for caramel
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 14 ounces
• 1 can evaporated milk, 12 ounces
• 5 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and a pinch of salt

Heat the sugar in a saucepan until amber, then immediately pour it into a 9-inch round baking dish. Blend the milks, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth; avoid incorporating excess air. Pour over the caramel. Set the dish in a larger pan and add hot water halfway up its sides. Bake at 325°F for 50 to 60 minutes, until the center still trembles slightly. Cool, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and invert before serving.

Planning, substitutions, and storage

For a manageable Cuban meal, make ropa vieja, fricassee, or lechón the day before: their sauces generally improve after resting overnight. Cooked rice and beans keep refrigerated for up to 3 days in shallow containers; reheat rice until steaming throughout and add a tablespoon of water per cup to prevent drying. Store tostones separately and re-crisp them in a skillet or oven rather than microwaving them.

The most useful equipment is a heavy, wide pot for braises, a broad skillet for crisping beef, and a deep-frying thermometer for tostones. The common mistakes are rushing the browning step, overcrowding the pan, using too much heat for garlic mojo, and cutting into flan before it has fully chilled. Traditional Cuban cooking is flexible: preserve the balance of garlic, onion, citrus, cumin, oregano, and slow-cooked tenderness even when a particular ingredient needs to change.