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Spanish

Croquetas de jamón

Non-vegetarian

Creamy béchamel croquettes flecked with cured Spanish ham, breaded and fried until crisp. The best ones are almost liquid inside.

Croquetas de jamón is a Spanish finger food from Spain, ready in about 5 hours 20 minutes and made with prosciutto / dry-cured ham, all-purpose flour and milk. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Golden breaded ham croquettes on a white plate
Photo: La Cesta Bar Restaurante from Madrid, ES / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
40 min
Cook
40 min
Rest
4 h
Total
5 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
487

Ingredients

6 servings (about 30 croquetas)

For the béchamel

For the coating

For frying

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil and butter (opens in a new tab), soften the onion (opens in a new tab), add the ham and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for 2–3 minutes without browning.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the warm milk (opens in a new tab) little by little, stirring constantly, then cook, still stirring, until the béchamel is thick and comes away from the sides of the pan. Season with nutmeg (opens in a new tab) and salt.

  3. Step 3

    Spread in a dish, press cling film onto the surface and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

    • Step 4

      Shape spoonfuls into small logs, dip in egg (opens in a new tab) and roll in breadcrumbs (opens in a new tab).

      • 25 min

    • Step 5

      Fry in batches in plenty of hot oil at 180 °C until golden, about 2 minutes. Drain and serve hot.

      Food safety: Fry in small batches and keep children away from the hot oil.

      Food deep-frying in hot oil
      How it looks · Photo: Riya Roy on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Spain · Well documentedCroquettes came to Spain from France; the ham béchamel version is thoroughly Spanish.More food from Spain
    Dish
    Snack · Lunch · Finger food · Appetizers & starters
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Deep-fried
    Taste
    creamy, savoury, salty
    Diet
    No nut ingredients
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Festive & celebration
    Cook more with
    Prosciutto / dry-cured ham · All-purpose flour · Milk · Butter · Nutmeg · Egg
    Techniques
    Deep-frying · Simmering · Roux thickening

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk, breadcrumbs
    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, breadcrumbs
    • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, breadcrumbs
    • May contain: Soyfrom breadcrumbs
    • May contain: Sesamefrom breadcrumbs

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    487 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 224 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 11%
    • Carbohydrate 25%
    • Fat 63%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy487 kcal217 kcal
    Protein14 g6.2 g
    Carbohydrate30.9 g13.8 g
    Net carbohydrate29.7 g13.2 g
    Sugars7.8 g3.5 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre1.3 g0.6 g
    Fat34.2 g15.3 g
    Saturated fat11.1 g5 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol104 mg46 mg
    Sodium634 mg283 mg
    Salt equivalent1.6 g0.7 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    311 mg
    Calcium
    197 mg
    Iron
    2.2 mg
    Magnesium
    30 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    143 µg
    Vitamin C
    7 mg
    Vitamin D
    —
    Vitamin B12
    1 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    86 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: onion.
    • Prosciutto / dry-cured ham: Cured ham, lean and fat, unheated (FDC 167875) used as a stand-in for air-dried prosciutto/jamón; real dry-cured ham is drier and saltier.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Use as little flour as you can get away with – the softer the béchamel, the creamier the croqueta.

    Common mistakes

    • Oil that is not hot enough makes croquetas burst before the crust sets.

    Storage

    • Freeze breaded croquetas on a tray, then bag; fry from frozen.

    Variations

    • Croquetas de pollo: Made with shredded leftover chicken from the stew pot.
    • Croquetas de bacalao: With flaked salt cod.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    The body of the dish

    For the béchamel

    Used in steps 1, 2

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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