Mofongo

Name: Mofongo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 3 plantains, green, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm slices; 1000 ml neutral vegetable oil; 4 cloves garlic, peeled; 1 tsp salt; 3 tbsp olive oil; 60 g chicharrón (fried pork rinds), crushed into small crumbs; 120 ml chicken stock, hot

Non-vegetarian

Fried green plantain mashed in a pilón with garlic, olive oil and crisp pork crackling into a rich, savoury mound, served with a little broth.

Mofongo is a Caribbean side dish from Puerto Rico, ready in about 35 minutes and made with plantain and garlic. It serves 3 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking

Mofongo, a dome of mashed fried plantain, in a seafood sauce — Photo: Diane / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 35 min
Serves: 3
Level: Intermediate
Calories: 602

Ingredients

3 servings

3 (540 g) Plantains (opens in a new tab), green, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm slices
1000 ml Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)For frying; only a fraction is absorbed.
4 cloves (16 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), peeled
1 tsp (6 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
3 tbsp (40 g) Olive oil (opens in a new tab)
60 g Chicharrón (fried pork rinds) (opens in a new tab), crushed into small crumbsTraditional chicharrón; 4 rashers of crisp bacon can stand in.Swap: Bacon (4 rashers, cooked crisp and crumbled)
120 ml Chicken stock (opens in a new tab), hotSwap: Vegetable stock

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Pound the garlic (opens in a new tab) with the salt in a large mortar until a paste forms, then work in the olive oil (opens in a new tab).
- 3 min
- Mortar and pestle (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Heat the frying oil to 175 °C. Fry the plantain (opens in a new tab) slices in batches until golden and tender inside but not crisp-dark, about 6–8 minutes. Drain on paper.
- 15 min
- 175°C
- Dutch oven / casserole pot (opens in a new tab)
- Food thermometer (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Never leave hot oil unattended; fill the pot no more than halfway.
3
Step 3
While still hot, mash a third of the plantain (opens in a new tab) at a time into the garlic (opens in a new tab) oil with a few crumbs of chicharrón (opens in a new tab) and a splash of hot stock, until it holds together but is still a little chunky.
- 5 min
How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels
4
Step 4
Press each portion into a small bowl to shape it, turn out onto a plate and moisten with a little more hot broth. Serve immediately.
- 2 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Puerto Rico · Well documentedPuerto Rico's signature plantain dish, generally linked to West African mashed-plantain traditions such as fufu.Also popular in Dominican Republic, United StatesMore food from Puerto Rico
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes · Main courses
Cooking method: Deep-fried
Taste: garlicky, savoury, rich
Diet: No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Festive & celebration
Cook more with: Plantain · Garlic · Chicharrón (fried pork rinds) · Chicken stock
Techniques: Deep-frying

Allergens

May contain: Celeryfrom chicken stock

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

602 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 276 g · recipe makes 3

Where the energy comes from

Protein 10%
Carbohydrate 39%
Fat 51%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	602 kcal	218 kcal
Protein	15.9 g	5.8 g
Carbohydrate	60.6 g	22 g
Net carbohydrate	57.4 g	20.8 g
Sugars	32.2 g	11.7 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	3.2 g	1.2 g
Fat	35.9 g	13 g
Saturated fat	5.4 g	1.9 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	20 mg	7 mg
Sodium	1206 mg	437 mg
Salt equivalent	3 g	1.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 966 mg
Calcium: 23 mg
Iron: 1.4 mg
Magnesium: 70 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 104 µg
Vitamin C: 35 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.1 µg
Folate (DFE): 42 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.
“—” 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

Mash the plantain while it is hot; it stiffens and won't bind once it cools.

Common mistakes

Using ripe yellow plantains — mofongo needs starchy green ones.

Serve with

Serve with garlic shrimp, stewed chicken or a ladle of broth poured around it.

Storage

Best eaten freshly made.

Variations

Trifongo: Mash a mix of green plantain, ripe plantain and cassava.
Mangú (Dominican Republic): In the Dominican Republic, boiled green plantains are mashed with butter and topped with pickled onions.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Plantain, green, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm slices3 piece · 540 g
Garlic, peeled4 clove · 16 g
Chicharrón (fried pork rinds), crushed into small crumbs60 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

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