A beloved appetizer recipe, papas rellenas (fried stuffed potatoes) brings out the best in meat and potatoes! Youโll adore these crispy little mashed potato fritters filled with mouthwatering homemade beef picadillo.

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If youโve ever tried papas rellenas, you know how addictive these meat-stuffed potato fritters are. Each little bite is like a party in your mouth! I am already a huge fan of picadillo, which is a bold, tangy, salty beef mixture made with onions, peppers, olives, and more. Itโs great with anything! Used as a filling for these crispy little mashed potato balls, though, itโs a truly special treat.
Reasons to Love This Papas Rellenas Recipe
- Crispy, golden goodness. With creamy mashed potatoes coated in crispy breading outside and savory beef picadillo inside, papas rellenas are like the Latin American answer to potato croquettes. So good!
- Make it ahead. I’ll often make the potatoes and picadillo ahead of time, and then assemble and fry the papas rellenas before serving. It’s a great appetizer to prep in advance when we’re expecting friends over.
- A crowd favorite. This is a zesty, fun, and flavorful treat that is sure to make people say, โwow!โ But be prepared: grab your own serving, fast, because they are very quick to disappear. In fact, you may want to double this recipe and hide some for later!
Want even more ways to love potatoes? Try my spicy 3-ingredient papas con chorizo.
What Are Papas Rellenas?
These little stuffed potato balls are popular across cuisines. Youโll find them in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Peru, everywhere! And no wonder. Made with seasoned mashed potatoes and bold beef picadillo, they are the perfect appetizer. The beef filling is tucked inside little balls of fluffy, seasoned mashed potatoes, and then lightly breaded and fried to make a crispy outside. Irresistible!
Key Ingredients
Papas rellenas are a recipe in three parts: the mashed potato mixture, the picadillo, and then the breading. Each one is made mostly from pantry staples. I go over the ingredients with notes below, and you’ll find the printable ingredients list with the full amounts in the recipe card after the post.
For the Mashed Potatoes
- Potatoes โ Youโll want russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes here, since those are best for mashing. Peel them and cut them into chunks.
- Garlic Powder โ To season the potatoes along with salt and pepper. You can substitute onion powder in a pinch, or one finely minced clove of fresh garlic per half teaspoon of powder.
- Egg Yolks โ Reserve the egg whites for the breading mixture.
- Milk โ Warm up a few tablespoons of milk (any kind) to give the mashed potatoes the right texture.
For the Picadillo
- Olive Oil โ Or you choice of cooking oil for sauteing.
- Ground Beef โ Lean ground beef won’t be as greasy, but any ground beef is fine.
- Onion and Garlic โ Dice up one small yellow or white onion. Fresh minced garlic is a bit more bright and flavorful, but powdered would work, too.
- Bell Pepper โ Green bell pepper, or any color you’d like.
- Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste โ You’ll need a small can of each.
- White Wine โ Go for a dry white wine, like Sauvignon blanc or Pinot Grigio. If you donโt want to use wine, you can leave it out or substitute a small amount of water mixed with vinegar.
- Olives โ Pimiento-stuffed green olives are my favorite for picadillo! Any pitted olives will work, though. Youโll want a few tablespoons, sliced.
- Seasonings โ Sazon Goya is a spice blend used in Puerto Rican recipes, from stew to pernil and picadillo. If you donโt have it, you can make homemade sazon seasoning, or substitute paprika in a pinch. I also round out the flavors with earthy cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Breading Ingredients
- Flour โ You can use all-purpose flour, or whatever flour you like for the breading.
- Bread Crumbs โ Plain breadcrumbs, homemade breadcrumbs, or panko all work fine.
- Egg โ One whole egg, plus the reserved egg whites from the mashed potato recipe.
- Parsley โ Dried or fresh, for garnish.
- Oil โ I use about a quart of vegetable oil, for deep-frying the papas rellenas. It’s important to choose an oil with a high smoke point when frying, so it doesn’t burn.
How to Make Papas Rellenas at Home
Papas rellenas take a little time to put together, so this is the kind of recipe thatโs great for a special occasion. I really recommend making at least the mashed potato mixture the day before. It can hang out in the fridge until youโre ready to shape and fill the papas rellenas.
However, if you need to do it all on the same day, that will work, too. Follow the steps below! Scroll down to the recipe card afterward for printable instructions.
Prepare the Mashed Potatoes
First, we’ll whip up a quick batch of mashed potatoes. The key to this papas rellenas recipe is to really mash up the potatoes while they’re still hot, and chill them enough to handle afterward.
- Boil the potatoes. First, place the peeled and cut potatoes in a large pot, and cover with lightly-salted water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat. Simmer the potatoes for about 20 minutes, or until they are tender when you poke them with a fork.
- Mash the potatoes. Drain the water out of the pot, and mash the potatoes with the salt, garlic powder, egg yolks, warmed milk, and pepper. You can use a potato masher or a hand mixer, or even a fork. Mash well until there are no lumps left.
- Chill. The potatoes should be covered and chilled in the fridge so that they are easy to handle when you form the papas rellenas.
Prepare the Picadillo
While the potatoes are cooling, there’s plenty of time to make the easy picadillo in a skillet:
- Saute the beef and aromatics. To make picadillo, first heat some olive oil in a large skillet. Saute your onions, peppers, and garlic in the hot oil until they are softened and slightly translucent. Next, add the beef to the skillet, and brown that until no pink remains, breaking it up into chunks as you go.
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer. Once the beef has browned, add your salt, pepper, tomato sauce, tomato paste, olives, and all the rest of the ingredients. Stir well, and let the mixture simmer (you may need to turn down the heat) for about 20 minutes.
- Cool. Again, this needs some time to cool down before you form the potato balls. You can chill it overnight, or simply let it cool to room temperature.
Fill and Shape the Papas Rellenas
Finally, with your components ready to go, it’s time to fill, shape, and bread these stuffed potato balls for frying:
- Divide the mashed potatoes into balls. Okay, to shape the papas rellenas, first you need to divide the mashed potatoes into about 12 even portions. Roll each one gently into a ball, as if you were making meatballs. Line them up in rows on a foil-lined baking sheet, and use a sharp knife to cut each one in half.
- Fill the potato balls with picadillo. Shape two halves of a potato ball into little bowls. Fill one of the bowls with a tablespoon of picadillo, and top it with the other bowl. Gently press the bowl-shapes together and smooth them out so that you have a potato ball stuffed with picadillo. Repeat until you have 12 stuffed potato balls.
- Lightly bread the potato balls. Place the flour in a shallow dish, the beaten eggs in a second shallow dish, and the breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish. Dip one potato ball at a time into the flour, followed by the eggs, and finally the breadcrumbs, rolling the balls to coat on all sides.
- Fry! Next, heat up your oil in a deep saucepan (or in a deep fryer, if you have one). The oil should be heated to 350ยฐF, and you should heat enough that it reaches at least halfway up the side of the potato balls. Fry in small batches for about 3 minutes, gently turning the potato balls with a slotted spoon so that they fry evenly. When they are golden-brown on all sides, take them carefully out of the oil and set them aside on a clean baking sheet.
- Enjoy. Serve your finished papas rellenas warm with a garnish of fresh parsley. See below for more serving suggestions.
Recipe Tips
- Overmix the mashed potatoes. Yes, OVERMIX. I know that seems wrong, when most recipes warn you not to overmix ingredients. But in this case, if you mix the potatoes a little more than you normally would, they become extra sticky, which means they wonโt fall apart when you cook them. Bingo!
- Use the right oil. A lot of us are switching up the oils we cook with lately, so you might be wondering if you can deep fry in an oil like olive oil or coconut oil. The key here is to use something with a high smoke point, so that the oil doesnโt burn and ruin the flavor of your papas rellenas. Avocado oil and refined coconut oil are options that can work, but they are often much more pricey than vegetable oil or peanut oil.
- Skip the deep frying. If you aren’t a fan of frying (I hear you!), these papas rellenas can be โfriedโ in your air fryer instead. Just spritz the papas rellenas lightly with good oil, and air-fry at 400ยฐF for 15 minutes or so. Keep in mind that they may not hold their shape as well if you use this method.
Easy Serving Ideas
Papas rellenas are super filling and savory, so you could get away with serving them as a main course alongside Puerto Rican rice, if you like! However, they are more commonly served as a party appetizer, along with other goodies. Some of my favorite appetizers to serve alongside papas rellenas are crispy tostones (fried plantain chips), homemade chicken empanadas, and my fully-loaded guacamole or corn salsa with tortilla chips. Enjoy a sweet slice of tres leches cake for dessert!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store any leftover papas rellenas in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The breading gets a little soggy over time, but the flavor inside is still delicious.
- Reheat: To crisp the breading up again, I recommend baking these stuffed potatoes on a cookie sheet at 400ยฐF until warmed through. You can also use the air fryer.
- Freeze: I recommend freezing papas rellenas after shaping and breading, but before the deep frying step. Just follow the recipe, but instead of frying them, place them in an air-tight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before frying and serving.ย
Papas Rellenas (Stuffed Potatoes)
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes (Prepare ahead of time)
- 6 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 egg yolks, reserve the whites
- 2 – 3 tablespoons milk, warmed
- Pepper, to taste
Picadillo
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- ยผ cup diced green bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon pepper
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- ยผ cup dry white wine
- 4 tablespoons pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced
- ยฝ teaspoon Sazon Goya, or paprika, if not available
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ยฝ teaspoon oregano
Breading
- ยฝ cup flour
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg whites, reserved from the mashed potato recipe
- Dried or fresh parsley, for garnish
- 1 quart vegetable oil, for deep frying
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Instructions
- Mashed Potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a large pot of lightly-salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and reduce to medium-low. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Drain the potatoes and stir in the salt, garlic powder, egg yolks, warmed milk, and pepper. Mash or mix with a hand mixer until there are no lumps left. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the picadillo (or chill overnight).
- Picadillo
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onions, green peppers, and garlic together until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, and brown the meat until it is no longer pink. Break it up into large chunks with a wooden spatula.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sliced olives, and remaining seasonings. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool.
- Papas Rellenas
- Take the chilled mashed potatoes out of the refrigerator, and line a baking sheet with foil. Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, form the mashed potatoes into roughly 12 equal-sized balls. Gently form each ball with your hands using light pressure, as if you were making meatballs. Place each ball on the foil-lined baking sheet, and cut each one into two equal halves.
- One at a time, in the palm of your hand, form each half into a small bowl. Place about 1 tablespoon of the picadillo mixture in the center. Place the other half over the top, and gently press together to seal. Smooth the mashed potatoes around the picadillo to make a smooth ball, and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the potato balls have been stuffed.
- Lay out three shallow bowls. Place the flour into one bowl, the bread crumbs in the second, and the beaten eggs in the third. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- One at a time, roll the mashed potato balls in flour, then eggs, and then in breadcrumbs. Place the breaded ball on the baking sheet. Repeat until all of the mashed potato balls have been coated. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.
- To fry, heat the oil in a deep saucepan, pot, or deep fryer. It should reach 350ยฐF. The oil should be deep enough to reach halfway up each mashed potato ball. In small batches, fry the potato balls in hot oil for about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to gently turn them and make sure they cook evenly. When done, remove them and place on a clean cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the balls have been cooked.
- Serve warm, with a parsley garnish.
Notes
- To store, place any leftover papas rellenas in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, bake them on a cookie sheet at 400F until warmed through.
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