Bolitas de Yuca (Fried Yuca Balls)

Mashed yuca is stuffed with cheese and fried until golden and gooey. These tasty little bolitas de yuca (yuca balls) make wonderful appetizers and can be served with a variety of dipping sauces!

Bolitas de Yuca

If you’re tired of the same old appetizers, mix things up with some frituras!

Frituras are Puerto Rican fried snacks like my favorite pastelón empanadas (beef/cheese/plantain) and these bolitas de yuca (fried yuca balls).

Yuca isn’t as popular as some root vegetables, but if you like yuca fries then you will love these cheese stuffed yuca balls!

If you’re a potato fan then yuca is right up your alley!

I love to make garlicky yuca en escabeche with oil and vinegar dressing instead of potato salad in the summer. Delicious!

Yuca is similar to potatoes with a thick brown skin, but it has a starchier texture.

It doesn’t have too much flavor on its own, but that makes a great to pair with other ingredients!

You can find it in the produce section and you may also see it called “cassava.”

To make things simple, I use a bag of frozen yuca that’s already peeled and ready to boil.

How to make Bolitas de Yuca

As for the fried yuca balls, they’re really quite simple.

Once the yuca is cooked you’ll need to remove the fibrous, woody stem from the core.

Then season to taste with salt and pepper and mash until smooth.

Take a spoonful of yuca and stuff it with a cube of cheese.

I prefer mozzarella since it has a mild flavor and gets gooey and stretchy when melted, but you can use any cheese you prefer.

Cheddar or gouda would be nice!

Once all the yuca has been shaped, you can cook immediately.

Or, you can refrigerate and cook within 1 day.

If they will not be cooked within a day, they can be frozen and fried at a later time.

Since the yuca is already cooked, you just need to fry the balls until crisp and golden, flipping once.

Guava Sauce

I like to serve the fried yuca with a variety of dipping sauces, but my favorite is guava sauce.

It’s only two ingredients – guava paste and white vinegar.

Guava paste is like a really thick jelly.

The vinegar balances the sweetness and thins it down to dipping consistency.

Together they taste like BBQ sauce and I love the sweet and sour combination with this appetizer!

If you liked these bolitas de yuca, you might also like these bolitas de queso!