Cuban yuca croquettes — mashed yuca mixed with garlic and cheese, shaped into cylinders, breaded and fried until golden and crispy.
Yuca (cassava) is a foundational ingredient in Cuban cuisine, brought from Africa via the slave trade. Croquetas de yuca combine the Spanish croqueta technique (breaded, fried) with the Cuban staple. The result is distinctly Cuban — not Spanish, not African, but the fusion of both.
Golden, cylindrical fritters with a crisp panko exterior and a soft, creamy, garlicky yuca interior with melted cheese. Each bite transitions from crunch to creaminess. The yuca's neutral, slightly nutty flavor is the perfect carrier for garlic and cheese.
Yuca's high starch content (higher than potato) creates a denser, creamier mash that holds its shape when fried. The double coating (flour, egg, breadcrumbs) creates a protective shell that prevents the soft interior from leaking into the oil.
Variations
Some add chopped ham or bacon; the cheese varies; served with mojo or lime.
On the Palate
Where Croquetas de Yuca sits in the Cuban flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
6 steps · 45 min active + 15 min waiting
- 125 min
Peel and boil yuca until very tender (20-25 min); drain; mash.
Watch outBoil the yuca until a knife slides through with no resistance, then drain bone-dry — leftover water makes a slack mash that won't hold its shape.
- 25 min
Mix with sautéed garlic, shredded cheese, egg yolk, salt.
- 330 min
Shape into small cylinders; chill 30 min.
Watch outChill the shaped cylinders firm before coating — cold croquettes hold together in the oil; warm ones slump and split.
- 45 min
Coat in flour, egg, breadcrumbs.
- 54 min
Fry at 175°C until golden (3-4 min).
Watch outFry at a steady 175°C until deep gold and crisp — too cool and the shell soaks up oil, too hot and it browns before the inside warms.
- 61 min
Drain; serve hot with lime or mojo.
