Buñuelos
Round golden cheese fritters that roll themselves in the oil as they fry. A Colombian Christmas icon, gluten-free by tradition, good in any month.
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total
- 40 min
- serves
- 6
- level
- medium
In December, Colombia runs on buñuelos and natilla. The fritters are cheese and cassava starch in nearly equal weight, fried into golden spheres with a soft, faintly sweet middle.
The entire craft is oil temperature. Fried low and slow, they inflate, roll themselves over like planets, and cook through evenly. Hot oil gives you the national heartbreak: golden outside, raw inside.
Buñuelos are number 19 on our list of the top 20 famous Colombian foods.
method
Knead the cheese, starch, egg, sugar and baking powder into a smooth dough, adding milk a spoonful at a time until it holds together without cracking.
Roll into balls a bit smaller than a golf ball.
Heat the oil to 160°C (325°F); no hotter. Use a thermometer, this is the whole recipe.
Fry a test buñuelo: it should sink, rise slowly, and start turning itself over as it puffs. Adjust the heat if it browns fast.
Fry in batches for 8 to 10 minutes until deep golden all over and cooked through.
Drain and eat warm, with natilla at Christmas or coffee in July.
chef's tips
- Low and slow is everything. If your buñuelos brown in 3 minutes, the middle is raw dough.
- When they roll themselves in the oil, the temperature is right. It is the dish telling you so.
- Cracked dough wants another spoon of milk; greasy buñuelos mean the oil dropped too low between batches.