Crispy Cheese-Stuffed Potato Pancakes

Q: What are Llapingachos?

Llapingachos (pronounced yah-peen-GAH-chos) are crispy cheese-stuffed potatoes that are made with some mashed potatoes and onions (or shallots, like here!), and stuffed with cheese, then shallow-fried to a crispy perfection! Typically, you serve these with a peanut sauce, but you could also serve with Salsa Criolla, Chimichurri Sauce, or even Guacamole!

Q: Can THese Ecuadorian Potato Pancakes be gluten-Free?

Yes, these potato pancakes certainly can be made gluten-free! All you need to do is coat the cheesy potato pancakes with gluten-free flour.

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About this recipe

Llapingachos are crispy, golden Ecuadorian potato pancakes stuffed with melted cheese. Easy to make and irresistibly satisfying, they are the ultimate cheesy comfort food side dish.

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I’ve never had Ecuadorian food, but when I stumbled across some potato pancakes that were stuffed with cheese, I knew I had to have them!

I personally love all sorts of crispy potato snacks and this one is no different. You really can’t go wrong with potatoes stuffed with cheese, however, this one is a bit unique. Namely, the cheese, queso cortija is almost like feta when cold, but warmed, cooked inside the potato, it turns soft, and creamy. Sort of like paneer which adds such a nice flavor to it. Usually something that’s creamy and stretchy like queso blanco would be used for this recipe, I quite enjoyed this variation to it.

As I mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, having a theme can give you lots of inspiration to try new recipes when you’re stumped on what to make! All things potato is certainly an excellent theme to have! You get a two-in-one with this recipe because Ecuador sure was a destination unseen for me, but now it is not! You can explore Ecuador cooking with these fun potato snack as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge, which you’ll also receive by signing up for my newsletter!

To get all the details on how to make the perfect potato pancakes at home and to grasp all the concepts mentioned in this recipe, then be sure to watch the video! If you’re not already, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to hit the bell button so that you don’t miss when I upload all of my video recipes! I love sharing the video recipes to go along with my written ones to guarantee your success! Let’s get cooking!

Three golden cheese-stuffed potato pancakes garnished with chopped chives on a white plate.

What are Llapingachos?▼

Llapingachos (pronounced yah-peen-GAH-chos) are crispy cheese-stuffed potatoes that are made with some mashed potatoes and onions (or shallots, like here!), and stuffed with cheese, then shallow-fried to a crispy perfection!

Typically, you serve these with a peanut sauce, but you could also serve with Salsa Criolla, Chimichurri Sauce, or even Guacamole!

Tips & Tricks for Perfect Llapingachos

Pack the patties tightly as you shape them to ensure that they don’t break while cooking.
Make sure you give the stuffed potato portions the full time to chill in the fridge, otherwise the potato patties may lose their shape while cooking.
Have a plate/bowl of flour nearby to keep the potato patties well dusted to avoid them from sticking prior to cooking. While refrigerating, it's best to heavily dust each side with flour.
Cooking the potato pancakes with the lid on is a great way to ensure the flour in the potatoes cook well, via the process of steaming.
Frying a test patty is a great way to get an idea and feel of the process before cooking the entire batch. Plus, it makes for a good snack as you cook.
Avoid overcrowding the pan with patties, this will make flipping these delicate patties much harder.

Cooked llapingachos arranged on a white plate, garnished with chopped green onions and dusted with paprika.

Equipment Needed

Llapingachos Ingredients

For all ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later, scroll to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD. You can scale the recipe based on how many pancakes you want to make so that you know exactly how many potatoes and how much cheese you’ll need for a good-sized patty!

Ingredients for llapingachos: boiled Yukon gold potatoes, flour, queso cotija cheese, and diced onions on white plates.

Potatoes: I love to use Yukon gold potatoes because they hold their shape and they crisp nicely. You need potatoes that will keep their form so that they don’t fall apart when you fry! Plus, they have a nice buttery flavor.
Cheese: I’m using Queso cotija cheese. It’s comparable to feta cheese. While it’s not melting cheese, I really enjoyed the flavour and texture that this cheese gave to the pancakes. It is firm and warm on the inside when you’ve fried the potato patties!
Shallots: I think some shallots will add a nice crunch and sweetness to the potato patties.
All-purpose flour: Use a fair amount to bind the potatoes well so that they won’t explode when frying.
Herbs: I’m garnishing with freshly chopped chives, but feel free to also use parsley or even thyme if you want.
Salt and pepper: Essential seasoning for you to add to taste.
Olive oil: To sauté the shallots and then to sauté the potato pancakes. You can also use vegetable oil or canola oil if you want.

How to Make Ecuadorian Potato Pancakes

Boil or steam the potatoes until fork tender and then peel off the skin. While the potatoes are cooking, sauté the shallots with 2-3 tsp of olive oil until they soften and become fragrant.

Sautéing sliced shallots in olive oil in a skillet with a red spatula.

Diced shallots and ham sautéing in a nonstick skillet with olive oil on a stovetop

Sautéed diced shallots and garlic in a dark skillet with a spatula, cooking step for llapingachos.

Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and begin mashing. Then, add shallots, salt, pepper and flour. Continue mashing and mixing until completely smooth. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly.

Mashing boiled potatoes in a white bowl with a fork during preparation of llapingachos.

Mashed potatoes being mixed with a fork in a white bowl during preparation of llapingachos.

Mashed potatoes with sautéed shallots in a white bowl, ready to be formed into llapingachos.

Mashed potatoes with sautéed shallots being seasoned with salt and pepper in a white bowl.

While the potatoes cool, cut the cheese into 1 inch squares. Then, once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out 2 portions of the potatoes and form a ball. You may need to dust your hand or the potatoes with flour to make it easier to work with. Pat down slightly and make a dent in the middle. Add the cheese in the middle and then cover with potatoes to form a ball again. Pat down slightly and place on a baking sheet that's dusted with flour.

Hands shaping mashed potatoes with a cheese-filled center into a patty over a bowl of potato mixture.

Hands shaping mashed potatoes around cheese filling to form a stuffed potato patty for llapingachos.

Hands holding a potato patty with melted cheese stuffed inside over a bowl of mashed potatoes.

Hands holding a formed potato patty filled with cheese above a bowl of mashed potato mixture.

Hands forming a cheese-stuffed potato patty for llapingachos, with mashed potatoes and cheese cubes in bowls nearby.

Chef's hands holding a formed potato pancake with melted cheese visible inside, ready for cooking.

Repeat with the remaining portions and allow the stuffed portions to cool down for 30-40 minutes.

Hand flattening a cheese-filled potato patty in a white bowl with oil before cooking llapingachos.

Six cheese-stuffed potato patties dusted with flour on a white plate, ready to be cooked.

Heat a non-stick pan on medium-low to medium heat and once hot add olive oil. Place the potato patties on the pan and sauté without moving the patties for 4-5 minutes with the lid on. Then, carefully flip the patties with a fish or crepe spatula, something with a very thin profile and cook on the other side for 4-5 more minutes, covered.

Olive oil being poured from a bottle into a heated non-stick skillet for cooking llapingachos.

Golden llapingacho sautéing in olive oil in a non-stick pan on the stovetop.

Four golden-brown llapingachos frying in oil in a skillet with a glass lid on an electric stovetop.

Golden-brown llapingachos sautéing in a non-stick pan with a spatula, showing the cooking process.

Four golden-brown llapingachos sizzling in a non-stick pan with olive oil on the stovetop.

Llapingachos frying in a non-stick pan, with two golden-brown potato pancakes cooking and one being flipped mid-air.

Garnish with chopped chives.

Three golden-brown llapingachos on a white plate, freshly sautéed until crispy.

Three golden-brown llapingachos garnished with chopped green chives on a white plate.

Serve fresh and enjoy!

Llapingachos garnished with chopped chives on a white plate with a spoon holding one pancake.

Can I use Other Potatoes for this Llapingacho Recipe?▼

I’ve found from some sources that traditionally these potato pancakes are made with papa criolla potatoes, which originate from the Andes region in South America. They are also referred to as Colombian-style Creamy Fried Potatoes. However, you can use yellow potatoes, red potatoes, and if none of these are available, russet potatoes can work well too.

What Other Cheese can I use?▼

You could also use Queso blanco for these Ecuadorian potato pancakes. This is actually what I was initially looking for, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to find it! This cheese would be excellent in your Ecuadorian crispy cheesy potato pancakes because this is a melting cheese, so if you’re looking for an explosion of cheese and gooeyness in your bite, then this is great!

For more accessible cheeses at your regular grocery store, you can use a combination of mozzarella and cheddar. I would not use cheddar alone because it’s not as melty as mozzarella, but mozzarella on its own doesn’t have much flavour. That’s why a combination is best!

Three golden-brown cheese-stuffed potato pancakes garnished with fresh chopped chives on a white plate.

Can I make Cheese-Stuffed Potato Pancakes in advance?▼

Yes, it is possible to prepare these Ecuadorian pancakes in advance. Of course fresh is best, but if there are leftovers, then that’s no problem at all! Simply transfer the leftover crispy potato pancakes to an airtight container. You could reheat in the microwave, but the potato pancakes could get soggy and lose their shape. Your best bet would be to refry them on the pan on low heat.

Can THese Ecuadorian Potato Pancakes be gluten-Free?▼

Yes, these potato pancakes certainly can be made gluten-free! All you need to do is coat the cheesy potato pancakes with gluten-free flour.

What to Serve with Crispy Cheese Potato Fritters

Technically you could have whatever you want since this is a side dish or appetizer! You could serve with avocado and eggs for breakfast, but here are some other great ideas to pair your potato pancakes!

Choripan - Argentinian Sausage in a Bun
Hot Tex Mex Chicken Noodle Soup
Light Mediterranean Vegan Couscous Salad
Pot Roast
Italian-Herb Grilled Chicken
Tender Jamaican Pepper Steak
Baked Red Pepper Pesto Salmon
Garlic-Butter Sautéed Broccoli
Pork Chops
Garlic Bread
Dinner Rolls - you could even use dinner rolls as slider buns and serve the patties in between buns with some spicy mayo as vegetarian sliders, like my McAloo Tikki Burgers! That’s actually how I ate these!

For Dessert, you would love to have:

Llapingachos - golden-brown potato pancakes topped with chopped chives on a white plate.

OTHER Crispy Potato Snack RECIPES!

McDonald’s-Style Hash Browns

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra

Llapingachos - Ecuadorian Cheese-Stuffed Potato Pancakes

Llapingachos are crispy, golden Ecuadorian potato pancakes stuffed with melted cheese. Easy to make and irresistibly satisfying, they are the ultimate cheesy comfort food side dish.

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10 min

Prep

30 min

Cook

40 min

Rest

1 hr 20 min

Total

pancakes

easy

Level

Ingredients

Tap any quantity to scale

small yellow potatoes , boiled and peeled · make your own
shallots, finely chopped
(31 g) all-purpose flour, plus more as neededShop →
salt(to taste)Shop →
pepper(to taste)Shop →
(15 ml) olive oilShop →
chives, for garnish

Instructions

1
Boil or steam the potatoes until fork tender and then peel off the skin. While the potatoes are cooking, sauté the shallots with 2–3 tsp of olive oil until they soften and become fragrant.
Boil or steam the potatoes until fork tender and then peel off the skin. While the potatoes are cooking, sauté the shallots with 2–3 tsp of olive oil until they soften and become fragrant.
2
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and then add shallots, salt, pepper and flour. Start mashing and mixing until completely smooth. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly.
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and then add shallots, salt, pepper and flour. Start mashing and mixing until completely smooth. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly.
3
While the potatoes cool, cut the cheese into 1 inch squares. Then, once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out 2 portion of the potatoes and form a ball. You may need to dust your hand or the potatoes with flour to make it easier to work with. Pat down slightly and make a dent in the middle. Add the cheese in the middle and then cover with potatoes to form a ball again. Pat down slightly and place on a baking sheet thats dusted with flour. Repeat with the remaining portions and allow the stuffed portions to cool down for 30-40 minutes.
While the potatoes cool, cut the cheese into 1 inch squares. Then, once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out 2 portion of the potatoes and form a ball. You may need to dust your hand or the potatoes with flour to make it easier to work with. Pat down slightly and make a dent in the middle. Add the cheese in the middle and then cover with potatoes to form a ball again. Pat down slightly and place on a baking sheet thats dusted with flour. Repeat with the remaining portions and allow the stuffed portions to cool down for 30-40 minutes.
4
Heat a non-stick pan on medium-low to medium heat and once hot add olive oil. Place the potato patties on the pan and sauté without moving the patties for 4-5 minutes with the lid on. Then, carefully flip the patties with a fish or crepe spatula , something with a very thin profile and cook on the other side for 4-5 more minutes, covered.
Heat a non-stick pan on medium-low to medium heat and once hot add olive oil. Place the potato patties on the pan and sauté without moving the patties for 4-5 minutes with the lid on. Then, carefully flip the patties with a fish or crepe spatula , something with a very thin profile and cook on the other side for 4-5 more minutes, covered.
5
Serve fresh once each side is golden brown.
Serve fresh once each side is golden brown.

Nutrition per serving

Calories

Protein

17g

Carbs

Fat

Fiber

Sugar

395mg

Sodium

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Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen