Puerto Rican Bolitas de Arroz Mamposteao are super delicious rice croquettes. The perfect finger food for any occasion.

Puerto Rican Bolitas de Arroz Mamposteado are rice balls made with the classic arroz mamposteao recipe which is a mix of rice and stewed beans.
These rice balls are a very popular appetizer in Puerto Rican restaurants just like the Puerto Rican fried cheese.
The bolitas de arroz mamposteado are really good on their own but they’re usually served with a creamy lemon cilantro sauce or a guava dipping sauce.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They’re very easy to make!
- These rice balls are the perfect finger food for a game day or as a tasty appetizer.
Recipe Ingredients
- Arroz Mamposteado- All you are going to need is 3 cups of arroz mamposteado.
- Bread crumbs- I used Italian bread crumbs because that’s what I had at the time but any breadcrumbs will do. My favorite breadcrumbs to use are panko.
- Eggs- The eggs will help the breadcrumbs to stick better.
Additions & Variations
- Meat- While this recipe usually doesn’t have any extra meat you can add small pieces of bacon, chicken, or even chorizo. But the pieces have to be small so it won’t be hard to shape the balls.
- Cheese- This recipe never has cheese in it, and I myself never tasted it with it. But I have seen people adding cheese to rice balls so is worth knowing.
How to Make Bolitas De Arroz Mamposteao
- Photo 1: The first step is to make the rice balls. For this, I use a a 2oz ice cream scoop. But you can use a spoon or measure with a ¼ measuring cup. Take a scoop of rice and shape with your hand. Place the rice balls in a flat surface.
- Photo 2: Then we must freeze the balls for at least 10 minutes. The reason for this is so it can be easier to bread without the balls falling apart.
- Photo 3: Beat the eggs. Then bread the bolitas by first carefully passing them through the eggs until they’re fully covered. Then pass them through the breadcrumbs until completly covered. Place them in a flat surface.
- Photo 4: Take a big pan and add your 2 cups of oil or at least enough to cover at least have of the balls. Turn your heat to high and wait for it to get hot. Fry the bolitas for 4 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe Tips
- The size of the balls are just a suggest size but you can really make them what ever size you like.
- While this is traditionally a fried recipe, you’ll be glad to know that you can air fried the rice balls. Set the airfryer at 350F, spray with cooking oil and cook for 10-12 minutes. Make sure to flip halfway.
Common Questions
While you can, I don’t recommend it because they can fall apart while frying or remain frozen in the center if not fried correctly.
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Puerto Rican Bolitas de Arroz Mamposteado
Ingredients
- 3 cups arroz mamposteado
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup breading *see notes
- 2 cups oil
Instructions
- Take an ice cream scoop or a ¼ measuring cup to make the rice balls. Measure the rice and make small balls. Place them in a flat plate or tray. Repeat this until you finished all the rice.
- Freeze the mamposteado bolitas for 15 minutes.
- Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Pass each rice ball first through the eggs and then through the breading. Repeat this until you've breaded all the rice balls.
- In a big pan, add the oil over high heat. Make sure your oil is hot and add the bolitas to fry for 4 minutes or until they get golden brown. Serve and enjoy!
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Recipe Notes
- Ball size- You can make the bolitas any size you like. I feel that the suggest size is great because they’re not too big or small.
- Measuring- I used an ice cream scoop but you can also use a spoon. You will need 4 tablespoons to make 1 ball.
- Serving- These rice balls are perfect as is but they are best combined with any sauce. My favorite is a cilantro sauce!
- Yield- This recipe makes 12 bolitas de arroz. The serving size per person is 3 balls.
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