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For a country as rich in flavors and cuisine inspiration, Puerto Rico is not short on amazing recipes.
However, great recipes for lunch or dinner are one thing.
What sort of traditional foods might there be on this luscious island for other meals of the day?
What food is there for, say, a hearty breakfast? Or, when that is not possible, what about a light morning snack to carry you over until midday?
Well, like any well-established cuisine, Puerto Rico has an answer for this meal too, with plenty of meals that are perfect for chowing down on before 11!
Starting this list with a sweet treat that you’ll be begging for more of, we have this delicious Pan de Mallorca.
This dish is a light pastry that is popular all across Puerto Rico. It’s just as popular bought from a vendor in the streets as it is when it is baked at home!
The concept behind this recipe is pretty simple and has its roots in the many people and countries that have colonized the island over the years.
The dough is rolled into the classic spiral shape, baked, and then dusted with either sugar or salt, depending on your personal preferences.
The particular breakfast bread dish can be filled with a variety of different ingredients, from cheese to honey, to salt, to nuts, and so much anything else you could want. It’s a versatile dish, for sure!
Fried rice is already an amazing dish. How could it possibly be made any better?
Well, by adding bacon to the recipe list, of course!
Fried rice is already a filling and tasty dish in itself.
And with how many flavors and seasonings are popular in Puerto Rico, it was only a matter of time before some of the best and most popular made their way into a dish like this.
Bacon is such an iconic breakfast ingredient, that simply the salted and meaty flavors of this backbone of breakfasts across the country really make that much of a difference.
Eggs are already an ingredient that is often used in fried rice, so it is a natural pairing, as far as we are concerned!
This recipe is best prepared with pre-prepared, cold rice, to get that beautiful fried texture on the outside of your puffy rice!
Pastry dishes are popular as a breakfast recipe across the world, it seems. We don’t just have one pastry dish on this list lined up for you, but two now!
With a center of cream cheese surrounded by light and fluffy pastry, it’s no wonder that this is such a popular recipe to have for breakfast.
Serve this with a fresh cup o coffee, and you have yourself the perfect way to start any day right!
Breakfast tarts are popular around the world, but one of the best, in our opinion anyway, is the cheesy breakfast tarts that are a big staple of many Puerto Rican breakfasts!
The key to this recipe, aside from having some good puff pastry handy, is to load this dish up with the right ingredients.
In this case, a healthy helping of pimento cheese is an excellent choice, especially when paired with some become pieces and a fried egg for good measure.
Plus, with the basic outline being pretty simple, you can add pretty much anything to a good breakfast tart, from cheese to pineapple to strawberry!
This and the Quesito that we covered before are actually quite similar in this way.
It is filling that turns good old pastry into the perfect Puerto Rican-inspired breakfast snack!
Empanadas are a staple all across Puerto Rico, and much of the rest of Latin America.
So is it too surprising that there would be a version of this ever-popular dish that would be perfect as a breakfast snack?
Packed with pretty much any kind of breakfast ingredient under the sun that you could want, these are the perfect pastry capsule to keep you fueled for the morning.
However, here, they are made even more delectable, thanks to the chorizo and sofrito that this recipe recommends.
Sofrito is one of the most popularly used spices in Puerto Rico, so any use of it is automatically going to make a recipe feel more authentically from the island!
For our money, the best breakfast-based empanadas are the ones that manage to keep the scrambled egg nice and gooey, even after it has been packed into one of these pastry pieces.
It’s a difficult one to perfect, but once you do, you’ll have a reliable breakfast dish for every morning occasion!
Okay, we know what you’re thinking when it comes to this recipe.
‘Isn’t this just coffee?’
To which we say yes, it is.
But café con leche is a particular recipe for a coffee beverage that is popular across both Spain and much of Latin America, Puerto Rico included.
This is a type of espresso coffee drink, meaning that this is a stronger coffee than just a regular brew, while also being deliciously frothy to go along with it
That being said, this isn’t anything too fancy, as far as ingredients and preparation go.
This is still a recipe that you can make in the comfort of your own home, with next to no difficulty!
We’ve all probably had some kind of meat patty for breakfast, whether it’s beef or pork.
But have you considered trying out a fish-based patty for a breakfast meal instead?
It’s a kind of food that is well-loved in Puerto Rico, especially when you’re using salmon as your fish of choice!
This is a great way to use that last can of salmon that you might have at the back of your cupboard, and change up your breakfast routine a little too!
Make sure that you’ve got plenty of breadcrumbs at the ready to roll this patty in, before throwing it in a pan for a fry-up!
Of course, porridge and cereal are a staple breakfast meal everywhere, so you would imagine that it’s the same here in Puerto Rico too.
And while that is true here, you’ll also find that Cremas are a popular bowl breakfast meal too.
Not to be confused with the creamy alcoholic drink that you’ll find around the Caribbean and Latin America (although we would recommend trying to make it for an evening meal if you’re interested), Cremas are effectively a type of oatmeal, being made from all kinds of grains, from wheat, corn, or even rice!
The only thing that we would say is that it can be a little flavorless if nothing is added, so don’t be afraid to through in some cinnamon, maybe a little vanilla extract, or any tropical fruit of your liking to add a little much-needed sweetness to this reliable bowl of early day energy!
Final Notes
So, there you have it!
While Puerto Rico might be more famous for its many restaurants and street foods that tantalize the taste buds, don’t think that this vibrant little Caribbean island doesn’t have its own delicious delights waiting to be eaten in the morning!
