Fried whole in 340°F (170°C) oil, a papa criolla has a skin that snaps and a center that tastes like potato already mashed with butter. That softness is why you cook them whole and in their skins, and why they go into the oil raw, with no parboiling: in 12 minutes the skins wrinkle and crisp and the centers turn creamy. Below are the fried version, plus roasting, air frying and boiling, and what to do with a frozen bag or a supermarket baby potato.
What papas criollas are
How do you cook papas criollas? Rinse 1¾ lb (800 g) unpeeled papas criollas, dry them well and fry them whole in oil at 340°F (170°C), in 3 batches of 12 minutes, until the skins wrinkle and start to split. Drain on a rack and salt while hot. 60 minutes for 4 servings.
Papa criolla is a small Andean potato grown in Colombia, usually ¾ to 1½ inches (2 to 4 cm) across, with deep yellow flesh and a skin so thin you never peel it. Cooked, it is softer and creamier than a Yukon Gold and slightly sweet. In Colombia it shows up fried on shared platters, boiled with hot sauce, and in soups, where it goes in near the end so it softens without disappearing.
The catch: it overcooks fast. Past its point it splits and falls apart, so every method below is about getting the center soft while the skin is still holding.
Where to buy them, and what to use instead
In the US, papas criollas are sold frozen in Latin supermarkets and in the Latin freezer aisle of many big grocery stores, next to frozen yuca and arepas, and canned too. In the UK they are harder to find; look in Latin American grocers and online Latin food shops.
Canned ones are already cooked. They are fine warmed in a skillet or stirred into a stew, but they will not crisp the way fresh ones do.
| Swap | Where | What changes | How to cook it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen papas criollas | US Latin grocers, some UK online shops | A little softer than fresh, same color and flavor | See the frozen section below |
| Baby yellow potatoes or small Yukon Golds | US supermarkets | Thicker skin, firmer and paler flesh, not as creamy | Boil 15 min, dry, fry at 355°F (180°C) about 5 min |
| Charlotte or baby new potatoes | UK supermarkets | Waxy, hold their shape, much less buttery | Same as above; halve for roasting or air frying |
A big potato cut into cubes is not a substitute: you lose the skin, which is the whole point.
How much to buy. About 7 oz (200 g) per person when it is the only side on the plate, 5 oz (150 g) next to rice or another side, and about 3 oz (80 g) on a snack platter like a Colombian picada with crackling pork belly and chorizo. For 10 people as a side, buy 3½ to 4½ lb (1.5 to 2 kg).
Fried papas criollas, step by step
You need a heavy 9-inch (22 cm) pot, a slotted spoon, a wire rack and a toothpick for testing. A thermometer helps but is optional.
- Rinse, don’t peel. Rub off the soil under running water. The skin is what turns crisp.
- Dry them properly. One by one, with a clean towel. Wet skins make the oil spit and drop its temperature.
- Heat 1.5 liters (about 6 cups) of oil to 340°F (170°C), about 10 minutes over medium-high. In a 9-inch pot that is roughly 1½ inches (4 cm) deep.
- Fry in 3 batches of about 9½ oz (270 g), 12 minutes each, stirring now and then so they brown all over.
- Check doneness. Wrinkled skins, one or two starting to split, and a toothpick that slides to the center with no push. If the skins are dark and the centers still firm, the oil is too hot.
- Drain on a rack, not paper. Flat on paper they steam and soften underneath. Salt right away; once they cool the salt won’t stick.
- Hold them warm in a 195°F (90°C) oven, on the rack and uncovered, while the other batches fry.
Give the oil 2 to 3 minutes between batches to climb back to 340°F (170°C). Dump them all in at once and the oil cools, the potatoes stew instead of fry, and they come out greasy.
Boil first, then fry
Use this route for larger potatoes, for baby Yukon Golds or Charlottes, or to get ahead. Boil the whole potatoes in salted water for 10 to 12 minutes from the boil, until a toothpick meets a little resistance in the center; they finish cooking in the oil. Drain and let them steam dry, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes. Then fry at 355°F (180°C) for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. The skins come out smoother and more evenly browned, less wrinkled.
The boiling can be done the day before: chill the cooked potatoes, covered, and fry them straight from the fridge, patted dry.
Roasted papas criollas
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Toss 1¾ lb (800 g) rinsed, dried potatoes with 3 tbsp (45 ml) oil, ½ tsp salt and, if you like, black pepper, cumin or garlic powder.
- Spread them in one layer on a large sheet pan. Piled up, they steam and stay pale.
- Roast 35 to 40 minutes, shaking the pan at 20 minutes. Check very small ones at 30.
- They are ready when the skins are golden and wrinkled and a toothpick goes in easily. Salt again as they come out.
Frozen papas criollas go in straight from the bag, no thawing, with the same oil and temperature, for about 40 minutes.
Papas criollas in the air fryer
- Toss rinsed, dried potatoes with 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil per 1 lb (450 g) and a pinch of salt. Halve any over 1½ inches (4 cm).
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for about 3 minutes.
- Add the potatoes in a single layer. Depending on your basket, 1¾ lb (800 g) may need 2 batches.
- Cook 18 to 20 minutes, shaking the basket halfway.
- Done when the skins are golden and a toothpick reaches the center with no resistance. If they brown before they soften, drop to 355°F (180°C) and add a few minutes.
They come out drier outside than oil-fried, with golden but less wrinkled skins, and use a fraction of the oil.
Boiled papas criollas, in a pot or a covered skillet
In a pot. Put the whole, unpeeled potatoes in cold water to cover by ¾ inch (2 cm) with 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower to medium, and cook 15 to 18 minutes from the boil; very small ones can be ready at 10. Start testing early: they are done when a knife slides in with no push and the skins begin to crack. Drain right away and leave them uncovered 2 to 3 minutes so the surface water steams off. This is how they are eaten with aji in Colombia, and how papas chorreadas, potatoes in a tomato and cheese sauce start.
If they burst and fall apart, they cooked too long or the water was at a hard boil. Keep it at a gentle bubble.
In a covered skillet. In an 11-inch (28 cm) skillet with 2 tbsp oil, add the potatoes in one layer, 100 ml (scant ½ cup) water and salt, and cover. Over medium-high heat, shaking the pan now and then without lifting the lid, they steam through in about 15 minutes. When a toothpick slides in, uncover, let the last of the water cook off and let them brown a little in the oil. It is the quickest way to golden potatoes without deep frying.
Cooking frozen papas criollas
Frozen papas criollas are often sold par-cooked or blanched. Read the bag, because it changes the timing.
- Oven or air fryer: straight from the freezer, no thawing. In the air fryer at 400°F (200°C), start checking at 12 minutes.
- Deep frying: thaw them in the fridge and dry them very well first, since ice makes the oil spit. If the bag says par-cooked, pull them as soon as they are golden and wrinkled, before the 12 minutes fresh ones need.
- Soup: they go in frozen. In a Colombian ajiaco, the chicken soup with three potatoes, they go in for the last 15 minutes.
What goes wrong with papas criollas
- Peeling them. Without skins they fall apart in water and in oil, and you lose the crunch. Peel only for mash.
- Oil too hot. The skins scorch while the centers stay hard. Keep raw potatoes at 340°F (170°C).
- Crowding the pot, pan or basket. The oil cools or the air can’t move, and they come out pale and oily. Small batches, one layer.
- Skipping the drying. Water spits in the oil and steams them in the oven or air fryer.
- Overboiling before frying. If they are fully soft from the water, they split in the oil. Leave the centers slightly firm.
- Mixing sizes. The small ones overcook while the big ones are raw. Sort them or halve the large ones.
- Covering them hot. Foil or a closed container softens the skins within minutes.
Serving and storing
Serve fried papas criollas hot, with salt, lime and a bowl of Colombian aji, the fresh scallion and cilantro hot sauce, as a snack or next to grilled meat or chicken. They are one of the six pieces of a Colombian fritanga platter with ribs, chorizo and blood sausage and sit well beside Colombian chicharrón, pork belly boiled then fried in its own fat. Boiled, they go with aji or into a potato salad. They are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, not spicy, and kids usually love them.
- Fridge: in a sealed container for 3 to 4 days, refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking.
- Reheat: in a 425°F (220°C) oven on a rack for 8 to 10 minutes, or in the air fryer at 400°F (200°C) for 4 to 5 minutes, until hot all the way through, 165°F (74°C). The microwave turns the skins rubbery.
- Freezer: don’t freeze cooked or fried ones; they turn watery when thawed. A store-bought frozen bag stays in the freezer until you cook it, and should not be thawed and refrozen.
Papas criollas FAQ
Do you eat the skin? Yes. It is very thin and, fried or roasted, it is the crisp part. Just rinse it well and clear the soil from the eyes.
Can I pan-fry them in a little oil? Yes, if you boil them first. In ½ inch (1 cm) of oil over medium heat, brown the boiled, dried potatoes for about 5 minutes, turning them. Raw, with shallow oil, the skins burn before the centers soften.
How far ahead can I make them for a party? Boil them the day before and keep them in the fridge. Fry or roast as close to serving as you can; the first batches can wait in a 195°F (90°C) oven, on a rack and uncovered, while you finish the rest.
Nutrition per serving
Per serving, 7 oz (200 g) of raw papa criolla fried whole, with its salt, worked out from the amounts in this recipe:
- Calories: 240 kcal
- Protein: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fat: 10 g, of which 2 g saturated
- Fiber: 4 g
- Sugars: 2 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
The potato gives about 155 kcal per serving and the oil it soaks up about 90; the oil is an estimate, since it shifts with potato size and oil temperature. Roasted with 3 tbsp oil per 1¾ lb, a serving comes to about 245 kcal, and plain boiled with salt about 155.
I grew up in Venezuela without papas criollas, and the first bag I bought in Colombia I peeled like any other potato before frying. They dissolved in the oil. Now I rinse them, dry them and fry them whole, and my son eats half the batch standing by the stove with a lime wedge. Josnaisis.