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My Colombian Recipes

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You are here: Home / All-Time Favorites / Buñuelos Colombianos (Colombian Buñuelos)

Buñuelos Colombianos (Colombian Buñuelos)

December 22, 2017 by Erica Dinho 77 Comments

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This post is also available in Spanish

Colombian Buñuelos

Buñuelos are a traditional Colombian Christmas treat, but they are also popular year round for breakfast with hot chocolate or coffee.

Buñuelos Colombianos

On December 7th in Colombia, friends get together to celebrate “el dia e las velitas”, a Christmas tradition in honor of the Virgin Mary. They light candles in front of their houses or on their balconies, cook traditional Christmas treats, like Natilla, Buñuelos and Hojuelas and of course, they party :).

Colombian Buñuelos|mycolombianrecipes

Now let’s talk about this Buñuelos recipe. Traditionally they are made with Costeño cheese (Queso Costeño) which is a Colombian white cheese that is a little saltier and harder that Queso Fresco. I used feta cheese for this recipe because to me it’s the most similar cheese to Queso Costeño that I have found. I have to tell you, this recipe gave me a lot of trouble. Now that I’ve made this Buñuelos, I have a lot of respect for buñuelo makers in Colombia :). I know the Buñuelos don’t look very attractive, but they taste wonderful. They are the right consistency inside but it was a bit difficult to get the correct crust consistency because the oil temperature has to be perfect. Feliz dia de las velitas and enjoy!

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Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup yucca flour or tapioca starch
  • 1 cup finely grated feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Queso fresco or fresh farmer cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

  1. Place all the ingredients, except the oil in a medium bowl and mix well using your hands until soft dough is obtained.
  2. Form small balls using your hands.
  3. In a deep pot, heat the vegetable oil to 300°F (Warm, not very hot). Carefully drop the balls in the warm oil. Cover the pot and after about 3 to 4 minutes, turn the heat up and fry until golden brown.
  4. Buñuelos Colombianos

  5. Remove from the oil and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve.
  6. How to make Colombian Buñuelos

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Filed Under: All-Time Favorites, Appetizers and Snacks, Breads and Cakes, Christmas and New Year Tagged With: My favorites, Navidad, Panaderia, Traditional Colombian

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Comments

  1. Tangled Noodle says

    December 7, 2009 at 4:16 PM

    I’ve heard of buñuelos but have never tasted them before; looking at the ingredients, I’m so curious about the flavor and texture. I think they look marvelous! However, I still have to make your arepas recipe. Since I have all the ingredients, I have no excuse. Maybe these buñuelos will motivate me – I can make both! 😎

    Reply
    • Mark says

      August 7, 2012 at 8:49 PM

      To me they taste like fried cornbread. These go great with a cup of hot chocolate as the author stated….muy bien!

      Reply
    • Wendy Barranco says

      April 14, 2017 at 2:47 PM

      Approximately how many bunuelos does this recipe make? How much oil do I use to fry them? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Bright Dreams says

        May 23, 2018 at 12:02 AM

        Your answers depend on the size of your pot and the size of your balls. The easiest way is to make all your balls the same size and then add enough oil to cover the balls.

        Reply
    • Mary_Virginia Jones says

      August 23, 2018 at 4:40 PM

      You may get it in Caribbean or Latin grocery stores. Also, the tapioca flour
      is another name for it.

      Reply
  2. Chris says

    December 7, 2009 at 5:03 PM

    Those look amazing! I love your blog because every post is something that I haven’t seen before and is something I want to make!

    Reply
  3. Sarah Naveen says

    December 7, 2009 at 5:20 PM

    Oh wow..They looks so yummy…i love yucca..An important dish in Kerala cooking too..
    where can we get Yucca flour from??

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      January 29, 2015 at 3:02 PM

      you have problems

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        January 2, 2019 at 12:17 PM

        good one man

        Reply
    • Lisa says

      December 8, 2018 at 10:57 PM

      You can always find it in latin or asian stores but instead of yucca it is called tapioca flour

      Reply
      • Connie says

        January 19, 2019 at 3:03 PM

        You can buy Yuca Harina Colombiana or GOYA Yuca Harina through Amazon.

        Reply
  4. Natalie says

    December 7, 2009 at 5:45 PM

    These are like hush-puppies only its corn meal rather than corn flour and does not consist of the lovely cheeses you have in your recipe… Thanks so much for this lovely traditional idea Erica…I am sure it must be really easy to feed little one’s too yes ?… : ) …

    Hope you have a wonderful and fun time at the festivities…!

    Reply
  5. Jhonny Walker says

    December 7, 2009 at 5:53 PM

    oh nice!!! pity it has cheese 🙁 🙁 but loved reading about it nonetheless 🙂

    Reply
  6. Simply Life says

    December 7, 2009 at 6:14 PM

    Oh my, I’m drooling!…These look sooo good!

    Reply
  7. Gloria says

    December 7, 2009 at 6:49 PM

    Se ven absolutamente deliciosos Erica, besoosss, gloria

    Reply
  8. Gera @ SweetsFoods says

    December 7, 2009 at 7:11 PM

    You can’t beat the combination with these buñuelos and hot chocolate! Yum yum 🙂

    Cheers!

    Gera

    Reply
  9. Oysterculture says

    December 7, 2009 at 8:07 PM

    I can say I have never had these, but want some now – if I knew these little globes of heaven were an option, I’d never leave the breakfast table. Erica, you’re getting me into serious trouble now!

    Reply
  10. anncoo says

    December 7, 2009 at 8:20 PM

    This is really a simple recipe and makes me drooling…

    Reply
  11. Erica says

    December 7, 2009 at 9:07 PM

    Thank you all 🙂

    Reply
  12. Ben says

    December 7, 2009 at 9:34 PM

    I like these buñuelos. In Mexico we have them too, but they are different. I need to make both recipes to compare them back to back 🙂

    Reply
  13. Kim says

    December 7, 2009 at 11:22 PM

    I have heard of bunelos before, but never knew they had cheese in them! I bet they taste great.

    Reply
  14. Juliana says

    December 7, 2009 at 11:25 PM

    Wow, these bunuelos sure look yummie…yuca flour and cheese…wish to try them soon 🙂

    Reply
  15. Lynda says

    December 8, 2009 at 12:40 AM

    I’ve never tried these but they sure look delicious!

    Reply
  16. Danielle says

    December 8, 2009 at 12:56 AM

    all that cheese and frying……YUM!!!

    Reply
  17. Ivy says

    December 8, 2009 at 1:15 AM

    I love your buñuelos. In Greece we call them tyrokroketes (cheese croquettes). I have not made them yet but now I feel like making some.

    Reply
  18. Vinolia says

    December 8, 2009 at 4:08 AM

    oh, yummy yum, that’s a delicious cheesy treat!!! sounds absolutely delicious!!!!

    Reply
  19. Joanne says

    December 8, 2009 at 7:01 AM

    I’m pretty sure you can’t go wrong with fried cheese AND partying. Great recipe and thanks for the description about this Colombian holiday!

    Reply
  20. Claudia says

    December 8, 2009 at 9:06 AM

    Erica,
    Encantadisima de encontrar este sitio, especialmente por los ingredientes que usas, ya que son faciles de conseguir en otros paises. Desde ahora esta familia sera una fiel seguidora de este blog. Ya te contaremos como nos quedan la natilla y los bunuelos. Ojala puedes publicar algo para navidad.

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      December 19, 2018 at 8:28 AM

      nico translate helped me with this one

      Reply
  21. Erica says

    December 8, 2009 at 9:27 AM

    Thank you everyone for visiting 🙂

    Reply
  22. Martha says

    December 8, 2009 at 3:16 PM

    Thank you. My 8 year old daughter will be SOOOO Happy, she has been asking for them.
    I’m so greatful I found your site.

    Thank you so much.

    Reply
  23. Leela@SheSimmers says

    December 8, 2009 at 3:53 PM

    What are you talking about? These look attractive to me. They look delicious, really. At first, I thought it was a savory treat, but then I found out it’s a breakfast item. And a breakfast item to be had with hot chocolate too! Oh, my. I’m definitely making these.

    Reply
  24. Felisha says

    December 10, 2009 at 12:09 AM

    I love buñuelos! I make mine a little different- I use half queso fresco (or blanco) and half queso cotija (mexican parmesan cheese-pretty salty). I also add harina pan (corn flour) to mine it gives it a nice crust on the outside. I put it in a food processor until it forms a dough. I found a recipe from one of my colombian cookbooks and tweaked it up! The cheese makes all the difference with almojabanas, pandebono and buñuelos! And you’re right-the temperature of the oil is crucial. These are my favorite with cold coke!

    Reply
  25. Sophie says

    December 10, 2009 at 11:50 AM

    OOOh Erica, me encantan estos buñuelos!

    Me gustan mucho!!! Muchas Gracias por tu receta!

    MMMMMM,…estupendo!

    Reply
  26. Adriana says

    December 22, 2009 at 3:55 PM

    Erica, instead of feta cheese try “queso Cotija”. It’s very close to the “queso Costeño”. Where we live we can find it at WalMart. It’s a mexican cheese like “queso fresco”. My husband uses it to make “pandebonos”.

    Reply
    • Erica says

      December 22, 2009 at 4:10 PM

      Adriana- Thank you so much! I am going to try it next time.

      Reply
  27. Anonymous says

    December 23, 2009 at 1:28 AM

    Hi!
    Mmm those buñuelos look delicious! I was wondering if you tried to incorporate an egg. Perhaps is because the yield is not in a larger quantity, it doesn’t affect the recipe. I also add a little baking powder.
    Happy Holidays..

    ~Xavier

    ~Xavier

    Reply
  28. Nats says

    December 29, 2009 at 4:01 PM

    I made these for christmas and my biggest problem was forming a perfectly round ball! Like you, I now have great respect for my mom, grandma and all buñuelo makers out there! =)

    Reply
  29. Sam says

    January 18, 2010 at 4:13 AM

    Wondering if you have a recipe for Pandebono with ingredients in the USA.

    Reply
    • Erica says

      January 18, 2010 at 8:31 AM

      Sam- I am going to post the pandebono recipe this week.

      Reply
  30. Evan says

    April 17, 2010 at 11:36 AM

    They are delicious and my familys version taste potatoish..

    Reply
  31. Santa Marta says

    November 7, 2010 at 9:29 PM

    I highly recommend those Bunuelos. They are very delicious. Has anyone had a fried Arepa with egg. A lot of people from the coast of Colombia usually eat that. At first its hard to make but once its cooked its a reward.

    Reply
  32. Sylvia says

    November 8, 2010 at 12:04 AM

    We live in Australia and are also unable to source Queso Costeño. My mum instead uses ricotta and it is my favourite Colombian dish that she makes. I have just stumbled across this site and I look forward to exploring it more and passing it onto my friends and familia!

    Reply
  33. Eugenio says

    December 20, 2010 at 3:49 PM

    Yo estoy en NJ y acabo de hacer bunuelos y quedaron perfectos… pense que valdria la pena compartir con Uds una receta que funciona usando ingredientes que se consiguen en un supermercado normal. Segui la receta que esta en Youtubeyoutube.com/watch?v=kCugjQ40fu8.

    Hize los cambios que sugiere Erica, el almidon agrio que sale en esa receta lo cambie por Tapioca Flour, el Colmaiz por Corn-Starch, el queso costenio, por mozarella comun y corriente. Y quedaron redondamente deliciosos…

    Reply
  34. Juan says

    December 20, 2010 at 7:23 PM

    Hi Erica, Thanks for the recipe although I’ve tried it already and for some reason I cannot explain for me it was a disaster, maybe I’m doing something wrong? But I followed every single step of it. Anyways it may for the lack of Colombian ingredients available around my area (Williamsburg VA), nonetheless Thanks.

    Reply
  35. Erica says

    December 20, 2010 at 7:53 PM

    Juan- This is a hard recipe! I made it different times and and it is not an easy recipe to make! The oil has to be at the right temperature.

    Reply
  36. soniA says

    December 29, 2010 at 10:43 AM

    I made the bunuelos, but it it is a little complicated, but they tasted delicious. I use a store bought box for bunuelos , i live in miami and every supermarket has it. And i use cotija chese, or you can use a hard white cheese. It was hard work but worth it.

    Reply
  37. Xanta says

    December 29, 2010 at 10:36 PM

    Thank you!!!
    I appreciate you take time to publish our recepies,
    specially cause I’m in Ia. and is so difficult find
    some Colombian ingredients so your web site help me
    soooooo much!!!
    Happy holidays,
    be bless
    🙂

    Reply
  38. Oceanbeat says

    January 18, 2011 at 8:22 PM

    As Erica said this are a little tricky to make, I found a recipe that gives the same texture and taste as the ones made in Colombian bakeries…here the recipe.

    lossaboresdemicocina.blogspot.com/2010/12/bunuelos-cheese-baignets

    Reply
  39. Patricia says

    February 7, 2011 at 2:27 PM

    Where can I find yuca flour? Love your recipes. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Erica says

      February 7, 2011 at 5:46 PM

      Patricia- I find mine at my local market.

      Reply
  40. diana says

    December 11, 2011 at 10:19 AM

    How many does the recipe make roughly? Also thank you for sharing this recipe with us. 🙂

    Reply
  41. VivianV says

    December 11, 2011 at 11:37 PM

    Erica , a little curious about why there’s no egg on your recipe. Is the feta cheese moisture enough to make the dough ?
    What about baking power?
    I would love to confirm these two ingredients on your recipe before trying.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Erica says

      December 12, 2011 at 8:00 AM

      Hi Vivian- I followed my aunt’s recipe and she doesn’t add egg to hers…..I changed the queso costeño for feta cheese.

      Reply
  42. Michelle says

    November 11, 2012 at 6:41 PM

    I learned, when I made your empanadas, that peanut oil is best for this. It heats to a hotter temp and is very clean (and reusable)

    Reply
  43. Laura says

    December 1, 2012 at 10:40 PM

    Gracias, mujer! My mother is Colombian and I was born and raised in NJ. I lived there all my life but spent endless summers in Colombia as a child and as an adult. Once upon a time, I could go to my neighborhood in Paterson and get a bunuelo whenever I wanted. Now I live in FL, the side of FL that only has one very pathetic Colombian restaurant that doesn’t even have this on the menu. It’s been almost a year since I’ve had one. But now with this treasure of recipe I found, I will be able to bring a taste of home to our Christmas this year. Keep it up, chica! This blog rocks!

    PS I’m looking for a Mantecada reciepe too. I’ve yet to taste anything here in the states that comes close to what I tasted back in my 2nd home away from home….Colombia.

    Reply
  44. ana says

    December 10, 2012 at 10:54 AM

    Hi! I want to make these for xmas but I need to know how high do you turn up the heat after you cover the pot?

    Thanks!

    Ana

    Reply
  45. Liz says

    December 10, 2012 at 2:36 PM

    If you are able to find the Greek cheese called Kaseri, it tastes even closer to queso costeño than feta. It is usually in the specialty cheese case by the deli at Publix.
    Thank you for all the wonderful recipes
    Liz

    Reply
  46. Christina says

    January 11, 2013 at 6:02 PM

    Erica,
    After reading your blog, I just assumed bunuelos were made from scratch. When I got to Colombia, I saw the mix in the supermarkets. When I went to my family’s finca, they had bought the mix from the bakery. My husband was so proud that his American wife can make them from scratch. To be honest, I think the ones from scratch tasted way better. 🙂 But I didn’t tell my family that. haha

    Reply
  47. Bomvero says

    May 30, 2013 at 11:23 AM

    Hola Erica, una amiga colombiana me dijo que usa un queso llamado “cotija” para hacer sus buñuelos (deliciosos de hecho) Lo conoces, lo recomiendas? mi hija me tiene loca pidiendome que le haga “bolitas” desde que fuimos a visitarla, pero no me he arriesgado todavia.
    Como mides la temperatura del aceite? un termometro de carnes funcionara bien?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      September 17, 2013 at 4:43 PM

      Hola,

      Soy colombiana y vivo en California, así que no me es posible conseguir el queso costeño que tradicionalmente se usa en Colombia para hacer los buñuelos. Generalmente cuando hago buñuelos uso una mezcla de queso fresco mexicano y queso cotija (60/40). Me parece que saben ricos y el sabor es parecido a los que hacemos en Colombia.

      Antes de fritar los buñuelos mido la temperatura del aceite echando una bolita pequeña de masa al aceite caliente. La idea es que el buñuelo flote en cuanto lo sumerjas en el aceite y que se voltee solo, hasta que esté completamente dorado. Si los buñuelos se rajan mientras los estas fritando es porque el aceite está muy caliente.

      A Erica, muchas gracias por compartir tus deliciosas recetas colombianas. Leerlas me hace recordar la sazón de mis abuelas!!

      Reply
  48. Anonymous says

    December 7, 2013 at 9:52 AM

    Se parecen a las “almojabanas” que hacemos en Puerto Rico! yummy!

    Reply
  49. Paulina says

    December 20, 2015 at 10:53 PM

    Hola, Erica. Siempre vengo a tu blog cuando quiero cocinar algo que me haga sentir en casa. Ayer hice un “trial run” con los buñuelos y todo salió perfecto: controlé la temperatura, se estaban volteando solitos -hermosos!- y salieron súper ricos; redonditos y perfectos por dentro, solo que el exterior quedo muy crujiente y un poquito grueso. ¿Será que esto se debió a la improvisación de los quesos (Feta y Cottage escurrido) o depronto mucha fécula de maíz? ¿O depronto la temperatura o tiempo de cocción? Muchas gracias por todas tus recetas. Un abrazo desde Abu Dhabi!

    Reply
  50. Tiss says

    December 21, 2015 at 5:44 PM

    Hoy hice estos buñuelos y seguí la receta al pie de la letra pero no me quedaron muy bien que digamos. La masa quedó muy aguada, entonces le eché más harina de tapioca hasta que me fue más o menos posible hacer las bolitas, pero igual no quedaron como esperaba. Qué puede hacerse en ese caso, cuando la masa queda muy aguada?

    Gracias!

    Reply
  51. Veronica says

    August 24, 2016 at 6:28 PM

    Hi Erica!

    My mom is from Medellin and she wants to try and make buñuelos herself, but she is wondering if she can make the dough and store it in the fridge for a day or two?
    Hope you can answer this! Love your blog by the way 🙂 You have so many delicious recipes!

    Best regards,
    Veronica

    Reply
    • Erica Dinho says

      August 25, 2016 at 1:07 PM

      I don’t know, I always fry them the same day, but she can try it!

      Reply
    • Anna says

      December 22, 2017 at 1:37 PM

      My mom (Margarita Jaramillo) just tested this out, we fried dough we had made the previous day and it worked out great! Took a little longer to fry initially because the masa was cold from the fridge, it may make it a bit more oily so maybe get the masa closer to room temp when frying it.

      Reply
  52. Julie says

    December 12, 2016 at 4:24 PM

    Hola,

    Podrías decirme para cuantos buñuelos es esta receta?

    Reply
  53. Anonymous says

    March 19, 2018 at 5:41 AM

    wow

    Reply
  54. Anonymous says

    April 23, 2018 at 7:17 PM

    tried feta cheese, I do not like the taste of it, my guest didn’t either.

    Reply
  55. Angie says

    January 13, 2019 at 11:57 AM

    Absolutely wonderful. I made these this morning for my Colombian exchange student, and she gobbled up 3 of them! She said they were perfect.

    I used a heaping tablespoon to form my buñuelos, and this recipe made exactly 9. I also used a candy thermometer to get the oil right at 300°. I set the stovetop on 4, or just above medium-low, and it took about 15 minutes to get up to the right temperature without getting too hot.

    Thanks, Erica! This is a keeper!

    Reply
  56. Claudette says

    January 13, 2019 at 3:27 PM

    I want to try this recipe soon. I will let you know! Thanks for posting!

    Reply
  57. Veronicarojas says

    February 1, 2019 at 5:57 AM

    Your blog is literally the savior of my family legacy. I moved from Colombia as a little girl and never went back and never learned how to cook anything at all. But you have saved our traditions through your blog and there are no words to thank you!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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  2. Holiday treats from around the world « Margaret Dziubek says:
    December 3, 2012 at 9:55 PM

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  3. Week 1 Results | Izzy Gets Fit says:
    September 8, 2013 at 6:46 PM

    […] food, so my mom and I went grocery shopping on Friday evening.  On Friday night she made Bunuelos (cheese balls) and of course I ate a few.  On Saturday she made empanadas and mondongo […]

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  4. Guaya Gourmet » Colombian Natilla says:
    December 24, 2013 at 6:48 AM

    […] up with just 2 or 3 people), and we have been cooking.  There’s no pernil or lechón or buñuelos or brevas con queso (figs with cheese), but there is […]

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