Cuba Breads & Sides

🇨🇺 Cuba

Cuban Sides & Breads

Cuban sides revolve around rice, beans, and fried plantains in every form — sweet, green, twice-fried, or shaved into chips — alongside garlicky mojo sauces.

Tostones Platanos Maduros Mariquitas Yuca con Mojo +10
14 breads & sides, each with a recipe ↓
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Cuban sides revolve around rice, beans, and fried plantains in every form — sweet, green, twice-fried, or shaved into chips — alongside garlicky mojo sauces.
Moros y Cristianos
Cuba's Classic Rice & Beans

Moros y Cristianos

Cuba's classic rice and black beans, simmered together until the rice turns a deep earthy brown — the island's most essential side.

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More Cuba Breads & Sides to Try

Tostones
Tostones
Twice-fried green plantains, smashed and crisped — Cuba's most essential side dish.
Platanos Maduros
Platanos Maduros
Sweet ripe plantains fried until caramelized at the edges, a staple alongside rice and beans.
Mariquitas
Mariquitas
Thin, crackly plantain chips, sliced paper-thin and fried until shatteringly crisp.
Yuca con Mojo
Yuca con Mojo
Boiled cassava root drenched in a garlicky citrus mojo sauce.
Chicharron de Pollo
Chicharron de Pollo
Cuban-style marinated fried chicken bites, crisp outside and juicy within.
Cuban mojo sauce
Mojo
Garlic, sour orange and oregano, the marinade and table sauce of Cuban cooking.
Cuban ham croquetas
Croquetas de Jamón
Creamy ham croquettes fried crisp, the bakery counter classic.
Stuffed tostones
Tostones Rellenos
Plantain cups filled with shrimp, picadillo or ropa vieja.
Crispy yuca fries
Yuca Frita
Boiled then fried yuca sticks, crisp outside and creamy inside.
Cuban papas rellenas
Papas Rellenas
Mashed potato balls stuffed with picadillo and fried.
White rice with Cuban black beans
Arroz con Frijoles Negros
White rice with black beans ladled over, the everyday Cuban plate.
Cuban yellow rice
Arroz Amarillo
Yellow rice colored with bijol or saffron and cooked in sofrito.
Cuban avocado salad
Ensalada de Aguacate
Avocado and onion dressed with olive oil, vinegar and salt.

A Guide to Cuban Sides

Cuban sides are the reason the main dish tastes complete. Moros y cristianos, black beans and rice cooked together, is the default, and plantain covers the rest: tostones when green, maduros when ripe, mariquitas when sliced thin and fried to a chip. Yuca con mojo is boiled cassava under a garlic-citrus sauce, and chicharrón de pollo is the crisp fried chicken that sits somewhere between side and snack.

Start with the recipes above, then see all Cuban side dishes, or explore all Cuban food and Latin American and Spanish breads and sides.

Craving more Cuba flavors?

Explore our complete roundup, or browse all Cuba food guides and recipes.

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