Buñuelos Colombianos (Cheese Fritters)
Perfectly round, golden cheese fritters made with fresh cheese, cassava starch and cornflour. They puff up and turn themselves in the oil, staying airy inside — the essential Christmas partner for natilla.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Mix the dry ingredients
Rub the grated cheese together with the cassava starch, cornflour, sugar and baking powder, using your fingertips, until it looks like fine, sandy crumbs with no lumps of cheese.
- 250g cheese
- 60g cassava starch
- 30g cornflour
- 1½ tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp baking powder
✅ Done when: mixture looks like fine, even crumbs with no cheese lumps
Make the dough
Add the egg to the crumb mixture and knead by hand, adding milk one spoonful at a time, until you get a smooth, soft dough that does not crack when rolled into a ball. If it feels sticky or wet, it is too soft and the buñuelos will burst while frying.
- all dry mixture (from step 1)
- 1 egg
- 1–3 tbsp milk
✅ Done when: dough is smooth, soft and does not crack when rolled
Shape
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Fry slowly
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Serve
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Mix the dry ingredients
Rub the grated cheese together with the cassava starch, cornflour, sugar and baking powder, using your fingertips, until it looks like fine, sandy crumbs with no lumps of cheese.
- 250g cheese
- 60g cassava starch
- 30g cornflour
- 1½ tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp baking powder
✅ Done when: mixture looks like fine, even crumbs with no cheese lumps
Make the dough
Add the egg to the crumb mixture and knead by hand, adding milk one spoonful at a time, until you get a smooth, soft dough that does not crack when rolled into a ball. If it feels sticky or wet, it is too soft and the buñuelos will burst while frying.
- all dry mixture (from step 1)
- 1 egg
- 1–3 tbsp milk
✅ Done when: dough is smooth, soft and does not crack when rolled
Shape
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Fry slowly
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Fritters came from Spain, but Colombian buñuelos are unique: made with fresh cheese and cassava starch, they become perfect golden spheres. They're eaten year-round with coffee, but at Christmas they're everywhere, paired with natilla at every novena.
Bakeries in Bogotá and Medellín fry them by the thousand during December.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Light, salty-sweet and cheesy, with a crisp shell — the perfect partner for sweet natilla.
💡 Fun Fact
A well-made buñuelo turns itself over in the oil; if it cracks or bursts, Colombian grandmothers say the dough was too wet or the oil too hot.
Colombia (nationwide)
4.71°N, -74.07°W
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