This easy 3-ingredient Vegan Pupusas recipe is filled with vegan cheese and refried beans for a healthy and delicious lunch. Enjoy a thick, crispy corn flatbread filled with gooey cheese and spicy refried beans as a side to any salad.
I love simple and delicious vegan dishes for lunch, like my Szechuan Tofu, Sofritas, or Crispy Orange Tofu. A pupusa is a thick corn tortilla filled with a mixture of gooey cheese and often with ground-cooked pork or finely chopped flower, like the Loroco Pupusa, filled with Loroco flower buds. Pupusas are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
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Vegan Pupusas
Ingredients
Pupusa Dough
- 4 cups Masa Harina - it's NOT corn flour or cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 3 cups Cold Water
Vegan Pupusa Filling
- ⅓ cup Refried Beans
- ½ cup Vegan Cheese
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the Masa harina and salt. Whisk to combine. Feel free to spice up the dough by adding a pinch of garlic powder, cumin, paprika – not authentic but flavorsome.
- Pour cold water over the flour and start stirring with a spatula. When it starts to be difficult to stir, knead by hand or with a stand mixer paddle attachment for 1 or 2 minutes until the dough resembles a clay-like texture. The dough is still slightly wet at this point – set aside 15 minutes to rest.
- Slightly oil your hands to prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers. Then, scoop out 3 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. If you are a visual learner, watch my pictures above in the post to see how to fill and fold the Pupusa easily in the next steps.
- Flatten the ball into a thick, even circle. Hold in the center of one hand and fill the center with no more than 2 teaspoons of filling – can be 1 teaspoon of refried bean and 1 teaspoon of cheese or just cheese as you like!
- Close your hand to fold the dough into a pocket and pinch the sides to seal. Roll into a ball again and pat out between your hands to flatten and form a thick circle of flatbread.
- If cracks show, pat some extra dough to fix the holes or smoothen with wet oily fingers.
- Set aside on a plate covered with parchment paper and repeat for the leftover dough.
- Warm a non-stick cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook
- Cook the Pupusas for 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for 1-2 extra minutes. The Pupusas are ready when they are golden with dark black dots and crispy.
- Serve hot with guacamole, a dipping sauce of your choice like hot sauce and coleslaw.
Storage
- Store the cooked Pupusa in the fridge for up to 4 days and rewarm them in a hot skillet or bread toaster. They can be frozen and thawed in the fridge the day before eating.
Nutrition
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Masa Harina – this is not the same as cornflour or cornmeal. Masa Harina is made from dried corn soaked in an alkaline solution and then ground into a fine flour, while cornflour is made of ground corn that hasn’t been soaked. It has a white, slightly grainier texture compared to corn flour.
- Cold water
- Salt
How To Make Vegan Pupusa (in Pictures)
It’s super easy to make Pupusa dough as it requires only 3 ingredients. A Pupusa recipe uses the same basic ingredients as homemade corn tortillas.


Serving Suggestions
The best sides to vegan Pupusas are:
- Homemade coleslaw
- Salsa sauce
- Sriracha or hot sauce
- Guacamole
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These were amazing. I had papusas when I travelled to El Salvador and absolutely loved them. It was great coming across such an authentic tasting recipe. I will definitely be making these again!
Oh thank you so much!!
Made this for my daughter who has a lot of food sensitivities. Filled with refried beans and cooked kale for some hidden greens! Definitely making these again, although I would add a tiny bit more salt to the dough next time. Also, do you use white corn masa harina?
Yes I do use corn masa harina
Hi what is the recipe for the red sauce
It’s a hot sauce I bought not a recipe of mine sorry
Hey there i am slowly trying to make pupusas for my small business was wondering what masa harina is? Do u have any pics i want to make vegan pupusas as well thats why i ask ! Thanks
Leslie
These were tasty and easy enough to make. Fun to make with my toddlers.
This is a great recipe Carine and I was wondering if your red sauce shown is something you make yourself. Also, what are your favorite refried beans you use. We occasionally have bleach refried vegan beans, but it’s rare.
Thanks for ALL your wonderful work & recipes❣️
Thank you! I used a store bought sriracha sauce on the picture
Hello! First, the name of the country is El Salvador.
Second, as a native Salvadoran, I have never eaten guacamole on the side, but the traditional Salvadoran coleslaw and tomato sauce, but I will try it. And I like your approach