Cuban Hamburger

Cuban Fritas or Cuban hamburgers as they are sometimes referred to a a delicious latin burger. This burger is filled with spices, crispy potato strings and secret sauce on a soft Cuban bread roll.

Growing up in Miami, going to El Rey De Las Fritas and having a Cuban frita was a weekly tradition. Amongst the Miami Hispanic community, Cuban Fritas are very popular with some even claiming it to be the best cuban sandwich.

Why you'll love this frita Cubana recipe:

• Delicious, zesty spin on a regular burger
• ​Kid friendly 
• Great for feeding a crowd at a cook out, barbecue or get-together 
• ​The burger patties can be made ahead of time and frozen, great for meal prepping. 

Frita Ingredients

For the frita Cubana sauce:

• 1 cup ketchup
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons smoked spanish paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder 
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon mild hot sauce 

For the shoestring potatoes:

• 3 Idaho potatoes
• 1 cup of vegetable oil for frying
• Bowl of cold water

For the fritas patties:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons onion powder
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon of mild hot sauce. 
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 6 Cuban bread rolls
• 6 slices of cheese (optional)

How to Make a Cuban Frita

1. To make the sauce, mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

2. For the crispy shoestring fries, I used a spiralizer to cut them. One the potatoes have been spiraled, I placed them in a large bowl and cover with cold water until ready to fry. If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can use a box grater. 

3. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, garlic powder, onion powder, ketchup, cumin, paprika, hot sauce and salt. Mix by hand and when the meat is well combined you can form your burger patties, about 8oz each. Place your patties on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. place them in your refrigerator until ready to cook.

4. Set your grill to medium heat or until it reaches 350°. Add your patties to the grill and brush on about 1 tablespoon of frita sauce over the top. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes. 

5. While your fritas are grilling, fry your potatoes.

• In a deep fryer or large dutch oven over medium high heat, set the vegetable oil at 350°. Remove the potatoes from the cold water and pat them with paper towels to remove excess water before placing them in the hot oil.
• Once in the oil, fry the potatoes until golden brown (about 3 minutes). Be sure to move the fries around and flip them over if possible to ensure even cooking. Depending the size of your fryer, you may need to fry the potatoes in small batches.
• Remove from heat and place the fries on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease. Sprinkle the fries generously with salt. 

6. Flip your fritas over and brush on another tablespoon of frita secret sauce on your burgers. Cook for about 2 minutes and add cheese, if desired. Continue grilling until the burger reaches an internal temperature of 140°

7. To assemble the fritas, spread some special sauce over the bottom half of a fullfy cuban roll. Place a patty (or 2) on top, if you like raw onions, add some finely chopped raw onions. Then, add a big pile of shoestring fried potatoes. Top with your top bun and enjoy. 

Frita Cubana Variations

Want a frita a caballo? Add a fried egg on your cooked burgerpatty before topping to shoe string potatoes.

Don't have a spiralizer for the potatoes? Use a box grater instead. 

Don't have access to cuban bread? Opt instead for brioche buns or potato rolls

Not interested in grilling these burgers? You can also cook them in the stove on a cast-iron skillet, non-stick skillet or on a flat griddle. 

Want to add some sweetness to this cuban-style burger? Add some fried sweet plantains to your burgers.

Don't eat pork? Swap the ground pork for more ground beef

Don't want to fry your own potatoes? Use store-bought potato stix instead.

Storage for this cuban burger 

You can store any uncooked leftover ground beef patty by wrapping in plastic wrap and then placing in a ziplock bag. Place in a freezer where it will keep for up to a month. 

Check out these other delicious Cuban dishes