• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Fat Girl Hedonist logo

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Giveaways
  • About Me
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About me
  • Recipe Index
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Social Media

    • Amazon
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Latin » Cuban Vaca Frita Recipe

    Published: Aug 11, 2021 · Modified: Nov 24, 2022 by Cari · This post may contain affiliate links. · 2 Comments

    Cuban Vaca Frita Recipe

    Share on social media:

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe

    We're making the Cuban staple, vaca frita in an Instant Pot. The process of making vaca frita is a labor of love. The beef is twice cooked to ensure it's tender yet crispy on the exterior.

    cuban vaca frita recipe

    Growing up, vaca frita was one of my favorite dishes. It's one of my favorite comfort foods and my mom still makes it for me when she knows I need some cheering up. It's a Cuban staple that's available at most Cuban restaurants

    What does Vaca Frita mean?

    Vaca frita translates to fried cow. It's a Cuban beef dish typically made using flank steak with suateed garlic and onion.

    What do you eat vaca frita with?

    Vaca frita is traditionally paired with white rice, and black beans or plantains. Some people have recently created vaca frita sandwiches with the beef sandwiched in a bun topped with tomatoes, potato sticks and cheese. Either option is delicious!

    cuban vaca frita recipe

    Ingredients needed

    • Flank steak
    • Bay leaves
    • Salt
    • Sazon completa
    • Water
    • Yellow Onions
    • Garlic
    • Lime
    • Vegetable oil
    cuban vaca frita recipe

    How do you make Cuban vaca frita?

    • Place the water, salt, bay leaves sazon completa and beef into your Instant Pot and set for 40 minutes at high pressure in the meat/stew setting
    • Once the 40 minutes are up, release the steam and remove the beef from the pot. Reserve about ½ cup of the broth from the Instant Pot.
    • Using a meat tenderizer or fork, shred the beef to your desired size. Place the shredded beef on a large plate or cutting board and top with the garlic, lime juice of one lime and onions and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
    • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add two tablespoons of oil. You don't want to over crowd the pan, so you may need to sear the meat in two batches.
    • Once the oil is hot, add in your beef, onions and garlic. Baste the meat with that reserved broth while it's sautéing. Flip the meat every couple of minutes until it reaches your desired crispness.
    cuban vaca frita recipe

    Substitutions

    If you cant find flank steak, you can use chuck roast instead.

    Storage

    Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for upto 4 days. 

    cuban vaca frita recipe

    Looking for more Latin dishes?

    • Cuban bistec de pollo a la plancha
      Cuban bistec de pollo a la plancha
    • arroz con pollo a la chorrera
      Arroz Con Pollo A La Chorrera Recipe
    • spoon filled with cilantro garlic lime sauce
      Cilantro Garlic Lime Sauce Recipe
    • cuban white rice
      Cuban White Rice
    cuban vaca frita recipe
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Cuban Vaca Frita Recipe

    Shredded flank steak seared with onions and garlic
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time1 hr
    Total Time1 hr 20 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: cuban
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 607kcal
    Author: Cari

    Ingredients

    • 3 lbs flank steak
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 tablespoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon sazon completa
    • 6 cups water
    • 1 medium sized yellow onion sliced
    • 4 garlic cloves chopped
    • 1 large lime
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil

    Instructions

    • Place the water, salt, bay leaves sazon completa and beef into your Instant Pot and set for 40 minutes at high pressure in the meat/stew setting
    • Once the 40 minutes are up, release the steam and remove the beef from the pot. Reserve about ½ cup of the broth from the Instant Pot.
    • Using a meat tenderizer or fork, shred the beef to your desired size. Place the shredded beef on a large plate or cutting board and top with the garlic, lime juice of one lime and onions and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
    • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add two tablespoons of oil. You don't want to over crowd the pan, so you may need to sear the meat in two batches.
    • Once the oil is hot, add in your beef, onions and garlic. Baste the meat with that reserved broth while it's sautéing. Flip the meat every couple of minutes until it reaches your desired crispness.

    Video

    Notes

    • You don't want to over crowd the pan, so you may need to sear the meat in two batches.
    • Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for upto 4 days. 
    • If you cant find flank steak, you can use chuck roast instead.
    • You can freeze the remaining broth and use it for soups

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6oz | Calories: 607kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 74g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 204mg | Sodium: 2124mg | Potassium: 1230mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 5mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @FatGirlHedonist or tag #fatgirlhedonist!
    « The BEST Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes
    Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans »

    Share on social media:

    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Categories: Keto Friendly

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sara says

      January 25, 2022 at 11:58 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! So simple and I found a new favorite meal to make!

      Reply
    2. Yvonne says

      September 08, 2022 at 2:24 am

      Flank steak has gotten pretty expensive. If I'm going to spend that kind of money then it's Ropa Vieja on the table!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Amazon
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    My name is Cari and I'm the person behind FatgirlHedonist.com. I'm born and raised in Miami (Hialeah if you'd like specifics) and proud Latina. I'm a single mom to a very curious toddler. I completed a culinary program in high school that made my love of food blossom, but my career went in a very different direction. No matter what turns my life has taken, cooking, baking and eating have always been three of my favorite activities. I'm lucky enough that I can have this blog as an outlet for those three passions.

    More about me →

    blogherads.adq.push(['flexrec', 'skm-ad-flexrec-1']);

    Popular Recipes

    • colombian hot chocolate with cheese
      Colombian Hot Chocolate with Cheese
    • CHICHARRON, PORK RINDS, PORK CRACKLIN
      How To Make Chicharrones
    • Traditional Coquito Recipe
    • arroz con pollo a la chorrera
      Arroz Con Pollo A La Chorrera Recipe
    • Cuban bistec de pollo a la plancha
      Cuban bistec de pollo a la plancha
    • cuban white rice
      Cuban White Rice
    Become a Patron!
    blogherads.adq.push(['medrec', 'skm-ad-medrec-2']);

    Soups and Stews

    • French Onion And Beef Soup
    • Colombian red beans in a bowl
      Colombian Red Beans Recipe
    • cuban black beans
      Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans
    • keto loaded cauliflower soup
      Keto Cauliflower Soup
    #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */
    blogherads.adq.push(['flexrec', 'skm-ad-flexrec-1']);

    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Terms & Conditions

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Media Kit

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2010 - 2022 FATGIRLHEDONIST.COM