🫓 Gorditas
Gorditas — 'little fat ones' — are thick corn masa cakes that are cooked or fried until crisp outside, then split open like a pocket and stuffed. This vegetarian version is filled with refried beans and melting cheese, topped with salsa and shredded lettuce. They are soft and chewy inside the crisp shell and eaten by hand as a snack or meal.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g masa harina (nixtamalised corn masa)
- about 300 ml warm water, 1 tsp salt
- 250 g cooked beans, mashed
- 120 g cheese, grated or crumbled
- 150 ml salsa
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- Oil for frying
Method
- Mix the masa harina, salt and warm water into a soft, smooth dough; rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide into 8 balls and press each into a disc about 1 cm thick.
- Cook the discs on a dry hot griddle for 2–3 minutes per side.
- Fry them briefly in a little oil until crisp, then drain.
- Slit each one open to make a pocket and fill with warm beans and cheese.
- Top with salsa and lettuce and serve warm.
How to make it lighter
- Skip the final frying and cook the gorditas only on the dry griddle — 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
- Use less cheese and more beans, salsa and lettuce in the filling.
- Make them smaller and serve with a large salad.
History
Gorditas are an old part of Mexican masa cooking and are eaten across the country, with many regional versions and fillings. They are a common street food and market snack today.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →