Miel de coco literally translates to coconut honey in Spanish, but that is not exactly what this recipe is. In Costa Rica, "miel" refers to almost any sticky, sweet fruit concoction…
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Recipes
At Casa Pura Vida we love food- and we love to cook our favorite recipes right here at home. Our homemade meals are as much traditional Costa Rican food as they are American food.
This section includes every single one of the recipes I’ve ever published. Appetizers, drinks, desserts, main dishes, side dishes, Instant Pot recipes, game day recipes and more.
Vegetarian recipes, vegan recipes, baking, desserts, world cuisine, family dinner recipes, Lent recipes, slow cooker/crockpot recipes- we’ve got you covered.
Here are a few of our most popular recipes:
- Costa Rican Arroz con Pollo Recipe
- Torchy’s Tacos Queso Dip Recipe
- 5 Minute Tropical Rum Punch Cocktail Recipe
- Costa Rican Tres Leches Recipe
- Garbanzo Bean Soup Recipe
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In Costa Rica during the week before Easter, a lot of cooking happens. That's because most Costa Rica Easter traditions center around food- and sharing holiday dishes with family and friends. I…
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Pan casero is a strangely traditional Costa Rican recipe. I say this because everyone loves it but very few people actually make it. Pan casero literally translates to homemade bread (casero/a…
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The tamal mudo is a vegetarian and vegan version of the traditional Costa Rican pork tamal that is made during Lent and especially Holy Week. Most all Costa Ricans who stay…
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Potato empanadas are made from a corn-based dough, and therefore gluten-free. The dough is formed into a circle, stuffed with a potato filling consisting of roughly mashed potatoes stir-fried in a…
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These potatoes are unique because after cooking, they are roughly mashed and then refired in a typical Costa Rican sofrito before serving with a meal (such as in picadillo), or using…
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Dessert empanadas are popular throughout Latin America, and Argentina and Chile are most well known for their sweet empanadas, but Costa Rican empanadas have a special place in my heart because…
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Costa Rican cheese empanadas are half-moon shaped fried appetizers made from a corn-based dough. They are then filled with traditional white Costa Rican cheese and fried up until hot- and the…
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These crispy deep-fried half-moon shaped empanadas are filled with shredded beef and then fried to golden perfection. This beef empanada recipe uses a traditional Costa Rican shredded beef filling. While many…
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These Costa Rican pineapple empanadas (empanadas de piña) combine a homemade pastry dough and sweet pineapple preserves baked to perfection for a delightful baked dessert. With just a few ingredients- flour,…
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Costa Rican suspiros are little delicate meringue cookies popular year-round but especially at Christmas and Easter. With just three ingredients, they are easy to make with what you have on hand,…
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These yuca fries are made by boiling large chunks of yucca in saltwater, cutting the rounds into thick straw pieces, and then frying them in vegetable oil. The taste is very…
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This is a traditional Costa Rican chicharron recipe that uses pork belly or boneless pork ribs- known in Spanish as chicharrón de cerdo. In Costa Rica, chicharrones are generally either pan-fried…
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Boiled green plantains are a sort of a staple in Costa Rican cooking. We use the recipe either as a starting point to make patacones (thick round fried plantain chips served…
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Like many popular Costa Rican dishes, the Costa Rican vigorón is an easy to prepare mix of several popular Costa Rican recipes combined to make a unique dish. Made from chicharrones…
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Yuca roots are large tubers endemic to Central America and much of the world. It's one of the oldest foods around- it's filling and inexpensive. Many Latin American countries use yucca in…
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The Costa Rican chifrijo, much like its name, is a mix of several Costa Rican recipes, and it's a beloved dish throughout the country. The word chi-frijo is a combination of…
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This Costa Rican chimichurri sauce recipe is served with almost every meal possible in Costa Rica. It's made from ingredients readily available year-round in Costa Rica (tomato, onion, cilantro, lime and…
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So let's get one thing straight- salsa rosada is decidedly not just a Costa Rican thing. It's a Latin America thing- and I actually suspect that back in the day McDonald's…
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Lovingly called "pinto" for short, you can also find this dish on lunch and dinner menus alongside freshly braised meat. Sometimes we substitute gallo pinto for rice and beans in a…
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About 10 years ago I spent part of the summer at Trinity University in San Antonio, grading Advanced Placement Spanish Language Exams. I left the area and left with a serious…
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When you visit Costa Rica, you'll see a shrimp and rice recipe on almost every menu. It's one of the most beloved Costa Rican dishes- with all the amazing seafood in…
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I have been making this white chili recipe for years. I grew up eating a red chili that my mom would make in the winter. Delish, but I actually prefer a…
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This soup is a super popular dish in Costa Rica- but you will almost never find it on a menu. It's one of those recipes people make at home, but don't…
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You will never go to a Costa Rican home where there are no beans on the stove or in the fridge. Many Costa Rican moms even batch cook black beans for…
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I love love love dips! It's actually because I love tortilla chips so much, and I just need an excuse to dress them up once in a while. This Spinach Artichoke…
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It's Holy Week (Semana Santa), which means a unique type of tamal is traditionally made and served in Costa Rica. Depending on the region of Costa Rica, this sweet, vegetarian tamal…
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Every four years we gear up to celebrate the biggest soccer tournament in the world- and we are so excited to cheer on Costa Rica this year! We take game time…
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I earned my street cred with this recipe a few years back. We had gone to a party to celebrate Costa Rican Independence day. The party was a potluck, and I…
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Do you love to watch the big game with friends and family? We do- it's the perfect excuse to get together with people during the cold winter months. The time after the…
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I just love a good cocktail recipe. With the right combination of ingredients, and cocktail can take me back to some of my favorite memories from my travels around Latin America. Like…
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I'm on a huge guava kick right now people, and this tropical mimosa combines champagne and guava into a delicious and refreshing guava cocktail recipe that can't be beaten! I pretty much…
