America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Garnachas (Mexican Fried Masa Cakes)

By Jonathan Zaragoza

Published on June 19, 2026

Time

55 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Garnachas (Mexican Fried Masa Cakes)

Ingredients

360 grams warm water (about 1½ cups)240 grams masa harina (about 2½ cups)600 grams shredded beef, chicken, or pork (about 3 cups)400 grams neutral-flavored oil for frying (about 2 cups)Kosher salt

Before You Begin

Different brands of masa harina vary in how coarsely or finely the corn is ground; coarser grinds may need additional rest time to absorb the water and fully hydrate. If you are using Bob’s Red Mill masa harina, use 260 grams masa harina (about 1¾ cups) and 339 grams of water (about 1⅔ cups). If you can find fresh masa (some Mexican restaurants or markets sell it by weight), you can use that here as well; knead 600 grams of masa until smooth before proceeding with step 2. 

For the topping, use any moist, cohesive filling; the texture matters as much as the flavor, since it needs to stay in place as it’s basted with oil. Shredded beef, chicken, or pork are all traditional choices, but chopped rotisserie chicken also works great. Adding a hefty spoonful of refried beans to your shredded meat can help bind it together and keep the topping from falling out during frying. 

Instructions

  1. Add 360 grams warm water to 240 grams masa harina in medium bowl, a little at a time, mixing with your hands or spatula until all flour is incorporated and soft, tacky dough forms. Cover bowl with damp kitchen towel or paper towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
  2. Pinch off golf ball–size piece of masa and roll into smooth ball between your palms. Press gently between your palms into small puck to test hydration (see “The Puck Test,” under “Test Kitchen Techniques”). When edges look smooth and no cracks appear, you’re ready to go.
  3. Pinch off 100 gram portion of masa (keep remaining masa covered with damp kitchen towel or paper towel while you work) and roll into very smooth ball. Transfer masa ball back and forth between your hands, gently squishing with your palms and rotating 180 degrees with each pass. This gradually forms smooth puck about 3 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Transfer puck to baking sheet or large platter and cover with damp kitchen towel or paper towel and repeat with remaining masa to make 5 more pucks.
  4. Heat comal over medium heat for 3 minutes. Working in 2 batches, place masa pucks on comal and cook until toasted with some char marks, about 1½ minutes. Flip and cook for another 1½ minutes. You are looking to set masa on exterior of puck, not fully cook it through. Transfer pucks to large plate to cool slightly until you can handle them.
  5. Using paring knife, cut each puck in half horizontally (masa will still be soft and sticky inside). With cut side facing up, use your fingers to work raw interior of masa from center up toward edge, forming little wall about ½ inch high fully around circumference of puck. Repeat until all 12 have defined craters.
  6. Line rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Fill each puck with 50 grams filling (600 grams total; about ¼ cup per garnacha or just enough to come up to walled edge). (Filled garnachas can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) Heat 400 grams neutral oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until oil registers 325 degrees. Carefully place 4 garnachas into oil and fry until crisp and walled edge is set, about 5 minutes, continually basting top with hot oil using spoon. Transfer garnachas to prepared sheet and season generously with kosher salt. Repeat with remaining garnachas. Serve immediately.
Garnachas (Mexican Fried Masa Cakes)
Photography by Kritsada. Styling by Christine Tobin.

Garnachas (Mexican Fried Masa Cakes)

Headshot of Jonathan Zaragoza
By Jonathan Zaragoza

Published on June 19, 2026

5(5)
1Comment
Save
Saved

Time

55 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Part of Mexico’s vast array of street snacks known as antojitos (“little cravings”), garnachas consist of small fried masa cakes topped with a savory filling, usually shredded meat. A standard garnacha is a flat disk, but inspired by a technique used by TJ Steele at the Oaxacan-influenced Brooklyn eatery Claro, Jonathan shapes his into shells, all the better to cradle the meat. He first forms the masa into fat pucks and lightly cooks them on the comal to firm up the exterior. Next he splits each one horizontally and pinches the still-malleable dough to form a wall around its circumference. Then comes another innovation: Instead of frying the shells and then adding the topping, he stuffs them first and places the filled garnachas in a pan of hot oil. As the bottoms of the shells crisp, he spoons some of the oil over the filling so the masa in the center finishes cooking through and the topping warms. The result is warm all over and crisp and soft in all the right places.

Before You Begin

Different brands of masa harina vary in how coarsely or finely the corn is ground; coarser grinds may need additional rest time to absorb the water and fully hydrate. If you are using Bob’s Red Mill masa harina, use 260 grams masa harina (about 1¾ cups) and 339 grams of water (about 1⅔ cups). If you can find fresh masa (some Mexican restaurants or markets sell it by weight), you can use that here as well; knead 600 grams of masa until smooth before proceeding with step 2. 

For the topping, use any moist, cohesive filling; the texture matters as much as the flavor, since it needs to stay in place as it’s basted with oil. Shredded beef, chicken, or pork are all traditional choices, but chopped rotisserie chicken also works great. Adding a hefty spoonful of refried beans to your shredded meat can help bind it together and keep the topping from falling out during frying. 

Instructions

  1. Add 360 grams warm water to 240 grams masa harina in medium bowl, a little at a time, mixing with your hands or spatula until all flour is incorporated and soft, tacky dough forms. Cover bowl with damp kitchen towel or paper towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
  2. Pinch off golf ball–size piece of masa and roll into smooth ball between your palms. Press gently between your palms into small puck to test hydration (see “The Puck Test,” under “Test Kitchen Techniques”). When edges look smooth and no cracks appear, you’re ready to go.
  3. Pinch off 100 gram portion of masa (keep remaining masa covered with damp kitchen towel or paper towel while you work) and roll into very smooth ball. Transfer masa ball back and forth between your hands, gently squishing with your palms and rotating 180 degrees with each pass. This gradually forms smooth puck about 3 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Transfer puck to baking sheet or large platter and cover with damp kitchen towel or paper towel and repeat with remaining masa to make 5 more pucks.
  4. Heat comal over medium heat for 3 minutes. Working in 2 batches, place masa pucks on comal and cook until toasted with some char marks, about 1½ minutes. Flip and cook for another 1½ minutes. You are looking to set masa on exterior of puck, not fully cook it through. Transfer pucks to large plate to cool slightly until you can handle them.
  5. Using paring knife, cut each puck in half horizontally (masa will still be soft and sticky inside). With cut side facing up, use your fingers to work raw interior of masa from center up toward edge, forming little wall about ½ inch high fully around circumference of puck. Repeat until all 12 have defined craters.
  6. Line rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Fill each puck with 50 grams filling (600 grams total; about ¼ cup per garnacha or just enough to come up to walled edge). (Filled garnachas can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) Heat 400 grams neutral oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until oil registers 325 degrees. Carefully place 4 garnachas into oil and fry until crisp and walled edge is set, about 5 minutes, continually basting top with hot oil using spoon. Transfer garnachas to prepared sheet and season generously with kosher salt. Repeat with remaining garnachas. Serve immediately.

More Like This

Recipe

Gorditas

Average rating 4, 109 ratings.

Recipe

Frijoles Negros Refritos

Average rating 5, 13 ratings.

Recipe

Salsa de Molcajete

Average rating 4, 35 ratings.

Keep Exploring

Side DishesMexicanMain Courses
This is a members' feature.