Picarones (Peruvian Sweet Potato Fritters in Syrup)

About This Recipe

Picarones are one of Peru's most beloved street food desserts, ring-shaped fritters made from a dough of mashed sweet potato and squash mixed with flour and yeast, fried until golden and airy, then generously drenched in chancaca -- a spiced syrup made from unrefined sugarcane, often flavored with cinnamon, clove, and orange peel. They're distant relatives of Spanish buñuelos, adapted in colonial Peru with native sweet potato and squash worked into the dough. The technique that defines picarones is achieving a light, airy dough despite the dense vegetables mixed into it: yeast is essential for lift, and the dough needs enough resting time to properly rise before being stretched into rings and fried, resulting in a fritter that's crisp outside but pleasantly light and slightly chewy within, rather than dense and heavy. Shaping the dough into rings, traditionally done by stretching a ball of dough between wet fingers into a hole-punched circle, allows for even, quick frying throughout. Served hot, drenched in warm chancaca syrup, picarones are found at street stalls and festivals across Peru, their distinctive ring shape and spiced syrup making them instantly recognizable as one of the country's signature sweets.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 300 gsweet potato(boiled and mashed)
• 300 gbutternut squash(boiled and mashed)
• 2.5 cupsall-purpose flour
• 2.25 tspinstant yeast
• 0.25 cupsugar
• 0.5 tspsalt
• 0.5 tspground anise seeds(optional)
• 0.5 cupwarm water(as needed)
• 4 cupsneutral oil(for frying)
• 200 gchancaca or dark brown sugar
• 1 cupwater(for syrup)
• 1cinnamon stick
• 3whole cloves
• 1 striporange peel

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Combine mashed sweet potato and squash with flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and anise if using. Add warm water gradually until a soft, sticky dough forms.

2. 2

   Rise

   Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours until doubled and bubbly.

3. 3

   Make the syrup

   Combine chancaca or brown sugar, water, cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel in a saucepan. Simmer 15-20 minutes until syrupy. Strain and keep warm.

4. 4

   Heat the oil

   Heat oil to 175C/350F in a deep pot.

5. 5

   Shape and fry

   With wet hands, take a portion of dough and stretch it into a ring shape, dropping it directly into the hot oil.

6. 6

   Fry

   Fry 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden and puffed.

7. 7

   Serve

   Drain briefly and serve hot, drizzled generously with the warm chancaca syrup.

Variations

• •

  Use only sweet potato if squash isn't available, adjusting flour slightly if the dough feels too wet.

• •

  Add a small pinch of ground cloves directly into the dough for extra warm spice flavor.

• •

  Make smaller picarones for bite-sized party servings.

Storage

Best eaten immediately while hot and crisp. If needed, store fried picarones separately from syrup up to 1 day and reheat briefly in a hot oven before drizzling with warmed syrup.

Frequently Asked Questions