Crispy, bite-size logs of smooth ground ham coated in breadcrumbs. Ham Croquettes (or Croquetas de Jamón) are the perfect breakfast or snack!
To know me is to understand me and to understand me is to know that the perfect breakfast, in my eyes, is 2 ham croquetas. That’s it. Well, maybe some cafecito. And Cuban toast. But yeah…croquetas. Ham. Croquetas. You can have your bacon, eggs, toast, pancakes, and waffles. I’ll happily enjoy my croquetas de jamón all day everyday!
From goat cheese to risotto to black bean to chicken, I’ve tried all types of croquettes. Some round, some in log form, all delicious. I even tried croquettes when I went to Amsterdam years ago! The Dutch version of a croquette is called kroket. While I have no complaints about any of these croquettes, there’s a special place in my heart for ham. These croquetas remind me of home. They remind me of my childhood. Growing up in a Cuban family, you’re pretty much eating croquetas de jamón since birth.
Living in Miami gives you the advantage of being able to enjoy croquetas at any time of day. There are Cuban bakeries on practically every corner! I couldn’t imagine living in a city where there were no pastelitos (Cuban pastries) or croquetas de jamón at driving distance. On a scale from 1 to 10, my homesickness would be at 24. Thankfully, I’d have this recipe to save the day!
This recipe is from an old Cuban cookbook called, Cocina Al Minuto. A classic for sure. Ham croquettes are definitely not hard to make but do require certain steps to make them perfectly. They are what we call, a labor of love. Make sure to follow every step carefully. I hope you make them and you LOVE them!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon dry cooking wine, (vino seco)
- 1 pound ground ham*, (see note)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a saucepan, melt butter at medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in milk, 1/3 cup of flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk until it becomes a thick sauce (a roux).
- Add in the cooking wine and ground ham to the sauce. Mix together slowly until all is combined. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the filling to a bowl. Let it rest at room temperature then refrigerate for 2 hours. The mixture has to harden in order to form into logs and coat evenly. If this step is skipped, it will be very hard to form logs, coat with breading, and fry. This is an important step. Don't skip it.
- After 2 hours, remove the filling from the refrigerator. Form logs from the mixture that are approximately 3" long and 1" wide. Repeat until you have all the croquettes done. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk eggs and set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour and bread crumbs.
- Dip each croquette in the egg wash and then coat in bread crumbs. Let the croquettes rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before frying.
- In a large pot or pan, heat enough vegetable oil to cover the croquettes completely. Fry each croquette until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Remove croquette from oil and drain on paper towel lined plates. Serve with saltines and lime wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
Other recipes you may like:
- Dairy-Free Batido de Trigo (Cuban Wheat Shake)
- Pastelitos de Guayaba + Queso (Guava Cheese Pastries!)
- Cuban-Style Crispy Shredded Chicken (Vaca Frita de Pollo)
- Easy Cuban Black Bean Soup (Dairy-Free, Vegetarian)
- Cuban-Style Chickpea Vegan Picadillo
- 15-Minute Cauliflower Congri (Cuban-Style Black Beans + Cauliflower Rice)
- Healthy-ish Cuban Bibimbap Bowl
- Chicken Croquettes {Croquetas de Pollo}
- Pizza Croquettes {Croquetas de Pizza}
Love it!
Thank you!
I have to make these! Plus I saw you have a pizza croquetas recipe too?! My husband is your new biggest fan :) So far we have found one little Cuban bakery about 30 mins from where we live, so it’s a special treat when we get to have these! How do you grind the ham? Could I just put it in the food processor?
Serene! This makes me so happy! Yes, I have two croqueta recipes on my blog but I definitely would like to make more. :) As far as grinding up the ham, you can either ask them to do it for you at the deli or yes, you can use the food processor. Hope that helps! Xo
It is also cheap and easy to buy an old hand crank meat grinder at the Goodwill and then process your own ground ham. Mine works fantastic on ham.
Is the nutmeg added to the ham mix or the bread crumbs?
Hi! In the ham mix.
Awesome recipe! My girlfriend is from Cuba and I’m just your average gringo but I swear when I made these for her she couldn’t tell me apart from her abuela!
Oh Tyler, that makes me so happy! Glad you both love them as much as I do! :)
When I made this, the texture was very mushy and off-putting. Do you think I might’ve ground the ham too fine or could it be something else?
Hi Ethan! The mixture should be somewhat mushy which is why you need to freeze it to be able to make the logs, coat with breadcrumbs and fry them. If you felt like it was WAY too mushy, something could have happened between the ground ham as you mentioned (maybe it was too wet) or maybe the milk or not enough flour? Hard to tell really since I wasn’t present when they were made. I’ve made these several times with this specific recipe/instructions so just make sure to follow the recipe exactly as it is written. Good luck! :)
Those pictures of the croquetas de jamon made my mouth water and my mind go back to the day where I could walk into a Cuban bakery in New York and buy these with a cup of coffee. I had to download the pictures just to compare how mine will look when I’m done. Thank you for the recipe.
The nutmeg adds an interesting flavor. Maybe a touch of garlic powder substitute. Ill have to try it. A+ recipe
Seriously excellentt! I, too was raised
with croquettas de jamon, but never paid attention when my mother was making them! Unlike you, I live far away from a bakery that makes these. You have brought back a part of my childhood with this recipe. Gracias!
have you fried cooking these in an air fryer?
No, but if you do, let me know how it turns out! :)
do you dice up the ham really fine?
Yes, you use ground ham.
Just got back from Hialeah and have been craving these since the moment I left .. well really since the moment I ran out as I stopped at a Latin Café on the way out and took a bunch to-go!
Just curious, what kind of ham are you using? The thicker ham slices that are pre-packaged, or more like cooked ham from the deli? Latin Café had some sort of green herb in theirs, any idea what that may have been? Really appreciate the recipe, I’ve tried others and this reads much better. I’ll be trying this one out tonight for some Saturday morning breakfast!
Hi Jarret, you can use any ground ham or place diced ham in a food processor and pulse until ground. Not sure about the green herb but I’d guess it’s maybe finely chopped parsley or cilantro. Hope that helps!
Hello! Can you provide more details about what the ground ham is supposed to be? Do I buy a pound of sliced ham from the deli and put it in a food processor? How finely chopped should it be? Do I remove excess water or leave it? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, you can buy ground ham at the grocery store. It is usually available in the meat & seafood section. Aside from that, you can grind store-bought diced ham in a food processor until finely ground like hamburger meat.
Wow! These are perfect! I have been looking for a croquette recipe like this for my partner, his late mother used to make these every year after Christmas with leftover ham or Turkey, I have tried to emulate her recipe but could not as I didn’t know how she made it with a creamy sauce that kept a nice shape.
Thank you :) a happy nostalgic recipe to surprise him with!
Going to Miami to CALLE 8 for the croquetaso. Croqueta eating contest. Got to tell you I have lived there for many years and the best croquettes I find is the Catalina brand. Luckily you can find them anywhere and if you like the croquettes you should try their potato balls out of this world
I used to play dominos with the older guys while I waited for the cigar shop to roll up a few stogies for me! As an Irish kid from Philly Calle Ocho was a whole new world to me. The food….the politics….the cafe con leche y azugar .that place serves up life!
Perfect!! 😍
Best recipe for these I have used yet! Having spent many years in Miami I love Cuban and Cuban influenced foods….these are at the top of my list
Like any recipe, this one is also adaptable to individualized tampering. I added a touch of ham seasoning and cayenne pepper. to perk it up a notch. I also use sherry instead of dry white wine.
I forgot to give a star rating. Five….wish there were six.
this sounds fabulous and I was looking for new breakfasts to try. With the chilling, would it be okay to make the filling and chill overnight? or would that be a recipe for disaster?
Hi! Yes, I think that would be ok. :)
Just made these – my cuban grandpa says they are better than the ones he makes – which means they are great! very good recipe.
Awesome! Great to hear! :)
Great recipe! I am in Italy and just devoured a batch!!
I was wondering about freezing? would you suggest I make them all thru the steps and already freeze them breaded (like you find in the frozen food aisle in some latin bodegas) or would you freeze them after frying?
I’d suggest freezing after frying. So happy you liked them! :)
Great recipe! My local Cuban restaurant serves these with a green, garlicky, cklantro type sauce. Any idea of what I can search to find a similar recipe?
Having lived in Miami for 14 years I came to love Cuban foods and Calle Ocho. Every decent lunch truck sells them . The old men playing dominos eat them while smoking a good cigar…..I used to go and play them….they taught me how to smoke a cigar the right way, I taught them how to play dominos the yankee way.
I made a slight variation to the recipe. I had leftover roasted pineapple so I added that to the ham when I processed the ham into a mulch. It really adds a new twist to on old standard! It was about a half cup of pineapple.
I made these. I am Cuban and these are my favorite food but I had never thought to make them. Not as difficult as I thought. It took me a few times to perfect the recipe but now I got it down pat. I have been experimenting with different fillings and breadings. But I am becoming a master! Thanks to you, beautiful Jamie.
So happy to hear! Thank you!