Americas · Traditional

Costa Rican cuisine

Costa Rican cuisine is known for straightforward meals built around rice, beans, vegetables, eggs, plantains, seafood and simply seasoned meat. Everyday soda cooking, Caribbean influence and regional produce are more representative than elaborate restaurant dishes.

Explore recipes Build a Costa Rican menu Wine pairings

Food history

Why Costa Rican cuisine is worth exploring

Costa Rican cuisine developed from Indigenous maize and bean traditions, Spanish colonisation, small-scale farming and Afro-Caribbean influence on the Atlantic coast. Its everyday food is often simpler and less chilli-heavy than outsiders expect.

Why it is famous

Gallo pinto, casado, olla de carne, ceviche, arroz con pollo and caribbean rice and beans are some of the foods that have made Costa Rican cuisine recognisable around the world. Explore further and the picture becomes much richer, with local dishes and everyday combinations that rarely travel as widely as the famous names.

Regional food story

The Central Valley is closely associated with casados and coffee-growing culture; Guanacaste has strong maize traditions; the Caribbean coast uses coconut milk, seafood and Afro-Caribbean spices; Pacific communities make extensive use of fresh fish.

How to cook it

Flavours, ingredients and menu ideas

Signature ingredients

Across Costa Rican kitchens, ingredients such as rice, black beans, plantains, maize, potatoes, beef, chicken, fish, coriander, coconut milk and tropical fruit provide many of the familiar flavours. Geography and tradition decide the final result, which is why the same staple can produce very different dishes within one country.

Cooking style

Costa Rican cooking is generally straightforward, with simmering, griddling, frying and fresh seafood preparation. Lizano-style sauces and simple picadillos add flavour without overwhelming the core ingredients.

Build a menu

Start with ceviche or a small maize dish, then serve a casado-style plate, olla de carne or coastal fish main. Add plantain and a fresh salad, then finish with tropical fruit, tres leches or rice pudding.

Starters Mains Desserts

Cook by course

Costa Rican recipes

Start with a starter, choose a main, then finish with a dessert to build a complete country-inspired menu.

Starters

Costa Rican starters

Chifrijo

Rice, beans, crisp pork, pico de gallo and tortilla chips layered for sharing.

Starter 50 mins

Empanadas de Chiverre

Pastry filled with spiced fig-leaf-gourd preserve, especially associated with Holy Week.

Starter 50 mins

Patacones

Green plantain rounds fried, flattened and fried again until crisp.

Starter 50 mins

Main courses

Costa Rican main courses

Gallo Pinto

Rice and black beans fried with aromatics and Salsa Lizano for breakfast.

Main 1 hr 5 mins

Arroz con Pollo Tico

Seasoned rice with shredded chicken, vegetables and annatto-tinted colour.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Casado

A complete plate of rice, beans, salad, plantain and a chosen protein.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Ceviche Tico

White fish cured with lime, onion, sweet pepper and coriander.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Olla de Carne

Beef and root-vegetable soup with large pieces of cassava, plantain and corn.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Pescado Entero Frito

Whole fish fried crisp and served with lime, salad, rice and plantain.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Picadillo de Chayote

Finely chopped chayote cooked with aromatics into a light savoury side.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Sopa Negra

Black-bean soup served with egg, rice and fresh garnishes.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Tamales Ticos

Seasoned maize dough with pork, rice and vegetables wrapped in banana leaves.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Desserts

Costa Rican desserts

Arroz con Leche

Creamy cinnamon rice pudding scented with citrus and enriched with milk.

Dessert 1 hr 10 mins

Cajetas de Coco

Soft coconut milk sweets cooked until fudgy and cut into small pieces.

Dessert 1 hr 10 mins

Tres Leches Tico

Airy sponge soaked with three milks and topped with soft whipped cream.

Dessert 1 hr 10 mins

Wine and drink pairings

What to drink with Costa Rican food

When pairing wine with Costa Rican food, match the structure of the dish first: fresh whites for seafood and herbs, medium reds for tomato, spice or roast meat, sparkling wines for fried or salty starters, and sweet or fortified wines for desserts.

White

Dry Riesling

A precise, high-acid white with lime, green apple, blossom and mineral tension. It loves pork, fish, cabbage, spice and…

Grape: Riesling Region: Mosel, Rheingau, Alsace, Clare Valley

White

Gewürztraminer

Highly aromatic white with lychee, rose, ginger and spice. Works with fragrant dishes, rich cheese and lightly sweet de…

Grape: Gewürztraminer Region: Alsace, Alto Adige, Germany

White

Off-Dry Riesling

Slightly sweet, high-acid Riesling that balances spice, salt, smoked pork and sweet-sour sauces without tasting heavy.

Grape: Riesling Region: Mosel, Pfalz, Alsace, Austria

Dessert

Vin Santo

Tuscan amber dessert wine with dried fruit, nuts and honeyed depth.

Grape: Trebbiano, Malvasia Region: Tuscany

Fortified

Madeira

Long-lived fortified wine with caramel, walnut, citrus peel and roasted notes. Excellent with treacle, toffee, nut cake…

Grape: Sercial, Verdelho, Bual, Malvasia Region: Madeira

Fortified

Tawny Port

Sweet fortified wine with caramel, dried fruit, nuts and orange peel. Excellent with sticky toffee, nut desserts, choco…

Grape: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz Region: Douro Valley