Papa a la Huancaína

Name: Papa a la Huancaína
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Peru
Ingredients: 6 yellow potatoes, boiled and sliced; 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled; 3 aji amarillo peppers, seeded; 1/2 cup evaporated milk; 2 saltine crackers; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; Lettuce leaves, black olives, and hard-boiled eggs, for serving; Salt, to taste

4 servings15 min prep20 min cookEasy Peru

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Papa a la Huancaína

Story updated September 17, 2026

Papa a la huancaína takes its name from Huancayo in Peru's central highlands. A popular but largely unverified story credits its creation to feeding railway workers in the 19th century; whatever its true origin, the dish of potatoes in a spicy, cheesy ají amarillo sauce became a Peruvian classic.

Ingredients

Scale:· 4 servings

6 yellow potatoes, boiled and sliced
1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
3 aji amarillo peppers, seeded
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 saltine crackers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Lettuce leaves, black olives, and hard-boiled eggs, for serving
Salt, to taste

Instructions

1Sauté the aji amarillo peppers in oil for 3-4 minutes to mellow their heat.
2Blend the peppers with queso fresco, evaporated milk, and crackers until smooth and creamy.
3Season the sauce with salt to taste.
4Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter and top with sliced boiled potatoes.
5Pour the huancaína sauce generously over the potatoes.
6Garnish with black olives and hard-boiled egg quarters before serving.

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