The cassava egg ball is pan fried until crispy golden brown on the outside and lusciously creamy at the core. Enjoy them as an anytime snack with your favorite dipping sauce like mango sour and a refreshing beverage.
Guyanese Cassava Egg Ball
Cassava egg ball was one of my favorite childhood snacks and I am so grateful that I can now share this with my children. Who can say no to a delicious creamy 8-minute egg, wrapped in cassava and fried? You’ll devour these quicker than it took to fry them!
This recipe is gluten free because I use cassava flour instead of all purpose flour. I have a non celiac gluten sensitivity so I avoid gluten in my diet as much as possible.
Why You’ll Love This Cassava Egg Ball Recipe
- Indulgent: There are three layers of amazing flavors and textures. Bite into a crunchy coating, then perfectly seasoned mashed cassava, and under that, a delicious hard-boiled egg with a creamy yolk center.
- Easy: With simple prep and easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, making cassava egg balls is a breeze!
- Kid Approved: I loved to eat these when I was growing up and my children enjoy them just as much as I did.
What are Cassava Egg Balls?
Cassava egg balls are hard boiled eggs encased in mashed cassava (also known as yuca) and deep fried. It is a popular snack in Guyana that is often sold by street vendors. Egg balls are affordable and super filling.
What is Cassava?
Cassava is a starchy root vegetable with a fibrous brown exterior and white interior. It is also referred to as yuca (not to be mistaken with yucca). Cassava is a staple in Caribbean cuisine. It is used in everything from desserts like Cassava Pone to stews like Metemgee.
Cassava Egg Ball Ingredients
This recipe has four components: mashed cassava, boiled eggs, egg wash, and flour mixture.
- Cassava: Peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces or you can use frozen cassava.
- Water: For boiling the cassava.
- Salt: To taste.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Boil the eggs for 8 minutes for the perfect boiled eggs.
- Uncooked Eggs: This is for the egg wash.
- Cassava Flour: Use this for gluten free cassava egg balls. Otherwise, all purpose flour is fine.
- Granulated Garlic: This is to season the flour.
- Garlic Cloves: Grated.
- Green Onions: Thinly sliced.
- Frying Oil: Use sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil, or peanut oil.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cassava Egg Balls
Prepare Cassava Mash
To begin, boil the cassava until it is tender. This should take about 15 minutes. Alternatively, use an Instant Pot. I have used both methods when making these.
Once the cassava is cooked, remove the fibrous portion. Then crushing it until it is smooth and lump free, using either a fork or potato masher.
Season the cassava and mix well so the flavor is evenly distributed.
Form Cassava Balls
Coat your hands with oil in order to prevent it from sticking to your hand. Then add about 1/2 cup of mashed and seasoned cassava to the center of your palm, roll the cassava into a ball, then flatten to form a disk. Add a hard boiled egg to the center of the cassava disk then cover the egg completely with the cassava.
Now prepare the egg wash seasoned with garlic powder and salt. Coat each ball with flour, and then egg wash.
Fry Cassava Egg Balls
Shallow fry each cassava egg ball until they are golden brown on all sides. Move them around for even cooking. As they are finished, place them on paper towels in order to drain any excess oil.
Step-by-Step Video Tutorial:
Substitutions & Variations
- No Egg. If you love fried cassava but don’t like eggs, skip the eggs and just fry balls of cassava (cassava puffs).
- No Cassava. You can use this same recipe replacing the cassava with potatoes. It won’t be a traditional Guyanese dish but it will still be delicious!
Equipment
- Small Sauce Pan/Instant Pot: To cook cassava.
- Fork/Potato Masher: To mash the cassava.
- Medium Sized Mixing Bowl: Use this to contain the egg wash.
- Plate: For the flour coating.
- Frying Pan: To fry the cassava egg balls.
Tips for the Best Cassava Egg Balls
- Don’t overcook your eggs. Boil them for 8 minutes for an almost hard-boiled egg with a soft center. When you fry the egg ball, the egg will cook some more and it will be perfect. Green or grey rings naturally occur when you overcook egg yolks.
- Do not completely submerge the cassava balls in the oil. The cassava will suck up all of the oil and become very soggy
- Make all the egg balls, then dip all of them in the flour, then the egg, and set aside before cooking. This way when you are ready to fry they get added to the oil at the same time. This helps with even cooking and makes the frying process manageable.
- Crush your cassava by hand (with a fork or potato masher). I once added my cassava to my food processor and the starch activated and it became very gummy.
FAQ
I don’t recommend deep frying the egg balls. If they are completely submerged in the oil, the cassava absorbs the oil and becomes very soggy.
These egg balls are a hearty snack and aren’t usually paired with other dishes. Keep it simple and serve them with condiments like mango sour, Guyanese pepper sauce, or Saucy Lips Ghost Pepper Tamarind. Ghost Pepper Tamarind tastes like tamarind sour; just add a pinch of roasted ground cumin (geera) and it is perfect.
Cassava Egg Ball
Equipment
- Small Sauce Pan/Instant Pot
- Fork/Potato Masher
- Medium Sized Mixing Bowl
- Plate
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs of cassava peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces or you can use frozen cassava
- Enough water for boiling the cassava
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- 6 hard boiled eggs 8 minute eggs are perfect here
- 2 eggs uncooked, for the egg wash
- 1 cup of cassava flour can use All Purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic to season the flour
- 4 cloves of garlic grated
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 3-4 cups of oil suitable for frying sunflower, grapeseed, canola, peanut
Instructions
Cook the Cassava
Stove top:
- Place cassava in a small sauce pan, add 1 teaspoon of salt and cover with enough water for boiling
- Bring to a boil on high heat
- Continue to boil for about 15 minutes or until the cassava is soft and can be easily crushed with a fork, then remove from liquids and set aside
Instant Pot
- Place cassava, 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt in the instant pot
- Seal and pressure cook on high for 8 minutes
- Release the pressure and remove cassava from the liquid and set aside
Prepare the cassava
- Remove the "vein" (fibrous center of the cassava) from the cassava
- Then crush the cassava with a potato masher or fork until smooth and is lump free as possible
- Next add the grated garlic, a pinch of salt, pinch of black pepper and green onions to the crushed cassava
Form the Cassava balls
- Cover the palm of your hands with some cooking oil, then add about 1/2 cup of mashed and seasoned cassava to the center of your palm, roll the cassava into a ball, then flatten to form a disk
- Add a hard boiled egg to the center of the cassava disk then cover the egg completely with the cassava
- Continue steps 4 to 5 until all 6 eggs are covered with the cassava
- Next in a medium sized bowl whisk together the two uncooked eggs to make an egg wash
- Season the eggs with a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic
- Place the cassava flour or all purpose flour if you are using in a plate and set up a work station that allows you to coat the cassava balls in flour then in the egg wash before frying
Fry the cassava egg ball (shallow fry)
- When you are ready to cook the egg balls, bring 3-4 cups of oil up to temperature in a large frying pan or sauce pan suitable for frying on medium-high heat (aim for a temp of 350 °F)
- When oil is hot add the cassava egg balls and fry until golden brown, turning for even cooking. Note that the oil should come half way up the egg ball and not cover it completely.
- Remove from the oil and place on a plate or bowl lined with paper towel
- Let cool for about 5 minutes and then enjoy with some mango sour
Notes
- Watch the my step by step youtube video here.
- I love to use an 8 minute boiled egg for cassava egg balls. This way they don’t over cook when deep frying.
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
Vis Says
Put the ball in the egg wash first then the flour. It will not have pieces of fried egg in your oil after frying,
BMo23 Says
Hi Althea, just wondering if we can use an air fryer for these egg balls instead of frying in oil. Any tips?
Pati Says
I’ll use your tips next time. Maybe next time, the egg won’t slide out of the cassava ball, if I make the cassava disk thinker and do not don’t deep fry them. The toddler liked it, but aesthetically the egg balls were not pretty like your pictures.
Em MITch Says
My sons made it and it was delicious
Althea Brown Says
Thank you for sharing and how amazing that you are teaching them to cook!
Em MITch Says
This was so easy to follow and it came out great! Delicious and straightforward recipe
Althea Brown Says
Thanks so much for trying the recipe and Sharing
Samantha Says
Love the images, i can tell it was delicious!!
trisel Says
Do Hi you have a recipe for chicken foot band sour?
trisel Says
Hi Sorry
I meant to ask if you have a recipe for chicken foot and sour?
Althea Brown Says
I do. Google metemgee chicken foot and metemgee mango sour.
Belinda Says
Try seasoning the egg yolk taste even better
Melissa George Says
Don’t have egg…what can I us to replace the egg?
Metemgee Says
You can make it without egg. Then it’ll just be cassava ball. Or you can put a meat ball in there instead of the egg.
paul Says
I will have to try and make this. the hard part is wrapping the egg with the mixture
wow gal you’re up on your history and culture. Most people dont know that this is just copy/ imitation of Scotch eggs. So Guyana has a lot of hidden British culture.
and most people dont know what Scotch eggs, including Americans/ Canadians and Caribbean people.
the only reason I know is because I quickly picked up some egg snack form a small market when I was late for a train when I was in England visiting years ago.
I never saw this as a kid in Guyana, we made the fried balls out of left over casssava from methem
did you make potato ball yet on your blog. I wonder if this is anyway related, as they dont make in in trinidad, and as far as I know haven’t seen anything on the internet from it
the only thing I think that comes close to potato ball is aloo pie from trinidad, but I think that is a corruption of samosa
Metemgee Says
Thank you for your kind words. I haven’t made potato balls but it should be similar just sub cassava for potatoes and leave out the egg :-). I’m so behind on blogging. Sigh.
Vis Says
Allu bondi, It is common street food in India.
Rena Seecharran Says
Do you have a recipe for Gulab Jamun (guyanese style)?
Metemgee Says
I don’t but inner gourmet (another Guyanese blog) has one.
Andrea Raghunandan Says
Hi!!! do you think you could bake these instead of frying?
Metemgee Says
Im sure you can. Give it a try and let me know how it comes out.
Metemgee Says
Im sure you could. Let me know if you do and how they taste.
jasonbachoo Says
thanks so much i love it when i visit guyana i buy trhast an love it
Debbie Says
Making this tomorrow! Thank you for sharing.
Metemgee Says
No prob. Hope it turned out great.