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Isabel
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Authentic Mexican pozole (posole) is a hearty and comforting stew made with pork and hominy in a flavorful red chile broth. Top your bowl with shredded cabbage, radishes, cilantro, lime, and avocado!
There’s nothing better than a warm bowl of pozole and some freshly made corn tortillas or tortilla chips on the side.
It’s Mexican comfort food at its finest and is one of Mexico’s most popular dishes!
What Is Pozole?
Pozole is a traditional Mexican soup or stew made with tender meat and hominy in a savory broth.
There are many variations of the dish, including some with a red chile broth (known as pozole rojo) and some with a green chile broth (or pozole verde). There’s even a version made with no chiles at all called pozole blanco!
All variations are made with hominy and are served with lots of toppings that are meant to be mixed into each individual serving.
Pozole is served year-round but is often eaten at celebrations such as birthdays, Christmas, New Year’s, and other holidays.
Ingredients in Pozole
While this pozole recipe is fairly easy to make, you do need to have the right ingredients in order to get the red chile broth to be as flavorful as possible. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Dried chiles: You’ll need a mix of guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles. You can find them in the Hispanic foods aisle of many large grocery stores or in a specialty Mexican grocer. If you can’t find them in your area, buying them online is always a great option.
- Hominy: This is often found in the Hispanic foods aisle of your local grocery store or sometimes near the canned corn. If you’ve never used it before, hominy is a type of maize that’s been soaked and treated with lime. The kernels are about triple the size of yellow corn, and they look like big and puffy popcorn! Learn more about hominy.
- Pork shoulder: Also known as “pork butt,” this cut of meat is perfect for pozole because it’s super tender, juicy, and shreds easily.
- Broth: I prefer using broth for added flavor. You can use vegetable, chicken or beef. If you don’t have broth, water will also work in a pinch.
- Spices: Cumin, chili powder, Mexican oregano, salt, black pepper, and garlic.
- Mexican chocolate (optional): This ingredient is optional, but I find that it adds a little extra depth of flavor that compliments the chiles. It doesn’t make the chile sauce sweet at all. I used Abuelita Mexican chocolate, but you can use any Mexican chocolate you prefer. Learn more about Mexican chocolate.
How to Make Pozole
Making pozole is fairly easy, but it does take a little bit of time since the meat needs to cook long enough so that it’s tender and juicy. Here’s how to make it:
Rehydrate the chiles: Add the dried chiles to a pot of boiling water and let them soak for 10 minutes to soften.
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Blend the sauce: Add the softened chiles, the water they were soaking in, salt, garlic, Mexican chocolate, cumin and chili powder into a large blender and blend until completely smooth.
Sear the pork: Season all sides of the meat with salt and black pepper, then brown on all sides in a large Dutch oven or pot until nicely browned.
Combine and cook:Add in the red chile sauce, broth, hominy, and dried oregano and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 2 1/2 hours until the pork is fall-apart tender.
Shred and serve:Shred the pork with a fork or tongs, then serve with traditional toppings like finely shredded cabbage, cilantro, lime wedges, sliced radishes, diced onions, and avocado.
How to Serve Pozole
A warm bowl of pozole rojo is delicious on its own, but adding toppings and garnishes truly takes it to the next level. Here are some traditional toppings that are served with pozole:
- shredded cabbage
- cilantro
- dried Mexican oregano
- lime juice
- sliced radishes
- diced white onions
- avocado
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between pozole and posole?
There’s no real difference except the spelling. Nowadays, they’re often used interchangeably. However, the spelling “pozole” is traditionally used in authentic Mexican cooking, whereas the spelling “posole” has traditions in the US Southwest.
Where can I find dried chiles?
You can find them in the Hispanic foods aisle of your local grocery store or in a specialty Mexican grocer. If you can’t find them in your area, you can easily buy them online.
Can you make pozole with beef instead of pork?
Yes. You can use beef chuck roast instead of pork shoulder. Treat it exactly the same by searing it first, then braising it in the chile sauce.
What are the 3 types of pozole?
The 3 types of pozole are pozole rojo, pozole verde, and pozole blanco.
Can you make pozole in the Instant Pot?
Yes! If you have an Instant Pot, try my Instant Pot pozolerecipe!
Quick Tip
If you only add a few toppings to your bowl, make them shredded cabbage and fresh lime juice. The cabbage adds a great crunch to the stew, and the lime juice adds the perfect amount of acidity that makes the red chile broth really pop!
Storing and Freezing
Pozole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze, cool the pozole in the refrigerator. Once cooled, transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Mexican Recipes
- Birria
- Mole Sauce (Mole Poblano)
- Chile Relleno
- Tamales
- Chile Colorado
- Chile Verde
4.82 from 108 votes
Pozole Rojo (Red Posole)
servings: 10 servings
Print Pin Review Save
Prep: 25 minutes minutes
Cook: 2 hours hours
Total: 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes
Mexican pozole (posole) is a hearty and comforting stew made with pork and hominy in a flavorful red chile broth. Top your bowl with shredded cabbage, radishes, cilantro, lime, and avocado!
Ingredients
For the chile sauce
- 3 cups water
- 6 guajillo chiles, rinsed and seeds removed (about 41 g)
- 4 ancho chiles, rinsed and seeds removed (about 93 g)
- 2 árbol chiles, rinsed (seeds removed if you prefer a mild spice level)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic
- 8 grams Mexican chocolate, optional (about ⅛ disc)
For the stew
- 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into large 4-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 6 cups broth (chicken, vegetable, or beef)
- 3 (15-ounce) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano preferred)
Suggested toppings
- thinly shredded cabbage, cilantro, diced onions, lime wedges, sliced radishes, Mexican oregano, avocado
Instructions
Soak the chiles: In a small pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Remove it from the heat and add in the dried chiles. Cover and let the chiles soak for 10 minutes.
Blend the chiles: Carefully transfer the softened chiles and the hot water into a large blender. Add the chili powder, salt, ground cumin, garlic, and Mexican chocolate. Blend for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth. Set aside.
Prepare the meat: Season all sides of the pork with the salt and black pepper. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add in the cooking oil and then the pork. Sear the meat on all sides until nicely browned.
Combine: Pour in the red chile sauce and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen all the brown bits. Stir in the broth, hominy, and dried oregano.
Cook: Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat to a low, cover and simmer for 2 ½ hours, until the pork is fall-apart tender.
Shred the meat: Shred the pork with a fork or tongs (it should fall apart very easily). Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.
Serve: Serve with toppings such as thinly shredded cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, sliced radishes, diced onions, avocados, and dried Mexican oregano.
Notes
- Mexican chocolate: This ingredient is optional, but I find that it adds a little extra depth of flavor that compliments the chiles. It doesn’t make the chile sauce sweet at all.
- Storing: Pozole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Cool the pozole in the fridge. Once chilled, scoop into freezer-safe zip-top bags or containers and freeze. When ready to eat, let frozen container thaw completely in the fridge or defrost in the microwave. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until completely warm.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1/10th of recipe, Calories: 314kcal (16%), Carbohydrates: 14g (5%), Protein: 20g (40%), Fat: 20g (31%), Saturated Fat: 7g (35%), Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 65mg (22%), Sodium: 1131mg (47%), Potassium: 20mg (1%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 2g (2%), Vitamin A: 1450IU (29%), Vitamin C: 0.8mg (1%), Calcium: 10mg (1%), Iron: 1.8mg (10%)
Author: Isabel Orozco-Moore
Category: Mexican
The recipe was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated with more helpful tips and new photos.
Leave a Reply
Heather Monter
So delicious! I used the Instapot directions for your Barbacoa recipe-1 hour in the Instapot and it is delicious! I’ve been making one of your recipes every days for the past 2 weeks! My daughter loves your recipes!Reply
Terry
This really good. Very easy recipe.I lived in New Mexico for 11 years and also gravitate to similar recipes we made in New Mexico. Your recipes comes close. Thank you
Reply
Andy Varella
Delicious. Thanks for sharing Isabel.Reply
Jaime
Very delicious!Can I add more water so that it has a more soup like consistency?
Reply
Isabel
Absolutely!
Reply
Debbie H
Really good and easy to make. I didn’t have guajillos and just used the 1/2 tsp chipotle powder. It had just enough spice for flavor without being hot. My husband liked it so much he sent the recipe to his brothers.Reply
Gloria
This is the most authentic pozole I’ve seen! Just how my family always makes it.Reply
Tiffany
Have you changed this recipe? I seem to remember it having shallots in it. Also, if not making your own chili sauce, how much would you use of store bought? Thanks!
Reply
Ana @ Isabel Eats
Hi Tiffany! We haven’t updated this recipe. If you want to use store bought I recommend using about 6-8 cups, so probably about 2 jars.
Reply
Michael Leamy
This was incredible, the only ingredient I didn’t have was the chocolate (to be honest I was a chicken and skipped it but next time I’m gonna add it) just a great meal. I made a vegetarian version for my wife as well. The cabbage radish and lime just make is so complete and perfect. I over indulged but it’s hard to stop when the foods this good. Thanks IsabelReply
Peggy Moss
Can I use chicken or beef for this recipe instead of pork?
Reply
Ana @ Isabel Eats
Hi Peggy! Yes you definitely can!
Reply
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