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Puerto Rican sofrito is easy to make at home! Vegetables and herbs are blended together to form the base for many Puerto Rican dishes. This is why Puerto Rican cuisine is so flavorful!
Puerto Rican Sofrito
In this post I’m going to show you how to make sofrito.
This is the foundation for many recipes like the popularPuerto Rican habichuelas, mom’s famousPuerto Rican rice, ground beefpicadillo (which is used as an empanada filling) and many more.
I like to think of it as a Puerto-Rican style pesto. Except I wouldn’t eat this raw! It’s always cooked.
So I guess it is more similar to the French mirepoix, which consists of onions, carrots and celery, or the Cajun “holy trinity” of onions, celery and bell pepper.
What does sofrito have in it?
Traditionally you need bell peppers, onion, aji dulce peppers, garlic, cilantro and recao.
This Puerto Rican sofrito recipe consists of (mostly) easy-to-find ingredients.
However, I’ll talk about what to do when you can’t find a certain ingredient.
Bell peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro are all common ingredients for me to find.
It has become increasingly difficult to find recao and nearly impossible to get aji dulce peppers.
I will be ordering some seeds to grow my own, but I know this isn’t a possibility for everyone.
Recao also goes by the name culantro, long coriander and a variety of other titles.
It can be found in Hispanic and Asian markets. Asian stores may call it sawtooth coriander.
It is extremely fragrant and smells similar to cilantro, but deeper.
If you cannot find recao, increase the cilantro to two bunches.
Aji dulce are a small Caribbean pepper about the size of a habanero.
They are not spicy at all, but slightly sweet.
If you can’t find them, make the sofrito without them or substitute one red bell pepper or cubanelle pepper.
Just note that using a red pepper may change the color of the sofrito, but that’s ok.
Can I use recaito instead of sofrito?
Yes, recaito can be used instead of sofrito.
If you are buying pre-made from the store you will notice that recaito is a green, cilantro based puree and sofrito is a red puree due to the addition of tomato sauce.
Puerto Rican sofrito is typically green and we add the tomato sauce later when using the sofrito in a recipe.
This recipe will make approximately 4-6 cups of sofrito.
Usually you only need about 2 tablespoons of sofrito per recipe.
You can certainly par this recipe down, but I like to make a big batch while I have the ingredients and freeze it in ice cube trays for later use.
Each cube is about 1 tablespoon, and there’s no need to thaw before using.
Just throw it in the recipe when it calls for sofrito.
Store the sofrito cubes in a freezer bag to prevent freezer burn and they should stay fresh for some time.
If you’ve never tried cooking with sofrito before, I highly recommend starting with my Puerto Rican Rice and Beans.
It is the most popular recipe on the blog…BY FAR. One bite and you’ll know why!
Watch the video below to see how sofrito is used in a recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 large green bell peppers
- 3 large Spanish onions
- 2 bags of aji dulce (about 10 peppers)) OR 1 red bell pepper
- 1 head of garlic, peeled
- 1 large bunch of cilantro
- 1/2 bunch of recao (about 15 leaves)
Instructions
- Remove stems and seeds from bell peppers. Cut into quarters.
- Peel the onion and cut into quarters.
- Remove stems and seeds from aji dulce.
- Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until finely minced.
- Store in airtight container in refrigerator if using within a few weeks.
- Or, freeze in small portions (about 1-2 heaping tablespoons) for later use. Ice cube trays work well for this. After frozen, store sofrito cubes in an airtight freezer bag and use as needed. No need to thaw before cooking.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 32Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 11Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g
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FAQs
This Puerto Rican version of sofrito—there are many different geographical variations—is a fresh mixture of onions, cubanelle peppers, garlic, cilantro, ajices dulces,* cilantro, culantro,* tomatoes, and red pepper quickly chopped into a fine paste in a food processor.
Can I substitute recaito for sofrito? ›
Recaito and sofrito have become interchangeable when describing this all-purpose cooking base. Recaito translates to "small recao," recao being one of the names we call the herb culantro. The "small" being the recao minced down into a smooth-ish paste.
What is the difference between Puerto Rican sofrito and Dominican sofrito? ›
Sofrito is called recaito in Puerto Rico. The pungent herb culantro and ajies dulces (sweet chili peppers) are the contributing flavor profiles. Dominican sofrito, called sazon, uses vinegar for a flavor punch and annatto for color.
What is a substitute for aji dulce peppers? ›
Aji dulces, or ajies or one of the other related sweet Caribbean peppers, make for the most authentic sofritos. (If they are nowhere to be found, cubanelles are a common substitute, though green bell peppers will do.)
What is the difference between sofrito and soffritto? ›
Soffritto comes from Italian cuisine, while sofrito, spelled with just one 'f' and one 't,' is Spanish. Not only do spellings differ, but ingredients do too!
What is sofrito sauce made of? ›
In Portugal, it is made primarily of onions and olive oil, and sometimes with garlic and bay leaves - referred to as "estrugido". Puerto Rican sofrito is a puree of of onions, garlic, aji peppers, green bell pepper, and cilantro and culantro.
What is the difference between recaito and sofrito? ›
You may have noticed that I use the words recaito and sofrito interchangeably. They are basically the same thing. Traditionally, Spanish sofrito contains tomatoes making it red. Puerto Rican sofrito does not include a tomato product so it retains the green coloring of the herbs.
Is culantro the same as sofrito? ›
Elsewhere in the region, culantro goes by a variety of other names: Mexican coriander, saw-toothed coriander, spiney coriander, long coriander, or wild coriander; recao in Puerto Rico, where it's the base of recaito (or sofrito), along with garlic, green peppers, and ajíes dulces or sweet peppers a lot like these that ...
Is sofrito the same as mirepoix? ›
Sofrito vs Mirepoix
The difference between sofrito and mirepoix is that sofrito uses tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic while mirepoix does not. Sofrito is also fried in olive oil while mirepoix is traditionally slowly cooked in butter. You can also expect to find herbs added to sofrito but not in mirepoix.
What are the two types of sofrito? ›
Many Caribbean islands have a version of sofrito called by different names. The Dominican Republic and Cuban sofrito are very similar to Puerto Rican recipes, with the main changes being the types of peppers used.
Sofrito is a Spanish word that means “lightly fried”. You can cook some sofrito to eat as a stew or use it as a richly seasoned base for soups and sauces. It can be made in large batches and then divvied up and frozen for future use.
How long does Puerto Rican sofrito last in the fridge? ›
While in the fridge sofrito will only last about a week; in the freezer it will last for weeks, even months. This means I can get the prep work done on a Sunday afternoon, then repeat the rewards over and over. No more wasted ingredients.
What is a substitute for Pequin chiles? ›
Pequin Chile Substitute
The Chiltepin chile is a good substitute for the Pequin pepper (50,000-100,000 SHU). They share a similar flavor profile but only use about half as much Chiltepin to start since they are nearly twice as hot as the Pequin.
What is aji pepper in english? ›
In South American Spanish ají means 'chili pepper' and dulce means 'sweet', so the name translates to 'sweet chili pepper'.
What is a substitute for aji panca chiles? ›
If you need a substitute, chocolatey pasillas can step in, but it's worth seeking out the real thing. Aji panca is a member of the baccatum family of chiles. They're fruity, sweet, and surprisingly complex compared to their better-known cousins like poblanos, jalapeños, and serranos.
What's the difference between salsa and sofrito? ›
Think of it this way: Sofrito is typically used to start a dish as an ingredient in cooking and is more of a puree, whereas salsa is thicker, is served raw, and used to finish a dish or serve on its own.
What is the base of sofrito flavoring? ›
Latin cuisines include sofrito in their repertoires; it's a puree of onions, peppers, cilantro and garlic. It can be chopped by hand or in a food processor. This sofrito is cooked in oil until the flavors come together and the mixture is aromatic and a tight paste, about 15 minutes.
Is sofrito and culantro the same thing? ›
Elsewhere in the region, culantro goes by a variety of other names: Mexican coriander, saw-toothed coriander, spiney coriander, long coriander, or wild coriander; recao in Puerto Rico, where it's the base of recaito (or sofrito), along with garlic, green peppers, and ajíes dulces or sweet peppers a lot like these that ...
Is sofrito good for you? ›
Reduces Inflammation
Sofrito contains many anti-inflammatory compounds, thanks to the variety of vegetables, olive oil, and how they all interact with each other. One clinical trial in men demonstrated an improvement in anti-inflammatory biomarkers for 24 hours after eating a single serving of sofrito (8).
