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    Home » Recipes » Latin Inspired

    Puerto Rican Sofrito

    by Stephenie Published: Jun 10, 2022 · Modified: Apr 16, 2024 . 2 Comments. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    The real secret behind the flavor of Puerto Rican dishes is the Puerto Rican Sofrito. Used to make anything from soups, stews, rice, and much more.

    A bowl with sofrito next to some garlic, onion, aji dulces and recao.

    What is Sofrito? 

    Sofrito is the base of many Puerto Rican recipes which gives the food a delicious taste. A classic authentic Puerto Rican sofrito is made with blended raw onions, garlic, peppers, aji dulces, cilantro, and most important culantro.

    For Puerto Ricans sofrito is as important as the seasoning mix sazon, an all purpose seasoning adobo because with these we can make practically any savory dish.

    My favorite recipe to use sofrito is in rice and beans a lo boricua or my holiday favorite Puerto Rican arroz con gandules.

    Jump to:
    • What is Sofrito? 
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • How To Make Puerto Rican Sofrito
    • Recipe Tips
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Recipes to Use Sofrito In
    • Puerto Rican Sofrito

    Why This Recipe Works

    The sofrito can be used when making any savory recipes like:

    • Traditional Puerto Rican- stewed corned beef
    • Vegetable dishes– stewed habichuelas
    • Beef recipes– carne guisada in a Puerto Rican style
    • Hearty soups– Puerto Rican shrimp soup
    • Rice pots– rice & ribs

    Recipe Ingredients

    The hardest ingredients to find will be the recao and ajies. Check your local supermarket first then go to a Latin or Asian supermarket. The ajies I usually buy fresh from Etsy.

    ingredients needed to make puerto rican sofrito. these ingredients are recao- culatro, cilantro, cubanelle pepper, green pepper, red pepper, garlic, onion and aji dulce.
    • Recao(Culantro)- While some people suggest substituting with cilantro, I don’t because it will no longer have the authentic Puerto Rican taste. But you can also make a sofrito without recao and it will still give food a good flavor. Learn more about recao.
    • Ajies Dulces- Ajies dulces come in different shades of red, green, orange, and yellow. When on the hunt for ajies, make sure you ask to see if you got the right one, or else you can end up like me. Once by mistake, I bought a bag of small habanero peppers thinking they were ajices, and ended up with what they call jalapeño hands.
    • Cilantro- I used a bunch of cilantro just as it comes from the grocery store.
    • Cubanelle peppers-  These peppers are widely available, sometimes called Italian frying peppers. Most of the time, they’re in the same area as the green peppers at grocery stores.
    • Green bell peppers and Red bell peppers- I used one of each color but if you don’t want to give the sofrito a red color use both green.
    • Yellow Onion- I used 1 yellow onion but you can also use white onion.
    • Garlic cloves- I used 12 fresh cloves of garlic. I suggest not using a garlic paste, only fresh garlic.

    Substitutions & Variations

    • When trying to substitute ajies you can use a half pound of mini sweet peppers of all colors. They have a sweet taste and are not spicy at all.
    • When making this recipe I use water to blend better all the vegetables. A good variation to use is an oil infused with achiote instead of water.

    How To Make Puerto Rican Sofrito


    removing all the seeds from aji peppers.
    • Photo 1: Remove all the seeds from all of your peppers. I roughly chop the vegetables to make it easier on my blender but it is optional.
    blending all the ingredients of a puerto rican sofrito.
    • Photo 2: Use a blender or a food processor to blend all the vegetables. Add a little bit of everything or do it in batches if everything doesn’t fit. Store in fridge or freezer.

    Recipe Tips

    • It is best to store sofrito in a disposable container because the smell is hard to remove from plastic.
    • Avoid using freezer bags to store sofrito. This is because if the bag breaks, then your fridge or freezer will be smelly for a few days.
    • Fill each hole of an ice cube tray with 2 tablespoons of sofrito, freeze and you have portion sofrito ready to go!
    a glass jar full of homemade sofrito with some vegetables in the background.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How to store Sofrito?

    Fresh sofrito can last 1 month in your fridge. But being honest I had it for longer. In the freezer, it can last up to six months(that is the longest I had it for). The best way to store sofrito is in disposable containers because other materials tend to hold the smell. I also use a glass jar when keeping the sofrito in the fridge because it can break once frozen.

    What is the difference between recaito and sofrito?

    Depending on who you ask you’ll get different answers. But where I come from which is Puerto Rico, recaito and sofrito are the same thing. This is because they both have to have onions, peppers, garlic, cilantro, and recao. So is essentially the same thing with a different name.

    Are there other types of sofrito?

    Many countries have their own version of a sofrito base. In Spain, sofrito is made with onions, garlic, tomato, red pepper, olive oil, and salt. In France, there’s the mirepoix which is a base made of chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Here in the US, we have the holy trinity which is the base of many Cajun dishes made with onion, celery, and green pepper.

    Was sofrito invented in Puerto Rico?

    Sofrito actually comes from Spain according to the Brittanica website. Then it was brought to the Caribbean after the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The word sofrito comes from the Spanish verb sofreir which means to sautee in a little bit of fat.

    Recipes to Use Sofrito In

    • a spoonful of yellow rice with corn over a plate with rice.
      Puerto Rican Yellow Rice with Corn
    • black cast iron full of corned beef cooked in a puerto rican style.
      Puerto Rican Corned Beef
    • a plate with puerto rican arroz con jueyes, limes and tostones with a beer and lime jedges on the background.
      Arroz Con Jueyes (Crab Rice)
    • a light blue plate full of puerto rican carne guisada with carrots and potatoes.
      Puerto Rican Carne Guisada (Beef Stew)

    💬 If you enjoyed this Puerto Rican Sofrito recipe, give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment, or question below. 

    If you rather watch how to make a recipe you can follow us on YouTube and our Facebook Page. Or keep up with us on Instagram and Pinterest.

    a white bowl full of sofrito and a few vegetables on the side.

    Puerto Rican Sofrito

    A blend of aromatic ingredients called Sofrito is the real secret behind the flavor of Puerto Rican dishes. This recipe will be your base for cooking just like in the Caribbean.
    By: Stephenie
    4.75 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep :15 minutes mins
    Time :15 minutes mins
    servings :48

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 bunch recao
    • 1 bunch cilantro
    • 1 cup ají dulce about 15-20 ajices
    • 1 red bell pepper
    • 1 green bell pepper
    • 1 onion
    • 2 cubanelle pepper
    • 12 cloves garlic peeled
    • ½ cup water
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Wash all your ingredients and roughly chop.
    • Add your ingredients to a blender or food processor and mix. If big enough, you can add them all together, or you can do it in batches.
    • Mix well until everything is well incorporated but your mix still has some texture.
    • Store accordingly.

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    Recipe Notes

    1. Is best to store sofrito in a glass jar.
    2. Store a portion of sofrito to use in a couple of weeks in your fridge and freeze the rest.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 6kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 282IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
    Course :Cooking Base
    Cuisine :Carribean | Latin American
    Tried this Recipe? Leave A Comment Below!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.75 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Stephenie says

      February 04, 2025 at 9:12 am

      Hi Ari, thanks for pointing that out. The measurements is in tablespoons. It yields about 4 cups.

    2. Ari says

      February 03, 2025 at 11:59 pm

      Hi, Stephenie. Is the total serving based on cups, tablespoons, etc? It says the recipe makes 48 servings.

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