Imagine getting ready to make a delicious Puerto Rican meal but missing the base, the sofrito! Here you’ll learn how to make a Sofrito Substitute from scratch in less than 10 minutes!
While living in Puerto Rico, I never felt the pain of having no homemade sofrito. But When I became part of the Puerto Rican diaspora I felt that!
Maybe you live outside the island like me or are new to cooking traditional Puerto Rican food and can’t find all the ingredients.
The ajies needed for the sofrito or the recao herb are the hardest to sometimes find.
But with this easy substitute, you’ll be able to make Puerto Rican rice, a Puerto Rican picadillo, or even a bacalao y berenjena.
Jump to:
Why The Recipe Works
- It is one of the best substitutes for sofrito you can use without changing the flavor of the food.
- It is as easy as chopping or using a food processor.
- The ingredients needed are conveniently found in almost any supermarket.
- Freezer-friendly that will last for months!
Recipe Ingredients
- Cilantro- This is the best substitute there is for the recao. I used ¼ of the bunch you get at the store.
- Garlic- I used 4 garlic cloves that I mince. I prefer using fresh garlic over the ones you get pre-mince at the supermarket. This is because the flavor and aroma are more intense when fresh.
- Onion- I use ¼ of yellow onion. But white onion works great as well.
- Cubanelle pepper- I used ½ cubannelle pepper. If you’ve never seen one they’re long light green peppers.
- Green bell pepper- I used ½ of green pepper but you can use half green and half red pepper if you want to add some color.
How to Make a Sofrito Substitude
- Photo 1: Chop the onion and peppers into ¼ inch-cube pieces.
- Photo 2: Finely mince the garlic cloves.
- Photo 3: Store the substitute in a freezer bag or a glass jar.
- Photo 4: When ready, cook with the substitute as you will with the sofrito.
Recipe Tips
- You can use a food processor to chop all the vegetables in this recipe just like you would with sofrito.
- Stuff ice cubes with the vegetable mix and freeze. This will help with portioning and making it last.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can blend all the ingredients but you might have to add 2 tablespoons of water to make it easier on your blender.
Yes, you can! You can use this substitute to make any rice recipe, soups, and stews. Use in any recipe where sofrito is needed.
No, it is not. This is because it doesn’t have the same flavor profile as the sofrito.
Store for up to 7 days in your fridge. Use a disposable freezer bag or a glass jar. I suggest not using any plastic containers because the smell from the veggies will be hard to remove. You can freeze for up to 6 months.
Recipes to Use the Substitute
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Sofrito Substitute
Ingredients
- ¼ bunch cilantro (1oz) about 20 twigs
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¼ yellow onion
- ½ cubanelle pepper
- ½ green bell pepper
Instructions
- Roughly chop the onion, cubanelle, and green pepper into ¼-inch cubes.
- Peel and mince the garlic. Store everything until ready to use.
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Recipe Notes
- This recipe yields 6- ¼ cups.
- You can store it in your fridge for up to 7 days.
- you can freeze for 6 months.
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