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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes

    Puerto Rican Sancocho

    by Stephenie Published: Sep 8, 2022 · Modified: Sep 10, 2024 . 6 Comments. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    Sancocho is one of Latin America’s most popular delicious soups, especially in the Caribbean.

    a white plate with sancocho.

    It does not matter how hot it is in Puerto Rico, any day is a good day to make a Puerto Rican Sancocho. Especially on rainy days!

    The Sancocho comes from all over Latin America and the Caribbean. There is no one true recipe because every country has its delicious recipe.

    In Puerto Rico we add achiote oil and sofrito with recao. Some of us make Puerto Rican bolitas de platano to add, trust me they’re the best addition to make.

    It is typically served with perfect white rice or a piece of bread. Same way as you serve shrimp asopao.

    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • Vegetables need it for Sancocho
    • Other Recipe Ingredients
    • How To Make Puerto Rican Sancocho
    • Recipe Tips
    • More Recipe Ideas For Dinner
    • Sancocho

    Why This Recipe Works

    • It can be made with any meat you like!
    • Is the perfect recipe to make for large family gatherings because is all in one pot and it yields for many people.

    Vegetables need it for Sancocho

    To find some of the ingredients for sancocho like the root vegetables can be harder. Look for them in your local supermarket in the fresh and frozen area which most of the time they have. You can also go to a Latin or Asian market where you most likely will find them.

    tray full of the vegetable ingredients needed to make sancocho.
    • Garlic, onion, and green pepper- These are the first vegetables that go in and serve as your base.
    • Yuca, Kent pumpkin, potatoes, yautia, and plantains– All of these vegetables are a must-have because they are starchy vegetables that need to thicken our soup. Plus they’re super delicious and filling. Find out more on cassava root.
    • Carrots & corn- These are other vegetables that go great in soup.

    Other Recipe Ingredients

    some ingredients needed to make sancocho.
    • Achiote Oil- this recipe uses achiote oil because it adds a nutty smokey flavor to it and also it is one of the ingredients used for color. But if you don’t have any you can use the oil you normally use for cooking. Learn about achiote and its benefits.
    • Beef Stew Meat- you can use round cuts, chuck, or brisket cuts for this recipe.
    • Sofrito- this is one of the bases used in this dish for maximum flavor.
    • Tomato sauce- I used tomato sauce but you can use tomato paste. If using tomato paste just use ¼ of a cup.
    • Bay leaves- these are a must because of all the flavors they release.
    • Seasonings- In this recipe, you use ground thyme, adobo, sazón and salt.
    • Water- I use 10 cups of water because sancocho shouldn’t be watery. Is meant as a thick stew. If you want it with more stock wait until the last 5-10 minutes to add water so you can see the consistency before adding too much.

    How To Make Puerto Rican Sancocho


    collage on how to make sancocho on the left searing the meat and on the right cooking with veggies.
    • Photo 1: The first step is to grab a big stock pot, add oil, and sear your meat. It doesn’t matter the type of meat you use, is always good to sear.
    • Photo 2: Then add the garlic, onion, and peppers and saute them with the meat for 2 minutes.
    collage on making puerto rican sancocho on the left sauteing sofrito and veggies and cooking with water in the right.
    • Photo 3: Saute the sofrito, tomato, recao, sauce, and seasonings for 2 minutes
    • Photo 4: Add 6 cups of water to cook covered for 30 minutes. This is the start of making the meat tender.
    collage on how to make a sancocho boricua on the left cutting yautia and adding vegetables on the right.
    • Photo 5: Now while you wait for the 30 minutes to pass, peel all the veggies and cut them into about 1-inch pieces. You can prep the veggies before starting but I like to save time.
    • Photo 6: Add the veggies and the rest of the water to the pot. Mix and finish cooking for another 30 minutes.

    Recipe Tips

    • You can make this sancocho stew thicker or runner. If you want it thicker cook it for about 5 minutes more. if you like it runier, cook it 10-8 minutes less.
    • Store it in your fridge for no more than 4 days. Freeze it for up to 3 months. To reheat I suggest thawing completely or almost, then put a little more water to avoid it from drying.
    close up of a plate with sancocho.

    More Recipe Ideas For Dinner

    • a big piece of a pastelon de carne made in a puerto rican style on a plate.
      Puerto Rican Pastelón
    • a plate with chuleta a la jardinera with a small dish with corn and a big bowl of white rice.
      Chuletas A La Jardinera
    • top view of a white plate with rice and pork ribs over a line pattern towel.
      Puerto Rican Pork Rib Rice
    • black cast iron full of corned beef cooked in a puerto rican style.
      Puerto Rican Corned Beef

    💬 If you enjoyed this Puerto Rican Sancocho 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.

    Sancocho

    Nothing better than a steamy bowl of Sancocho. Made with root vegetables that make a hearty stew.
    By: Stephenie
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep :10 minutes mins
    Cook :1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Time :1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    servings :10

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 tablespoons achiote oil
    • 1 pound beef stew meat
    • ½ onion
    • ¼ green pepper
    • 3 bay leafs
    • ½ cup sofrito
    • ½ tomato sauce
    • ¼ cup recao about 3 whole leaves
    • 1 ½ teaspoon sazón
    • 1 teaspoon adobo
    • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground thyme
    • 3 garlic cloves
    • 2 green plantain
    • 1 pound yuca (cassava) about 2 pieces
    • 1 pound yautia (taro)
    • 2 corn cobs
    • ½ pound Kent pumpkin
    • 1 pound potato
    • ½ pound carrots
    • 10 cups water
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    Cooking the meat

    • In a large Dutch oven over high heat add your achiote oil. Add your meat and brown for 6 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.
    • Now add the tomato sauce, sofrito, recao, sazón, adobo, salt, ground thyme. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Add 6 cups of water, stir and cover. Cook for 30 minutes.

    Cooking the vegetables

    • To save time, cut your vegetables while the meat is cooking. Peel the plantains, yuca, yautia, pumpkin, potatoes and carrots. Roughly cut the vegetables into 1 inch cubes. Cut the corn into 6 pieces each or less if you want bigger pieces of corn.
    • Last, add your chopped vegetables and the 6 cups of water left. Stir and cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid the vegetables sticking to the bottom of your pan. Serve and enjoy right away.

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    Nutrition

    Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 568mg | Potassium: 983mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5839IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 4mg
    Course :Soup
    Cuisine :Caribbean | Latin Inspired
    Tried this Recipe? Leave A Comment Below!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Stephenie says

      October 21, 2023 at 4:31 pm

      You made me laugh today when you said you know how to eat it. Let me know how it went and if you have any questions just ask I’ll help you out. Thank you for the visit.

    2. Margarita Mercado says

      October 21, 2023 at 5:22 am

      I am of Puerto Rican decent and have never made sancocho but definitely know how to eat it. I love it. I am going to try this recipe with some tweaks here and there. Will let you know. Thank you for giving me the basics. I’ve always ate it when my aunt made it. I’m 83 so I better not waste time. Thanks again

    3. Stephenie says

      September 22, 2023 at 9:27 am

      Pana! Que rica es right? But like you said is very hard to find depending on where you are. The sancocho is really good even if you don’t have all the vegetables. As longs as I have it with a piece a bread or a bowl of rice I’m happy. Thank you for the visit Wilfredo.

    4. Wilfredo Llanes says

      September 22, 2023 at 8:46 am

      I’m Puertorican and I love sancocho, too. When I make it I put various vegetables. I put pana (breadfruit) if I find it, ñame, yautia, yuca, corn cob, potatoes, platano and meat. Then, my mama’s ingredients that she taugh me. I love sancocho from diffrent country.

    5. Stephenie says

      September 16, 2023 at 2:58 pm

      Hola, thanks for visiting! You are right, thats another way of making sancocho. Sometime I use different meats and vegetables it all depends what I can find. I have never used cabbage but will definitely try it.

    6. Anonymous says

      September 16, 2023 at 1:39 pm

      I am puerto Rican and we make sancocho different, we don’t add yucca, it’s malanga, yautia, batata, calabaza, name, corn on the cob, cabbage and different meat. Sofrito, hija de laurel and hojas de recao if we have green olives we add some.

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