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Mexican

Pozole rojo

Non-vegetarian

A hearty Mexican soup of pork and big, chewy hominy kernels in a brick-red broth of dried chillies, served with a spread of crunchy cabbage, radish, oregano and lime.

Pozole rojo is a Mexican soup from Mexico, ready in about 2 hours 55 minutes and made with pork shoulder, dried whole chillies and hominy. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
2 h 30 min
Total
2 h 55 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
500

Ingredients

6 servings

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the pork, water, onion (opens in a new tab), 4 garlic cloves (opens in a new tab), bay leaves (opens in a new tab) and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer partly covered until the pork is tender.

    Food safety: Wash hands and boards after handling raw pork.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile toast the chillies in a dry pan for a few seconds per side until fragrant, then soak in hot water for 20 minutes.

    • 22 min
    • medium heat

    Don't let the chillies scorch or the broth will turn bitter.

  3. Step 3

    Blend the drained chillies with the remaining 2 garlic cloves (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab) and about 250 ml of the pork broth until smooth. Strain the sauce into the pot.

  4. Step 4

    Discard the onion (opens in a new tab) and bay leaves (opens in a new tab). Add the hominy (opens in a new tab) and simmer 30 minutes more so the flavours meld. Shred the pork into large pieces if you like and adjust the salt.

    • 30 min
    • low heat

  5. Step 5

    Ladle into deep bowls and let everyone add cabbage (opens in a new tab), radish (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab), chilli flakes (opens in a new tab) and a squeeze of lime (opens in a new tab) at the table, with tostadas on the side.

    • 3 min
    Lemon being squeezed
    How it looks · Photo: Gu Ko on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Mexico · Well documentedThe red version is especially associated with Jalisco; green and white styles are made in Guerrero and elsewhere.More food from Mexico
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Blended
Taste
savoury, earthy, spicy (chilli heat), fresh
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Pork-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Festive & celebration · Freezer-friendly · Batch cooking · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Pork shoulder · Dried whole chillies · Hominy · Onion · Garlic · Bay leaves
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification · Stock making

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

500 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 795 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 25%
  • Carbohydrate 17%
  • Fat 57%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy500 kcal63 kcal
Protein31.5 g4 g
Carbohydrate21.1 g2.7 g
Net carbohydrate16.4 g2.1 g
Sugars2.3 g0.3 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.7 g0.6 g
Fat31.6 g4 g
Saturated fat10.6 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol118 mg15 mg
Sodium1348 mg170 mg
Salt equivalent3.4 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
761 mg
Calcium
106 mg
Iron
3.6 mg
Magnesium
69 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
89 µg
Vitamin C
4 mg
Vitamin D
2.8 µg
Vitamin B12
1.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
19 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: cabbage, radish, lime, red chilli flakes, corn tortilla.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Pork with some bone (neck or ribs) alongside the shoulder gives a richer broth.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the toppings — the raw crunchy garnishes are part of the dish, not decoration.

Serve with

  • Serve with tostadas spread with crema.

Food safety

  • Simmer until the pork is tender (well above 71 °C).
  • Cool the broth in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze (without toppings) up to 3 months.

Reheating

  • Bring back to a simmer until piping hot.

Variations

  • Pozole verde (Mexico): Broth coloured with tomatillos, green chillies and pumpkin seeds, typical of Guerrero.
  • Pozole blanco (Mexico): The plain broth without chilli sauce, seasoned at the table.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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