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This pozole rojo (red pozole) is the one I grew up eating all the time, and my family still makes a big pot as soon as the weather turns cold. Tender pork and hominy simmer in a red chile broth made from guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles.
A Note from Isabel
There are a handful of recipes that bring me instant nostalgia, and pozole rojo is one of them. It was on the table year-round when I was growing up, and my mom always blended a small piece of Mexican chocolate into the red chile sauce. It doesn’t make it sweet, it just gives the broth a deeper flavor, which is why I still make it that way today.
It’s hearty, filling, and so comforting when the weather gets cold, and it’s great for a crowd since most of the work is just letting it simmer. If you want a version without dried chiles, try my easy chicken pozole that goes in the slow cooker. And if you’re ready to try a different broth flavor altogether, there’s also pozole verde made with a green chile and tomatillo broth and pozole blanco made with no chiles at all.
What Is Pozole?
Pozole is a traditional Mexican soup or stew made with hominy and meat, usually pork, in a seasoned broth. It’s been around since before the Spanish arrived in Mexico, and the name comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs.
You’ll see it at birthdays, weddings, and Christmas, but in my family it was never just a holiday thing. We ate it all the time, and lots of people eat it year round.
You’ll also see it spelled “posole,” especially in New Mexico and other parts of the U.S.
Ingredients in Pozole Rojo
Here’s what goes into it, plus a few notes on what to buy. Full amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Dried chiles: You’ll need a mix of guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and árbol chiles. Guajillos give the broth most of its red color, anchos make it rich and a little sweet, and the árbol chiles bring the heat. Most big grocery stores carry them in the Hispanic foods aisle, and you can also find them online.
- Pork shoulder: Also called pork butt. It stays juicy through the long simmer and shreds really easily. I cut it into big chunks, about 4 inches, before searing.
- Hominy: Hominy is dried corn that’s been soaked in an alkaline solution (cal, or slaked lime), which is why the kernels are so big and chewy. I use canned white hominy, drained and rinsed, but yellow works too. If you’ve never cooked with it, I have a whole post on hominy and how to use it.
- Broth: I like using broth instead of water for more flavor. Chicken, vegetable, or beef all work. If you don’t have any, water is fine in a pinch.
- Seasonings: Cumin, chili powder, Mexican oregano, salt, black pepper, and garlic. The oregano goes in the pot and on top of every bowl as a mix-in.
- Mexican chocolate (optional): This ingredient is optional, but I find that Mexican chocolate adds a little extra depth of flavor that complements the chiles. It doesn’t make the chile sauce sweet at all. I used Abuelita Mexican chocolate, but you can use any Mexican chocolate you prefer. If you can’t find anything near you, you can find some online.
How to Make Pozole Rojo
1. Make the chile broth: Bring the dried chiles to a boil in water, then cover and let them soak off the heat for 15 minutes. Blend them with the soaking water, garlic, spices, and chocolate until totally smooth.
2. Sear the meat: Season the pork with salt and pepper, then brown it on all sides in a big pot or Dutch oven.
3. Combine and cook: Pour in the chile sauce and scrape up the browned bits, then add the broth, hominy, and oregano. Cover and simmer on low for about 2 1/2 hours.
4. Shred: Shred the pork right in the pot. Taste for salt, and add more broth if you like it soupier.
5. Serve: Top with thinly shredded cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, sliced radishes, diced onions, and dried Mexican oregano.
Recipe Tips
- Clean the chiles first. Give the dried chiles a quick rinse and pull out the stems and seeds before they go in the pot. The seeds add heat, so leave a few in the árbol chiles if you like it spicy.
- Blend longer than you think. I blend the chile sauce for a full 2 to 3 minutes. You want it completely smooth, with no bits of chile skin floating around in the broth.
- Don’t skip the sear. Browning the pork leaves bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, and scraping those up when the chile sauce goes in adds a lot of flavor to the broth.
- Make it as brothy as you want. Some people like their pozole thick and some like it really soupy. If yours isn’t brothy enough, stir in more broth at the end.
How to Serve Pozole
Pozole is all about the toppings, and everybody builds their own bowl. These are the classics:
- Thinly shredded cabbage
- Chopped cilantro
- Dried Mexican oregano
- Freshly squeezed lime juice
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Diced white onions
On the side, it’s great with crunchy tostada shells, warm corn tortillas, or bolillo bread for dipping. Add a spoonful of chile de árbol salsa if you want more heat. And if it’s cold out, a mug of atole or champurrado goes great with it.
Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Methods
- To make pozole in the Instant Pot, use the ‘Saute’ function to sear the meat, then add in the blended chile sauce, broth, hominy, and Mexican oregano. Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 60 minutes using the manual setting. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before manually releasing any remaining pressure. My Instant Pot pozole has the full step-by-step if you want it.
- To make pozole in the slow cooker, sear the meat in a large skillet, then transfer to the slow cooker. Add the blended chile sauce, broth, hominy, and Mexican oregano, and slow cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the pork is tender and easily shreddable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not very. Guajillo and ancho chiles are on the mild side. The heat comes from the árbol chiles, so leave them out for a mild red pozole, or add one or two more if you like it hot.
Yes. For beef, use chuck roast and cook it exactly like the pork. For chicken, use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Sear them the same way, then simmer them for just 40 minutes.
Pozole Rojo (Red Pozole)
Ingredients
For the chile sauce
- 4 cups water, divided
- 6 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 4 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 árbol chiles, stemmed (seeds removed if you prefer a mild spice level)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic
- 8 grams Mexican chocolate, optional (about ⅛ disc)
For the stew
- 2 ½ pounds pork shoulder, cut into large 4-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 6 cups broth (chicken, vegetable, or beef)
- 3 (15-ounce) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
For serving
- thinly shredded cabbage, cilantro, diced onions, lime wedges, sliced radishes, Mexican oregano
Instructions
- Make the chile sauce. Add 3 cups of water and the guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles to a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, remove from heat, and let soak for 15 minutes.
- Carefully transfer the softened chiles and the hot water to a large blender. Add the remaining fresh water, the chili powder, ground cumin, salt, garlic, and Mexican chocolate. Blend for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Prepare the meat. Season all sides of the pork with the salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork, and sear the meat on all sides until nicely browned.
- Combine and cook. Pour in the red chile sauce and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen all the brown bits. Stir in the broth, hominy, and dried oregano.
- Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 ½ hours until the pork is fall-apart tender.
- Shred the pork with a fork or tongs (it should fall apart very easily). Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.
- Serve with toppings such as thinly shredded cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, sliced radishes, diced onions, and dried Mexican oregano.
Video
Notes
- Storing and reheating. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, with the toppings stored separately. Reheat on the stove over medium heat with a splash of broth. It also freezes for up to 3 months.
- Mexican chocolate. This ingredient is optional, but I find that it adds a little extra depth of flavor that complements the chiles. It doesn’t make the chile sauce sweet at all.
- Swap the protein. Beef chuck roast works the same way as pork shoulder and simmers for the same amount of time. For chicken, use boneless skinless chicken thighs, sear them, and simmer for about 40 minutes.
- Not enough broth? Some people love their pozole extra brothy. If you find that the pozole isn’t soupy enough for you, stir in some more broth until it’s to your desired consistency.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Mexican Recipes
The recipe was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated with more helpful tips and new photos.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
Hey I don’t have cumin or chili powder can I use chicken broth seasoning instead?
I live in a dorm room so supplies are limited I have
▢ 6 guajillo chiles, rinsed and seeds removed
▢ 4 ancho chiles, rinsed and seeds removed
▢ 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
and onions but I do have chicken bullion and oregano and Peper.
I have ground ancho chili, what would the substitution amount be? (whole to ground)
Very delicious!
Can I add more water so that it has a more soup like consistency?
Absolutely!
Currently making now, and noticed you don’t put onion in, just on top at the end!
Why is that?
Can you make the sauce without the chili?
Really good and easy to make. I didn’t have guajillos and just used the 1/2 tsp chipotle powder. It had just enough spice for flavor without being hot. My husband liked it so much he sent the recipe to his brothers.
When you specify chili powder, are you referring to a chili blend, such as McCormick’s Chili blend? Or, are you referring to a powder made strictly from red chiles?
This is the most authentic pozole I’ve seen! Just how my family always makes it.
Have you changed this recipe? I seem to remember it having shallots in it. Also, if not making your own chili sauce, how much would you use of store bought? Thanks!
Hi Tiffany! We haven’t updated this recipe. If you want to use store bought I recommend using about 6-8 cups, so probably about 2 jars.
This was incredible, the only ingredient I didn’t have was the chocolate (to be honest I was a chicken and skipped it but next time I’m gonna add it) just a great meal. I made a vegetarian version for my wife as well. The cabbage radish and lime just make is so complete and perfect. I over indulged but it’s hard to stop when the foods this good. Thanks Isabel