This Easy Red Pozole is a hearty, flavorful soup that’s full of pork and hominy in red-orange chile broth. It’s a one-pot meal that is pure comfort food!
Easy Red Pozole (also called Posole Rojo or Pozole Rojo) is a hearty Mexican stew that can feed a crowd. I got the recipe from my former co-worker, Jessica. She moved to the U.S. from Mexico as a child, and she makes pozole for family get-togethers.
Jessica also gave me this recipe for Authentic Mexican Rice—it’s so good.
She was kind enough to bring the pozole leftovers from a family party to work one day. One taste and I was HOOKED. The pozole was warm and comforting, mildly spiced, with tender chunks of pork and canned hominy in a red sauce, topped with all kinds of fresh garnishes. It is magic in a bowl.
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Ingredients
- Pork shoulder flavors the broth and makes the pozole extra hearty. Jessica uses pork necks, which you can substitute in the place of pork shoulder, if you like.
- Canned hominy is basically puffed-up, juicy, slightly salty corn kernels. It’s sold in cans and can be found in the international food aisle of most grocery stores. I could snack on them right out of the can—so good.
- Onion and garlic add lots of savory flavor to the broth.
- Dried guajillo peppers can be found in some major grocery stores, but in some cases, you will need to visit an international foods store or Mexican grocery store to find them. You can also find dried guajillo peppers on Amazon.
- Oregano and cumin add more great flavor to the pozole.
- Garnishes make the soup so fun to eat! Chopped radishes, romaine lettuce, and crushed tortilla chips are my favorites—they add lots of crunch!
Toppings for red pozole
Toppings add color, texture, and lots of flavor to pozole. Choose as many as you like!
- Chopped radishes
- Shredded lettuce or shredded cabbage
- Lightly crushed tortilla chips
- Finely diced white onion
- Chopped cilantro
- Dried oregano
- Lime wedges to squeeze for lime juice
Frequently Asked Questions
Dried chile peppers makes pozole red. The peppers are rehydrated with water, then blended to create a richly colored red sauce.
Green pozole (pozole verde) is made with tomatillos and poblano peppers. Red pozole (pozole rojo) is made with dried guajillo or ancho chiles.
Guajillo chiles are traditionally used in red pozole. You can find them at many international food stores. You can also find dried guajillo peppers
on Amazon. Some recipes also use ancho chiles.
Pork shoulder or pork necks are both traditionally used for pozole.
📖 Recipe
Easy Red Pozole
Ingredients
- 3½ lbs pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed, divided
- 2 (29 oz) cans hominy, drained
- 3 oz dried guajillo peppers
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 5 teaspoons kosher salt
- For garnish: chopped radishes, chopped cilantro, finely diced white onion, tortilla chips, shredded romaine lettuce, oregano, lime wedges
Instructions
- Place the pork shoulder in a large stock pot or dutch oven. If your pork shoulder has a bone, add that too.
- Add the onion, 5 of the smashed garlic cloves, and 2 teaspoons salt.
- Add water until it reaches 1 inch above the pork. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer on low until the meat is tender, about 2–3 hours.
- Remove the onion, garlic cloves, and bone (if you added it).
- Add the hominy, reserving 1 cup for later use. Cook for 30 minutes more.
- Meanwhile, place the peppers in a medium bowl. Pour 5 cups of boiling water over the top and cover. Let sit for 20 minutes. Drain the peppers.
- Remove the stems and cut the peppers open. Remove the seeds and membranes.
- Place peppers, remaining 5 cloves of garlic, 2 teaspoons oregano, 2 teaspoons cumin, and 3 teaspoons salt in a blender. Pour 1 cup water over the top. Blend on high until almost smooth.
- Add the remaining 1 cup hominy and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour the pepper mixture into the pot with the pork. Stir to combine. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve in big bowls with chopped radishes, chopped cilantro, finely diced white onion, tortilla chips, shredded romaine lettuce, and lime wedges on the side.
