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    Dominican Sofrito & Sazón – 4 Versions

    Jars with Dominican Sofrito & Sazón

    En Español Recipe ↆ

    These Homemade Dominican Sofrito and Sazón Recipes are the favorite base for Dominican dishes. Here are a few to choose from.

    Mano con cucharita en un pote de Dominican Sofrito & Sazón

    JUMP TO: show ↓
    1. Why we ❤️ it
    2. Our reader's sofritos
    3. Cada cocinero...
    4. About my recipe
    5. Recipe
    6. Video

    Why we ❤️ it

    'Cada cocinero tiene su librito' (every cook has his/her own little book) goes the Dominican saying. Each home has its own traditions, likes, and dislikes. It is impossible to offer you recipes that duplicate the flavors of each of your homes, and the flavors of each home are contained in the base for Dominican cooking: the sofrito / sazón.

    I love to do things myself (and save money in the process), so some time ago somebody asked if anyone had a good recipe for homemade 'sazón / sofrito'.

    • Ingredients for Dominican Sofrito & Sazón
    • Jar with Dominican Sofrito & Sazón
    Dominican sazón

    Always keen to help, our regular readers shared their recipes with us. Before we get to my recipe, I'll show three of theirs.

    Our reader's sofritos

    Karima's recipe

    • 2 bunches of cilantro
    • 4 radishes
    • 1 of each: green, red, and yellow pepper
    • 1 onion
    • 5 cloves of garlic
    • 1 lime (just the juice)
    • if you like a couple of the small hot yellow and orange peppers (only two sometimes they are really hot).
    1. I put all of these ingredients into a blender and set it a chop or blend, you don't want it watery, you could even use a food processor. I put it in a container, and refrigerate it. It keeps for a long time at least 3 weeks.

    Vitico's recipe

    • Olive Oil
    • Tomato paste
    • Oregano
    • Cumin
    1. Although I have learned to interchange Oregano and Cilantro. When I use one I don't use the other.

    Kjdrga's recipe

    • 4-5 cloves of garlic
    • 2-3 sopita (bouillon cubes)
    • a bunch of cilantro
    • ½ of aji / pepper (the one they sell in the DR long pale green not hot)
    • a tablespoon of bitter orange
    • half a red onion (depending on its size if small a whole one)
    • a tomato or two seeded
    • a little olive oil
    1. I either use a blender or food processor. I like to baste the chicken with this and roast it in the oven, basting every 15 minutes until it's done.

    Cada cocinero...

    As you can see from the above (and the comments further below) each Dominican's combination of herbs and spices is almost as unique as are our fingerprints, and a product of our own family traditions, and personal tastes and preferences. There's almost no way to make it wrong.

    And here's my own:

    About my recipe

    I generally do not pre-make sazón at home and rather sauté fresh ingredients, but my mom, who worked outside of the home, loved to find ways to save some time in the kitchen. She would make giant batches of this and kept it refrigerated, the salt makes it a little inhospitable for bacteria and helped prolong the shelf life. Since the recipe I offer is for a modest yield, not as much salt is needed.

    This is mami's sazón, the flavors and aromas of my childhood. Feel free to share yours with us too.

    Buen provecho!

    Tia Clara

    Recipe

    Jars with Dominican Sofrito & Sazón
    Keep screen on while cooking

    [Recipe + Video] Dominican Sofrito & Sazón

    Dominican Sofrito & Sazón Recipe: a favorite base for Dominican dishes. Use immediately or refrigerate for later use. It's all good.
    5 from 4 votes
    Save for Later Send by Email Print Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Seasoning
    Cuisine Dominican
    Servings 4 portions (¼ cup each)
    Calories 50 kcal

    Ingredients

    • 2 cubanela (cubanelle pepper), diced
    • 6 clove garlic, crushed
    • 1 medium red onion, cut into strips
    • 3 bunches cilantro, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon bija (annato, achiote) powder
    • 1 tablespoon oregano (dry, ground), fresh leaves, or 1 teaspoon dry
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil

    Instructions
     

    To use immediately

    • Sauteing sazón ingredients
      Cook: Saute all the ingredients at very low heat until they release their flavor and the onions have become translucent. Continue with your cooking preparation.

    To store

    • Blending sofrito (sazón)
      Blend: Combine the ingredients and mix in a blender until you obtain a coarse paste.
      Keep refrigerated for up to a week. Or freeze in a zippy bag for up to a month.

    Tips and Notes

    If it is going to be used for stews then substitute the oregano and coriander for a bouquet garni consisting of thyme, cilantro, and oregano.
    This will yield about 1 cup of seasoning if blended, enough for use four times. You can use it as a base for habichuelas, moro, for marinating meats, and any time you want to add some extra Dominican flavor to your meals.
    If cooked immediately, and unblended, you may need to adjust the amounts of garlic, cilantro, and onion depending on how much you like or dislike their taste. This is something that you can only find out with practice.
    "Ajíes gustosos" are preferable to cubanelle, but since I haven't been able to find a proper translation to English, I am guessing they'll be harder to find outside the DR. Substitute a dozen ajíes gustosos for the two cubanelas.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 103mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 139IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.

    READERS SEARCHED FOR dominican sofrito recipe, homemade dominican sofrito, how to make sofrito dominicano, sazon dominicano, softito

    Video

    Edited: May 28, 2022 | Publish: Jan 1, 2011

    ¡Hola! I am Tía Clara, your host. Thanks for visiting.
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    Recipe Rating




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    33 Comments
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    Lina
    April 10, 2016 9:37 PM

    I use cilantro, parsley, oregano, garlic, peppers and a splash of vinegar to get the processor going... never use onions... my great grandma (best cook ever) used to tell me that onions will make food bitter if not used fresh... so I just chop onions when I am cooking, never… Read more »

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    Sandra
    June 11, 2015 12:42 PM

    I have never heard of any sofrito using radishes as a main ingredient!!! I use the regular Rican recipe which includes onions, cubanelle peppers, garlic, ajicitos, oregano, cilantro & recao... but I also add green & red bell peppers, a jar of pimentos with their liquid, a jar of pitted… Read more »

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    Malena
    December 13, 2012 9:45 PM

    The Puerto Rican version is very recao-heavy (also called culantro, not sure how Dominicans call it). We also use lots of ajies dulces; the recao and ajies give it its distinctive flavor. Of course every family has its own recipe. In mine, for example, we don't add garlic because several… Read more »

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    Patricia
    August 4, 2016 1:41 AM

    Yo uso, una cebolla roja grande, un ají verde, me encanta ponerle bastante ajo (algunos 10 dientes de ajo mas o menos), verdura, cilantro, aceite verde, mojito ó naranja agria, un tallo de apio, ajicitos dulces (como le llamamos en RD, me gusta al igual que el ajo ponerle mucho),… Read more »

    3
    Reply
    Maria's Caribbean Rican-Nican-'ban
    November 26, 2014 9:28 PM

    I put cilantro,culantro,aji,cubanelo,garlic greenpeppers,onions,vinegar,Adobo,
    chicken bullion,tomato sauce,olive oil and some water...I then pour it into ice cube trays,when all frozen I put the sofrito frozen cubes in zip lock bags,I add fresh "sofrito frozen cubes" to beans,meats,rice etc I never have spoiled sofrito an it lasts a long time

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    Michelle
    October 1, 2012 2:36 PM

    My version is one large aji. One large onion. Two or three cloves of garlic. A bunch of cilantro. Cut them into small chunks and put them all in blender. Sometimes I add one large red pepper.

    2
    Reply
    Francesca
    June 1, 2011 10:08 AM

    I learned the Puerto Rican version of sofrito from friends of mine in NY and San Antonio, and have also done Italian soffrito for my sauces. As it's a seasoning base, I'm learning that creative variations are a matter of course. I was wondering whether sofrito could be spiked up… Read more »

    2
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    Milz
    April 5, 2011 3:19 PM

    Mi mama decia...Cada cocinero/a tiene su librito... El Sazón de nuestra familia se usa como es una base para todas las carnes, pescado y habichuelas. Cebolla, ajo, sal, pimienta negra, orégano y pimientos verde con un poco de aceite de oliva para preservarlos. No le pongan limón fresco o se… Read more »

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    Elisa A
    May 3, 2011 10:46 AM

    Here's my Americanized sofrito style. 1-2 heads of garlic bunch of cilantro bunch of basil oregano 1-2 onions salt Pepper olive oil 1-2 lemons or vinegar (your choice) achote put everything in the blender or food processor, pour into an ice cube and refrigerate. Add other ingredients according to your… Read more »

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    Martica
    March 16, 2011 2:26 PM

    I am not from the Dominican Republic and I love using sofrito. This basic recipe was given to me by a fellow New Yorker of Puerto Rican ancestry. 1 bag of red onions (about six medium/large) 3-4 medium/large red bell peppers 3-4 medium/large green bell peppers 1 head of garlic… Read more »

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    Tracy England
    October 29, 2019 3:22 PM

    I recently moved to the Dominican Republic and have been trying to educate myself of different types of foods that I see on shelves at the grocery store. Today I picked up a bottle of El Cocinero Sazon Liquido Verduras. Can you tell me what this is most commonly used… Read more »

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    darla
    March 5, 2012 6:40 AM

    Glad I found this page....my daughter is 1/2 DR and i was feeling bad I couldn't give her foods that are part of her culture. NOW im going to be all over this site !! thank you !!!!

    1
    Reply
    UNIRYS ALMONTE
    February 24, 2012 7:47 AM

    I love this site !!!!! I recommended to all my friends to start cokking Dominican style!!!! 5 stars

    1
    Reply

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