These Homemade Dominican Sofrito and Sazón Recipes are the favorite base for Dominican dishes. Here are a few to choose from.
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'.
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).
- 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
- 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
- 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!
Recipe
[Recipe + Video] Dominican Sofrito & Sazón
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
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Instructions
To use immediately
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
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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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
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.
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 !!!!
I love this site !!!!! I recommended to all my friends to start cokking Dominican style!!!!