Last updated: October 5, 2026
This sofrito recipe blends onion, green peppers, garlic, and cilantro into a fresh flavor base in about 15 minutes, with no cooking and no oil. Use the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and steps, or keep reading for every tip you need to make a batch that lasts for weeks.
How to Make This Sofrito Recipe
Sofrito is a blended mix of onion, peppers, garlic, and fresh herbs that you cook in a little oil at the start of a dish to build deep savory flavor. This version is the green, Puerto Rican style, and it takes about 15 minutes in a food processor with nothing to cook.
The Ingredients You Need
You need 1 large yellow onion, which is about 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped, plus 1 large green bell pepper, which is about 1 cup roughly chopped. You also need 2 cubanelle peppers, about 1 cup roughly chopped, and 10 peeled garlic cloves.
The herbs are 1 cup of packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus 8 culantro leaves if you can find them. Add 2 tablespoons of water to help the blades move, and that is the entire list, with no salt and no oil.
The culantro is optional, and the recipe card marks it that way too. Leaving out the salt keeps the sofrito flexible, because you season the finished dish instead of the base.
Prep the Vegetables
Rinse the cilantro and culantro, shake them dry, and roughly chop the onion, bell pepper, and cubanelle peppers into pieces about 1 inch wide. Seed the peppers so the sofrito tastes sweet and green instead of bitter, and peel all 10 garlic cloves.
Rough chunks are all you need because the food processor does the fine chopping. Even pieces simply help the blades catch everything in the first few pulses.
Pulse in Two Stages
Add the onion, green bell pepper, cubanelle peppers, and garlic to a food processor and pulse 8 to 10 times, scraping down the sides once, until everything is finely chopped. This first stage breaks down the dense vegetables before the delicate herbs go in.
Add the cilantro, culantro, and water, then pulse 10 to 15 more times until the sofrito looks finely chopped and spoonable with tiny green flecks. Pulse instead of running the machine nonstop, because constant blending turns the mixture into a watery, foamy puree.
What the Finished Sofrito Looks Like
Finished sofrito should look like a thick, speckled green relish that you can spoon, not a smooth sauce. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups, which works out to 20 portions of 2 tablespoons each.
How to Store Sofrito
Spoon the sofrito into a glass jar with a tight lid and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. For longer storage, spoon 2 tablespoons into each cavity of an ice cube tray, which fills about 20 cubes, and freeze the tray for at least 4 hours until solid.
Move the frozen cubes to a freezer bag, where they taste best within 6 months. Food kept at 0°F stays safe indefinitely according to the USDA, but the flavor fades over time.
We keep oil out of the blend on purpose, because garlic stored in oil is a recognized botulism risk and food safety agencies advise against keeping it that way. Add the oil only when you cook the sofrito, and never store the raw blend under a layer of oil.
Ingredient Tips and Substitutions
Cubanelle Peppers and Ají Dulce
Cubanelle peppers are light green, thin-walled, and mild, which makes them the easiest stand-in for the sweet ají dulce peppers used in Puerto Rico. If you find ají dulce at a Latin market, swap a small handful for one of the two cubanelles, although the card leaves this swap out, so treat it as optional.
Culantro Versus Cilantro
Culantro, also sold as recao, has long serrated leaves and a stronger flavor than cilantro. If you cannot find it, leave it out, and the sofrito will still taste great because the cilantro carries the herb flavor.
Keeping It Mild or Adding Heat
Sofrito is savory and aromatic, not spicy, which is why it works in dishes for the whole family. If you want a little heat, add half a seeded jalapeño with the first stage of pulsing, and note that the card leaves this out, so it is optional.
Food Processor or Blender
A food processor gives the best texture because you control the pulses and keep small flecks of vegetable. If you only have a blender, add the water, onion, and peppers first, pulse in short bursts, and add the garlic and herbs last.
How to Use Your Sofrito Recipe in Everyday Cooking
Sofrito goes into the pot first, before the liquid, the beans, or the meat. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pot over medium heat, add the sofrito, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until it smells fragrant and most of the liquid has cooked off.
Beans and Rice
Beans and rice are where sofrito shines, because the cooked base seasons every grain and bean from the inside out. Use 1 cube, or 2 tablespoons, for a small pot and 2 to 3 cubes for a large pot of beans, rice, or stew.
Frozen cubes go straight into the hot oil with no thawing, and they melt in a minute or two. That makes weeknight pots of black beans, pink beans, or yellow rice feel almost effortless.
Soups, Stews, and Braises
Stir sofrito into soups and stews the same way, then add broth, tomatoes, or vegetables once the base smells sweet and toasty. It also works as a flavor foundation for braised chicken, pork, and lentils.
Eggs, Marinades, and Dips
Fold a spoonful of raw or cooked sofrito into scrambled eggs, mix it into a simple marinade with lime juice and cumin, or stir it into sour cream for a quick dip. Because the blend has no salt, taste as you go and season to your liking.
The Story Behind Sofrito
The name comes from the Spanish verb sofreír, which means to fry lightly, and the idea is simple. Start a dish by gently cooking aromatic vegetables so their flavor spreads through everything that follows.
In Spain, sofrito is usually onion, garlic, and tomato cooked slowly in olive oil. Cooks in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic adapted the technique with local peppers and herbs, and each region developed its own version.
Puerto Rican sofrito is typically a green, uncooked blend built on culantro, ají dulce, cilantro, onion, and garlic, and it is sometimes called recaito. Cuban sofrito is usually a cooked mixture of onion, green pepper, and garlic, which is why a blend like this one is meant to be cooked in oil when you use it.
Print or save the recipe card below to keep the exact amounts handy while you cook.
Sofrito
A fresh, Puerto Rican style sofrito made with onion, green peppers, garlic, and cilantro. Blend it in 15 minutes and freeze it in cubes for beans, rice, and stews.
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cubanelle peppers, seeded and roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 8 culantro leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Rinse the cilantro and culantro and shake them dry. Roughly chop the onion, green bell pepper, and cubanelle peppers into pieces about 1 inch wide, and peel the garlic.
- Add the onion, green bell pepper, cubanelle peppers, and garlic to a food processor. Pulse 8 to 10 times, scraping down the sides once, until finely chopped.
- Add the cilantro, culantro, and water. Pulse 10 to 15 more times until finely chopped and spoonable with tiny green flecks, without running the machine nonstop.
- For the refrigerator, spoon the sofrito into a glass jar with a tight lid and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- For the freezer, spoon 2 tablespoons into each cavity of an ice cube tray to fill about 20 cubes, and freeze for at least 4 hours until solid. Transfer the cubes to a freezer bag.
Notes
Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months. To use, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium heat, add 1 to 3 cubes or 2 to 6 tablespoons of sofrito, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until fragrant and most of the liquid has cooked off. Frozen cubes can go straight into the hot oil. This sofrito contains no oil or salt, so season the finished dish to taste, and do not store the raw blend in oil. The culantro is optional, and you can leave it out.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
2 tablespoonsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 8Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g
Sofrito Recipe Questions
What is sofrito made of?
This sofrito recipe is made of yellow onion, green bell pepper, cubanelle peppers, garlic, cilantro, and optional culantro, blended with a little water. Other versions add tomato, ají dulce, or oregano.
How long does sofrito last in the fridge?
Fresh sofrito keeps in a tightly sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you will not use it in that time, freeze it in ice cube trays instead.
Can you freeze sofrito?
Yes, sofrito freezes beautifully, and freezing is the best way to keep a big batch. Freeze 2 tablespoons per ice cube cavity, then store the cubes in a freezer bag for up to 6 months.
How much sofrito should you use in a dish?
Start with 2 tablespoons, or 1 cube, for a small pot and use 2 to 3 cubes for a large pot of beans, rice, or stew. You can always add more at the end if you want a stronger flavor.
Is sofrito spicy?
No, sofrito is aromatic and savory rather than hot. Cubanelle and bell peppers are mild, so the flavor is sweet, garlicky, and herby.
Why This Sofrito Recipe Works
The two-stage pulse is the key to the texture. Chopping the dense onion, peppers, and garlic first means they break down evenly, and the cilantro and culantro only get a short blend at the end so they stay bright green instead of turning into paste.
Ten garlic cloves might look like a lot, but they balance one large onion and two kinds of peppers. Together they give you a base that tastes sweet and savory at the same time, with the herbs lifting everything.
Leaving out the oil and salt makes this sofrito easy to freeze, easy to portion, and easy to use in any dish. You decide how much fat and seasoning goes into each pot, and the 2 tablespoon cubes make that simple.
Make This Sofrito Recipe Today
This sofrito recipe takes 15 minutes, uses one food processor, and gives you 20 portions of flavor that are ready whenever you cook. Make a batch tonight, freeze it in cubes, and drop 2 or 3 into your next pot of beans or rice.
