Red Posole with Pork
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Feb 23, 2025 
Authentic Pozole Rojo Recipe (Red Posole with Pork) – This EASY posole soup from Mexico offers bold spices, chunks of tender pork, and hearty hominy, with cool crunchy toppings!
Authentic Mexican Pozole Rojo Recipe
I have always loved adventuring and exploring the unordinary. Just as no two cities are the same, no two bowls of posole are the same. This easy authentic posole recipe is the ticket to lots of smiles around your dinner table.
Pork Posole is a cross between soup and stew.
What is Pozole?
Some might ask what Pozole means… Since hominy is one of the main ingredients in Pork Posole, pozole actually means hominy!
What Is Hominy?
Hominy is dried corn (or maize) kernels that have been soaked in water (with lime) to remove the tough outer husk.
Cooked hominy has a similar texture to corn tortillas, because traditional corn tortillas are made out of masa… Which is made out of dried ground hominy.
That’s right, without hominy we wouldn’t have delicious rustic corn tortillas.
A Pork Posole Recipe for Holidays!
This Red Posole Recipe with Pork (Pozole Rojo) is commonly enjoyed on Christmas and Mexican Independence Day.
Not only is Pozole a soup for special occasions, but it is also a comfort food that can be enjoyed on a rainy day or for your Cinco de Mayo feast!
Depending on the region, there are many variations of posole, including white (Blanco) posole, red (Rojo) posole, and green (Verde) posole.
The colors of the traditional Pozole soups make up the colors of the Mexican flag, green, red, and white!
Pozole Ingredients
A traditional Red Posole recipe is made with pork, hominy, and garlic.
However, with many variations comes many different ways to top this particular soup ranging from radishes and cilantro to avocado and chiles.
- Olive Oil. To saute the ingredients.
- Pork Roast. Cut the pork off the bone, and cook the bone to add flavor.
- White Onion. To deeply enhance the flavor of your soup.
- A Few Cloves Garlic. Fresh is the way to go.
- Ancho chiles peppers. Sweet and smoky with medium heat.
- Guajillo chiles peppers. The most common dried chile used in Mexican cuisine.
- Arbol chile peppers. Bright clean heat.
- Bay leaves. Add a subtle bitterness to keep the soup from being heavy.
- Mexican oregano. Similar to lemon verbena.
- Chicken broth or water. Whichever your preference is!
- White hominy. A key ingredient for this recipe!
- Lime. Enhances the flavor of soup without a lot of calories!
- Salt and pepper. Add to taste.
- Avocado. Who doesn’t love avocado as a topping?
- Radish. The traditional topping for Red Posole.
- Cilantro. If you don’t love raw cilantro, you can leave this topping off.
- Tortilla chips. A crunchy topping.
How To Make Red Posole
- Cut the pork off the bone in large chunks. Sprinkle salt and pepper liberally over all the chunks, including the bone.
- Pop the stems off the dried chiles and shake out the loose seeds.
- Brown pork on all sides in a heavy 6-8 quart dutch oven.
- Add in the onion wedges and garlic, then add in the chile peppers, bay leaves, oregano, 6 cups chicken broth, and 1 teaspoon salt. Be sure to push the chiles down under the liquid.
- Simmer for 50-60 minutes, until pork is tender enough to shred. Discard bone and bay leaves. Shred pork.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables, chiles, and broth into a thick sauce.
- Add the hominy and shredded pork. Stir in lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste.
Shredded cabbage or lettuce is also a traditional garnish, but I prefer it without. You can also garnish with lime wedges as well.
Also check out our Pozole Verde, made with chicken and tomatillos!
Get the Full Printable Pozole Rojo Recipe (Red Posole with Pork) Below. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
The main ingredients of Red Posole are hominy, pork, garlic, and chiles.
Yes, you can! Swap the pork for chicken or shrimp. If using shrimp, add it 5-10 minutes before ready to serve.
The flavor comes from the union of chiles, pork, onions, and garlic, plus the toppings of radishes, cilantro avocado, and tortilla chips. It tastes rich and heavy, yet the fresh toppings lighten the flavor and add irresistible contrast.
You can store these leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, and the flavor will improve with time. You can keep this dish in the freezer for up to 3 months. This Mexican soup is great to make in a large pot and store for later.
Yes, you can. Be sure to cover the lid with a towel, to protect against hot liquid splashing out.
Mix cornstarch with a small amount of cold water. Mix it into a loose paste. Then slowly stir the slurry into the simmering soup until you reach the desired thickness. The soup must be simmering (a low boil) in order for the cornstarch to thicken the broth.
Looking For More Mexican-Inspired Recipes?
- Paleo Chicken Chili Verde
- Tostadas de Tinga
- Best Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Grilled Mexican Street Corn Salad
- New Mexican Chile Verde
- Mexican Mocha
- Enchiladas Suiza
- Best Slow Cooker Carnitas
- Mexican Stuffed Crescent Roll Recipe
- Mexican Breakfast Casserole
- Adobo Grilled Pork with Esquite Stuffed Onions
- See all our Soup Recipes!
Check this dishes printable recipe card below for the prep time, cook time, and nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, fiber, vitamin, and calcium percentages.
Red Posole Recipe (Pozole Rojo)
Video
Ingredients
For the Pozole Rojo:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 ½ pound bone-in pork roast (leg, rib, or loin)
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 6 dried ancho chile peppers
- 5 dried guajillo chile peppers
- 3-6 dried arbol chile peppers
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- 6+ cups chicken broth or water
- 3 15 ounce cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1 lime, juiced
- Salt and pepper
Toppings:
- 2 ripe avocado, sliced
- 1 bunch radishes, sliced
- 1 lime, cut into small wedges
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Cut the pork off the bone in large chunks. Sprinkle salt and pepper liberally over all the chunks, including the bone. Pop the stems off the dried chiles and shake out the loose seeds.
- Set a heavy 6-8 quart dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil to the pot. Once hot add the pork chunks, including the bone. Brown the pork on all sides.
- Move the pork to the sides of the pot. Add in the onion wedges and garlic. Sear for 1-2 minutes, then add in the chile peppers, bay leaves, oregano, 6 cups chicken broth, and 1 teaspoon salt. Push the chiles down under the liquid.
- Cover the pot with a heavy lid and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 50-60 minutes, until the pork is soft enough to shred. (Keep the pot covered.)
- Remove the pork chunks, bone, and bay leaves. Discard the bone and bay leaves. Use tongs or forks to shred the pork into small chunks.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables, chiles, and broth into a thick sauce. You can also do this is a standard blender, but cover the lid with a towel, to protect against hot liquid splashing out.
- Add the shredded pork back to the pot, along with the rinsed hominy. Stir to combine. If the sauce seems too thick add 1+ cup chicken broth or water to the pot.
- Stir in the lime juice. Taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- To serve: Ladle the posole into bowls. Garnish the top with tortilla chips, sliced avocado, radishes, lime wedges, and cilantro.
Love it!
Absolutely amazing, and so easy to prepare! My whole family devoured it. Thank you for an amazing recipe.
Hi! I dont eat pork, what can i use as a sub? Thanks!!
Hi Whitney,
Boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs would be a good option!
this soup is sooooo good! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
When do you add hominy?
Hi Tam!
In the recipe, it mentions adding in the hominy with the shredded pork. :)
I made a 16 pound Pernil for Christmas using a leg with skin on. I have quite a large piece left over and was wondering if I could use this to make the posole? My gut says it would be fine, especially with the bone but I am uncertain if the meat would become dry? I cooked the Pernil to 160 degrees. Please advise? Thank you.
Hi Debbie,
Yes, you could definitely use that. Let me know how it turns out!
Perfect every time!
xx
I’ve made this at least 8 times. I’ve tried other recipes, and this one is the best/easiest! It turns out perfect every time. I now use my Ninja Foodie pressure cooker to brown the meat first, then add the broth and put the dried chili’s under everything. I put it in for about 15-40 depending on the size of the butt roast. I usually do a 4lb. for about 25 m. Not including the pressure build-up and natural release. Then I take the meat pieces out and blend the chilies and liquid all up right inside the cooker. The chilies get extra soft from the pressure. ~ Put all the rest of the ingredients in and put it on slow-cook mode for a couple hours. :) Add extra broth as needed for consistency.
Oops, I forgot to say I add ALL the first set of ingredients with the meat and broth before pressure cooking. Onions… garlic… herbs etc. I fish out the bay leaves before blending. :)
This is one of the most comforting and colorful soups ever!
The recipe is BOLD! I absolutely love it. I was hesitant to try a new recipe for a dinner with friends but I went for it. I am so pleased and I can’t wait to share this. I was really looking for an authentic recipe and this was it. I’m so glad this recipe calls for cooking with the bone. It really gives it a deep, rich taste. I didn’t have mexican oregano so I used an equal blend of marjoram and basil. I also went ahead and chopped the pork into bites, although that was an accident and shredded pork is so much more mouth watering. But it worked! A little more tedious to take it all out, but it wasn’t impossible. I will definitely be adding this recipe to the books so I can make it again!
Found this searching for good Mexican recipes using pork loin strips (which I already had frozen)…and sure glad I did. This was FANTASTIC! I didn’t have the dried arbol chile peppers so I substituted 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes. Was not familiar with Pozole Rojo prior to this but will definitely make it again. A TRUE KEEPER!
Felt super accomplished after this one! Absolutely delish!!!