Traditional Mexican Pozole Recipe

This traditional Mexican pozole is a hearty, flavorful stew made with tender pork, white hominy, vegetables, tomatoes, warm spices, and a bright lime garnish.

If you love comforting one-pot meals, this Mexican pozole recipe is a wonderful dish to add to your kitchen routine. It is rich, savory, slightly zesty, and satisfying enough to serve as a full meal in a bowl. The combination of pork, hominy, tomatoes, onion, carrots, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and jalapeno creates a stew that is bold without being complicated.

Pozole is a traditional Mexican soup or stew named for one of its key ingredients: hominy. Hominy is made from whole dried corn kernels that have been soaked in a mineral lime bath. This process gives the kernels their signature puffy, chewy texture. In pozole, hominy adds body and heartiness, making the dish feel both rustic and deeply comforting.

This version keeps the spirit of traditional pork pozole while making the process simple and approachable for a home cook. Instead of starting with dried hominy, the recipe uses canned white hominy, which is easy to find in many grocery stores and helps keep the total cooking time manageable. The result is a warm, filling pork and hominy stew that comes together in about 45 minutes.

One of the best things about pozole is that it eats like a complete meal. The pork brings satisfying protein, the carrots and onions add sweetness and depth, the garlic and spices build a savory base, and the tomatoes give the broth a bright, rich flavor. The jalapeno can be adjusted to your taste: remove the seeds for a milder stew, or keep them in if you prefer more heat.

This easy pozole recipe is especially good for chilly days, busy weeknights, or anytime you want something cozy without using several pots and pans. Everything cooks in one Dutch oven, which means less cleanup and more time to enjoy a warm bowl of homemade stew. Serve it with lime wedges, extra jalapeno slices, and crusty bread for a simple, satisfying meal.

Pozole

Author: Mary Ann Dwyer

Servings: 4 servings

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. pork tenderloin cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup yellow onion chopped
• 1 cup carrots chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 15 ounce can white hominy rinsed and drained
• 1 jalapeno chili diced; remove the seeds for a milder stew or leave them in for more heat
• lime wedges and extra jalapeno slices for garnish

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork and sauté for about 4 minutes, stirring until the pieces are opaque on all sides. Transfer the pork to a bowl and set it aside.
• Add the onion and carrots to the same pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
• Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, kosher salt, and ground pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring well so the vegetables are evenly coated with the spices.
• Add the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, white hominy, diced jalapeno, and the browned pork along with any juices from the bowl.
• Bring the pozole to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Check a piece of pork to make sure it is cooked through.
• Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
• Garnish with extra jalapeno slices and serve warm with lime wedges.