My homemade Sazon Dominicano is a must have! This Dominican seasoning goes in anything from beans and rice, smothered on meat dishes during the holidays, into flavorful marinades, you name it. An authentic taste of the Dominican Republic, made with fresh sweet peppers, onions, garlic, herbs and so much more.
Sofrito, Sazon, they're the same. Sorta.
Growing up the way I did, in Abuela's galley apartment kitchen, as the sometime's sous-chef in my mother's colorful kitchen or hovering around my Dominican mother-in-law's light-filled kitchen with the plastic in the oven, the smell of sofrito sizzling in a pan has always been a constant in my life.
Dominicans call their sofrito sazon, though it's basically the same idea. It's the flavor base of Cuban foods, Dominican recipes, Puerto Rican dishes, though each country has its own twist: full of onion, garlic, herbs, and peppers blended up and used to marinated or season whatever meat or veggie you have in mind.
It's my go-to for pernil, veggies, and chicken, I tend to make big batches right before the holidays to keep on hand and to give away as gifts. It's perfect for the freezer, and I've spent enough time in my mother's kitchen, my mother in law's kitchen, and my abuela's kitchen to know that any hispanic dish needs a good spoonful of sofrito to really taste right.
And if you ask a Cuban, a Puerto Rican, or a Dominican who has the better sofrito, they will argue with each other for at least 15 minutes about it. Don't worry guys, everyone's food is delicious, okay? Don't fight in my comments.
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Ingredients
My version is a pretty classic take. All sofritos have variations between themselves, but I have plenty of tips for finding ingredients and their substitutes.
- A buttload of Garlic - Dominican sazon is garlic heavy. We're using around 3 pounds of it. Do yourself a favor and buy a huge bag of pre-peeled garlic and save yourself the hassle and prep of trying to peel 25 heads of garlic. Ask me how I know.
- Mild Sweet Peppers - it's a gaggle of peppers here: a rainbow of green, red, orange, and yellow bell peppers and cubanelle peppers. We have plenty of flavor but we're not looking for heat. Traditionally we use aji dulce but I cannot find it anywhere near me in NoVA nor have I had good luck buying them online. So we substitute cubanelle peppers, which I have had much better luck finding in the Latino markets and even a local Harris Teeter!
- Annatto Seeds - This is a classic spice used all across the Caribbean. Not only does it have an earthy flavor, it gives achiote paste that red color we all recognize. If you can find it ground, use it. I buy mine online and pulverize them in a spice grinder.
- Fresh Herbs - we're using oregano (if you can get Dominican or Mexican oregano, use it), cilantro, and culantro. Culantro is a long, flat, saw-toothed herb that tastes like cilantro but doesn't set off the soap gene for (most) cilantro haters. Culantro is often at Latino markets, so you'll find it there.
- Roma Tomatoes - this is not in every sazon, but it's in mine. I'll say it's optional, but it brings a sweetness that really makes a difference. And Romas are great since they have so few seeds!
- Red Onions - you can also use yellow or white. Red is great for using its bright flavor.
- Lime Juice + Zest - Not traditional --just using white vinegar is-- but I love the flavor of lime in sazon.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
How to Make Dominican Sazón
Step 1 | If you're using whole annatto seeds, throw them into a spice grinder or high powered blender and pulverize them!
Step 2 | Peel and quarter the onions, quarter the peppers and remove the seeds, take the herb leaves off the stems. Now throw it into a food processor or blender and chop it up until fine.
Step 3 | Pour everything into an airtight container like some mason jars or your empty tub of Country Crock to keep it authentic and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks. Simple, easy, ready for empanadas and pernil.
Variations + Pro Tips
- Use a food processor, not a blender. We want things to have a chunky quality, not so much pureed and smooth like you'll find with Cuban or Puerto Rican sofrito.
- Always label and date your homemade condiments and sauces! I remember always having to check the butter tubs to play a culture classic game: is it butter or is it leftovers? Label and date your jars, even if they're clear, so you what they are and when they'll expire.
- If you're a soap-gene person, use parsley instead of cilantro. Culantro doesn't tend to set off the soap gene.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Store in the Fridge: Keep the sazon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Freeze for Later Use: pour the sazon into ice cube trays or into quart sized freezer safe zip top
How to Use Sazón:
- Sazon is like all sofritos, it's great as a seasoning base for rice dishes, meats, and veggies of all types.
- Sizzle it in some olive oil and sauté some shrimp in it.
- Marinate chicken or pork before grilling or braising.
- Slow cook some beef to shred into empanadas.
- Add in a generous amount of olive oil to a serving of sazon and use it as a bread dip much like chimichurri sauce!
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Spice Grinder - if you're using whole annatto seeds.
- Storage Containers
FAQs
Puerto Rican sofrito is made of aji dulces, sweet small peppers, and culantro. Dominican sofrito is called sazón, made with all types of peppers --often aji dulces on the island-- and culantro just like in PR, but also has lots of garlic, annatto seeds, and vinegar. Other ingredients can vary.
The main ingredients in any sofrito would be the peppers, the herbs, and garlic. The other ingredients tend to change depending on the region/country.
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Dominican Sazon (Sofrito)
Equipment
- spice grinder for grinding whole annatto seeds
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers, green, yellow, red, and orange
- 1 cubanelle pepper
- 1 teaspoon annatto seeds, whole or powdered
- 2 roma tomatoes, halved
- 3 lbs garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 red onions, peeled and quartered with root removed
- ½ cup culantro, optional
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoon oregano, fresh, or 1 tablespoon dried
- 2 limes, juice and zest
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Quarter, stem, and deseed the bell peppers and cubanelle pepper.4 bell peppers, 1 cubanelle pepper
- If using whole annatto seeds, powder them in a spice grinder or high powered blender1 teaspoon annatto seeds
- Put all of the ingredients into a large food processor and blend on low until all the ingredients are finely chopped.2 roma tomatoes, 3 lbs garlic cloves, 2 red onions, ½ cup culantro, 1 cup fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoon oregano, 2 limes, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pour your sazón into clean airtight containers. Keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks, or put into freezer safe containers and freeze for up to 6 months.
Recipe Notes
Variations + Pro Tips
- Use a food processor, not a blender. We want things to have a chunky quality, not as smooth as Puerto Rican sofrito.
- Label and date your jars, even if they're clear, so you what they are and when they'll expire.
- If you're a soap-gene person, use parsley instead of cilantro. Culantro doesn't tend to set off the soap gene.
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