Easy Al Pastor Marinade Recipe
This bold, smoky al pastor marinade is loaded with ancho and guajillo chiles, pineapple juice, achiote, and vinegar bringing that signature taqueria flavor right into your kitchen. It’s sweet, spicy, tangy, and perfect for coating pork, chicken, or whatever you’re grilling for your next summer taco night.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 122kcal
Ingredients
- 4 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon annatto seeds or 1 tablespoon achiote paste
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1-3 chipotles in adobo optional
- 6-8 garlic cloves
- ¾ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup neutral oil like avocado or vegetable
Instructions
- Place the dried chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let them soak for 15 minutes, until softened.4 dried guajillo chiles, 2 dried ancho chiles
- While the chiles soak, add the cumin, coriander, oregano, black peppercorns, kosher salt, and annatto seeds to a spice grinder, or high powered blender, or mortar and pestle. Grind until fine. If using achiote paste, skip this step and just add it to the blender later.1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon annatto seeds, 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano, 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Drain the soaked chiles and add them to a blender along with the chipotles, garlic, ground spices,, salt, pineapple juice, vinegar, and oil. Blend until smooth. Add a splash of water or more pineapple juice if needed to loosen it up.1-3 chipotles in adobo, 6-8 garlic cloves, ¾ cup pineapple juice, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup neutral oil
- Give it a taste; it should be tangy, smoky, a little sweet, and well-seasoned. Add more salt or chipotle peppers, if needed. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using to let the flavors settle.
Notes
Makes 2 cups of marinade, enough for about 3 pounds of pork/chicken.
Storage & Freezing
- In the fridge: Store the marinade in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It actually gets better after a day or two once the flavors have had time to settle in.
- In the freezer: Pour it into a zip-top bag or freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. You can also freeze it with the meat already marinating, just thaw in the fridge overnight and cook like usual.
- Want to turn it into dinner? Use this marinade to prep my Braised Al Pastor Tacos or Spicy Grilled Chicken Adobo Tacos!
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25 cup | Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 885mg | Potassium: 276mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2806IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg