This pork pozole verde recipe (green pozole) is a vibrant Mexican soup made with tender pork, tomatillos, fresh chiles, hominy, and spices. If you like hearty Mexican soups, try my Instant Pot chile verde recipe too. It has similar ingredients (minus the hominy).
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Pozole verde (green pozole) is a hearty soup that's traditionally served with plenty of fresh toppings, so everyone can customize their bowls. Add shredded cabbage, thinly sliced radishes, avocado, cilantro, a lime wedge, and serve with corn chips or these sourdough discard tortillas!
Whether you're making this pork pozole verde recipe for a weekend dinner or feeding a crowd, this comforting classic is always a hit!
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pork: 3-4 lb bone-in pork shoulder. Be sure to include the bone, because it adds a ton of flavor!
- Tomatillos: Tomatillos add acidity to this dish. Choose green tomatillos over purple tomatillos, which are sweeter.
- Chiles: Three poblano peppers, a serrano and a jalapeño. If you like it really spicy, add a few more serrano peppers. If you prefer it milder, skip the spicy chiles and add an additional poblano.
- Broth: Two cups of beef broth. I highly recommend using a homemade bone broth, such as my crockpot beef bone broth.
- Garlic & Onion: For added flavor, I added 8 cloves of garlic and 1 medium yellow onion. White onion can be substituted.
- Spices/Herbs: Sea salt, black pepper, ground cumin, bay leaves, pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), and dried oregano.
🥣 How to Make Pork Pozole Verde (Green Pozole)
Step 1: Trim excess fat from the pork roast, then cut into 4 pieces. Season with salt and black pepper.
Step 2: Dice the onion, then sauté in your pressure cooker with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the onions caramelize, sear the pork using another tablespoon of oil. Remove the pork from the pressure cooker, add 3 cups of water, deglaze the bottom of the pot, then return the pork to the pot.
Step 3: Add 2 bay leaves, then sprinkle with oregano and ground cumin. Secure the lid in place and turn the pressure valve to the closed position. Select high pressure and set the time for 1 hour.
Step 4: Meanwhile, toast the pumpkin seeds in a hot pan until fragrant. Use the same pan to roast jalapeño, serrano, and unpeeled garlic cloves. Remove from the pan to cool.
Step 5: Add tomatillos and poblanos to a foil-lined pan and broil on high until charred. Remove charred poblano skins and seeds.
Step 6: Add pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, serrano, jalapeño, peeled garlic, poblanos, and chopped cilantro to a blender. Cover with 1 cup of beef broth. Pulse until blended.
Step 7: Release pressure when time is up, then carefully remove the lid. Shred pork in the pot, then stir in remaining broth, blended vegetables, and drained/rinsed hominy. Add cover, close pressure valve. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes, followed by a quick release. Remove cover, stir, and serve!
🍽 What to Serve with Pork Pozole Verde
Serve green pozole with shredded cabbage (or lettuce), sliced radishes, avocados, jalapeños, diced onion, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, cotija cheese, and extra dried Mexican oregano. Pozole vedre is also usually served with corn tortillas or tortilla chips.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Use pork shoulder or pork butt for the best texture. It has enough fat and connective tissue to stay juicy and become fork-tender during pressure cooking. Pork loin is much leaner and can turn dry.
- Adjust the heat to your liking. The serrano and jalapeño provide most of the heat in this recipe. For a milder pork pozole verde, use fewer chiles or remove the seeds and membranes. For more heat, leave them intact or add an extra serrano.
- Don't over-blend the verde sauce. I like to leave it slightly textured rather than blending it completely smooth. It gives the broth a little more body and character.
- Green pozole tastes even better the next day. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container overnight and reheat gently. The flavors deepen as the soup sits, making this a great make-ahead meal.
- Expect the hominy to absorb some of the broth. Pozole tends to thicken as it sits, especially overnight, because the hominy soaks up the liquid. Add salsa verde and more broth to help with this.
🫔 More Mexican Recipes
If you enjoy this pork pozole verde recipe, check out these other tasty Mexican dishes!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Trim excess fat from the pork roast, then cut into 4 pieces. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Dice the onion, then sauté in your pressure cooker with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once the onions caramelize, sear the pork, using another tablespoon of oil. Remove the pork from the pressure cooker, add 3 cups of water, deglaze the bottom of the pot, then return the pork to the pot.
- Add 2 bay leaves, then sprinkle with oregano and ground cumin. Secure the lid in place and turn the pressure valve to the closed position. Select high pressure and set the time for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, toast the pumpkin seeds in a hot pan until fragrant. Use the same pan to roast jalapeño, serrano, and unpeeled garlic cloves. Remove from the pan to cool.
- Add tomatillos and poblanos to a foil-lined pan and broil on high until charred. Remove charred poblano skins and seeds.
- Add pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, serrano, jalapeño, peeled garlic, poblanos, and chopped cilantro to a blender. Cover with 1 cup of beef broth and pulse until blended.
- Release pressure when the time is up, then carefully remove the lid. Shred pork in the pot, then stir in remaining broth, blended vegetables, and drained/rinsed hominy. Add cover, close pressure valve. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes, followed by a quick release. Remove cover, stir, and serve!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Use pork shoulder or pork butt for the best texture. It has enough fat and connective tissue to stay juicy and become fork-tender when pressure-cooked. Pork loin is much leaner and can turn dry.
- Adjust the heat to your liking. The serrano and jalapeño provide most of the heat in this recipe. For a milder pork pozole verde, use fewer chiles or remove the seeds and membranes. For more heat, leave them intact or add an extra serrano.
- Don't over-blend the verde sauce. I like to leave it slightly textured rather than blending it completely smooth. It gives the broth a little more body and character.
- Green pozole tastes even better the next day. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container overnight and reheat gently. The flavors deepen as the soup sits, making this a great make-ahead meal.
- Expect the hominy to absorb some of the broth. Pozole tends to thicken as it sits, especially overnight, because the hominy soaks up the liquid. Add salsa verde and more broth to help with this.
Hilda Sterner says
I hope you give this recipe a try soon!