Slow Cooker Posole is a hearty Mexican soup that is a meal in itself. Each bowl is brimming with tender shredded pork, hearty hominy, and bold seasonings that will jump right off your spoon!
Posole is a hearty meal in itself and it can easily be thrown together in the crock pot in the morning and then left to cook all day while I tackle more pressing things in life.
Posole, or often written as "pozole", is a traditional Mexican soup meaning "hominy". Much like American chili, there are a wide variety of recipe variations and ingredients used. However, at a minimum, you can expect to find pork and hominy in most recipes.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pork shoulder - The best pork to use in Posole is pork shoulder. The tough, fatty cut, is not only dirt cheap, it breaks down into exceptionally tender shreds after a long simmer in the slow cooker. The fat also renders out to create a luxurious broth. If you can't find pork shoulder, often called "Boston Butt", any pork roast will suffice as a substitution.
- Chicken broth - Chicken stock is great to use as well.
- Canned hominy
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Red onion - Substitute a yellow onion if needed.
- Roma tomato
- Dried oregano - Fresh herbs can also be used.
- Cumin
- Hot sauce - Crushed red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper can be substituted.
- Garlic powder - Minced garlic cloves can also be substituted.
- Paprika
- Fresh cilantro
- Shredded cheddar cheese - Cotija cheese can be substituted.
- Fresh limes
- Flour or corn tortillas - Tortilla chips are also great for serving.
The toppings for your posole are as important as the soup itself. Though cilantro is listed as a garnish, its fresh flavor, combined with lime juice, really jumps out of the soup, while the creaminess of the cheddar cheese melds into the broth. Other topping options include chopped onion, avocado, or even shredded cabbage.
How to make it
This easy slow cooker pork posole soup recipe is best for a 6-quart slow cooker. I made it in my 5-quart slow cooker, but it really fills it up!
To make it, add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and set it on high. Let cook for six hours.
Note: You can really cook posole in the slow cooker as long as you wish. The only key is making sure you cook it long enough to allow the meat to easily shred. I find 5-6 hours on high is sufficient time for the meat to transform. You can cook this on low as well, but expect to add a few more hours to the cooking time.
When the pork is tender and beginning to fall apart, shred it with a fork on a cutting board. Discard any large chunks of fat and return the shredded meat to the slow cooker.
Serve this classic Mexican soup in bowls with lime wedges, chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, and warm tortillas.
Storing & Reheating Leftovers
My slow cooker posole soup recipe is perfect for making in advance. The flavors continue to meld together the next day and it reheats easily. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to five days.
Reheat any of this leftover Mexican soup in the microwave, or you can gently reheat it in your slow cooker if you made it in advance for a gathering.
Slow Cooker Posole - Mexican Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
Posole
- 2 pounds pork shoulder
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 28 ounces canned hominy (drained)
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes (pureed in blender)
- 1 red onion (chopped)
- 1 roma toma (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 ½ tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
For serving
- cilantro for garnish
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 limes (sliced into quarters)
- tortillas for serving
Instructions
- Add all posole ingredients into a 6-quart slow cooker. Heat on high for 6 hours, or until meat is easily shredded with a fork.
- Remove any large chunks of fat in the soup and shred pork (often best to remove the pork from the pot to shred, then add it back in)
- Ladle posole into bowls then top with your desired amount of shredded cheese and cilantro. Squeeze juice from one lime wedge over the soup and serve with warm tortillas.
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com on July 27, 2017.
Suzanne
This winter I spent some time in Austin and was lucky enough to try Posole in several restaurants, by far the most outstanding was at Fonda san Miguel (our favorite restaurant in the world). The Posole was magnificent on a cold, dreary winter evening as was the setting in the beautiful, cozy colonial-era hacienda. The steaming bowl arrived with an entire bountiful salad plate of toppings to chose from including a small pinch bowl of Mexican oregano. The server encouraged us to pile the entire plate of goodies into the soup - it was perfect and a lovely evening. We repeated the entire thing one more night of our trip. I heartily encourage - all the toppings! This is a meal for celebrations.
Gordon
What type spices did you use
Redsky
My concern was that this would not taste like the pozoles I have tried traveling through Central America. My first batch was outstanding. The spice level is on point. The pork shoulder was excellent. This is true to the pozoles I consider totally authentic.
Misty
I didn't have a slow cooker large enough for this recipe so I used the pressure cooker instead. I put all ingredients except the hominy in and cooked it for an hour. Pulled the pork out to shred it and added in the hominy to the pot while doing so so that it could warm up. This was my second time making it this way and it came out perfectly. My mom says it tastes just how her mom made it so double win!
scott b
Question: cube the pork butt before adding? Or throw the whole hunk in and shred after cooked?
Fox Valley Foodie
I recommend shredding at the end.
Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness
I love making soup and eating it. This Mexican soup sounds wonderful. I can just about smell it cooking in the slow cooker. Yum! Love your pictures!
Fox Valley Foodie
Thanks so much for your kind words! And yes, it smells amazing!
PJ
Excellent recipe! Very authentic. Thank you!
Nancy
The recipe sounds delicious. I’m wondering if the paprika is supposed to take the place of the chilies/chili powder.
Hailey Smith
Amazing! Delicious! Will be a staple in my home from now on!
Raquel Silies
I like a little finely shredded cabbage and chopped onion, maybe some avocado on top. Thanks for a great recipe to add to my soup rotation!
Fox Valley Foodie
Those are great topping options. Avocado, in particular, would rock. I edited my post to include those as suggestions for other readers too!