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Home » Recipes » Pozole Verde Recipe (Mexican Green Pozole)

Pozole Verde Recipe (Mexican Green Pozole)

by Mike Hultquist · Mar 8, 2023 · 22 Comments

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Pozole Verde Recipe (Green Pozole)

My pozole verde recipe is made from scratch with various cuts of pork for a rich broth with hominy, tomatillos, green chilies, pepitas and fresh herbs.

Pozole Verde Recipe (Green Pozole)

Pozole Verde Recipe

We're cooking up a big pot of Pozole Verde in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen tonight, my friends. You are in for a seriously flavor filled experience.

If you enjoy Mexican Pozole Rojo, you'll definitely love this dish.

Pozole verde is a mouthwatering Mexican stew with hominy in a rich pork or chicken stock infused with a verde sauce made with tomatillos and green chilies. It's a classic Mexican dish usually made in large batches.

There are different ways to make it, with ingredients and techniques varying from cook to cook.

I've been making pozole a long time, learning from a variety of Mexican cookbooks, and I have perfected my method for some of the best posole verde I've ever had.

I hope you love it as much as I do.

Why You'll Love My Pozole Verde

  • I make mine from bone-in cuts of pork, including hock and optional pig's feet, which imbues the broth with richness and flavor.
  • The verde sauce includes tangy tomatillos and spicy jalapeno and serrano peppers, but also toasted pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, for a delicious nuttiness.
  • You can enjoy your pozole with so many different toppings to make it a new experience every time!

Let's talk about how to make pozole verde, shall we?

Pozole Verde Ingredients

  • FOR THE POZOLE STOCK
  • Bone-In Pork Shoulder. You can use boneless, but you'll get much more flavor from bone-in.
  • Ham Hocks.
  • Pig's Feet. Optional. You can use more ham hocks if you prefer or are unable to find pig's feet, though I highly recommend them for richness of the broth. Look for them at Mexican markets or your butcher.
  • Vegetables. Onion, carrots, celery, garlic.
  • Seasonings. Bay leaves, salt and black pepper.
  • Water.
  • Hominy. You can use dried hominy soaked overnight, or canned hominy.
  • FOR THE SALSA VERDE (Green Sauce)
  • Vegetable Oil.
  • Vegetables. Onion, jalapenos, serranos, garlic.
  • Pepitas. Hulled pumpkin seeds.
  • Seasonings. Dried Mexican oregano, thyme, cumin, salt and pepper.
  • Tomatillos.
  • Radish Leaves. You can use spinach or other greens as a substitute.
  • FOR GARNISH/SERVING
  • Crushed red chilies, sliced radish, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, chopped onion, hot sauce, avocado, fried pork rinds (chicharrónes), shredded lettuce, shredded cabbage, tortilla chips (as desired)

How to Make Pozole Verde - the Recipe Method

MAKE THE POZOLE STOCK

To a large pot or large Dutch oven, add the pork shoulder, ham hocks, pig's feet (or other pork you’re using), onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves and salt. Pour in the water. It should cover the ingredients.

This is the base of your stock, so you can incorporate other vegetables that you enjoy.

Pork shoulder, feet and hocks in a bowl, and vegetables in a pot, ready for making pozole verde

Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 2-2.5 hours, or until the pork is fall apart tender. It could take longer, but start checking it around the 2 hour mark. Skim the fatty foam that rises to the top of the pot periodically.

Remove the pork from the pot and shred it with forks. Cover the shredded meat and set aside.

Strain the stock and discard the solids (spent vegetables and any bones).

Return the strained stock to the large pot and keep at a simmer.

Cooked pork in a bowl for shredding, and vegetables on a platter for making verde sauce

MAKE THE SALA VERDE (GREEN SAUCE)

While the pozole stock is cooking, heat the vegetable oil in a large pan to medium heat. Add the onion and peppers. Cook 4-5 minutes to soften.

Stir in the pumpkin seeds and cook 7-8 minutes, or until the seeds start to brown and some begin to pop.

Cooking onions, peppers, and pumpkin seeds in a pan

Stir in the garlic, Mexican oregano, thyme, cumin, and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute to let the spices bloom.

Transfer to a food processor or blender along with the tomatillos and radish leaves.

Pour in 1 cup of the cooking liquid/stock from the simmering pozole stock. Process until smooth.

Pour the verde sauce back into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken.

NOTE: You can also use my Salsa Verde Recipe as a time saver or make it ahead.

Verde sauce in a food processor, and a pot of finished pozole verde

FINISH THE POZOLE VERDE

Swirl the green sauce into the simmering stock. Add the hominy and reserved shredded or chopped pork. Taste and adjust for salt.

Simmer for 10 more minutes to heat through.

FOR SERVING

Serve the pozole verde into bowls and top with your chosen garnish, or serve the garnish on the side for diners to garnish as desired.

Boom! Done! Isn't this the best green pozole recipe ever? It's so good! Ready to serve. How are you going to garnish yours?

Recipe Tips & Notes

  • Ham Hock Alternatives. Traditional pozole is made with either pig's feet or pig's head, due to the collagen content, which adds richness and body to the stock. I find it easier to find ham hocks at my local store, though also consider pork neck, pork shank, or pork ribs. You can make this dish with pork shoulder alone. It's still quite delicious.
  • Dried Hominy Option. If making your pozole rojo with dried hominy instead of canned, cover with water and soak the dried hominy overnight, then cook it per your packaging instructions before using.
  • Canned Hominy can usually be found in the Mexican or International section of your local grocery store.
  • Make it with Chicken. Chicken pozole is delicious and lower in calories than pork pozole. Simmer the chicken breasts or whole chicken the same way with vegetables, then shred and strain per the recipe.

Storage & Leftovers

Pozole verde will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can enjoy it again by gently warming it in a pot on the stovetop.

You can also freeze it for 6 months in vacuum sealed containers. I freeze larger batches all the time. Works great.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my green posole recipe! Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!

Cookbook Recommendations

If you enjoy Mexican cuisine, I recommend the following cookbooks, which I used to adapt this recipe. It has a lot of great recipes.

  • Mexico: The Cookbook (affiliate link, my friends!)
  • Made in Mexico: The Cookbook, by Danny Mena (affiliate link, my friends!)
  • Authentic Mexican, by Rick Bayless (affiliate link, my friends!)

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

  • Easy Chicken Pozole Rojo
  • Mexican Birria
  • Albondigas Soup
  • Caldo de Pollo (Mexican Chicken Soup)
  • Pollo Guisado
  • Carne Guisada
  • Caldo de Camaron (Mexican Shrimp Soup)
  • Caldo De Res (Mexican Beef Soup)
  • Pozole Blanco
  • Mexican Carne en su Jugo (Meat in its Juices)
Pozole Verde in a bowl with garnish

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Pozole Verde Recipe (Green Pozole)
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Pozole Verde Recipe (Mexican Green Posole)

My pozole verde recipe is made from scratch with various cuts of pork for a rich broth with hominy, tomatillos, green chilies, pepitas and fresh herbs.
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: hominy, pork shoulder, tomatillos
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours hours
Calories: 563kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 10
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5 from 5 votes
Leave a Review

Ingredients

FOR THE POZOLE STOCK

  • 3 pounds pork shoulder bone-in preferred, cut into large 2-3 inch chunks
  • 1 pound ham hocks
  • 1/2 pound pig's feet Or use more ham hocks - see RECIPE NOTES for other options
  • 1 large white onion quartered
  • 2 carrots rough chopped
  • 2 stalks celery rough chopped
  • 1 large head garlic peeled
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 quarts water
  • 3 15- ounce cans white hominy drained and rinsed (or use dried hominy soaked overnight)

FOR THE SALSA VERDE (Green Sauce)

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 small white onion rough chopped
  • 3 jalapeno peppers chopped
  • 3 serrano peppers chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1.5 pounds tomatillos husks removed, chopped
  • ½ cup radish leaves use spinach or other greens as a substitute

FOR GARNISH/SERVING

  • Crushed red chilies, sliced radish, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, chopped onion, hot sauce, avocado, fried pork rinds (chicharrónes), shredded lettuce or cabbage (as desired)

Instructions

MAKE THE POZOLE STOCK

  • To a large pot, add the pork shoulder, ham hocks (or other pork you’re using), onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves and salt. Pour in the water. It should cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2-2.5 hours, or until the pork is fall apart tender. Skim the fatty foam that rises to the top of the pot periodically.
  • Remove the pork from the pot and shred it with forks. Cover the shredded meat and set aside.
  • Strain the stock and discard the solids (spent vegetables and any bones). Return the strained stock to the large pot and keep at a simmer.

MAKE THE SALA VERDE (GREEN SAUCE)

  • While the pozole stock is cooking, heat the vegetable oil in a large pan to medium heat. Add the onion and peppers. Cook 4-5 minutes to soften.
  • Stir in the pumpkin seeds and cook 7-8 minutes, or until the seeds start to brown and some begin to pop.
  • Stir in the garlic, Mexican oregano, thyme, cumin, and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute to let the spices bloom.
  • Transfer to a food processor or blender along with the tomatillos and radish leaves.
  • Pour in 1 cup of the stock from the simmering pozole stock. Process until smooth.
  • Pour the verde sauce back into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken.

FINISH THE POZOLE VERDE

  • Swirl the green sauce into the simmering stock. Add the hominy and reserved shredded or chopped pork. Taste and adjust for salt.
  • Simmer for 10 more minutes to heat through.

FOR SERVING

  • Serve the pozole verde into bowls and top with your chosen garnish, or serve the garnish on the side for diners to garnish as desired.

Notes

Traditional pozole is made with either pig's feet or pig's head, due to the collagen content, which adds richness and body to the stock. I find it easier to find ham hocks at my local store, though also consider pork neck, pork shank, or pork ribs. You can make this dish with pork shoulder alone. It's still quite delicious.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 563kcal   Carbohydrates: 29g   Protein: 42g   Fat: 31g   Saturated Fat: 9g   Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g   Monounsaturated Fat: 13g   Trans Fat: 0.01g   Cholesterol: 130mg   Sodium: 706mg   Potassium: 921mg   Fiber: 6g   Sugar: 7g   Vitamin A: 2199IU   Vitamin C: 27mg   Calcium: 111mg   Iron: 5mg
Pozole Verde Recipe (Green Pozole)
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Ashley Motter says

    January 21, 2025 at 6:51 pm

    Wow, this recipe is fantastic. I’ve tried many good pozole recipes over the years but this stands out as a favorite. My only alteration was to use bone in chicken breasts since the store was out of pork. It’s been a hit with my whole family. Will definitely make again soon!

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      January 22, 2025 at 10:05 am

      Super happy to hear it, Ashley. Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. BOO says

    January 01, 2025 at 10:31 am

    5 stars
    Planned ahead & everyone was glad I make a big batch of your Green Pozole, the day after New Years ! Used the pumpkins seeds (nice crunchyness) radishes, fresh limes, cilantro, Mex. Oregano, plenty of your salsa, fresh tortillas, shredded cabbage, Spanish onion, avocado, well, all the delicious trimmings & used pork shoulder (also piggy feet) I thought this would be different from the red pozole, they begged me to pls make that one next week. The aroma in the house is what "woke" everyone up (bleary eyed) but they did say m-m-m-m-m, could not wait to be served. I gotta tell you, this was absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend it, a labor of love, well worth it, so was your Albondigas Soup. Mike, are you sure you're not part Mexican ? All your cookery is spot on. Happy New Year 2025, Dear Amigo

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      January 02, 2025 at 4:52 am

      Happy New Year to you, too, Boo! Thank you very much for your kind words - you made my day! =)

      Reply
  3. Kit says

    April 29, 2024 at 7:32 am

    5 stars
    Mike, are the tomatillos blended raw or is it preferable to cook them first? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      April 29, 2024 at 7:49 am

      Kit, you can do either way, actually, as they will cook as you simmer. I do like the extra flavor you get by roasting them, but you can skip that to save time if you want. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Matthew Williams says

    February 10, 2024 at 7:00 pm

    When you say ham hock are you using a smoked ham hock?

    Thanks! This looks amazing.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      February 10, 2024 at 8:25 pm

      I prefer a smoked ham hock, Matthew, but either will work. Enjoy!

      Reply
  5. Marie says

    December 06, 2023 at 2:25 pm

    5 stars
    How much Salsa Verde does this use? A friend of mine makes Salsa Verde from scratch, so I don’t need to make my own I don’t think. But I’m unsure how much to measure out for this if I’m not making the Salsa myself.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      December 06, 2023 at 2:37 pm

      Marie, it uses about 3 cups. You can add more or less to your preference. Enjoy!

      Reply
  6. Linda MacKenna Ikuta says

    November 08, 2023 at 10:07 pm

    Made this recipe with milder green chiles but added some green Hatch chile powder. Had port loin that I cut up. I think I like this type of Pozole over the red type. Made it in the crockpot too. We loved it!

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      November 09, 2023 at 5:06 am

      I am happy to hear that, Linda. Thank you!

      Reply
  7. Boo says

    September 08, 2023 at 8:55 pm

    5 stars
    So satisfying, yes we use to make it with pig's head but these are good subs, pork neck, pork shank, or pork ribs. But the piggy head lent excellent flavor, truly.
    Made mine a little more spicy, added the radishes, limes, cilantro, cabbage, freshly made corn tortillas with your salsa recipe. Took my time cooking. Everyone was so happy ! They begged to take some home, was more than happy to oblige. It was a long day but when we sat down to eat, we each recalled our own memories celebrating this wonderful dish. Thank you so much Mike for sharing, inspiring. People please do not be afraid to try this dish, the feast will be marvelous. rate it all the stars above us all.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      September 09, 2023 at 7:03 am

      Thanks so much, Boo! Sounds outstanding!

      Reply
  8. Yolanda Chapa says

    March 25, 2023 at 9:03 pm

    can we use the instant pot for the pozole verde?
    suggestions/tips?
    thanks,
    Yolanda Chapa

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      March 26, 2023 at 10:38 am

      Yolanda, I have not tested an Instant Pot version of this recipe, but I know you can to make the stock. I would pressure cook for 1 hour, then proceed with the recipe. Make the salsa verde on its own, then simmer it all together to warm and let the flavors meld. Let me know how it goes if you try it.

      Reply
  9. Elliot Fisch says

    March 08, 2023 at 9:39 am

    Are the tomatillos put in uncooked or can the be roasted first? I think roasting would give them more flavor.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      March 08, 2023 at 9:50 am

      You can definitely roast them, Elliot, though they do cook when simmering. The choice is yours!

      Reply
  10. Ron Keller says

    March 08, 2023 at 9:16 am

    5 stars
    Mike, having lived in Albuquerque, for many years and now Cibolo, Texas, I’ve had Green and Red that was cooked for several hours. Personally, I prefer Rojo Vs Verde. Regardless, which ever you like or choose it should never be made with canned Hominy, only dried. The dried adds so much flavor, plus added crunch. There is a method of taking canned, drying or hardening you might include in future post. Love seeing your emails with recipes!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      March 08, 2023 at 9:50 am

      It is better with dried, Ron, though super convenient for many people to use canned, which work well. I appreciate the comments. Thanks!

      Reply
  11. Victor Calautti says

    March 08, 2023 at 7:53 am

    Hey mike lov your recipes but I was wondering do they not make a red pozole also, I’d love to see a recipe. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      March 08, 2023 at 7:56 am

      Thanks, Victor! Yes, check out my Pozole Rojo Recipe (Red Posole) here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/pozole-rojo/

      Reply

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