This Sopes recipe will teach you how to make one of the most popular traditional Mexican antojitos... Let's get started!
Mexican Sopes Recipe
There is an endless list of dishes in Mexico made using corn dough. There are many different shapes and cooking methods, and even the names given to them vary from region to region in the country, but Sopes are a popular and delicious street snack that you can find almost everywhere in Mexico.
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Sopes is like a small thick corn tortilla with a border around the edges. This last part is formed right after cooking the sopes when the texture is soft enough to allow you to pinch the edges to form the border. This border serves as a barrier to contain all the delicious toppings!
All About Sopes Mexicanos
In my hometown, the sopes are small, round, and thick, but in other places, you might find some that are large and oval in shape. The most popular toppings are shredded beef, pork, or chicken. This includes the traditional smear of refried beans that are usually spread on the sopes before putting the toppings on.
After the beans and meat, the sopes are garnished with lettuce (or cabbage), tomato, crumbled cheese, and the salsa of your choice. Other additions include Mexican crema, pickled carrots, diced avocado, chopped onion, radish slices, and many other favorites from town to town. Regardless of how many toppings you add, this sopes recipe is delicious at every bite!
Many dishes are similar to sopes under the antojitos category, like pellizcadas, migadas, memelas, huaraches, chalupas, and other variations made using fresh corn dough. The sopes are so popular that you can even find them already made at supermarkets in Mexico; you only need to take them home and warm them up.
Pretty convenient, right? The cooks can warm them in a comal or lightly fry them in oil or lard. So, if you visit Mexico, in almost every town you go, you can find small restaurants called cenadurias, fondas or antojerias that sell this scrumptious meal. They could be for breakfast, lunch or dinner... any time is a good time to enjoy some sopes!
How to make Sopes Recipe
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this sopes recipe:
For the dough
- Masa harina
- Warm water
Toppings for Sopes Recipes
- Vegetable oil or lard
- Refried beans
- Lettuce finely shredded
- Cooked beef or shredded chicken
- Mexican cheese queso fresco crumbled
- White onion finely chopped
- Mexican cream
- Spicy salsa of your choice
Optional Topping for Sopes Recipes:
- Radishes thinly sliced
- Avocado sliced or diced
- Tomato diced or sliced
- Pickled jalapeños and carrots.
Instructions for Sopes Recipe:
I will break this Mexican dish into sections to make it easy to understand.
Mix the masa
- Mix Masa harina (corn flour) and warm water in a medium-sized bowl, and knead the dough until you have a uniform texture.
Note: If the dough feels dry, add more water, little by little, spoon by spoon, until the dough is soft and manageable, like play dough. It doesn't have to be sticky.
- Cover the dough with a wet kitchen towel; this will help to keep the dough moist. Keep a small bowl of water next to your working area to moisten your hands and dough. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Divide the dough into 10 pieces of the same size, and cover with a clean kitchen towel.
Form the Sopes
- Heat the griddle or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- To form the sopes, cut the plastic bag into 2 squares of about 6-IN each. Place one piece of plastic on the Tortilla press, then put down one of the small balls of dough and cover it with the other piece of plastic.
- Close the tortillera and press down gently with the tortilla press handle until you form a medium size thick tortilla.
- Lift the handle and remove the top plastic. Pick up the tortilla, holding it with the plastic at the bottom, and gently flip the tortilla into the palm of your hand. A large part of the tortilla will cover your hand.
If you don’t have a Tortilla Press for this sope recipe, use a glass pie dish to press down the dough; I use it all the time, and it works wonderfully.
- Place the tortilla on the already hot griddle/comal; this is a fast but gentle move.
- Turn the tortilla after a minute, don’t let it cook longer, or the dough will dry and crack. Turn again after a minute; the last cooking will take about 20-30 seconds.
- Remove from the griddle with the help of a spatula. Cover the tortillas with a dry kitchen towel and allow them to cool for about 30-45 seconds, and start forming the border by pinching the edges with your fingers.
- Now, the tortillas had become sopes, covered them again with the kitchen towel, and cook the rest of the sopes.
To serve the Sopes:
- Heat the oil or lard in a frying pan or griddle over medium heat.
- Place the sopes on the skillet and lightly fry them on both sides. Remove from the heat and place on a plate that has already been covered with paper towels to absorb any excess fat.
- Now it is the time to spread the refried beans and top them with shredded lettuce, beef, chicken, or any other topping you choose. Serve with salsa.
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
How to store your Sopes
You have a few alternatives.
First option: Make your masa wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in your refrigerator. The masa will be fresh and ready to use for a few days.
Second option: Make your sopes and cook them. After cooling, place them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
Third option: Make your sopes, cook and freeze them, and place them in your freezer for a few months. Let the frozen sopes thaw before reheating.
To reheat, simply fry or warm the sopes for a few minutes until they’re warm and have crispy corners.
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
I hope you make this Sopes Recipe! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
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📖 Recipe
Sopes
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
- 1-½ cup of masa harina
- 1-¼ cup of warm water
TOPPINGS
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard
- 1 cup refried beans
- 2 cups lettuce finely shredded
- 1-½ cup cooked beef or chicken shredded
- ½ cup Mexican cheese queso fresco crumbled
- ¼ cup white onion finely chopped
- ½ cup Mexican cream
- Spicy salsa of you choice
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
- ⅓ cup radishes thinly sliced
- 1 avocado sliced or diced
- ½ cup of tomato diced or sliced
- Pickled jalapeños and carrots.
Instructions
Mix the masa
- Mix Masa harina (corn flour) and warm water in a medium-sized bowl, and knead the dough until you have a uniform texture.
- If the dough feels dry, add more water, little by little, spoon by spoon, until the dough is soft and manageable, like play dough. It doesn't have to be sticky. If you live in a place with lots of humidity, the dough won’t need too much water. If that's not your case, make sure the dough has enough moisture to avoid any cracking on the sope's surfaces.
- Cover the dough with a wet kitchen towel; this will help to keep the dough moist. Keep a small bowl of water next to your working area to moisten your hands and dough. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Divide the dough into 10 pieces of the same size, and cover with a clean kitchen towel.
Form the Sopes
- Heat the griddle or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- To form the sopes, cut the plastic bag into 2 squares of about 6-IN each. Place one piece of plastic on the Tortilla press, then put down one of the small balls of dough and cover it with the other piece of plastic.
- Close the tortillera and press down gently with the tortilla press handle until you form a medium size thick tortilla. About 4-½ inches.
- Lift the handle and remove the top plastic. Pick up the tortilla, holding it with the plastic at the bottom, and gently flip the tortilla into the palm of your hand. A large part of the tortilla will cover your hand.
- If you don’t have a Tortilla Press, use a glass pie dish to press down the dough; I use it all the time, and it works wonderfully.
- Place the tortilla on the already hot griddle/comal; this is a fast but gentle move.
- Turn the tortilla after a minute, don’t let it cook longer, or the dough will dry and crack. Turn again after a minute; the last cooking will take about 20-30 seconds.
- Remove from the griddle with the help of a spatula. Cover the tortillas with a dry kitchen towel and allow them to cool for about 30-45 seconds, and start forming the border by pinching the edges with your fingers.
- Now, the tortillas had become sopes, covered them again with the kitchen towel, and cook the rest of the sopes.
To serve the Sopes
- Heat the oil or lard in a frying pan or griddle over medium heat.
- Place the sopes on the skillet and lightly fry them on both sides (about 30 seconds each side will be enough time to fry them and give them a little golden color). Remove from the heat and place on a plate that has already been covered with paper towels to absorb any excess fat.
- Now it is the time to spread the refried beans and top them with shredded lettuce, beef, chicken, or any other topping you choose. Serve with salsa.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- If you can’t find Mexican queso fresco, you can substitute the Mexican cheese with feta cheese and parmesan cheese.
- Mix equal amounts of sour and heavy cream with a pinch of salt to substitute the Mexican crema. (I know many people living outside Mexico — like me — who struggle to find Mexican products).
- Making Sopes require a certain amount of time and preparation; that’s why is better to make them when you have some leftovers in your fridge, like refried beans and beef or chicken from a stew; that way, you will have some of the ingredients ready.
- You will need a plastic bag like the ones used to store food in the freezer (to form the sopes), a griddle-comal, a tortilla press, or a glass pie dish in case you don’t have a tortilla press.
Sophie Landa
Hi Mely,
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation on how to make sopes. I followed your instructions and made them for my Mexican boyfriend last night. He was impressed and couldn't believe that I had made them myself!
Sophie
Lindsay Hughen
These were a huge hit for dinner tonight. I served them with homemade refried beans, grilled chicken thighs, and of course all the fixings. Everything came together easily, even for a first time sopes maker like myself. I used a pie plate to flatten them and they were perfect.
Teresa
Do you need to add salt to the dough mix?
Mely Martínez
Hello Teresa,
Some people add salt. That is a personal choice.
John A Moran
OK I was DYING for some sopes, and I just made these. They were 100% EXCELLENT! I used to have them from a Taco Truck in South Carolina and they are amazing.
For the record I shaped them prior to frying and they came out perfect. A little crunch on the outer shell, and a perfect vehicle for all of the ingredients.
Thank you!
John
Chanté
Are they freezer friendly?
Mely Martínez
Hello Chanté,
They can easily break if you store them in the freezer.
Jason Burton
Can I buy pre made sopes from the Mercado and air fry them?
Jason Burton
Shells*
Mely Martínez
Hello Jason,
Yes, you can, They are a little thick compared to regular sopes, just make sure you do not let them too long to fry or they will be hard to eat.
Ruth
These are our favorite food when we eat at Mexican restaurants. Tonight, my first try, I made these and they were perfect! Thanks for the great recipe and easy instructions!
Tessa C Schack
Can I put shredded parmasan cheese in the sopes? Kinda like AREPAS RELLENAS DE QUESO? 😅
Mely Martínez
Hello Tessa,
Yes, you can. I know not everyone can have access to Mexican cheese and that could be a substitute.
Dana Kenney
I do not eat much fried foods. Can these me made in an air fryer? Thank you.
Mely Martínez
Hello Dana,
You do not need to fry them if you do not want to. Many times, I just cook the sopes and warm them up in the grilled before adding the toppings.