Sopitos are a Colima-based antojito featuring crispy corn discs topped with garnishes like mashed beans, crumbled meat, queso, salsa, and cabbage. Try this plant-based version for a delicious snack!
📖 About
Sopitos are part of the antojito category, which means “little cravings.” This particular snack starts with a thick corn tortilla that sometimes has ridges around the edges (to keep the toppings in place). Common toppings include:
- Ground pork or beef
- Mashed beans
- Red salsa
- Cabbage
- Radishes
- Tomatoes
Although there are many similarities to sopes, picaditas, or garnachas, sopitos carry distinct differences based on where they’re from. Even within the state of Colima, there are differences in preparations.
This recipe is our plant-based interpretation of traditional sopitos de Colima, but don’t let that deter you! These little bites are delicious nonetheless. Each one is packed with flavor, great for leftovers, and easy to bring to dinner parties.
History
The origins of sopitos can be traced back to the state of Colima, but more specifically Villa de Álvarez.
At the start of the 20th century, a young girl named Dominga Rodríguez López began selling her creations at a food stall in Villa de Álvarez. Very soon, she and her sopitos became a favorite in this region.
Since then, sopitos estilo Villa de Álvarez have been published in a 1964 cookbook called Las Senadoras Suelen Guisar. They’re still a very popular dish to serve before meals or as a snack in the surrounding region.
For more information about the cuisine of Colima, check out this Zenger News article.
🌱 Is it vegan?
Sopitos de Colima typically include meat and dairy products, so they are not vegan. Here are a few changes we made to ensure this recipe is meat and dairy-free:
- Chorizo: Instead of pork or beef crumbles, we use homemade soy chorizo. You can use other meat alternatives like mushrooms, tofu, tempeh, or walnuts.
- Queso: We swap dairy-based queso for cashew queso fresco.
- Broth: The broth from the cooked meats is typically a part of the salsa. We replace this with Better than Bouillon no beef base.
- Lard: Sopitos are sometimes fried in lard, which can easily be substituted with vegetable oil.
🍲 Ingredients & substitutions
For complete ingredient measurements and instructions, see our recipe card.
- Masa harina: We use white masa harina to make our sopitos, but you can use blue or yellow if you have access to them.
- Salsa: Salsa roja is typical for Colima-style sopitos, but feel free to use tomatillos or switch up the chiles. It should be quite a runny sauce.
- Chorizo: Try making your own vegan chorizo or using store-bought vegan ground beef.
- Mashed beans: Bayo beans are our preference, but black, pinto, or any other mashed beans work too.
- Vegetables: Tomato slices, radishes, and cabbage are classically served on sopitos. You can also use shredded lettuce instead of cabbage.
- Queso: Try vegan queso fresco for a salty and slightly tangy finish. Or use cotija cheese if you prefer a saltier flavor.
🔪 Instructions
If you have questions about this sopitos recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment.
Step 1: Stem and seed the guajillo chiles. Toast them in a skillet over medium for 30-60 seconds per side. Careful not to burn them or they will taste bitter.
Step 2: Simmer the toasted chiles, tomatoes, tomatillos, and onions in a saucepan until softened. Careful not to burst the tomatillos as the juice will be lost!
Step 3: Blend the drained vegetables and chiles with garlic, beefless bouillon, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper until you achieve a smooth consistency.
Step 4: Heat olive oil in the same saucepan over medium. Strain the salsa back in and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 5: Make the masa by combining masa harina, salt, and warm water in a large mixing bowl. Knead it together until the consistency is sticky, but not coming off on your hands too much.
Step 6: Break off pieces of dough to form small balls (about 30-35 grams). Add each one to a tortilla press lined with 2 pieces of thick plastic or wax paper. Press gently to form tortillas slightly thicker than normal.
Step 7: Add the tortillas to a hot cast-iron skillet or comal. Cook each one for 10-15 seconds, flip and cook another 60-90 seconds, then flip once more and cook, pressing lightly, until it puffs up.
Step 8: Remove from heat and after 30-60 seconds of cooling, pinch around the edges of the tortilla to form a ridge.
Step 9: Lightly fry the sopitos in some vegetable oil on both sides until they are golden brown and crispy.
Step 7: Spread a layer of refried beans in the center of the sopito, then soyrizo, shredded cabbage, tomatoes or radishes, queso fresco or cotija, and salsa. Happy eating!
🥗 Serving suggestions
Serve your sopitos as an appetizer or alongside main dishes like:
- Quesabirria tacos: Crispy, cheesy, and savory oyster mushroom-stuffed tortillas.
- Caldo de res: A warming and comforting soup full of vegetables and beefless chunks.
- Sopa de tortilla: Spicy tomato and chile-based broth with crunchy strips of tortillas and fresh garnishes.
- Tlayudas: Large corn bases topped with garnishes like refried beans, soyrizo, vegetables, and dairy-free queso.
How to eat sopitos: Eat this dish with your hands. It’s messy and fun!
🌡️ Storage
Follow these storage tips to keep your recipe fresh:
- Fridge: Store sopitos in your fridge without toppings for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: The bases will freeze for up to 6 months in a freezer-safe container. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before using them again.
- Reheat: Heat your sopitos over medium heat or fry them in some vegetable oil, then add toppings as outlined in the recipe card.
Note: See our vegan queso fresco, soy chorizo, and salsa roja posts for optimal storage times and instructions.
♻️ Variations
- Meat alternatives: Use different “meats” like carnitas, tinga, or al pastor for different flavors and textures.
- Oil-free: Instead of frying the sopitos in oil, just cook them on a dry skillet or comal for an oil-free version.
- Thin & crispy: Try making the base thin for a lighter and crispier texture.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Prep in advance. For easier preparation, make the salsa, chorizo, and toppings a day in advance.
- Strain the salsa. The salsa for sopitos is supposed to be quite thin, so we recommend straining it.
- Cover the dough. It’s best to keep your masa (dough) covered when shaping the sopitos so it stays hydrated.
- Wait for the puff. Make sure your skillet is hot enough and lightly press the tortillas until the middle puffs.
- Watch your fingers. Let the sopitos cool before pinching them so you don’t burn your fingers! Alternatively, you can pinch them with a cloth to create a barrier.
💬 FAQ
Traditionally, sopitos are a gluten-free dish. However, since we used a TVP chorizo, this recipe contains wheat. For a gluten-free version, use a meat alternative like tempeh or tofu crumbles.
Other than regional differences, the size and toppings vary between the two antojitos. Sopes are often bigger and include different toppings and sauces than sopitos.
Sopitos
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Tortilla press
- Cast-iron skillet or comal
- Saucepan
- Blender
Ingredients
Salsa
- 2 guajillo chiles ($0.08)
- 2 Roma tomatoes ($0.32)
- 4 tomatillos ($0.45)
- ½ small white onion ($0.12)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon beefless bouillon ($0.18)
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon cumin ($0.02)
- 1-2 cups water ($0.01)
- Salt & pepper to taste ($0.02)
Masa
- 2 cups masa harina ($0.25)
- ½ teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- 1 ½ cups warm water ($0.01)
Toppings
- 2 cups refried beans ($0.39)
- 1 cup vegan chorizo ($1.32)
- Diced white onions ($0.10)
- Shredded green cabbage ($0.10)
- Sliced radishes ($0.05)
- ½ cup Queso fresco ($0.35)
Instructions
Salsa
- Stem and seed the guajillo chiles. Toast them in a skillet over medium for 30-60 seconds per side, being careful not to burn them.
- Add the toasted chiles, tomatoes, tomatillos, and onion to a medium saucepan of water. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until softened. Drain and transfer to a blender with the garlic, bouillon, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend on high until smooth.
- Heat olive oil in the same saucepan over medium. Strain the salsa back in and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, adding water as needed to achieve a thin salsa consistency.
Dough
- Mix masa harina and salt in a large bowl. Pour in 1 ½ cups of water to start and knead together until the masa is sticky enough to stay together, but not coming off on your hands. Add more dough or more water to achieve a texture similar to play-dough. Keep the dough covered.
- Break off pieces of dough to form small balls (about 30-35 grams). Add each one to a tortilla press lined with 2 pieces of thick plastic. Press gently to form tortillas slightly thicker than normal (about ¼-inch).
- If you don’t have a tortilla press, place your ball of dough between the same 2 pieces of plastic on your counter. Press the dough down with the bottom of a baking dish or flat plate.
Cooking
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet or comal up to just over medium. Cook each tortilla for 10-15 seconds, flip and cook another 60-90 seconds, then flip once more and cook, pressing lightly, until it puffs up.
- Remove from heat and keep warm in a towel while you continue cooking the other tortillas. After 30-60 seconds of cooling, pinch around the edges of the tortilla to form a ridge.
- Once they are all formed, heat some olive oil in a skillet and lightly fry on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or cooling rack over a baking sheet.
Assembly
- Spread a layer of refried beans in the center of the sopito, then soyrizo, shredded cabbage, tomatoes or radishes, queso fresco or cotija, and salsa. Happy eating!
Video
Notes
- Prep in advance. For easier preparation, make the salsa, chorizo, and toppings a day in advance.
- Strain the salsa. The salsa for sopitos is supposed to be quite thin, so we recommend straining it.
- Cover the dough. It’s best to keep your masa (dough) covered when shaping the sopitos so it stays hydrated.
- Wait for the puff. Make sure your skillet is hot enough and lightly press the tortillas until the middle puffs.
- Watch your fingers. Let the sopitos cool before pinching them so you don’t burn your fingers! Alternatively, you can pinch them with a cloth to create a barrier.
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of our recipes.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe to recipe. All prices are in USD.
Nutrition
🍴 Similar recipes
If you enjoy flavorful foods, check out some of these other tasty antojitos:
- Picaditas: Ridged corn tortillas smothered in red and green salsa and covered with queso fresco.
- Sopes: A similar recipe that starts with masa bases slathered with beans, salsa, and other delicious garnishes.
- Garnachas: Fried corn cakes topped with spicy red salsa, shredded jackfruit, and tangy cabbage slaw.
- Bean tostaguac: Crispy tostadas topped with creamy refried beans and homemade guacamole.
