Sopes
Thick masa cakes with pinched-up edges, cooked on a comal, fried in lard, then topped with refried beans, chorizo, green salsa, onion and fresh cheese.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Mild
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
A sope is a thick round of masa, about 1 cm deep and the size of a palm, cooked on a dry griddle and pinched while still hot to raise a little wall around the edge. It is then fried briefly in lard to crisp the bottom and filled like a small open tart: refried beans first so everything sticks, then a topping, here crumbled fried chorizo, then salsa verde, onion and crumbled cheese. Masa harina works well. The dough must be soft and damp, and the pinching must happen while the sope is almost too hot to handle.
What you'll need
10 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Masa
- Toppings
Ingredients
Masa
- Masa harina300 g
- Water, warm400 ml
- Salt4.9 ml
- Lard, for frying, or vegetable oil44 ml
Toppings
- Refried beans, warm300 g
- Chorizo, fresh Mexican chorizo, skinned250 g
- Green salsa, salsa verde150 ml
- Onion, white, finely chopped½ medium
- Queso fresco, crumbled100 g
- Sour cream, Mexican crema, or sour cream (optional)59 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Mix the masa harina and salt, then add the warm water gradually and knead to a soft dough, like play-dough, that does not crack at the edges when you press it. Cover and rest 10 minutes, then divide into 12 balls.
15 min
Tip: If the dough cracks when pressed, it is too dry. Knead in water a spoonful at a time.
Step 2
Fry the chorizo in a dry frying pan over medium heat, breaking it up, for about 8 minutes until crisp and the fat has run. Drain and keep warm. Warm the beans in a small pan.
10 min
Step 3
Heat a comal over medium-high heat. Press each ball between two sheets of plastic to a round 1 cm thick and 8 cm across. Cook 1½ to 2 minutes a side, until spotted and firm outside but still soft inside.
15 min
Step 4
As each comes off the comal, pinch the edge up all the way round between thumb and fingers to make a 5 mm rim. Hold it in a folded tea towel if your fingers need it.
5 min
Watch: They are very hot, but they only shape while hot. Work fast and use the towel.
Step 5
Heat the lard in the frying pan and fry the sopes rim side up for 1 to 2 minutes until the bottoms crisp, spooning a little fat into each hollow. Drain on paper.
8 min
Step 6
Spread each sope with beans, then add chorizo, salsa, onion, cheese and crema if using. Serve at once.
5 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 173 kcal
- Protein
- 6.1 g
- Carbs
- 30.2 g
- Fat
- 3.5 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.1 g
- Fibre
- 4.5 g
- Sugar
- 1.8 g
- Sodium
- 250 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Milk
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Chorizo → Shredded chicken or fried diced potato
Potato with a pinch of chilli powder makes them vegetarian if the beans are fried in oil.
Lard → Vegetable oil
Crisps just as well, with less flavour.
Tips
- You can griddle and pinch the sopes a few hours ahead. Fry and top them just before serving.
- Set the toppings out and let people build their own. It is how sopes are eaten at parties.
History & culture
Sopes are antojitos, the masa snacks sold at night from street stands and at market fondas. They are party food too, made by the dozen with three or four toppings set out on the table. Most regions have a cousin: Veracruz has picadas, thinner and pinched all over, and Oaxaca has memelas, smeared with lard and beans.
Masa cooked on a comal is as old as the tortilla. Sopes as a named antojito belong to the street food of central Mexican cities, where frying in lard and pork chorizo, both Spanish arrivals, met much older masa shapes. Nobody knows who first pinched the edge of a thick tortilla. It is the kind of shape every cook arrives at alone.
Traditional — Fresh masa from a tortillería gives a lighter, more tender sope; masa harina is the common substitute in Mexican homes as well as abroad. Toppings vary endlessly: shredded chicken, potato with chorizo, beef salpicón, or just beans and salsa.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Sopes take?
55 min all in — 25 min prep, 30 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 12 sopes. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Mild.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Comal or dry skillet, Frying pan, Saucepan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Chorizo → Shredded chicken or fried diced potato. Potato with a pinch of chilli powder makes them vegetarian if the beans are fried in oil. Lard → Vegetable oil. Crisps just as well, with less flavour.
What should I watch for?
They are very hot, but they only shape while hot. Work fast and use the towel.
Any tips from this recipe?
You can griddle and pinch the sopes a few hours ahead. Fry and top them just before serving. Set the toppings out and let people build their own. It is how sopes are eaten at parties.
Can I prepare this ahead?
You can griddle and pinch the sopes a few hours ahead. Fry and top them just before serving.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
Similar dishes
Tostadas
Tostadas de frijol
Crisp fried corn tortillas spread with refried beans and piled with shredded lettuce, crema, crumbled queso fresco, salsa and avocado.
Very easy
Quesadilla
A tortilla folded on cheese on a hot comal — Mexico City may put no cheese in some, but this one does.
Very easy
Pupusas
Pupusas revueltas
Thick Salvadoran griddled corn cakes sealed around cheese, refried beans and chicharrón, eaten with curtido.
Medium
Frijoles de la olla
Pot beans — onion, a little fat, time — the Mexican weekday protein that is not a burrito filling first.
Easy