This Consomé is the ultimate tomato broth that’s used for topping Tacos Dorados, Chiles Rellenos, Tostadas, Flautas or Gorditas. It’s the classic condiment to serve Mexico’s favorite dishes!
🗒️ In This Post
Consomé,
Eating tostadas, crispy tacos, sopes, flautas, etc. in Mexico, it’s a very different experience than the one in the U.S. or other parts of the world. Drowning your food with a brothy sauce elevates the flavors to another level!
I just love this Consomé recipe, and make it for anything that is made with either corn tortillas or corn masa. This recipe is not the same as the one you see for birria This recipe delivers a deliciously vibrant, earthy, and slightly smoky-tasting tomato sauce. Adding the guajillo pepper is the key for that smokiness taste which make for a balanced combination. And, that color! It’s beautiful.
🩷 xoxo, Ana
If you go to a “cenaduria”, I bet you’ll find dishes drowned in this delicious Consomé!
Cenadurías are cozy little restaurants that serve all kinds of antojitos mexicanos, not just street tacos. They’re super casual (and easy on the wallet!) but the food is always packed with flavor. They’re especially popular in Sinaloa and Sonora, which makes them extra special to me since Sonora is my home state.
**This post was originally published on Jan 2021. It has been updated to be more helpful.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s another layer of flavor that will elevate the Mexican dishes you choose to serve it with.
- Easy to make ahead.
- Simple ingredients. Most likely you’re already have everything at home!
Ingredients
Consomé is so delicious with just the right flavors and is easy to prep in just …. minutes with only 5 ingredients. All you need is:
- Tomatoes
- Fresh Garlic
- White or yellow onion – about 1/4 of an onion. You don’t need much.
- Broth or stock – it can be beef, chicken or vegetable
- And for the spices you’ll need oregano, salt & pepper
- Chile guajillo. This is optional but highly recommended! It gives lots of flavor to your consome. It’s not spicy so don’t be afraid to use it!
How To Make Consomé
This is a visual overview of the steps to make this recipe. See the detailed list of ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below.
- In a small to medium saucepan, add tomatoes, onion, garlic clove, broth, dried oregano, salt & black pepper, chile guajillos. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.
2. Now it’s time to blend the veggies but they will be done in two parts. First, add the guajillos to a blender with 1 cup of the added broth. Puree well.
Note: The reason is that you’ll want to puree the guajillos separately to strain the skin out. This will give a better texture to the consomé.
3. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the guajillo until all of the liquid is removed from the pulp.
4. Now puree the rest of the veggies in a blender. You can leave a little chunks of tomato if you like or puree very well. I like some texture on my consomé so I don’t mind leaving a little chuck here and there.
Now it’s time to finish cooking the consome:
- In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add the sauces very carefully & slowly to make sure it doesn’t splatter all over the stove!
5. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add the sauces very carefully & slowly to make sure it doesn’t splatter all over the stove!
6. Cook on low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes until all of the flavors have incorporated well and the sauce thickens up a little bit.
7. Taste for salt & pepper and add more if needed according to taste.
That’s it my friends! Now you have this amazing consomé that will be one of your Mexican cuisine staples. How are you serving it?
Serving Suggestions
Use it as a base, topping or dipping sauce for:
- Tacos Dorados
- Chiles Rellenos
- Tostadas and Flautas
- Gorditas or Sopes
Ana’s Recipe Tips
- Pro tip: Don’t forget to blend guajillos separately, then strain. This keeps skins out and gives a smooth finish without grit.
- Control thickness with stock. After simmering and frying the sauce in a little oil, adjust with a splash of broth to reach “brothy sauce,” not pasta sauce.
- Season at the end. Salt can vary by beef/chicken/veg broth; taste after the final simmer so you don’t oversalt.
- Make it vegetarian. Use vegetable stock—flavor stays balanced thanks to tomato, guajillo, and oregano.
- Serve like in cenadurías. Ladle over tacos dorados, chiles rellenos, flautas, gorditas, or sopes. It’s a condiment meant to “drown” antojitos.
Print Recipe:
Consomé
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- ¼ of a large onion - white or yellow
- 1 large garlic clove - or two small cloves, peeled
- 2 chile guajillos (see substitutes below) - cleaned and seeded
- 2 cups broth - Beef, chicken or vegetable
- ½ teaspoon each: dried oregano, salt & black pepper
Instructions
- In a small to medium saucepan, add all of the ingredients and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.3 Roma tomatoes, ¼ of a large onion, 1 large garlic clove , 2 cups broth, ½ teaspoon each: dried oregano, salt & black pepper , 2 chile guajillos (see substitutes below)
- Puree: Add the guajillos to a blender with 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Puree well.
- Using a fine strainer, strain the guajillos to remove all of the pulp.
- In same blender, add the rest of the vegetables and the remainder of the cooking liquid. Puree well. See note #2
- In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add the sauces very carefully & slowly to make sure it doesn't splatter all over the stove!
- Cook on low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes until all of the flavors have incorporated well and the sauce thickens up a little bit.
- Taste for salt & pepper and add more if needed according to taste.
- Drizzle hot over tacos dorados, sopes, gorditas, tostadas, etc.
Notes
- Chile guajillos can be substituted with New Mexico, Ancho or Pasilla Pepper, Pasilla or Puya.
- You can leave a little chunks of tomato if you like or puree very well. I like some texture on my consome so I don’t mind leaving a little chuck here and there.
- Storing in fridge: Before storing, let it cool down to room temperature. Store in an airtight containers. Mason jars, plastic containers, or even resealable bags work like a charm. Consume within 3-4 days for optimal freshness and flavor. Freezer: Use freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty resealable bags. Make sure to leave a little room at the top if you’re using containers – liquids expand when frozen. Freeze for 2 to 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat in the microwave or stovetop. Just make sure to heat it gently to maintain that lovely texture.
Your Private Notes
Nutrition
Recipe FAQ’s
No. Birria consomé is built from the meat’s cooking juices and a larger spice mix. Yours is a tomato-and-stock broth with guajillo used to top antojitos.
Yes—use whole peeled or crushed tomatoes when fresh Roma aren’t in season. Simmer to cook off raw flavor before blending and frying in oil, then adjust with stock.
Common causes are burned chiles or seeds/veins left in. Clean guajillos well and don’t overtoast; strain the chile puree thoroughly as you instruct.
More Condiments To Try:
Try any of my delicious sauces, dips & dressings…. Always easy & delicious!
Lovely flavors, however after initially cooking the tomatoes, etc….liquid had reduced to barely 1cup.
Absolutely wonderful.
Perfecta!!!
Gracias Malena!!!
I’m still a little confused about the water addition. Do I add 1 cup water when I purée the guajillo peppers or do I take 1 cup broth out of the veggie cooking liquid and use that?
I love this sauce. Used it for chili rellenos last week and tacos dorados today. Amazing food
Thank you, is so versatile it can go with almost anything!!! Love it too.
Super easy to make, made the meat so so moist.
This was such a quick and easy recipe that does not disappoint! Brings the perfect touch of flavor to so many recipes!
SImple and flavorful recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for sharing! I am trying to start to make Mexican food more often at home, so this recipe was perfect for me 🙂
Made this consome for tacos and it was delicious! Definitely going to be a staple for taco night from now on.
This is an absolutely great dipping sauce!! I make it everytime we have Mexican food. I’ve also cooked and shredded chicken breast in it and it works great for street taco filling. Thank for this recipe, love your website!
This may be a perfectly lovely soup, but it is not a consommé. That is stock clarified with egg whites. The defining feature of a consommé is that it is clear.
Nowhere in this recipe says to add egg whites. This Mexican consomme is tomato based and that’s what we call it in Mexico. There are many types of consomes not just the clear type. I think you’re a bit confused.
How much water do you boil the veggies in? Where and when do you use the beef broth?
Hi Shawn, is the 2 cups broth listed on the recipe card. I updated the instructions to be more clear. Thanks so much for the question!
Enjoy, Ana
This sounds great and I will try. In the written directions it mentions cooked water for the blender (peppers) and not in the tutorial, can you explain further?
What pepper can be substituted as the one listed is not available in my area.
Hi Robin! I updated the post to add 1 cup of water when blending the chiles. Sorry about that and thanks for the heads up!
I also added a few substitutes in the recipe card’s Note section: Chile guajillos can be substituted with New Mexico, Ancho or Pasilla Pepper, Pasilla or Puya.
Enjoy!
Ana
Im just looking to do some biria taco’s like the ones on youtube and wanted a consome recipe alternative as I dont have access to guahillo chillies.. what other chillies would you recommend??
Chile guajillos can be substituted with New Mexico, Ancho or Pasilla Pepper, Pasilla or Puya.
I personally love heat in my food, but my husband can’t tolerate it. Do the chiles add much spice? And if so, of the ones that you suggested, which would be the least? Thank you!
How long will this consome be good for refrigerated?
Hi Alex, for best flavors I suggest you eat it within 4 to 5 days max. Enjoy!
I haven’t tried this yet but from looking at the photo it doesn’t look like these tacos would be easy to eat holding them in your hands. Do you recommend a fork and knife? Thanks. They do look delicious!
Hi Carla! I eat them with my hands but you can assist holding them with a fork if you want? I must say that they are kind of messy but so worth it! I’ll also update the post that they should be eaten as soon as they’re served so that they don’t get soggy fast. The flavors are so amazing though! Give them a try!
Thanks so much for the question! I hope you have a great day 🙂
Ana
This consome gives so much flavor to my tostadas!
Yes it does! It elevates your dish to another level!