Sopes are similar to corn tortillas but thicker with pinched edges to form a border. Find out How to Make Sopes quick and easy!

How to Make Sopes - quick and easy

My daughter’s favorite meal are sopes! She loves sopes filled with shredded brisket, chicken mole, al pastor, or carne asada. Fill a sope and load it with toppings and she’s one happy girl.

Masa Harina - adding warm water

I remember when she was little she used to help me make sopes – She used to get on her tip-toes and reach over the counter to press down on the lever of the tortilla press with all her might. She loved helping me in the kitchen and I loved her time with me in the kitchen.

Masa Harina - making dough balls with hands

I am getting a bit emotional as I write this because now my daughter is taller than I am. She no longer is that tiny little girl reaching over the kitchen counter. Now, she’s the girl reaching to get me something out of a tall cabinet when I can’t reach it.

Masa Harina - sopes dough is almost ready

Muy Bueno Cookbook

Did you know my daughter was the one who gave me the idea to write the Muy Bueno cookbook?

Sopes are left resting in a big bowl under a towel

While eating dinner one evening my daughter said, “Mom, can you write all these recipes down for me so that when I go off to college I can make them?” That was my aha moment. I turned to my mom who was visiting and I said, “Mom, lets write a cookbook!” 

Sopes Tortilla Press on a big wooden board

My daughter was only eight years old at the time when this blog and cookbook journey started and now she’s 16 years old and will be a senior in high school next year.

Holding masa tortillas sopes in hands before forming

It is so hard to believe that college is fast approaching. You always hear that children grow up in a blink of an eye, but you don’t believe it until you live through it.

pinching warm dough to form sopes -- Homemade sopes are the best

I am so proud of my daughter Maya – she is smart, athletic, sarcastic, and oh so stubborn like her mama.

Cooking sopes on a comal

I dedicate these sopes to her – May the memories of her cooking in the kitchen with me and eating homemade meals at the dinner table as a family last a lifetime with her. And may she be inspired to make and share these recipes with her friends in college and one day for her own family.  

Watch this video to see how truly simple these sopes are made.

What Are Mexican Sopes?

Sopes originated in central and southern parts of Mexico. A sope is thick, slightly crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. They are very similar to a thick corn tortilla but with the edges pinched up to create a little boat in the middle to hold your favorite toppings.

Sopes Masa Harina on a wooden board overhead shot

How To Make Mexican Sopes

Sopes are very easy to make. With only a few ingredients and easy steps, you can make sopes. They are easier to make than corn tortillas because they don’t have to be as thin or as perfect.

  1. Combine. Simply place all the ingredients in a big bowl and combine the dough by hand until it feels like play-doh.
  2. Press. You can use a tortilla press or a rolling pin to press the dough balls into little circles. If you don’t have a tortilla press you can use a heavy skillet or pot to make the dough patties or use your hands to form a patty.
  3. Cook. Place the sopes on a lightly greased comal (griddle) with olive oil on medium-high heat for about 2 to 4 minutes on each side until dry.
  4. Form. While the cooked patty is still warm and as soon as you are able to handle it, pull the dough of the patty up and outward towards the edge, creating a little ridge of dough all the way around the circle to create a little “boat” or sope.
  5. Fill. Fill each sope with the filling of your choice and garnish with your favorite toppings.

Looking for Fillings? Try these:

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How to Make Sopes - quick and easy

How to Make Sopes

5 (4 ratings)
Sopes are similar to corn tortillas but thicker with pinched edges to form a border.

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • In a mixing bowl combine the masa harina and salt. Add the shortening and rub in with your fingers so that it is evenly distributed. Add warm water and knead until mixture is smooth and slightly sticky. If the dough is dry add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Dough should be soft and moist like play-doh and not dry. Divide dough into 8 portions. Cover with a damp cloth to keep the dough soft and moist.
  • Line a tortilla press with plastic wrap. Place a ball of dough on the press and cover with another piece of plastic wrap and press down to form a little 1/4-inch-thick patty. Peel off the plastic wrap. (If you don’t have a tortilla press you can use a heavy skillet or pot to make the dough patties or use your hands to form a patty.) Repeat with remaining balls of dough.
  • Preheat a lightly greased comal (griddle) with olive oil on medium-high heat. Cook a patty on the comal for about 2 to 4 minutes on each side until dry. While the cooked patty is still warm and as soon as you are able to handle it, pull the dough of the patty up and outward towards the edge, creating a little ridge of dough all the way around the circle to create a little “boat” or sope. Repeat with the remaining patties.
  • Fill each sope with the filling of your choice and garnish with your favorite toppings.

Video

Notes

Get creative - fill each homemade sope with the filling of your choice and garnish with your favorite toppings. 
Here are some  ideas: 
  • carnitas 
  • beans 
  • avocado 
  • shredded cheese
  • pico de gallo 
  • guacamole 
  • refried beans 
  • shredded beef 
  • queso fresco 
Calories: 118kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 76mg, Potassium: 75mg, Fiber: 2g, Vitamin A: 61IU, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 2mg

Originally published: May 2019

Photography by Jenna Sparks