When the weather gets cold, I crave low and slow cooked meals, like this Carne Guisada. Puerto Rican beef stew is one of my mom’s specialties, I always got super excited whenever she said this was on the menu. Good carne guisada is like a warm belly hug, full of deliciously tender meat, potatoes, carrots and plenty of Latin spices. This is a dish that requires some patience, but the wait is definitely worth it. You’ll need a few Puerto Rican staples for this recipe, like adobo, sazon and sofrito; they’re essential flavor components in this dish.
Serves 4-5
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 lbs chuck roast, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 teaspoons Adobo seasoning
1/4 cup sofrito
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons Sazon seasoning (with annatto)
1 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon
1 32 oz box unsalted beef broth
1/3 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
10 pimento stuffed olives
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 medium potato, diced
1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Season the beef cubes with 2 teaspoons of Adobo. Heat a Dutch oven to medium heat, then add the olive oil. In 2-3 batches, sear the beef for 3-5 minutes per side, in order to get some nice browning on the outside. This caramelization will add great flavor to your stew. Once the beef is browned, remove from the pan and set it aside.
Add the onions and sofrito to the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Next, add the Sazon, powdered chicken bouillon, beef broth, red wine, tomato sauce, bay leaves and Italian seasoning. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the beef back in.
Stir, then cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the carne guisada for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Next, add the potatoes, carrots, and olives, then cook for 30 minutes more.
When the carrots and potatoes are tender, the carne guisada is done. Stir in the vinegar, then check the stew for seasoning. If it needs more salt, add a little bit more powdered chicken bouillon (this stuff is super salty, so use sparingly).
Serve the carne guisada with white rice, tostones and an avocado salad.

Carne Guisada (Puerto Rican Beef Stew)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 1/2 lbs chuck roast cut into 1/2" cubes
- 2 teaspoons Adobo seasoning
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 teaspoons Sazon seasoning with annatto
- 1 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon
- 32 oz. box unsalted beef broth
- 1/3 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 10 pimento stuffed olives
- 1 carrot sliced
- 1 potato diced
- 1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Instructions
-
Season the beef cubes with 2 teaspoons of Adobo.
-
Heat a Dutch oven to medium heat, then add the olive oil.
-
In 2-3 batches, sear the beef for 3-5 minutes per side, in order to get some nice browning on the outside.
-
Once the beef is browned, remove from the pan and set it aside.
-
Add the onions and sofrito to the pan.
-
Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits.
-
Next, add the Sazon, powdered chicken bouillon, beef broth, red wine, tomato sauce, bay leaves and Italian seasoning.
-
Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the beef back in.
-
Stir, then cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the carne guisada for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
-
Next, add the potatoes, carrots, and olives, then cook for 30 minutes more.
-
When the carrots and potatoes are tender, the carne guisada is done.
-
Stir in the vinegar, then check the stew for seasoning.
-
If it needs more salt, add a little bit more powdered chicken bouillon (this stuff is super salty, so use sparingly).
-
Serve with white rice, tostones and a salad.

75 comments
Amazing recipe! I used white wine vinegar instead of red. Added a few slices of jalapeño peppers, and a sprinkle of cayenne to spice it up. Yummy!
Yummy!!!
Our sofrito is in ice cube trays, frozen. We just replenished our supply only yesterday evening! Your recipe calls for 1/4 cup Sofrito. Would that be two cubes?
Yes I do the same thing, 2 cubes is perfect.
Hi, let me start by saying this recipe was DELICIOUS! I cooked it twice so far. I used a regular pot, used cheap $1.99 cooking red wine because I didn’t pay attention and added extra onion and potato! Other than that followed exactly. Super easy, clean up was a breeze and so good. The left overs, which it was only some because it was 2 of us was sooo good as well! Your website is amazing, keep posting girl lol.
Thank you Dee!
Very simple to follow and turned out delicious and authentic. Reminded me of my moms Spanish cooking. Thanks!
thanks for the recipe but I was wondering what could I use if I don’t have beef stock
You can use chicken or vegetable stock or broth, or even water.
I don’t have red wine vinegar. Can i use a different kind? I have white & apple cider vinegar.
I used red cooking wine is it gonna come out nasty?? Ugh I wish I would of read the comments before making it
Don’t worry it will be fine!
Like all recipes very much
Is there a version you can make in less time? Less than 2 hours?
You can use a pressure cooker to reduce the cook time.
Can this recipe be halved?
Absolutely yes!
Delicioso! I’ve tried cooking carne guisada previously using the recipe I half remembered from my childhood. This meat came out butter tender and the flavor is simply original. My family loved it. Thank you very much!
Thank you!
Can you use different steak? I only have cube steak?
Yes you can!
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Excellent! Love Puerto Rican food. This is a keeper!
can you make this in a pressure cooker as well from @ruby_eleni
Yes you can. I don’t have exact timing, so if you try it let me know!
It’s Shrove Monday and my family can’t wait to have this again! I’ve made it several times now after years of not having it because my attempts were epic fails lol. Your recipe is wonderful, thank you for sharing and God bless you!
This came out AMAZING! My husband grew up in PR and he was in heaven eating this alongside some tostones. This dish intimidated me at first but your recipe was easy to follow and delicious.
If I wanted more liquid in the end for poring over rice how much water/liquid can I add before diluting the flavor?
Thanks for the comment! You can definitely add more beef broth to add additional liquid near the end of cooking if you like.
How long would you cook this in a crock pot ?
I would guess 4 hours on high or 8 on low.
do i use cilantro based sofrito for the green one ?
Yes, I used green Sofrito (recaito) for all my Puerto Rican recipes.
I bought the sofrito orange / red one ( Goya bottle) you think that would be okay? I say the green recaito version next to the red bottle but I thought that was the wrong one.
Either one works!
Great. Thank you. Going to make this tonight!
this has been my go-to for a couple of years now for potlucks. everyone raves and requests this dish all the time. thank you for sharing!
That’s awesome Riz, thanks so much!
Amazing!! Just tweeked it a bit by adding diced tomatoes – Thank You!!
Can you name list of wines good for cooking red, white?
I like using dry like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot for reds, as well as Pinto Grigio or Chardonnay for white.
It was absolutely delicious!!!! He loved it!!! I am definitely keeping this!!!
So glad you and your hubby enjoyed the recipe Sue!
Trying this out tonight….sadly I didn’t read the comments and did substitute the red wine for cooking wine. My husband is Hispanic and has been craving this dish and there are no restaurants around us that serve this. Thank you so much for this recipe. I will comment on how much he enjoys it when it’s done!
Do you put it over the rice? Or rice on the side?
Either option works!
If I don’t use the red wine will the recipe still come good?
Yes you can just substitute the wine with more broth.
I like my dad used welches grape juice….it works too like a wine substitute.
Yes, my dad uses grape juice too!
Can you make it with beef stew meat?
Yes you can!
This recipe sounds amazing!!! I am making it for my family tonight!!! I can’t wait to taste it!
Thanks Christine! Enjoy!
Can I omit the dry red wine or use red cooking wine found in supermarket instead?
You can substitute wine with more broth but I wouldn’t use cooking wine. Never cook with something you wouldn’t drink.
Okay great! thank you so much for your reply and tip. I’ll be making this tonight!
I used my pressure cooker and it has come out awesome all 4 times! 20 mins w/ rocker going gently, then did quick cool by running water over pot, added carrots, potatoes & olives, re-sealed and brought back to a gently rock for 5 mins. The flavor was great and it was so tender. My husband is Puerto Rican and said it was super good!
Thank you so much!
I make this for my husband and he LOVES it! I serve it with rice and tostones…it’s always a hit!
So glad you enjoy this recipe, thanks so much!
I dont have any beef broth. Can I still make it?
Yes you can substitute with water
What size Dutch oven did you use, I would Like to double the recipe, I have a 7 quart Dutch Oven, is that big enough to double it ?
Thats about the same size I use, you should be able to double the recipe in it: I had plenty of room in the pot.
Thank You so much 🙂
This recipe is truly incredible. I have made it so many times over the last 2 years and is a hit every time. Because I have small kids who can taste the red wine I omit it, but follow the rest as is (I do use the red wine vinegar at the end). It is sooooo good. My mom thinks it’s better than hers!!
What if i dont have a dutch oven can i use a regular deep pot?
Yes you can!
This was AMAZING! I’m Puerto Rican & sadly have failed on so many recipes lol. I made this last night & my boyfriend loved it!
That’s awesome Kaiti, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s a family secret!
This is great. However, should I have added water after the 2 hours if I noticed it was low in liquid?
Hi Ruth, yes if the liquid level gets too low, you can add water or broth and adjust your seasoning accordingly.
This was amazing! Just like grandmas cooking 😉
This was so delicious! Perfect for a rainy day!
Glad you loved it Nancy!