Puerto Rican Mojito Sauce is a bold dipping sauce made with ketchup, sofrito, and vinegar. This Latin ketchup alternative is flavorful and perfect for tostones, burgers, or anything fried.
Mojito Sauce is a condiment rarely emphasized or not as publicized as Mayo-ketchup (a combination of, you guessed it, mayonnaise and ketchup). However, I find mojito sauce far better in flavor and a better proponent of carrying the Puerto Rican flavors to the condiment genre. As mentioned before, mojito sauce pairs well, with fried foods, like tostones, alcapurrias, Empanadillas, and even Bacalaitos, as well as pan-seared or grilled meats like Pinchos, Roasted Chicken Thighs, Chuletas Fritas (Puerto Rican fried pork chops), or Instant Pot Pernil (Pork Roast)
For more recipes that pair well with mojito sauce, try Mofongo, crispy fried plantains mashed with garlic, butter, and pork rinds (or bacon); Pan-seared Lamb Loin chops; Roasted Whole Chicken; or Pastelón, a sweet-ripe plantain pie filled with ground beef and cheeses.
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Why you'll love this recipe
This ketchup alternative is simply delicious. It elevates ketchup to more than tomatoes and corn syrup and provides a taste of the island every time you use it, whether you're eating Puerto Rican food or not. Try it on a hot dog—it's incredible! Here are a few more reasons why this recipe will be one of your favorites.
- Flavor: I cannot say enough about the depth of flavor this sauce has. The sofrito alone transforms the ketchup into something completely different.
- Easy to make: All the ingredients are readily available at home. Check out my recipe for homemade sofrito to help you make this savory dipping sauce. This is an excellent recipe for using some of your freshly made sofrito.
- Long shelf-life: Because everything involved has a long shelf-life, this will also have a long shelf-life. I have kept my sofrito in the fridge for at least three months and have not thrown it out because it went bad.
- Pairs well with anything: Use this sauce instead of ketchup, wherever you typically use ketchup. Try it and you will love this recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Ketchup: As mentioned previously, ketchup is the base of this sauce and gives it body.
- Sofrito: Sofrito provides the uniquely Puerto Rican or Boricua flavor that will set this sauce apart.
- Vinegar: Vinegar will give the sauce a more piquant, tart flavor, cutting the sweetness of the ketchup and enhancing the savoriness of the sauce.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions
I strongly suggest trying the original sauce before switching ingredients; however, please see various ways to switch it and swap it around below.
- Base swap: Use BBQ sauce or tomato paste instead of ketchup for a deeper flavor.
- Acid: Try lime juice, orange juice, or balsamic vinegar for different tang.
- Sofrito: Use roasted garlic paste or sautéed onions if you’re out.
- Worcestershire: Swap with soy sauce or Maggi for umami.
- Pique: Sub with hot sauce, chili flakes, or minced fresh peppers.
How to Make This Puerto Rican Dipping Sauce
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make sofrito ketchup sauce.
- In a blender cup, add ketchup and sofrito.
- Add lemon juice.
- Red Wine Vinegar.
- And seasonings, like cumin, oregano, and coriander.
- Option to add a couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce or . . .
- Piqué or your favorite hot sauce.
- Blend all ingredients.
- Pour into a bottle, squeeze bottle, or mason jar.
Top Tip for Mojito Sauce
For better service and storage, you can store completed sauce in a squeeze bottle or a mason jar.
Expert Tips
- The sauce will thicken, or keep the ketchup's thickness. Keep this in mind when storing the sauce.
- Play with your flavors and likes. Add ingredients little by little to find it to your liking.
- Place a label once the recipe is complete and stored. Product labels are great for tracking when the recipe was made and what is inside the container.
- The longer the sauce sits, the better it tastes. Make the sauce the day before a cookout or family gathering.
Recipe FAQs
Most definitely! The longer the sauce rests, the better it gets. Make it the day before a cookout or family gathering.
Mojito sauce is a short version of Mojo (maw-haw) Isleño, a tomato-based sauce generally served with fish and seafood. The term "mojito" is a diminutive of Mojo, in this case meaning little Mojo. It is not to be confused with the delicious lime/mint rum drink, Mojito.
You can use mojito sauce as a condiment like ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise. I have used it over hot dogs, with fries, ribs, pork chops, etc.
A combination of ketchup, sofrito, vinegar, and piqué. I add Worcestershire Sauce, which would be entirely optional. However, Worcestershire Sauce is a fish-based sauce whose flavor will blend well with the ketchup and add a bit of boldness to the final product.
Of course. This recipe's most basic form is ketchup, sofrito, and vinegar. You can add anything your tastebuds desire.
As spicy as you make it. Piqué or hot sauce is optional and to your taste.
More Sauces and Marinades Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Puerto Rican Mojito Sauce, Savory Sofrito Ketchup Sauce
Equipment
- 1 funnel
Ingredients
- 8 oz ketchup
- 2 oz sofrito
- 1 oz lemon juice as needed
- 1 oz red wine vinegar as needed
- 5 dashes Worcestershire sauce optional
- 3 dashes Pique optional
Instructions
- In a blender cup, add ketchup and sofrito.
- Add lemon juice.
- Red Wine Vinegar.
- And seasonings, like cumin, oregano, and coriander.
- Option to add a couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce or . . .
- Piqué or your favorite hot sauce.
- Blend all ingredients.
- Pour into a bottle, squeeze bottle, or mason jar.
Notes
Top Tip for Mojito Sauce
For better service and storage, you can store completed sauce in a squeeze bottle or a mason jar.- The sauce will thicken, or keep the ketchup's thickness. Keep this in mind when storing the sauce.
- Play with your flavors and likes. Add ingredients little by little to find it to your liking.
- Place a label once the recipe is complete and stored. Product labels are great for tracking when the recipe was made and what is inside the container.
- The longer the sauce sits, the better it tastes. Make the sauce the day before a cookout or family gathering.