Colombian soups are a cornerstone of the country’s rich culinary heritage, offering a delicious blend of indigenous, Spanish, and African influences.
Just want the recipes? Browse our Colombian soups and stews hub for every dish below with its own step-by-step recipe.
From hearty stews packed with meat and vegetables to light broths bursting with local flavors, these soups are a staple in Colombian households.
Whether enjoyed as a comforting meal on a cool Andean evening or as a refreshing dish along the Caribbean coast, Colombian soups showcase the diversity of the nation’s ingredients and regional traditions.
In this guide, we’ll explore the best Colombian soups, each with its own unique taste and cultural significance.
12 Best Colombian Soups & Stews
Here’s our list of some of the most popular Colombian soups, what makes them so special and why they are among some of the best Colombian dishes the country has to offer.
Let’s dive into the world of Colombian soup!
1. Cuchuco de Cebada
This soup hails from the center of Colombia, and it is by far one of the most popular soups available in the region.
If you ever get the chance to travel through this area, you’re guaranteed to find at least a few eateries with this masterpiece on their menu.
Cuchuco Soup is typically made from a grain base which can include corn, barley, or wheat.
Vegetables can include peas, carrots, cabbage, and various herbs. What goes into this soup varies throughout the year since Colombia relies heavily on foods grown locally.
It will probably end up in this Colombian soup or another if it’s in season.
This soup is often served with meat – typically locally raised pork.
It can be topped with tomato, avocado, extra cabbage, and whatever herbs meet your tastebuds.
2. Mondongo
Mondongo is another incredibly popular soup found all over Colombia and Latin America.
Traditionally, it is made with a mix of three different types of meats – two types of pork and beef. Most people use plain pork, beef tripe, and Colombian chorizo sausage.
However, the chorizo is omitted in many places, and the soup still turns out perfectly.
This soup is hearty, as are most Colombian soups. Filled to the brim with rich meats and a variety of vegetables, this soup is bound to get your mouth watering with just a cursory glance.
It’s the ideal Colombian dish to prepare on a cold winter’s evening, as it’s hearty and warming.
Often, it is served with white rice and avocado, but it may also be served with fried plantains.
3. Cazuela de Mariscos
This soup is the pinnacle of seafood soups for Colombia.
Made with rich coconut milk, various types of seafood, and tons of vegetables, nothing compares.
Traditionally this soup is made in one pot, which saves you the mess when cleaning up.
The seafood is placed in the soup midway through cooking and simmers along with the vegetables.
This Colombian soup can be made with multiple types of seafood.
There are no hard and set rules about what should go in it, but most commonly, it contains shellfish such as mussels, oysters, or other white fish.
If you’re a seafood lover, there’s nothing better.
4. Ajiaco
Perhaps the most popular Colombian food of all.
Ajiaco is a traditional Colombian soup with a hearty chicken and potato base.
Traditionally, it contains whole corn on the cob and a Colombian herb known as guascas.
The potatoes and chicken make Colombian ajiaco one of the most filling soups, while the guascas give it its signature flavor.
In addition to the guascas, the hearty ajiaco soup is usually topped with capers, which add zest and diversity to the Colombian dish.
This popular Colombian chicken soup is perfect for you if you’re a fan of comfort foods.
5. Caldo de Costilla
This traditional Colombian soup is made with a relatively unique meat – beef rib.
Beef ribs can be difficult to find in certain places, so prepare to look a little harder for this ingredient if you want to try it out.
The ribs are boiled with a mix of vegetables, including potatoes, onions, and carrots.
Heavy on spices, this soup is known to get your blood flowing if you’re feeling a bit lethargic.
This traditional soup is perfect for cold winter nights. Be sure to serve it with a grain, such as bread or white rice, to enhance the taste and comfort.
6. Changua
Did you know that in Colombia, there are breakfast soups? You do now, and Changua is one of the most popular breakfast dishes in this area.
It’s known as a popular breakfast soup because the primary ingredient is eggs. The eggs give this soup a rich taste while maintaining a lighter profile.
In addition, the base contains milk, green onions, and parsley.
This Colombian soup is one of the best to start your day, especially if you live in a colder area.
7. Frijoles Antioqueños
This soup definitely makes the list of heartiest soups.
Filled to the brim with delicious red beans, carrots, corn, and bacon, this soup will make your mouth water and your stomach delightfully full.
Typically this Colombian soup is served with avocado, crispy tortilla chips, or rice. Often it’s served with all three.
This bean soup is reminiscent of chicken tortilla soup in flavor, although the texture is completely different.
8. Mote de Queso
Coming off the coast of Colombia, this soup is one of the tastiest on the menu. Filled with Costeño cheese, it rightly earns its name.
The primary ingredients of this soup are yams, cheese, white onions, garlic, and tomatoes. While the ingredients vary slightly from area to area, these staples remain the same overall.
If you don’t have white onions, you can substitute them with yellow or green ones.
One of the best things about Mote de Queso is the texture. Unlike many of the soups on our list, this one is blended and creamy.
The rich flavor of the yams and the cheese stand out in the finished result. It should still maintain a few chunks of yam, but overall it’s smooth.
9. Sancocho
Sancocho has a lot of variations to it. It is, however, always a hearty stew. Colombian cuisine specializes in comfort foods, after all.
This Colombian stew is frequently made with chicken, beef, pork, or fish, depending on the region it’s being made in.
As we discussed, Colombia primarily uses locally grown grains, vegetables, and locally raised animals for its dishes.
So, unless you’re making it directly, you may end up with all kinds of variations of this dish.
It typically contains large chunks of potatoes, cassava, tomatoes, and corn. This makes for a thin broth with many larger pieces, which in all honesty, may be a bit difficult to eat initially.
You can eat Sancocho by itself, but it’s nearly always served over white rice. The rice helps to soak up many of the juices.
If you’re interested in making the Colombian stew yourself, here is an easy and delicious recipe from the New York Times.
As an added benefit, also take a look at this recipe for Colombian Arroz Con Coco.
10. Puchero Santafereño
Puchero Santafereño is a hearty soup that is a staple of Colombian cuisine, particularly in the Andean region.
It’s a thick and savory soup made with beef, chicken, pork and vegetables such as corn, plantains, yucca, carrots and potatoes.
The Colombian soup’s rich flavors come from the various meats and spices used in its preparation, such as cumin, garlic and bay leaves.
Puchero Santafereño is traditionally served with a side of white rice and sliced avocado.
11. Sancocho de Pescado con Coco
If you want to try the flavors of the Pacific coastal area of Colombia, a good choice would be Sancocho de Pescado con Coco.
This coconut and fish stew usually includes chunks of local fish such as Spanish mackerel or snapper.
This seafood Colombian dish is slow cooked in coconut milk giving this hearty soup a creamy rich texture making more of a chowder than soup.
Most Colombians like to include a side dish of fried plantains when serving Sancocho de Pescado con Coco.
12. Cocido Boyacense
Cocido Boyacense is a traditional Colombian stew from the Andean region of Boyacá, known for its hearty mix of locally grown tubers, meats, and vegetables.
This slow-cooked Colombian dish features pork ribs, beef, chicken, chuguas, cubios, yuca, potatoes, corn on the cob, and cabbage, creating a rich and nourishing meal perfect for the region’s cool climate.
Each spoonful reflects the agricultural bounty of Boyacá, with native Andean ingredients giving it a distinctive flavor and texture.
Typically served in a clay pot alongside aji (Colombian hot sauce), avocado, and rice, Cocido Boyacense is a beloved comfort food that embodies Colombian rural traditions and hospitality.
Final Thoughts on Classic Colombian Soups
Colombian soups are a fantastic representation of the variety of mouthwatering dishes that make up the savory landscape of traditional Colombian cuisine.
Each Colombian soup, from the robust authentic ajiaco to the hearty sancocho, provides a tasty fusion of flavors and textures that is sure to please any food lover or connoisseur of fine cuisine.
Sources
- My Colombian Recipes: Cuchuco De Cebada (Colombian – Barley and Pork Soup)
- My Colombian Recipes: Mondongo Colombiano (Pork, Tripe, and Chorizo Soup)
- My Colombian Recipes: Cazuela De Mariscos (Seafood Stew)
- My Colombian Recipes: Ajiaco Colombiano (Colombian Chicken and Potato Soup)
- Medellin Guru: 12 Popular Colombian Soups to Try When You Visit Colombia
- New York Times: Caldo de Costilla (Colombian Beef Rib Soup)
- My Colombian Recipes: Changua (Colombian Egg and Milk Soup)
- My Colombian Recipes: Cazuelita De Frijoles (Colombian Beans Cazuela)
- My Colombian Recipes: Mote De Queso (Colombian Cheese and Yam Soup)
- New York Times: Sancocho
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Jorge Garcia is the founder of AmigoFoods, where he has spent over 20 years helping readers discover authentic Latin American and Spanish cuisine. Raised in a Cuban-American household, Jorge learned to cook at the hands of his mother and grandmother, carrying forward generations of family recipes. That heritage, backed by his family’s four-generation history in the Latin food industry, inspired him to launch AmigoFoods in 2003. With more than 1,000 published articles on recipes, ingredients, and food culture, Jorge’s mission is simple: make authentic Latin cooking approachable for home cooks everywhere while honoring the traditions behind every dish.