How is it possible that after all these years of sharing recipes, I haven’t posted about Sopaipillas? A dear friend has been my official baker of this traditional Chilean pastry. But now, she has gone back to Chile…leaving me to make my own sopaipillas for the first time. It’s important to note – Chilean Sopaipillas are different from Mexican Sopaipillas. The Chilean version includes squash and can be eating with savory or sweet sauces.
Visit also: Corn and Beef Pie (Pastel de Choclo)
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Chilean Sopaipillas with Pumpkin
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
- Category: Savory
- Method: Fried
- Cuisine: Chilean
Description
Perfect appetizers with Chilean salsa Pebre or as a dessert, dusted with powdered sugar or in a molasses sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (I use canned in the USA)
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, margarine or butter, melted
Instructions
- Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix, add the remaining ingredients, and pulse until a dough forms, should be smooth and pliable.
- Take out of the food processor and knead a couple of times. Let stand, cover with a cloth, for 20 minutes.
- Roll into a floured counter until the desired thickness; I prefer thin, 1/2 cm. more or less or 1/4′
- Heat oil to 180C or 350F.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes per side. They should be golden brown.
- Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Serve warm.
Notes
For the molasses sauce: 1 square of Chancaca or Panela or Piloncillo, 2 cups of water, lemon or orange peel 2 little squares, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
Place the water, panela, orange peel, cinnamon and cloves in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until brown sugar is melted. Boil gently for 15 minutes.
If you want it thicker, add the cornstarch dissolved in cold water and stir until thickened.
You can drizzle the sopaipillas with sauce or soak into the sauce and serve warm.
Keywords: Chilean Sopaipillas, chilean bread
Cheesecake, traditional recipe
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Pilar, hola!
La harina sin polvos, es la all purpose flour ?
Tu blog tiene buscador? No lo logro encontrar.
Gracias!
Para buscar algo lejos lo más fácil es poner en la barra de google “enmicocinahoy alfajores” o lo que sea que necesites y te sale altiro la receta.
La harina sin polvos es la all purpose, arriba puedes cambiar el idioma y ver los ingredientes con sus nombres en inglés.
Suerte!
Gracias! Voy a meterme a indagar entre todas estas increibles recetas!
Ayer hice las sopaipillas y empanadas, un éxito!
Hola. Que modelo de procesador ocupas tu?
Gracias.
Tengo un KitchenAid de 12 tazas de capacidad.
I googled sopaipillas tonight and found your receipt. I haven’t had sopaipillas since I was living in La Punta Chile back in 1983. It will bring back great memories. Your photo looks just like a little girl in that community whose name was also Pilar. Thanks again for posting the receipt, the sopaipillas will bring back great memories of that great little community!
Have fun!
I have been looking for a Chilean sopaillia recipe for sometime and I’m so glad you posted this. My sweet momma used to make them every winter and I would help as a child. I haven’t eaten them for a few years since my mom got sick. I lost her this year the day after Christmas and now I find myself lost without her. I think making the foods she made will make me feel like she’s still with me.
Thanks again,
love you momma!
Carolina
I’m so sorry for your lost Carolina. Please let me know if you have any questions. Welcome to the blog. Hugs.
Hi, yummi! I haven’t had sopaipillas since I left Chile in 2000, now I live im Brisbane Australia. Chilean ingredients here are more limited and there is no Chancaca, I made it with real pumpkin and wholemeal flour, it taste great!!! My partner is Australian and loved it. Thanks for the recipe!!! Btw, after 18 years I’m going back to chile in Feb next year.
Great! I’m glad you got to enjoy them. Have fun in Chile and eat well.
My husband is from Chile – and wants these but wants me to bake them I stead of frying them so they are healthier – do you think they would work to bake them instead? Thanks!
They work, but they don’t taste similar…. bake a couple for him to taste them and decide after.
Thank you for this recipe! They taste just as I remember them over 10 years ago and have shared with friends who have been to Chile. One question. After I have made the dough can it sit out for a while? If so should I refrigerate? Also if I roll out the sopaipillas and cut them can they sit for a while before cooking? Thanks for your help!
It can be out, the dough, for 2 hours no problem. More I would refrigerate. Same with the already cut sopaipillas. Good luck!
Hi Pilar, I’m from Chile and left the country 48 years ago never learnt to cook chilean food, I’m not a great cook but I try so now that I discovered your recipes I would like to make the sopaipillas, but I’ve a question don’t have a food processor so how do I work the dough? I can’t wait I remenber having them in winter on cold days calientitas y pasadas, que delicia!!
Love your blog and next I would like to try your empanadas recipe I love them, wish me luck!
Hugs….
You can do it by hand or with a mixer. The dough is ready when it feels soft and elastic.
Hello! My daughter is making these for a Spanish class. Can you tell us what “2 little squares” of lemon peel translates to as far as measurement? Thank you!
Hi, you can do 1 teaspoon of zested orange or lemon. Or a piece of 3″ x 1″ of lemon peel and remove it before dipping the Sopaipillas. Good luck.
Hi and thankyou for your blog and recipe! I was just wondering what I could use instead of the cane sugar? Thankyou.
I don’t know, I keep the recipes traditional on purpose, so I haven’t tried other options.
I happy I stumbled onto your blog. Sopaipilla is what miss growing up. Mom only made them square to maximize the dough and never added pumpkin. Go figure! I hope to bring this back in my life and i’ll Try your pumpkin version. Thank you for sharing all these recipes which I would never tackle in Spanish.
Hi Tatiana, I’m from the middle of the country in Chile (Zona Central), in the south the sopaipillas are made without pumpkin so maybe that was your mom recipe. I don’t have that recipe published, but I would add it to my list.
Dear Pilar thanks a lot for tu buenas recetas , haré sopaipillas con tu receta para este 18 . Saludos
Fantástico, que las disfruten.
Hice sopaipillas, salieron ricas pero absorbieron demasiado aceite!!!. tuve que secarlas una a una con papel toalla. Al final unas pocas las hice al horno, quedaron bien, aunque un poquito duras. La proxima hare al horno todas y las rociare con aceite en spray. Espero queden mejor.
Lo más probable es que el aceite no estaba a la temperatura correcta, estaba más frío de lo recomendado, por eso te absorbieron tanto aceite.
Hola, te felicito por tus recetas, sobre todo porque son simples en ingredientes y fáciles, lo mejor? RESULTAN. De hecho estoy tratando que mis amigas fuera de Chile (de Facebook) se entusiasmen, y estas sopaipillas tuyas están que espero que llueva, bueno, mejor no, porque vivo en Viña, y estamos en una sequia que te la encargo, saluditos
Gracias por comentar. Me alegro mucho que las recetas te sirvan.
Does the butter need to be cold?
Melted and warm. No need to wait until is cold.
Can I use butternut squash instead?
Yes, but the flavor will be different from the traditional ones. Butternut is very sweet, but it will be delicious.
¡Qué riiiiiicas! Tengo dulces recuerdos de llegar a casa (cualquier día lluvioso, especialmente) y comerlas antes del oncecito, para el once y después del once, si Olivia habia hecho la receta en triple. Con 3 lolos en casa…. aaaaaaa….. Q Rico el recuerdos. Gracias
Me alegro que te lleve en un viaje de recuerdos. Abrazos.
Hola, Pilar!
Primero que todo, tu receta de calzones rotos es excelente! Por eso me atrevo a intentar esta 🙂
Una consulta: el tarro the zapallo es la de 15oz? Entones debo usar 7oz? Pregunto porque tengo pulpa de zapallo.
De antemano gracias!
Usa una taza como dice la receta, es mejor medir que calcular al ojo la mitad del tarro.
Got it 🙂 Thanks!
Muy buenos dias de Colina (Chile)! Tenemos mucho lluvia hoy, entonces estoy cocinando tus sopaipillas. Super rico! Cuanto más delgado mejor. Mi amigo los come con mostaza.
(We are also located in Texas part of the time, so sending un abrazo grande to you in my other country. Thanks so much for the recipe. I’ve made it three times now.)
Que bueno Megan, me alegro, y escapando del calor de Texas, te envidio 🙂
Can Chilean sopaipillas be baked instead of fried? (I know:heresy!)
I don’t recommend baking sopaipillas; they taste and feel different.
I haven’t try it yet, but so far is the one that I like the most, looks very simple an d easy to do. I also like the fact the the temperatures are in Fahrenheit and Celsius. Good job 🙂
may I use the flour that has salt already in it instead of adding salt to the dough?
Yes, you can.
Just finished making them…. super easy, fast and amazing taste… yummy yummy 💖💖💖
I’m glad!!
I have plans on making this thank you for sharing
Good luck!
They were amazing. I needed to add 60 ml milk
I’m so glad. Thanks for coming back and commenting.
Gracias Pilar.
Las acabo de hacer y quedaron divinas. Tus medidas son claras y facilísimas de seguir.
Un abrazo a mi patria adoptiva por matrimonio.
★★★★★
Me alegro mucho que las recetas te sirvan. Gracias por comentar.
ME QUEDARON UN POCO DURAS… PORQUE 🙁
LAS FREI MUCHO?
★★★★★
Puede ser, eso las seca, siempre con las frituras anda probando así ajustas. Lo otro es amasarlas o manipularlas mucho.
Can these be air-fried? If so, what temperature and time do you recommend?
Sorry, but I don’t know, I don’t have experience with air-fryers.
I’m about to make this but it’s not clear to me if the shortening/butter/ margarine goes INTO the dough or is used to fry the dough. If it’s not to fry, how much oil do you use to fry? Deep fry, shallow?
Thanks for making this clear.
The shortening listed on the recipe goes on the dough. You can deep, or shallow fry them, whatever is your preference. Sopaipillas are not fuzzy. People in Chile cook them on the street.
YOu can use an electric fryer, anything you are familiar with and comfortable using.
What does it mean by “a square of orange or lemon rind”? Is this just the “zest” or is this really a 1 inch square of the actual rind?
It’s a square of the rind. It’s not zest.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes , it brings me back to my childhood ❤❤❤
That’s lovely, and I’m so glad.
Loved this easy sopaipilla recipe; the dough was so soft. Everyone in my family enjoyed it. Every time I want to cook something chilean I visit your website. Thank you so much Pilar!
Saludos desde Adelaide, Australia .
★★★★★
I’m so glad you used the blog and came back. It makes me very happy. Saludos.
Hi. I would love to make the sauce for the sopapillas but I don’t have chancaca panela. Do you have a recipe for making it with brown sugar/molasses.
Thanks
Cristina
★★★★★
Use the dark molasses blackstrap, it’s always made to taste. So start with 1/2 cup, dissolve in 2 cup water, add sugar and orange peel. Cook to boil, taste, adjust. When you are happy with the taste, if you want add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch dissolve in 1 tb. cold water to thicken.
Don’t use brown sugar.
Hola Pilar, para las sopaipillas, puedo usar self rising floor? Y si se puede, a cuanto tengo a ajustar el baking powder?
Gracias
No lo recomiendo, y nunca he probado así que no sé.
My husband is from Vina del Mar and his mom makes us Sopapillas. I have also tried some from a hidden gem in LA. This recipe was very easy to follow, and the result according to my husband, and myself were amazing!
★★★★★
Thanks for coming back to comment, and I’m so glad you enjoy them.
easy and practical but at the same time a little taste of our roots, I love it.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it.