This Puerto Rican Carne Guisada is the best beef stew! Savory chunks of beef are simmered in a sofrito gravy until melt-in-your-mouth tender. The potatoes and carrots soak up all the flavor…this is Puerto Rican comfort food at its best!

Puerto Rican Carne Guisada Recipe

As many of you know we’re currently stationed in Japan with the Air Force.

Visits back to the States are rare, but I recently got to go home for a few weeks this year and Puerto Rican carne guisada is one of the first dishes I requested from mom!

I can’t believe I’ve never shared this dish on the blog, but today that changes.

Nothing says comfort food like a steaming plate of beef simmered in a sofrito based gravy until tender!

Throw in some potatoes to thicken the stew, a little hint of sweetness from the carrots and a pop of salty flavor from green olives.

Serve with rice and avocado. The only thing that could have made this better would be a side of tostones.

Unfortunately, plantains are hard to come by in Japan. If anyone wants to send some I’ll be your best friend forever. 😊

You could even eat this with tortillas and I won’t judge!

I’m half Mexican, so growing up the two cultures were often intertwined.

We’d eat arroz con gandules with our tacos dorados and homemade flour tortillas with our Puerto Rican carne guisada!

I love being a part of so many cultures. ❤️

This post is specifically for Puerto Rican carne guisada. You can find my recipe for Mexican style carne guisada here.

What’s the difference between Mexican and Puerto Rican carne guisada?

The main difference comes from sofrito.

Sofrito is a cooking base used in Puerto Rican cuisine. It’s a blend of vegetables and herbs like garlic and recao that gives every dish a punch of distinctly Puerto Rican flavor.

It’s best to make homemade sofrito if you can.

In Mexican guiso the main seasonings are cumin and onions.

Carne Guisada Puerto Rico

First, prepare the stew meat. I recommend any cut of beef chuck or beef round. Cheap meat works well here.

I like bite-sized pieces about 1/2 to 1 inch cubes. The smaller the pieces, the quicker it will cook.

I like to cook this in my caldero. It’s essential for making Puerto Rican rice, but it also has a lot of other great uses.

Sear the meat over high heat until brown on all sides. Then add the remaining ingredients except the vegetables.

Cover with water and simmer until tender. This can take 1-2 hours depending on the cut of beef and size of the pieces.

Once the carne is tender, add the potatoes, carrots and olives.

I should also note that you can leave these out, or feel free to add other veggies such as yuca or calabaza.

Once again, make sure everything is covered with enough water and then simmer until the vegetables are fork tender (about 30 minutes).

At this point a luscious gravy will have developed. Give the broth a taste and add more adobo if necessary.

Enjoy with rice, aguacate and tostones if you’re lucky enough to get them! Finish the meal off with a slice of flan de queso or flancocho.