This easy red menudo from scratch recipe is true fall comfort food—hearty with tender vegetables, melt-in-your-mouth tripe, and a broth rich with warm spices. It’s my take on the classic Mexican tripe soup known as menudo rojo. I’m always looking for new organ meat recipes to serve to my family, and this one is my recent favorite tripe recipe. My version is gently seasoned for a kid-friendly touch, with an optional step of blending the onions and celery for a naturally creamy, full-bodied broth. I’ll also show you how to prepare tripe so it’s perfectly fork-tender—making this an ideal place to start if you’ve never cooked tripe before.

a bowl of red menudo soup with a spoon lifting some of the soup out of the bowl

What is Menudo Traditionally Made Of?

Menudo is a traditional Mexican tripe soup made either with a rich red chile broth (menudo rojo) or a simple clear broth (menudo blanco). Since none of my kids enjoy very spicy food, I skipped the hot red chiles in this version—but I still wanted that inviting red color. My solution was to stir in a little tomato paste, giving the broth a warm, muted orange-red hue. While it doesn’t have the deep red color of traditional chile-based menudo, it’s still close enough in spirit that I call it red menudo.

Because hominy isn’t available where I live in Africa, I swapped in canned sweetcorn, which together with carrots adds a subtle sweetness to the soup. This may not be the most authentic Mexican menudo recipe, but it’s hearty, flavorful, and family-friendly. And for the spice lovers at your table, I include an optional red chile sauce (you can find it in the recipe card) so everyone can customize the heat in their own bowl.

Is Menudo Healthy?

Absolutely. This nourishing soup is packed with minerals from fresh vegetables, collagen from rich chicken broth, and all the goodness that comes from tripe. Organ meats are among the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat, and tripe is especially high in protein—particularly gelatin—plus essential minerals like iron, zinc, and phosphorus, along with vitamin B12. In short, this Mexican tripe soup is a true nutritional powerhouse in a bowl.

What Is the Best Tripe for Red Menudo?

Traditionally, menudo is made with beef tripe, but any variety can work in this recipe. I used sheep tripe since I live in a sheep-farming area and it’s the easiest for me to find. Both blanket tripe, honeycomb tripe, and reed tripe are excellent choices for this soup. The recipe calls for about 2 cups of cooked, diced tripe. To get that amount, I used a mix of reed tripe and honeycomb tripe, but if you’re working with beef tripe—which is much larger—you’ll only need one type, and you’ll probably have some left over for other recipes.

If you already have cooked tripe on hand, go straight down to the step-by-step instructions for the soup in the next section.

Step 1

honeycomb tripe reed tripe carrots onion celery bay leaf and peppercorns in a metal stockpot

To prepare the tripe, scrub it well under running water and then place it in a medium pot with one peeled onion, a few carrots, a couple of celery sticks, a bay leaf, a teaspoon of peppercorns and 1-2 teaspoons of unrefined salt. The vegetables are not strictly necessary but they add flavor to the tripe as it cooks and they mask the ‘tripey’ smell you get when you cook raw tripe without any aromatics. However, you can just cook the tripe in plain salted water if you prefer- it will still work fine in this recipe.

Step 2

tripe onion carrots sliced celery bay leaf and water in a metal stockpot

Add enough water to cover the tripe and the veggies. Bring to the boil and skim off any foam that comes to the surface, then reduce the heat to low and simmer the tripe for about 2 hours until fork-tender.

Step 3

cooked honeycomb tripe on the left and cooked reed tripe on the right on a marble counter top

When the tripe is tender, remove it from the broth and leave it for about 15 minutes until cool enough to handle.

Step 4

chopped honeycomb tripe on the left chopped reed tripe on the right

Once it has cooled a bit, chop the tripe into 1/2 inch cubes and measure out 2 cups for this recipe. A little more than 2 cups is fine too – I got just over 2 cups from my sheep honeycomb tripe and reed tripe.

Ingredients for the Red Menudo Soup

ingredients for red menudo from scratch soup: a bowl of sliced celery a bowl of chopped cooked tripe a cup of sweetcorn a bowl with sliced green chillies tomato paste and a cube of butter a bowl with chopped onion and cloves of garlic a jar of dried oregano a jar of dried cumin a bowl of chopped carrots a bay leaf

You will also need chicken stock for this recipe (I forgot to add it to the photo above!). Or you can use the broth from cooking the tripe if you like the flavor of it.

How to Make Red Menudo From Scratch (Step-by-Step)

chopped onions and sliced celery in a pot

Melt the butter and sauté the onions and celery until soft and translucent. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

chopped onions sliced celery garlic cloves some tomato paste cumin oregano and sliced green chillies in a metal pot

Add the crushed garlic cloves, tomato paste, green chilies, oregano and cumin. Sauté, stirring, for about 2 minutes.

a stick blender blending the menudo soup in a pot

Add 2 cups of stock to the pot, then use an immersion blender to partially blend the mixture. You’re aiming for a chunky texture, so leave some pieces intact. If you prefer a completely smooth base, go ahead and blend it all the way—it’s entirely up to your taste.

menudo soup base chopped tripe bay leaf and sweetcorn in a metal pot

Once the soup base is blended, add the tripe, carrots, corn, bay leaf and rest of the stock to the pot.

red menudo soup cooked from scratch in a metal pot with a ladle inserted in it

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes until the carrots are soft. Your soup is now ready to be served!

Serving Suggestions for the Red Menudo Soup

I have included a short recipe for a hot chili sauce that you can serve alongside this soup in the recipe card below. In addition to the hot sauce, you could also serve it with:

garnishes such as chopped coriander, parsley, crushed oregano or chopped onions
lime wedges
corn tortillas

two white bowls with red menudo soup garnished with fresh coriander on a wooden tray with lime wedges and dried red chillies scattered around

Tips & Variations

Feel free to use blanket tripe instead of honeycomb and reed tripe in this recipe. You can prepare it the same way.
You could easily adapt this recipe for cooking in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.
You can keep any leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days, or frozen for longer storage.

Final Thoughts

I hope you’ll give this from scratch red menudo recipe a try. Once you learn how to cook tripe, you’ll find it’s easy to work into all sorts of dishes. With its mild flavor, it pairs beautifully with a wide range of spices and cuisines, making it one of the most approachable organ meats for beginners. It’s a perfect first step if you’re looking to add more nose-to-tail recipes to your everyday cooking.

I love making soups and have quite a few great soup recipes on this blog. Here are some you could try:

Simple Tripe Soup

Homemade Tuna Chowder

Hearty Green Lentil and Broad Bean Soup

Broccoli Soup with Crème Fraîche

This easy red menudo from scratch recipe proves that traditional dishes can be both nourishing and family-friendly, even with a few creative substitutions. Whether you’re cooking with beef tripe, sheep tripe, or another variety, you’ll end up with a rich, comforting soup that’s perfect for cool weather—or anytime you want a taste of Mexican home cooking.

If you love traditional, from-scratch cooking, I’d love for you to join my newsletter community—you’ll get updates on my latest recipes, tutorials, and tips. And be sure to follow me on Pinterest for even more cooking inspiration, seasonal recipes, and homemaking ideas.

a spoon lifting some menudo soup out of a white bowl

Menudo Rojo

This easy from-scratch menudo rojo recipe features tender tripe, vegetables, and rich red broth for a nourishing, traditional Mexican nose-to-tail dish.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Serving Size 5

Equipment

immersion blender (optional)

Ingredients

For the menudo soup

2 tbsp butter, schmaltz or tallow
2 cups finely chopped onions
1 cup thinly sliced celery stems
6 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup sliced mild green chilies
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken, beef, or lamb stock
2 cups tripe, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup sweetcorn
1 cup chopped carrots
2 tsp unrefined salt, or to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander, to serve

For the optional hot sauce

10 dried hot red chilies
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup avocado oil or mild olive oil
juice of 1/2 lime or 1 tbsp cider vinegar
¼ tsp salt

Instructions

To make the soup

Melt the butter and sauté the onions and celery until soft and translucent. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add the crushed garlic cloves, tomato paste, green chillies, oregano and cumin. Sauté, stirring, for about 2 minutes.
Add 2 cups of stock to the pot, then use an immersion blender to partially blend the mixture. You’re aiming for a chunky texture, so leave some pieces intact. If you prefer a completely smooth base, go ahead and blend it all the way.
Once the soup base is blended, add the tripe, carrots, corn, bay leaf and rest of the stock to the pot.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes until the carrots are soft.
Serve with some lime wedges, corn tortillas, and the hot sauce from the recipe below.

To make the optional hot sauce

Remove the stems from the chilies. In a dry skillet toast the chilies over medium-low heat until fragrant (this will take less than a minute). Keep a close watch on them so they don't burn.
Place the chilies in a small bowl and cover with some just boiled water. Let them sit for 5 minutes.
Drain the chilies and add to the blender together with the garlic, lime juice or vinegar, salt and half of the oil.
Blend until smooth, adding the rest of the oil in a thin stream as you blend to emulsify.
Serve this hot sauce alongside menudo in a small bowl with a teaspoon.

How to Make Red Menudo from Scratch – Tender Tripe Mexican Soup