To season a molcajete, scrub it with water, grind 1/4 cup of dry white rice at a time until the rice stops coming out gray and stays white, then grind a paste of garlic and coarse salt and leave it inside overnight. Today you only need about 1 cup of uncooked white rice, 3 or 4 garlic cloves, coarse salt, a stiff brush and about an hour of grinding. Tomorrow, after a rinse and a full dry, your molcajete is ready for its first salsa.
Seasoning and curing are the same thing. Your mom may have called it curar el molcajete. It is the first job every new molcajete needs: volcanic stone is rough and full of tiny pores, and a new one sheds a little loose grit. The rice grabs that grit and carries it out, so it never ends up in your salsa.
What you need to season a molcajete
- Your molcajete and its temolote (also called tejolote), the stone pestle.
- 1 cup of plain uncooked white rice. You will use it 1/4 cup at a time.
- 3 or 4 garlic cloves, peeled.
- 1 tablespoon of coarse salt, like kosher or coarse sea salt.
- 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, optional, for extra aroma.
- A stiff brush, like a vegetable brush or a Mexican escobeta.
- Warm water and a folded kitchen towel to set the molcajete on, so it stays steady while you grind.
Plan on about an hour of grinding today and an overnight rest. Put on some music or call your tía while you work: it goes faster with company. If you have an 8 inch or 10 inch Cuitaxi molcajete, scan the QR code in the box and the step by step curing guide arrives by email, so you can keep it on your phone while you grind.
How to season a molcajete step by step
Day 1: clean the stone and grind the rice
- Rinse the molcajete and the temolote under warm water and scrub every surface with the brush. Use no soap.
- Let both dry until the stone feels dry to the touch. A sunny window helps.
- Pour 1/4 cup of dry rice into the bowl.
- Grind the rice with the temolote in slow circles, pressing against the bottom and up the walls, until it turns into powder. The powder will look gray: that is loose stone coming out.
- Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water and keep grinding until you have a paste. Spread it over the whole inside, up to the rim.
- Turn the temolote as you grind so its whole grinding face gets cured too.
- Dump the paste, then rinse and scrub the molcajete and the temolote with water.
- Repeat steps 3 to 7 with fresh rice. Each round, the paste comes out a little lighter.
Day 1, last round: garlic and salt
- When the rice paste stays white, put 3 or 4 peeled garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of coarse salt and the cumin, if you use it, into the molcajete.
- Grind them into a wet paste.
- Rub the paste over the whole inside and over the temolote.
- Leave the paste inside overnight, covered with a clean kitchen towel.
Day 2: rinse and dry
- Rinse with warm water and scrub with the brush until the water runs clear.
- Set the molcajete upside down on a towel and let it air dry completely.
- Once it is dry, make your first salsa.
How many rounds of rice it takes
There is no fixed number. The color of the rice tells you. The first round usually comes out dark gray, the next one lighter, and then one round you look down and the paste is white. Some molcajetes are clean after 2 or 3 rounds. Others need 5 or more. Volcanic stone is natural, and every piece is a little different.
If you run out of rice, coarse salt does the same job, and many cooks use both. If your arms get tired, take a break: the stone will wait for you.
The method is the same for every molcajete of volcanic stone, round or shaped. In a heart or pig molcajete, take extra care with the curves and corners, where grit likes to hide. You can see every shape in our molcajetes collection.
How to know your molcajete is ready
- The ground rice stays white, not gray.
- The rinse water runs clear.
- When you rub a wet finger across the inside, no sand comes off.
- Your first salsa has no crunch.
A soft smell of garlic after curing is normal and welcome. If your first salsa tastes a little gritty, that's normal too: rinse it out and grind one more round of rice.
What to do if it keeps shedding sand
Some stones are more stubborn than others. Here is what helps:
- Grind 2 more rounds of rice, pressing harder against the walls.
- Switch to coarse salt for a round or two. Its bigger grains scrub deeper into the pores.
- Check the temolote. It sheds too, so give it its own rounds, rubbing it against the bowl.
If after many rounds it still sheds a lot or starts to crumble, make sure it is real volcanic stone and not cement. Our guide on real vs fake molcajetes shows you how to tell. And if your old temolote is worn down or cracked, you don't need a new molcajete: you can replace just the temolote with a new one of volcanic stone.
Why you skip soap on a molcajete
Volcanic stone is porous. Soap gets into those little holes and stays there, and your next salsa can taste like dish soap. That's why the whole cure uses only water, rice, garlic and salt, and why every cleaning after that uses only warm water and a brush.
The same goes for the dishwasher: keep your molcajete out of it. The good news is that you don't need soap. Garlic, chiles and salt are what the stone is for, and in many families people say the molcajete gets better with every salsa.
Your first salsa in a new molcajete
Start simple. A roasted red salsa is the classic first test, because you will notice right away if anything crunches.
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 2 serrano chiles (or 1 jalapeño)
- 1 garlic clove
- Coarse salt to taste
- Roast the tomatoes and chiles on a hot comal or skillet, turning them, until the skins blister and blacken in spots and the tomatoes feel soft.
- Grind the garlic with a pinch of coarse salt into a paste.
- Add the chiles and grind until you can't see big pieces.
- Add the tomatoes one at a time and grind until the salsa looks the way you like it, chunky or smooth.
- Taste, add salt, and serve it right in the molcajete.
For the full recipe, plus a salsa verde, see our molcajete salsa step by step. If you cook for a crowd, a bigger molcajete holds enough salsa or guacamole for the whole table and goes straight from the counter to the center of it.
How to clean your molcajete after every use
- Rinse it with warm water soon after you eat, before the salsa dries.
- Scrub with the brush to loosen anything stuck in the pores.
- Skip soap and the dishwasher.
- Set it upside down and let it dry completely before you put it away.
Curing is a one time job. After that, the more you use your molcajete, the better it works. If it sits unused for a long time and you feel a little grit again, grind one round of rice before you cook.
Molcajetes ready for your first salsa
Real volcanic stone, handmade in Mexico. Pick your size or shape and cure it with rice, garlic and salt.
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Frequently asked questions about seasoning a molcajete
How long does it take to season a molcajete?
Plan on about an hour of grinding, an overnight rest with the garlic paste and time to dry. Most people start in the afternoon and make their first salsa the next day. A stubborn stone may need a few extra rounds of rice.
Do you have to season a new molcajete?
Yes. A new molcajete of volcanic stone sheds loose grit, and curing takes it out before it reaches your food. It also smooths the grinding surface. You only do it once.
Can I season a molcajete with salt instead of rice?
Yes. Coarse salt does the same job as rice, and many cooks use both. Rice has one advantage: its color tells you when you are done, because it stops coming out gray.
Is it normal for the rice to turn gray?
Completely normal. The gray is loose stone dust, and it is exactly what you want to remove. Keep grinding fresh rice until it stays white.
Can I wash a new molcajete with soap before curing it?
Some guides give the brand new stone one wash with a little dish soap before the rice. If you do, rinse it very well and let it dry completely. After curing, use only warm water and a brush, because soap stays in the pores.
Can a molcajete go in the dishwasher?
No. Rinse it by hand with warm water and scrub it with a stiff brush. Then let it dry completely, upside down, before you store it.
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