A molcajete is the Mexican mortar and pestle: a heavy bowl carved from volcanic stone that stands on three short legs, used with a stone pestle called a temolote (or tejolote) to grind salsas, guacamole and spices. If you just brought one home, cure it with raw rice before your first salsa. If you are still choosing, start with an 8 inch molcajete of real lava rock: it is the size most of our customers choose for everyday cooking.
What is a molcajete?
A molcajete is a stone bowl on three legs. You crush food against its rough walls with the temolote, a short, thick stone cylinder that fits in your hand. The stone is full of tiny pores, and those pores grip a garlic clove or a roasted chile and break it down as you press and twist.
In English, a molcajete is a mortar and pestle. In Spanish, the general word for a mortar is mortero, but in Mexico the volcanic stone version has its own name: the bowl is the molcajete and the pestle is the temolote. So if you searched for the Spanish word for mortar and pestle, that is your answer, and it is the same tool your mom or your abuela kept on the counter.
What makes it a molcajete, and not just any mortar, is the stone: volcanic rock, legs and temolote included. Its rough, porous surface crushes and smears instead of cutting, which gives salsa that thick, rustic texture you remember.
How to say molcajete, and what to call the pestle
Say it mohl kah HEH teh, with the stress on the third syllable. In English you will also hear mohl kuh HAY tay. Either way, people will know what you mean.
The pestle goes by a few names, and all of them are right:
- Temolote: the name we use at Cuitaxi, and the one you will see on our products.
- Tejolote: the other very common name. It comes from texolotl, the Nahuatl word for a grinding stone or pestle.
- La mano: literally "the hand". Some families simply call it that.
If your temolote chips, cracks or goes missing, you do not need a new molcajete. A replacement temolote of genuine volcanic stone, with a single head and a comfortable length to hold, puts your old molcajete back to work.
What a molcajete is used for
Use it for anything you want crushed, not chopped. These are the jobs it does best:
- Salsas: roasted tomatoes, chiles and garlic, ground by hand into a chunky salsa roja or a bright salsa verde. Our molcajete salsa recipe walks you through the order that makes it work: garlic and salt first, then chiles, then tomatoes.
- Guacamole: grind the onion, chile and salt into a paste first, then add the avocado and mash it to the texture you like.
- Spices and seeds: cumin, black pepper, cloves, dried chiles and sesame seeds smell stronger when you crush them right before cooking.
- Garlic and salt paste: the base for marinades, adobos and rubs for carne asada.
- Serving: salsa and guacamole go to the table in the same molcajete. A heart molcajete with 3 legs is made for this: its 6 inch interior holds nearly 2 cups, and it doubles as a serving bowl for guacamole, pico de gallo or queso.
Why volcanic stone changes the flavor
A blender cuts with spinning blades. A molcajete crushes. When you press and twist the temolote, the rough lava stone crushes chiles, garlic and herbs instead of tearing them, and it works their juices and oils into one sauce. The pieces stay a little uneven, some smooth and some chunky, the way homemade salsa is supposed to be.
The difference is not only in your memory. In side by side kitchen tests, salsa, pesto and curry paste made in a good, coarse mortar tasted more complex and savory, and held together better, than the same recipes made in a food processor.
Molcajete vs granite or marble mortar and pestle
If you searched for a mortar and pestle set and found granite, marble and molcajetes side by side, here is how they compare. All three are stone, and all three grip food better than a metal or ceramic mortar.
- Material: a molcajete is volcanic stone (lava rock), coarse and full of pores. A granite mortar is dense, heavy stone with far fewer pores. A marble mortar is a smoother looking stone, often chosen for its looks.
- Shape: a molcajete is broad and short, with shallow walls and a wide, flat grinding floor on three legs. That gives you room to spread ingredients out. Granite and marble mortars are usually deeper bowls.
- Best at: a molcajete shines with salsas, guacamole and wet pastes you crush and then serve. Granite is great for grinding dry spices to a fine powder and for pastes like pesto. Both grind spices well.
- Pestle: the temolote is the same volcanic stone as the bowl. Marble sets with a light wooden pestle take more effort and more time to crush food.
- Stains: marble can stain with oily, bright foods like pesto.
- Heat: volcanic rock takes a fair amount of heat. That is why restaurants serve molcajete, a dish of grilled meat, vegetables, cheese and salsa, right in the stone.
- Curing: a new molcajete needs a few rounds of rice to clean out loose grit. Coarse granite mortars also need seasoning before their first use.
- Weight: all stone mortars are heavy. A classic 8 inch molcajete weighs 7 to 8.8 lb, which keeps it steady while you grind.
Which one do you need? If you cook Mexican food, get the molcajete: it was made for salsa, guacamole and chiles, and it serves them too. If you mostly grind dry spices for baking or curries, granite is fine. One thing to watch: a "granite molcajete" is a granite mortar shaped like a molcajete. It works, but it is not volcanic stone, so it is not the same tool.
How to choose your first molcajete
Look for these three things before you buy:
- Real lava rock, never concrete. Rough pores of every size, heavy for its size, legs carved from the same stone. Our guide to real vs fake molcajetes has 5 quick tests you can do at home.
- The right size. 8 inch for everyday cooking for 2 to 4 people. 10 inch for parties and big batches. A heart molcajete for serving at the table.
- A matching temolote. The pestle should be the same volcanic stone as the bowl.
Our classic Mexican molcajete comes in two sizes. The 8 inch is about 8 inches wide and 5 inches tall, weighs 7 to 8.8 lb, and comes with its temolote and a traditional embroidered tortilla warmer. The 10 inch is a full 10 inches across, holds enough guacamole or salsa for a crowd, and comes with its temolote and a booklet with recipes and care instructions. Both are real lava rock, handmade in Mexico. Natural stone varies, so size and weight can change slightly from piece to piece. You can see every shape, from the heart to the pig, in our molcajete collection.
How to cure and care for a molcajete
A new molcajete sheds a little loose grit the first few times you grind. Curing, also called seasoning, takes it out before it reaches your food. The short version:
- Scrub the bowl and the temolote with a stiff brush and water. No soap.
- Grind 1/4 cup of dry white rice into a powder. It will come out gray: that is loose stone.
- Rinse and repeat with fresh rice until the powder stays white.
- Grind garlic and coarse salt into a paste, rub it over the inside and leave it overnight.
- Rinse, let it dry completely, and make your first salsa.
Every step, with amounts and the signs to watch for, is in our guide on how to season a molcajete. Our classic molcajete also includes a QR code: scan it and the step by step curing guide arrives by email.
After each use, rinse with water and scrub with a brush. No soap needed: it can get into the pores and show up in your next salsa. Keep it out of the dishwasher, and let it dry completely before you put it away.
A short history of the molcajete
The three legged grinding bowl is much older than Mexico itself. Mexico's Museo Nacional de Antropología keeps a small clay molcajete from Tlatilco, in today's State of Mexico, dated between 1200 and 400 BCE. It stands on three cone shaped feet and has crossed lines cut into its bottom. The same museum holds a Mexica molcajete made between 1200 and 1521 in what is now Mexico City, also of clay, on three feet and decorated inside with geometric designs.
The name comes from Nahuatl. Molcaxitl meant a small mortar for grinding chiles, and also a sauce bowl. Spanish borrowed it as molcajete. The pestle's name, tejolote, comes from texolotl, a grinding stone.
Today the molcajete in most Mexican kitchens is carved from volcanic stone. In many families it passes from one generation to the next, already cured and seasoned by years of salsas.
Molcajetes of real lava rock
Every one is volcanic stone, handmade in Mexico, ready to cure and grind your first salsa.
Free US shipping on orders over $35.
Frequently asked questions about the molcajete
What is a molcajete called in English?
In English it is a mortar and pestle, often called a Mexican mortar and pestle. Many English recipes simply keep the word molcajete. If a recipe asks for a mortar and pestle for salsa or guacamole, a molcajete is the classic choice.
How do you pronounce molcajete?
Say mohl kah HEH teh, with the stress on the third syllable. The pestle is teh moh LOH teh (temolote) or teh hoh LOH teh (tejolote).
Is a molcajete better than a granite mortar and pestle?
For Mexican food, yes. Its broad, rough volcanic stone crushes chiles, garlic and tomatoes into salsa with real texture, and you can serve right from it. A granite mortar is a good choice if you mostly grind dry spices to a fine powder.
Do you have to cure a new molcajete?
Yes. New volcanic stone sheds loose grit, and curing with rice, garlic and salt cleans it out. It takes about an hour of grinding plus an overnight rest. If your first salsa still tastes a little gritty, that is normal: grind one more round of rice.
Can you wash a molcajete with soap or in the dishwasher?
Skip both. Soap can get into the pores and flavor your food, and the dishwasher is no place for stone. Rinse with water, scrub with a brush and let it dry completely.
What size molcajete should I buy?
An 8 inch molcajete covers everyday cooking for 2 to 4 people. A 10 inch is better for parties and big batches of guacamole. A heart molcajete with a 6 inch interior holds nearly 2 cups and is perfect for serving.
Sources
- INAH, Museo Nacional de Antropología: Molcajete from Tlatilco, 1200 to 400 BCE
- INAH, Museo Nacional de Antropología: Mexica molcajete, 1200 to 1521
- Online Nahuatl Dictionary, Wired Humanities Projects: molcaxitl
- Online Nahuatl Dictionary, Wired Humanities Projects: texolotl
- America's Test Kitchen: Mortars and Pestles equipment review