---
title: "Sopaipillas Pasadas — Chilean Pumpkin Fritters in Chancaca Syrup"
description: "Sopaipillas pasadas with chancaca is a winter dish, served hot and enjoyed as a perfect dessert or an afternoon snack by the stove. This is undoubtedly a very popular recipe throughout Chile."
url: https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/recipe-for-chilean-sopaipillas-pasadas-with-chancaca/
date: 2024-07-17
modified: 2026-06-17
author: "Carlos Uhart M."
image: https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Recipe-for-Sopaipillas-Pasadas-with-Chancaca.jpg
categories: ["Desserts"]
tags: ["Desserts"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# Sopaipillas Pasadas — Chilean Pumpkin Fritters in Chancaca Syrup

[Versión en Español](https://comidaschilenas.com/receta-de-sopaipillas-pasadas/)

![A close-up of golden sopaipillas de zapallo being submerged in a dark, glossy spiced chancaca syrup.](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Recipe-for-Sopaipillas-Pasadas-with-Chancaca.jpg)

Sopaipillas pasadas are crispy pumpkin dough rounds soaked in a spiced chancaca syrup — Chile’s definitive winter comfort dessert, served hot and ready in under 75 minutes.

Sopaipillas pasadas with chancaca is a winter dish, served hot and enjoyed as a perfect dessert or an afternoon snack by the stove. This is undoubtedly a very popular recipe throughout Chile.

## Nutritional Facts

Each serving of sopaipillas pasadas with chancaca contains approximately 500 kcal, 75 g of carbohydrates, 18 g of fats, 6 g of proteins, 5 g of fiber, 25 g of sugars, 10 mg of cholesterol, and 300 mg of sodium.

## How to Make Sopaipillas Pasadas

Sopaipillas pasadas are fried dough using the traditional sopaipilla recipe with pumpkin puree, made from flour and lard, which are then soaked in a delicious chancaca syrup.

**Preparation:** 30 minutes

**Cooking:** 45 minutes

**Servings:** 6 people

### Ingredients

#### 1. Sopaipillas

- 1 kg of wheat flour
- 500 g of pumpkin
- 100 g of melted lard
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- Oil or lard for frying
- Water

#### 2. Chancaca Sauce

- 400 ml of water
- 200 g of chancaca
- 1 clove
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- Lemon peel

### Instructions

1. In a medium pot, cook the pumpkin covered in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and mash with a fork or a potato masher. Reserve the cooking water. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the salt, melted lard, and pumpkin puree, and mix everything with a wooden spoon, adjusting with the cooking water if necessary until forming a soft and homogeneous dough.

![A rustic bowl of smooth pumpkin purée next to a sifted mound of wheat flour and melted lard.](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Wheat-flour-and-pumpkin-puree-300x200.jpg)

1. Knead for 10 minutes, and on a smooth surface, roll out with a rolling pin until ½ centimeter (5 millimeters) thick. Cut the sopaipillas with a round cutter, prick with a fork, and fry in abundant hot oil or lard. Set aside on a baking tray lined with paper towels. In a medium pot, place the chancaca, add water, the clove, vanilla, and lemon peel. Bring to a boil and stir until completely dissolved.

![Solid blocks of dark brown chancaca, displaying its unrefined, molasses-rich texture.](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Chancaca-300x192.jpg)

1. Simmer the chancaca over low heat for 15 minutes, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon until it forms a consistent and thick syrup. In a large dish, reserve all the sopaipillas and soak them with the chancaca syrup. Let them soak for a couple of minutes, then serve hot.

## Mastering the “Pasada” Technique

### Choose a low-moisture pumpkin

Use a high-quality pumpkin with low water content (like Zapallo Camote or Butternut). A watery pumpkin will require more flour, making the dough heavy and tough rather than light and airy.

### Simmer the chancaca, do not just dissolve it

Let the syrup simmer for at least 15 minutes with the lemon peel and spices. This allows the molasses to develop its woody, complex notes. If the syrup is too thin, it will not cling to the sopaipillas properly.

### The double soak for maximum flavor absorption

For maximum flavor, let the sopaipillas soak in the hot syrup for about 2 to 5 minutes. This creates a gradient of texture: a fully saturated outer layer and a slightly firmer center that still tastes like pumpkin.

### Never skip the spice trinity

The combination of clove, vanilla, and lemon peel elevates the syrup from plain liquid sugar to a sophisticated spiced nectar. All three elements are non-negotiable for authentic flavor.

| Chancaca substitute | Result in the syrup |
| --- | --- |
| Piloncillo / panela | Closest flavor — use 1:1; widely available in Latin grocery stores |
| Dark brown sugar + molasses | 200 g sugar + 1 tbsp molasses — good depth, slightly sweeter |
| Coconut sugar | Milder caramel note — works but lacks the woody, resinous flavor |
| Plain caramel syrup | Sweet but flat — missing the spiced complexity of chancaca |
| Honey + brown sugar | Lighter result, floral notes — best for a non-traditional version |

## Sopaipillas Pasadas Without Chancaca

While the traditional recipe calls for chancaca, you can replace it with caramel made from 2 cups of sugar to which you then add 3 teaspoons of dissolved cornstarch, orange peel, clove, and cinnamon to taste until the desired consistency is reached.

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

### 1. What if I can’t find Chancaca?

You can simulate the flavor by making a dark caramel syrup using brown sugar or piloncillo. To get that thick consistency, add a small amount of cornstarch dissolved in cold water and a dash of molasses to replicate the depth of chancaca.

### 2. Can I make them in an Air Fryer?

Yes, but with a caveat. Air-fried sopaipillas are drier than fried ones. If you go this route, you’ll need to leave them in the boiling syrup for a few extra minutes to ensure they absorb enough moisture to reach that “pasada” (soaked) state.

### 3. Why did my sopaipillas explode or puff up too much?

You likely forgot to prick them with a fork. Those little holes are essential for steam to escape during frying, ensuring your sopaipilla stays flat and ready to be bathed in syrup.

### 4. How long do they last?

Once “pasadas,” they are best enjoyed hot and fresh. While you can reheat them the next day, they will be much softer (almost pudding-like). Some people actually prefer them this way, but they lose their structural integrity.

### 5. Can I use masa without pumpkin?

In Southern Chile, sopaipillas without pumpkin are common. However, for the “pasada” version, the pumpkin dough is superior because its natural sweetness and porous texture are specifically designed to absorb the syrup.

## What is Chancaca?

Chancaca is a type of unrefined and unprocessed sugar commonly used in the cuisine of various Latin American countries, especially Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador. It is made from sugarcane juice that is extracted and boiled until it reduces and crystallizes into a solid consistency that can be presented in blocks, cones, or tablets. Chancaca has a characteristic sweet flavor with caramel or molasses notes and is used as a natural sweetener in a variety of traditional dishes and beverages, such as desserts, sweets, juices, and shakes.

## History of Sopaipillas Pasadas

The sopaipilla, or “fried bread,” is a recipe that arrived around 1720 during the Spanish colony, who called them “sopaipa,” from the Arabic “supaipa,” or “piece of bread soaked in oil.” In Chile, the Mapuches called them “sopaipillan” in honor of an ancient pre-Columbian bird.

## Did You Know?

The Chilean twist, in addition to incorporating pumpkin puree, potatoes, or pine nuts into the recipe, also led to variations such as this magnificent dessert, sopaipillas soaked in chancaca sauce, which in turn is made with unrefined sugar and molasses.

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