A good beef caldereta with cheese is all about the sauce. It should be rich, savory, slightly creamy, and thick enough to coat every tender piece of beef. Frying the potatoes and carrots first helps them stay intact, while simmering the beef until tender gives the sauce its deep, comforting flavor.
The liver spread and peanut butter go in once the beef is tender, then the cheese is stirred in off the heat so it melts smoothly without turning grainy. For another hearty version of this Filipino favorite, try my Pork Spare Ribs Caldereta, made with tender ribs in a rich tomato-based sauce.
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This is a Sunday dish, a celebration dish, a make-ahead dish that tastes even better the next day. If you want something faster on a weeknight, my easy beef pares is always a reliable option. But when you have the time, caldereta is worth every minute.
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What Is Beef Caldereta?
Beef caldereta is a rich Filipino beef stew made with tender beef, tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers.
What makes it special is the sauce. Liver spread adds depth, peanut butter makes it richer, and cheddar cheese melts in at the end for a creamy, savory finish.
It’s the kind of dish people make for Sundays, holidays, and family gatherings. And yes, it’s best with rice.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Rich and deeply savory - Tomato sauce layered with liver spread, peanut butter, and melted cheese. Nothing thin or one-note about it.
- Tender beef every time - Low and slow braising does all the work. You just need patience.
- Holds up well - Caldereta actually gets better the next day, making it a great make-ahead dish.
- Feeds a crowd - This recipe makes a generous pot. Serve it over rice and it stretches beautifully.
- Flexible - Use beef chuck, short ribs, or stew meat. Any well-marbled cut works.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need:
- Beef chuck or short ribs is the move. You want a cut with enough marbling to break down over the long simmer. Lean beef will turn dry and tough. Bone-in short ribs add extra richness to the sauce, but boneless chuck is easier to eat and works just as well.
- Liver spread is what separates caldereta from generic beef stew. It adds an earthy, savory depth you cannot replicate with anything else. A little goes a long way, but don't skip it.
- Peanut butter adds body and a subtle nuttiness to the sauce. It sounds unusual until you taste it. Use plain, creamy peanut butter if you have it but Skippy or Jif works!
- Cheddar cheese goes in at the very end and melts into the sauce, making it thicker and slightly creamy. Shred it yourself so it melts evenly. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that can make the sauce a little grainy.
- Tomato paste is worth stirring directly into the beef before adding any liquid. Cooking it in the fat for about a minute deepens the flavor and removes some of that raw, tinny edge.
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Beef Caldereta with Cheese
- Fry the potatoes and carrots - Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry the potato chunks and carrots until lightly golden on the edges. They do not need to be fully cooked yet. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics and brown the beef - In the same pot, sauté the onion until softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the beef chunks, season lightly with salt and pepper, and brown on all sides to build flavor.
- Build the sauce - Add the tomato paste and stir for about 1 minute. Pour in the tomato sauce and water. Add the beef powder, soy sauce, oyster sauce, bay leaves, sugar if using, and chili flakes or Thai chili if you want heat. Stir well and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender.
- Add the rich sauce ingredients and vegetables -Stir in the liver spread and peanut butter until fully mixed into the sauce. Add the fried potatoes and carrots back into the pot and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender.
- Finish with bell peppers and cheese - Stir in the red and green bell peppers and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, just until slightly tender. Turn off the heat or lower it all the way down, then stir in the shredded cheddar until melted. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve hot with steamed rice.
Rose's Top Tips
- Fry the vegetables first. This helps the potatoes and carrots hold their shape while the beef simmers. They stay tender instead of turning mushy.
- Brown the beef. Take a few extra minutes to brown the beef before adding the sauce. This gives the kaldereta more flavor.
- Cook the tomato paste first. Stir the tomato paste into the pot for about 1 minute before adding the liquid. This makes the sauce taste richer.
- Simmer low and slow. Keep the heat low so the beef gets tender. Boiling too hard can make the meat tough.
- Add the cheese at the end. Turn off the heat or lower it all the way down before adding cheese. This helps it melt smoothly into the sauce.
- Make it ahead. Kaldereta tastes even better the next day because the sauce thickens and the flavors deepen.
Variations
Goat caldereta (calderetang kambing) - The traditional version in many Filipino regions. Goat has a stronger, gamier flavor that works well with the rich tomato-cheese sauce. Same process, just substitute goat meat cut into chunks.
Pork Caldereta - Swap beef for pork shoulder or pork ribs. Shorter cooking time since pork tenderizes faster, about 45 minutes to 1 hour of simmering.
Spicy Caldereta - Add more Thai chili or a full teaspoon of chili flakes. Adjust as you go - the heat builds the longer it simmers.
Caldereta with olives - Some versions add pitted green olives toward the end. They add a briny, slightly salty note that works well against the richness of the sauce.
No liver spread - If you can't find it or want to skip it, chicken liver paste or a small piece of blended cooked chicken liver is a reasonable substitute. The flavor won't be identical but it fills the same role in the sauce.
What to Serve With Beef Caldereta
- Steamed white rice is the only real answer. The sauce is built for rice. Serve it with more sauce than feels reasonable - you'll want it.
- Garlic fried rice - For leftovers, heat the kaldereta and serve it over sinangag. The garlic in the rice and the richness of the sauce together is a genuinely great combination. My garlic fried rice is the version I make at home when leftovers need a little lift.
- Atchara - The tangy sweetness of pickled papaya is a classic contrast to the richness of Caldereta. A small spoonful on the side cuts through the sauce nicely.
- Crusty bread - Not traditional, but the sauce is so good you'll want something to mop it up with.
Storage
Store leftover caldereta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
The sauce will thicken as it chills, so add a splash of water or broth when reheating.
To freeze, cool completely and store in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove.
Recipe FAQs
Beef chuck is the most practical choice. It has enough fat and connective tissue to become tender and flavorful after a long braise. Bone-in short ribs are another great option and add extra richness to the sauce. Avoid lean cuts like sirloin - they dry out with long cooking.
Yes. Brown the beef using the sauté function first, build the sauce, then pressure cook on high for 35 to 40 minutes with a natural release. Add the liver spread, peanut butter, fried vegetables, and bell peppers after pressure cooking and simmer on sauté for another 10 to 15 minutes. Finish with cheese at the very end.
Liver spread is a canned, spreadable pâté popular in Filipino cooking. CDO and Argentina are the most common brands. You'll find it at Filipino grocery stores, Asian supermarkets, or online. It's inexpensive and adds a depth to kaldereta that's hard to replicate any other way.
You can, but the sauce won't have the same body or subtle nuttiness. If you have a peanut allergy, a small amount of tahini can approximate the texture, though the flavor will be different.
Simmer it uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes to reduce. The peanut butter and liver spread also help thicken the sauce, so make sure those are fully stirred in. Adding the cheese at the end will thicken it a little more as well.
No. Both are Filipino beef stews with tomato bases, but they're different dishes. Mechado is simpler - beef braised in tomato sauce with soy sauce and bay leaves, no liver spread, no peanut butter, no cheese. Kaldereta is richer and more complex.
More Filipino Beef Recipes You'll Love
- Easy Beef Pares Recipe
- Best Beef Kare-Kare (Filipino Oxtail Stew in Peanut Sauce)
- Slow Braised Beef Shank Stew
- Easy Filipino Beef Adobo Recipe
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Beef Caldereta with Cheese
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck short ribs, or stew meat, cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 head garlic minced
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon beef powder
- 1 tablespoon liver spread
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce optional but recommended
- 1 to 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes or 3 chopped Thai chili optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetables
- 2 potatoes cut into big chunks
- 2 carrots cut into chunks
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
Finish
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Fry the vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry the potatoes and carrots until lightly golden on the edges. They do not need to be fully cooked. Remove from the pot and set aside.2 tablespoons oil, 2 potatoes, 2 carrots
- Sauté the aromatics. In the same pot, sauté the onion until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant.1 small onion, 1 head garlic
- Brown the beef. Add the beef chunks to the pot. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then cook until the beef is lightly browned.2 pounds beef chuck, Salt and pepper
- Build the sauce. Add the tomato paste and stir it into the beef for about 1 minute. Pour in the tomato sauce and water. Add the beef powder, soy sauce, oyster sauce if using, bay leaves, sugar if using, and chili flakes or Thai chili if using. Stir well.1 cup tomato sauce, 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon beef powder, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 to 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon chili flakes or 3 chopped Thai chili, 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Simmer the beef. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the beef is tender. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if the sauce gets too thick before the beef softens.
- Add richness. Stir in the liver spread and peanut butter until fully melted into the sauce.1 tablespoon liver spread, 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- Return the vegetables. Add the fried potatoes, carrots, and bell pepper back into the pot. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.2 potatoes, 2 carrots, 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper
- Finish with cheese. Turn off the heat or lower it to the lowest setting. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted into the sauce. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, or a little sugar if needed.½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Serve. Serve hot with steamed white rice.
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Notes
- Frying the potatoes and carrots first helps them hold their shape so they do not fall apart in the stew.
- Use beef chuck, short ribs, or stew meat with good marbling. Lean cuts like sirloin can turn dry after a long simmer.
- Do not rush the simmer. Low and slow cooking is what makes the beef tender and the sauce rich.
- Cook the tomato paste for about 1 minute before adding liquid to deepen the flavor and remove the raw tomato taste.
- Add the cheese at the very end, off the heat or on very low heat, so the sauce stays smooth and does not turn grainy.
- For a spicier kaldereta, use Thai chili or increase the chili flakes.
- If the sauce is too thick before the beef is tender, add a splash of water and continue simmering.
- If the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce.
- Kaldereta tastes even better the next day as the sauce thickens and the flavors deepen.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To freeze, cool completely and portion into freezer-safe containers or bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat gently on the stove over medium-low heat. Add a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce.
