Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with this collection of delicious Mexican recipes, featuring bold flavors, vibrant ingredients, and comforting favorites-from tacos and enchiladas to fresh salsas, soups, and hearty dinners. Whether you’re hosting a party or planning a simple weeknight meal, you’ll find plenty of delicious inspiration from this roundup! Click here for our entire collection of Mexican recipes!
Table of Contents
- Start Here: Our Most Popular Mexican Recipes
- Grilled Steak Tacos
- Easy Ceviche
- Vegetarian Enchiladas
- Fish Tacos
- Birria
- Shrimp Tacos
- Homemade Tortillas
- Favorite Mexican Side Dishes
- Vegetarian Mexican Dinners
- Easy Tamales
- Baked Chile Rellenos
- Portobello Mushroom Tacos
- Burrito BowlS
- Mushroom Fajitas
- Vegan Tlayudas
- Spicy Mexican Oaxacan Bowl
- Enchilada Casserole
- Mexican Salas and Sauces
- Easy Weeknight Dinners
- Spicy Mexican Shrimp Bowls
- Chilaquiles
- Fish Taco Bowls
- Blackbean Quesadillas
- Easy Baked Tacos
- Baked Enchilada Beans
- Mexican Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Tacos
- Chicken Mole
- Easy Chicken Fajitas
- Enchiladas Verde
- Easy Chicken Carnitas
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas
- Chipotle Grilled Chicken Salad
- Mexican Appetizers
- Tuna Tostadas (Tostadas de Atún)
- Guacamole (three ways!)
- Aguachile Recipe
- Mexican Corn Dip (Esquites)
- Vegan Quesadillas with Cashew Cheese
- Shrimp Ceviche Verde
- Hearts of Palm Ceviche
- Mexican Salads
- Refreshing Mango Slaw
- Mexican Slaw with Cilantro and Lime
- Mexican Papaya Salad
- Citrus Avocado Salad
- Chipotle Chicken Salad
- Grilled Salmon Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Mexican Soups and Stews
- Pozole Verde (Green Pozole)
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Pozole Rojo
- Mexican Drinks and Cocktails
- La Cura
- Mezcal Margaritas
- Paloma Cocktail
- Hibiscus Margaritas with Ginger and Lime
- Oaxacan Hot Toddy
- Fresh Strawberry Margarita
- 45 Best Mexican Recipes for Easy Dinners, Parties & Celebrations
Start Here: Our Most Popular Mexican Recipes
Our most popular Mexican recipes-reader favorites that are flavorful, reliable, and made again and again.
Grilled Steak Tacos
The best recipe for marinated steak tacos cooked on the grill with chimichurri sauce, pico de gallo salsa, and pickled red onions. Video.
Easy Ceviche
This easy ceviche recipe uses fresh fish (or shrimp), tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice. The ultimate fresh and healthy Mexican recipe!
Vegetarian Enchiladas
These “farmers market” veggie enchiladas are made with black beans and your choice of vegetables, smothered in our 5-minute Enchilada Sauce. Great for meal prep!
Fish Tacos
A mouthwatering recipe for Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw and the best fish taco sauce ever! Perfect for Cinco de Mayo, or any day of the year!
Birria
Learn the secret to the best Mexican birria. Make birria tacos with consomme, or enjoy it as a stew, topped with pickled onions, cilantro, and lime juice.
Shrimp Tacos
Spicy, flavorful shrimp tacos with fresh cilantro lime slaw, avocado, pickled onions and cilantro lime crema – a delicious and easy weeknight meal! Gluten-free adaptable.
Homemade Tortillas
How to make perfect Homemade Tortillas from scratch using masa harina, flour, or a blend of both. Plus a bonus recipe for Sourdough Tortillas using your sourdough starter.
Favorite Mexican Side Dishes
Flavorful Mexican side dishes to round out any meal-from rice and beans to fresh salads and classic favorites.
Vegetarian Mexican Dinners
Hearty vegetarian Mexican dinners packed with bold flavors, fresh vegetables, and satisfying plant-based ingredients.
Easy Tamales
Learn my easy method for making tamales! Includes step-by-step instructions for making delicious tamales filled with green chili and cheese (or shredded chicken) cooked on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot.
Baked Chile Rellenos
These Baked Chile Rellenos are a healthy take on the traditional Mexican classic. Bake rather than fry, and fill with black beans & cheese, and pour roasted rancheros sauce over top!
Portobello Mushroom Tacos
Sheet-Pan, Chipotle Portobello Tacos – smoky, spicy, and “meaty” – these VEGAN tacos are sure to satisfy even the most diehard meat lovers! Make them in 30 minutes on a sheet pan.
Burrito BowlS
Our favorite burrito bowl recipe is made with seasoned black beans and rice topped with fresh tomatoes, avocado, corn, shredded cabbage, and a vegan cilantro lime crema.
Mushroom Fajitas
These vegan fajitas are bold, flavorful and easy enough for busy weeknights! With just 15 minutes of prep time before baking in the oven, you’ll have a healthy, plant-based dinner on the table in no time flat!
Vegan Tlayudas
Healthy, lightened-up, vegan Tlayudas made with a crispy tortilla, topped with refried beans, cheese(optional), crunchy cabbage slaw, avocado, and cilantro.
Spicy Mexican Oaxacan Bowl
Vegan Mexican Style Oaxacan Bowl with chipotle sweet potatoes, roasted sweet peppers, seasoned black beans, topped with Mexican cabbage slaw and toasted chipotle pecans.
Enchilada Casserole
This is a fast and easy recipe for an Enchilada Casserole with black beans, corn, sweet potatoes, and a quick Five-Minute Enchilada Sauce.
Mexican Salas and Sauces
Fresh Mexican salsas and sauces that add bold flavor to tacos, enchiladas, and everyday meals.
Easy Weeknight Dinners
Easy Mexican weeknight dinners that are quick, flavorful, and perfect for busy evenings.
Spicy Mexican Shrimp Bowls
This Spicy Mexican Shrimp recipe is quick and easy, perfect for busy weeknights. Create a bowl with rice and black beans, veggies, and our creamy avocado sauce.
Chilaquiles
How to Make Chilaquiles! A classic, fresh, and healthy Mexican recipe made with corn tortilla chips, veggies, and salsa that can be served as breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Fish Taco Bowls
Baja Fish Taco Bowls made with beer-battered cod, cilantro lime rice, Mexican pinto beans, Mexican Slaw, avocado, and chipotle mayo!
Blackbean Quesadillas
Farmer’s Market Veggie Quesadillas are loaded up with fresh seasonal veggies, black beans, cheese, Mexican spices, and herbs. Vegan-adaptable!
Easy Baked Tacos
Easy Baked Vegetarian Tacos can be made in under 30 minutes with simple ingredients. You can keep them vegetarian or add gound chicken or ground beef!
Baked Enchilada Beans
Baked Enchilada Beans are made with 5-minute enchilada sauce and Mexican cheese. Baked in the oven until warm and melty! Turn into burrito bowls for a quick, healthy dinner!
Mexican Chicken Recipes
Flavorful Mexican chicken recipes perfect for easy dinners, from tacos and enchiladas to comforting favorites.
Chicken Tacos
Made with tender, juicy baked chicken thighs, piled into warm tortillas with avocado, onions, and cilantro – classic street taco flavor in every bite.
Chicken Mole
A flavorful recipe for Chicken Mole is made with Black Mole Sauce (Mole Negro)- smoky, spicy and nutty with dried chilies, and a hint of chocolate. A flavorful Oaxacan-inspired meal.
Easy Chicken Fajitas
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas are a quick easy one-pan dinner! Deliciously marinated chicken, bell peppers, and onions are roasted until juicy and lightly charred. Perfect for tacos or bowls!
Enchiladas Verde
Flavorful Green Enchiladas (Enchiladas Verde) with chicken, cheese, corn, and the most delicious Green Enchilada Sauce.
Easy Chicken Carnitas
An easy, 15-minute Chicken Carnitas recipe that can be made in an Instant Pot, on the stovetop, or baked in an oven. Stuff in tortillas with cheese for tasty chicken quesadillas!
Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Easy Chicken Enchiladas are made with the simplest of ingredients: shredded chicken, cheese, and enchilada sauce, perfect for picky palates!
Chipotle Grilled Chicken Salad
Healthy, easy, Chipotle Grilled Chicken Salad with grilled corn, peppers, and arugula over a bed of optional quinoa with grilled scallions, avocado, and a simple Chipotle Lime Dressing.
Mexican Appetizers
Flavorful Mexican appetizers perfect for parties, gatherings, and festive meals.
Tuna Tostadas (Tostadas de Atún)
These ahi tuna tostadas are bursting with Mexican flavor! Easy to make in 30 minutes, they make a great appetizer or light meal. Gluten-free.
Guacamole (three ways!)
How to make the most delicious Guacamole-3 different ways! (Traditional, Furikake and Zaatar!) Your Guacamole will never be boring again!
Aguachile Recipe
This is an authentic Aguachile Recipe with shrimp! Similar to ceviche, shrimp is sliced in half and cooked in a blended mixture of green chiles, lime juice, and cilantro.
Mexican Corn Dip (Esquites)
Mexican Street Corn (Esquites) made with fresh corn, jalapeños, cilantro, lime, and optional cotija cheese. Serve warm with tortilla chips. A fresh and healthy Mexican appetizer!
Vegan Quesadillas with Cashew Cheese
A tasty recipe for vegan Quesadillas with homemade creamy cashew cheese and Poblano Pumpkin Seed Salsa. Vegan and delicious!
Shrimp Ceviche Verde
Shrimp Ceviche Verde Appetizer with fresh tomatillo, cilantro and Lime, a refreshing and light appetizer, perfect for parties and gatherings.
Hearts of Palm Ceviche
This vegan Ceviche will transport you straight to Mexico. Made with hearts of palm and avocado, this easy recipe can be made in minutes! Serve with tortilla Chips.
Mexican Salads
Fresh Mexican salads made with vibrant ingredients, bold flavors, and simple, wholesome dressings.
Refreshing Mango Slaw
This mango slaw recipe is so refreshing and light! Made with fresh mango, crunchy purple cabbage, red onion, cilantro, and lime, this salad is the perfect summer treat and makes a delicious topping for tacos, bowls, and more!
Mexican Slaw with Cilantro and Lime
Mexican Slaw with jalapeño and lime- perfect for tacos or a vegan side to your Mexican Feast. Fast and easy, vegan and gluten-free. Watch the video!
Mexican Papaya Salad
A simple Mexican Papaya Salad using ripe papaya with cucumber, red onions, and jalapeño over greens with a Cilantro Lime Dressing. So many textures and flavors!
Citrus Avocado Salad
Orange and Avocado Salad with cilantro, jalapeño, lime, and optional Aleppo chili flakes. Vegan, refreshing, and healthy! Use blood oranges when in season, for added color!
Chipotle Chicken Salad
Healthy, Easy, Chipotle Grilled Chicken Salad with Grilled Corn, Peppers and Arugula, over a bed of optional quinoa with grilled scallions, avocado and a simple Chipotle Lime Dressing.
Grilled Salmon Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
This Grilled Salmon Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing is perfect for summer barbecues and outdoor gatherings.
Mexican Soups and Stews
Comforting Mexican soups made with bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and cozy, satisfying broths.
Pozole Verde (Green Pozole)
Chicken Tortilla Soup
This Chicken Tortilla Soup is one of the BEST recipes on the blog and hands-down one of our favorite dinners.
Chicken Pozole Rojo
This Chicken Pozole recipe is so comforting and flavorful! Made with red chilies, pozole rojo is fast and easy in an Instant Pot or stovetop.
Mexican Drinks and Cocktails
Refreshing Mexican drinks and cocktails-from classic margaritas to vibrant, citrusy favorites.
La Cura
La Cura Cocktail! A mezcal Margarita meets the classic Penicillin cocktail – a fusion of two cocktail classics- with sweet, sour, salty and smoky notes.
Mezcal Margaritas
Spicy Mezcal Margaritas made with fresh citrus juice, jalapeño, and cilantro. Smoky, spicy, and oh so refreshing! Perfect for Cinco de Mayo, or any day of the year!
Paloma Cocktail
This Paloma cocktail features fresh grapefruit juice, tequila blanco, and honey simple syrup infused with bay leaves. Topped with a splash of sparkling water-so refreshing!
Hibiscus Margaritas with Ginger and Lime
Refreshing Hibiscus Margaritas with Ginger and Lime made with dried hibiscus flowers (or use hibiscus tea), honey, lime, fresh ginger, and a hint of clove.
Oaxacan Hot Toddy
Make a Hot Toddy at home that’s better than most of the professional versions you’re likely to encounter! This Oaxacan slant uses mezcal, lime juice & honey.
Fresh Strawberry Margarita
This Strawberry Margarita recipe features fresh, ripe strawberries! Light, refreshing, and naturally sweetened, it’s nicely balanced and has the best flavor!
On the home front: One of my favorite cooking experiences ever was taking this cooking class down in Oaxaca, and learning some of the old traditional cooking techniques, ingredients, and flavors. It gave us a deep appreciation for Mexico’s rich culture and history. I highly recommend this class (it is in Spanish, but we found it not to be an issue at all) and most of the proceeds go towards helping women from smaller surrounding villages learn trades and become more self-reliant. If you find yourself in Oaxaca, take this class!
Happy weekend, friends… Salud! xoxo Sylvia
⭐️ For many more healthy, Mexican-inspired meals, be sure to check out our Mexican Recipes Category Page!
Print
45 Best Mexican Recipes for Easy Dinners, Parties & Celebrations
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Authentic Mexican recipes from a chef’s kitchen featuring tips and tricks to elevate your meals. Highly rated recipes with hundreds of 5-star reviews! Cilantro Lime Rice.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced (1 1/2 cups) (or onion powder, see notes)
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (or garlic powder, see notes)
- 2 cups rinsed long-grain rice (jasmine or basmati works best, or see notes for brown basmati rice)
- 3 cups water (see notes, depends on type)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1–2 limes- zest and juice
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped, leaves and tender stems
- 3 scallions, sliced
Instructions
- Saute. In a large saucepan, braiser, or lidded skillet, saute onion and garlic over medium high heat, in olive oil until fragrant and tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the rice, saute 1-2 more minutes, coating each grain, then add coriander, cumin, salt, and half the lime zest, toast 1 minute.
- Simmer. Add the water (make sure to see notes on quantity). Bring to a rapid boil. Cover, then lower the heat to medium-low so it simmers gently. Cook 13-14 minutes, until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed. Replace lid, let stand with heat off of 5 minutes.
- Fluff and Season. Fluff with fork, squeeze with lime juice (2-4 tablespoons) and right before serving, toss in the chopped cilantro and scallions. Fluff again, taste and adjust salt and lime to taste.
Notes
Tips for a Cinco De Mayo Party
- Keep it simple and only pick out a few things! You don’t want to be so exhausted with cooking that you don’t enjoy the party!
- Make whatever you can, ahead!
- Enlist friends to make or bring some of the sides.
- Remember to add flavorful condiments and sauces ( most can be made ahead).
- Plan to be done cooking one hour before your party and make yourself a drink. Take a breath and relax.
- An old catering/ restaurant trick: If your legs are tired from all the standing, cooking and cleaning, lay on the floor on your back, with legs up the wall for 10 minutes before the party. It will totally revive you!
- One of the easiest things to make is a Taco Bar! Many things can be prepped ahead. Grill meat or fish the day of. Guests can make tacos or bowls that they can assemble themselves. Sometimes I’ll even ask my friends to each bring one item! Fun and easy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 249
- Sugar: 2.2 g
- Sodium: 594.6 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 1.7 g
- Protein: 5.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Should have included 5 star rating re comment below. Sorry.
Fabulous Mexican recipes. So colourful, delicious and healthy. Thank you! Yum yum… Which one to make next… ? 🙂
thanks Diane- glad you are enjoying!
Great!
Very tasty! My whole family loved it.
Thanks Johanne!
WONDERFUL TASTY
I have made most of the recipes and they are all great. And with guidelines that are easy to follow.
Thanks so much!
We love finding new recipes and Mexican dishes area a favorite at our house – I plan to try several (if not all!) of these soon.
I found your website while searching for recipes to serve at a sit-down dinner for 14-18 people. I would like to prepare something almost 100% ahead of time and was looking for something more interesting than enchiladas. Our kitchen and entertaining space is not huge, so being able to prepare everything prior to guests and simply pop a couple casserole dishes in the oven is key. I also have guests attending who do not eat beef or shellfish, so I was considering a chicken option as well as a vegetarian option.
Do you have any recipe suggestions or tweaks that would accommodate this event and my need to prep ahead of time? Thanks!
If it were me, I would do a Taco Bar- make a big batch of refried beans ahead (or Mole black beans) along with any sauces, salsas, slaw, etc, and othen on the day of- grill up chipotle chicken or the fish from our fish tacos. So not 100% ahead,but mostly. 😉
If it were me, I would do a Taco Bar- make a big batch of refried beans ahead (or Mole black beans) along with any sauces, salsas, slaw, etc, and then on the day of- grill up chipotle chicken or the fish from our fish tacos. So not 100% ahead,but mostly. 😉
Every recepi looks delicious
thanks Yolanda!
so good
The article is amazing, I found it informative for the readers.
Thank you Sylvia- for the easy and delicious recipes.
thanks so much!
Extremely helpful and well made recipes !! Thanks for taking your time to publish it.
Thanks so much!
I’ve made a few of the recipes you’ve listed and they have turned out lovely. One question though- would I be mixing too many flavours if I served Fish and Chicken Tacos with Mexican corn and all the salsas but also a Thai style Grilled steak and your Asian Slaw? I have a couple of guests who have an aversion to smokey flavours
I really like mixing flavors and cuisines. I think it is fun and don’t make rules around this. But up to you!
Thank you! very well and kindly explained… simple and precise… best recipes to make a little Mexican feast! xoxoox
Thanks! 🙌
So many beautiful recipes! Your photos are gorgeous. The recipes you have in the list are so fresh, beautiful, unique and inspiring! Thank you! I’d love to connect sometime and talk food – you can find my site (I think we have the same wordpress template!) at tastynfree.com. Please reach out! I am genuinely inspired by your work.
Thanks, Caryn, I will!
Wonderful collection, thank you.
Really appreciate your selections!
Thanks for the mex collection! Lockdown has me making more things from scratch (not to mention that corn tortillas are hard to find here), and I found an easy and delicious recipe for 50:50 corn & wheat tortillas from https://wellingtonbakehouse.com/2015/07/26/half-half-tortillas-perfect-for-soft-tacos/
Only change I made was that I rolled the dough into a thick even log and sliced off disks of dough (~55g) for each tortilla. I used a tortilla press to speed things up and then cooked them in a dry cast iron skillet, about 1 minute per side (until they have brown spots) and finishing with one last flip to the first side where I press on the tortilla to make it puff a la Pati Jinich.
I tried these once, they worked perfectly and now I am hooked. Cinqo de mayo is a perfect time to up my tortilla game!
So funny Bri- I was just working on a 1/2 and 1/2 recipe corn/flour recipe this week too because I like a mix as well. I haven’t seen this post but will check it out. I do the log as well. It makes things easy. Sounds like we are on the same track!