62 Mexican Recipes You’ll Make Again and Again
From tacos and tamales to enchiladas and agua fresca, it’s easy to fall in love with the flavors of Mexican cuisine. We’ve rounded up our best authentic Mexican recipes (along with some really great Mexican-inspired takes) to pay homage to all the delicious dishes we find ourselves coming back to, time and time again.
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So Full of Flavor
Mexican cuisine is far more varied than most people realize. And, as much as we love the classic dishes that have become popular in the United States (think tacos and guacamole) there is so much more to discover when it comes to the food and cooking (and desserts and drinks!) of Mexico. That’s why we’ve rounded up these recipes — to celebrate the rich and sophisticated flavors that developed when indigenous ingredients like corn, chiles and chocolate met Spanish culinary customs. There are more far more regional dishes worth mentioning than we can highlight here, but these recipes make for a good starting place — including this one for savory puntas de res. A dry spice rub on the meat imparts a great deal of flavor, and a luxurious sauce coats the stewed beef, tomatoes and fresh chiles gueros that are mellow but have just enough of a kick and a whole lot of flavor. This dish is a classic and the flavor punch will keep you coming back for another tortilla-full.
Get the Recipe: Puntas de Res a la Mexicana
Watermelon and Mint Agua Fresca
This fruity and refreshing drink is so simple to make. Just puree cubed, seeded watermelon with a little water in a blender, until smooth. Then, pour over a mixture of muddled mint leaves, sugar and lime slices. Best of all, agua fresca (which can be made with a variety of different fruits) pairs perfectly with just about any Mexican dish you’re serving up.
Get the Recipe: Watermelon and Mint "Agua Fresca" (Fresh Fruit-Blended Water)
Easiest-Ever Chicken Mole Enchiladas
Get the Recipe: 'Easiest Ever' Chicken Mole Enchiladas
Chiles Rellenos
Get the Recipe: Chiles Rellenos
Machaca
This marinated, shredded beef is perfect for tostadas, burritos, tacos and even sandwiches. Better yet, this recipe makes a big batch so you can easily store some in the freezer and be one step ahead on nights when you don’t have time to cook from scratch.
Get the Recipe: Slow-Cooker Braised Brisket (Machaca)
Elotes Asados
Grilled street-style corn is a staple all over Mexico. You will often see the corn being grilled in its husks over fire — but you can achieve great results on a stovetop. This recipe offers options for each. In both versions, you cook the corn in its husks to develop that smoky and sweet flavor that goes so well with creamy mayo, sour cream and salty Cotija cheese, making it one of the most delicious street foods you can find.
Get the Recipe: Elotes Asados
Chilorio
Chilorio is a stewed pork guisado from the state of Sinaloa on the Mexican Pacific coast. The first thing you will notice is its striking crimson red color. Chilorio is a perfect match with breakfast potatoes to bring you back to life after a long night. Also try it tucked into some flour tortillas and tightly rolled for the best Northern-style burrito lunch.
Get the Recipe: Chilorio
Chicken Tamales
Get the Recipe: Chicken Tamales
Bunuelos
Marcela’s take on this delicious, deep-fried treat couldn’t be easier: she uses pre-made tortillas. Leave them whole or cut them into any desired shape before frying, then toss in cinnamon-sugar. It’s that simple!
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon-Sugar Crisps ("Bunuelos")
The Best Pork Enchiladas
Enchiladas from the Mexican state of Oaxaca are made with a red chile sauce. Ours has raisins to pull the fruit flavors from the ancho chiles and add a touch of sweetness. The pork is braised with aromatics and seasonings that turns into a deeply flavored blended sauce. Frying the tortillas a bit before rolling them gives them a durability that is important when assembling the dish.
Get the Recipe: The Best Pork Enchiladas
Classic Margarita
Once you've tasted a homemade margarita, you may never go back to the store-bought stuff. Tequila, lime juice and agave syrup are all you need for this classic, refreshing drink.
Get the Recipe: Classic Margarita
Pozole Verde with Shrimp
Pozole verde hails from the state of Guerrero located in Mexico's Pacific coast. It is traditionally served with pork and topped with chunks of chicharron. In this version, I use shrimp instead of pork for a lighter version of the dish. The plump shrimp shines against the backdrop of the rich nutty broth, the brightness from the tomatillos and herbs and the mellow heat from the fresh serrano chile.
Get the Recipe: Pozole Verde with Shrimp
Tacos Carne Asada
Get the Recipe: Tacos Carne Asada
Flan
Tyler keeps his take on Mexican flan traditional, flavoring it with vanilla bean, cinnamon and lemon.
Get the Recipe: Flan
Huevos Rancheros
The eggs in this beloved breakfast dish are sauced with a ranchero-style sauce of roasted tomatoes, spicy ancho chiles and smoky chipotles. To make breakfast easier, make the sauce ahead of time and reheat to serve, adding a bit of water to thin if necessary.
Get the Recipe: Huevos Rancheros
Caesar Esquites
Caesar salad is often thought of as an Italian classic, but the famous dish was likely invented at Caesar's Restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. For this esquites recipe (which means shaved corn) we pay homage to the anchovy-laced salad by replacing the traditional mayo-sour cream mixture often served on street corn with a Caesar-style dressing made with sour cream, garlic and what some say was a key ingredient in the original Caesar recipe: lime juice.
Get the Recipe: Caesar Esquites
Baja-Style Fish Tacos
Beer-battered halibut is fried to a golden crisp, then topped with shredded cabbage and salsa for the ultimate fish taco.
Get the Recipe: Baja Style Fish Tacos
Refried Beans
Get the Recipe: Refried Beans
Chicken Mole
Get the Recipe: Chicken Mole
Garlicky Holy Guacamole!
Get the Recipe: Garlicky Holy Guacamole!
Birria Tacos
Birria is a spicy Mexican meat stew. Here, Marcela shreds beef short ribs and marinates them in a broth of California chile peppers, pasilla and ancho chile peppers, tomatoes and onion.
Get the Recipe: Birria Tacos
Cajeta Gelatin
If you’re a fan of caramel, this dessert is for you. Cajeta is the Mexican equivalent of dulce de leche, except that cajeta is made with goat’s milk (instead of cow). If you can’t find cajeta at your local supermarket or specialty food store, you can easily substitute another caramel. You’ll still get wonderfully delicious results!
Get the Recipe: Cajeta Gelatin
Mexican Radish Slaw
Get the Recipe: Jalapeno Radish Slaw
Carne Asada Burrito
Get the Recipe: Carne Asada Burrito
Black Bean Soup with Mojo
Get the Recipe: Black Bean Soup with Mojo
Churros with Chocolate Sauce
These churros are extra special: crispy and sweet on the outside, custardy and soft on the inside, like a fried cream puff dusted in cinnamon sugar. Organic sugar is key for the coating— it adds flavor and crunch.
Get the Recipe: Churros with Chocolate Sauce
Spicy Black Beans and Yellow Rice
Get the Recipe: Spicy Black Beans and Yellow Rice
Tortilla Chip Chilaquiles
Although chilaquiles is commonly served for breakfast, we’d gladly eat this Mexican staple any time of the day. And since this clever take uses store-bought chips (and eliminates the need to fry your own corn tortillas) it’s easy to enjoy whenever the craving strikes!
Get the Recipe: Tortilla Chip Chilaquiles
Elote
Take grilled corn on the cob to new heights by dressing it in the popular Mexican street food style — with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chile powder and fresh lime.
Get the Recipe: Elote
Chicken, Chili and Cheese Quesadillas
Get the Recipe: Chicken, Chili, and Cheese Quesadillas
Smoked Cheddar Cheese Tamales
Get the Recipe: Smoked Cheddar Cheese Tamales
Jalapeno Margaritas
Get the Recipe: Jalapeno Margaritas
Salsa and Chips
Get the Recipe: Salsa and Chips
The Best Red Chicken Enchiladas
We love the smoky combination of cascabel and guajillo chiles. Using two varieties of dried peppers creates a complex sauce with wonderful depth of flavor, so we recommend seeking them both out. Look for the best-quality corn tortillas you can find. They will have a better flavor and texture and will be easier to work with.
Get the Recipe: The Best Red Chicken Enchiladas
Pinto Bean Salsa Salad
Get the Recipe: Pinto Bean Salsa Salad
Fastest-Ever Enchiladas
Get the Recipe: Fastest-Ever Enchiladas
Salsa Verde
Use tomatillos and fresh hot green chiles to get great color and flavor for this green salsa.
Get the Recipe: Salsa Verde: Green Tomatillo Salsa
Chiles Rellenos
Get the Recipe: Chiles Rellenos
Double-Feature Cupcakes with Mexican Hot Chocolate Frosting
Get the Recipe: Double Feature Cupcakes with Mexican Hot Chocolate Frosting
Chicken Tostadas
Get the Recipe: Chicken Tostadas
Alex's Brisket Tacos with Red Cabbage
Get the Recipe: Brisket Tacos With Red Cabbage
Yellow Rice
Get the Recipe: Yellow Rice and Black Beans
Guava Empanadas
Get the Recipe: Guava Empanadas
Red Chile Short Rib Tacos
Bobby's tacos pack a big punch in a small package by using three different types of chiles: dried ancho chile peppers, New Mexico chile peppers and cascabel chile peppers.
Get the Recipe: Red Chile Short Rib Tacos
Churros with Coconut Sauce
Get the Recipe: Churros With Coconut Sauce
Restaurant-Style Salsa
Get the Recipe: Restaurant-Style Salsa
Sopes
These mini masa cakes take a bit of work but are so worth it — once you get the technique down you can use them as the base for any variety of your favorite toppings.
Get the Recipe: Sopes
Crackling Fish Tacos with Chipotle Tartar Sauce
Get the Recipe: Crackling Fish Tacos with Chipotle Tartar Sauce
Refried Beans
Get the Recipe: Refried Beans
Crispy Chicken Mini Tacos
Get the Recipe: Crispy Chicken Mini-Tacos
Mexican Brownies
Aaron's brownies get their kick from Mexican cinnamon and pequin chile powder. If you can't find pequin, just substitute cayenne pepper.
Get the Recipe: Aaron Sanchez's Mexican Brownies
Beef Barbacoa Tacos
Get the Recipe: Beef Barbacoa Tacos
Chiles Rellenos in Tomato Broth
Get the Recipe: Chiles Rellenos in Tomato Broth
Shrimp Tacos with Mango Slaw
Get the Recipe: Shrimp Tacos With Mango Slaw
Tyler's Chunky Guacamole
Get the Recipe: Chunky Guacamole
Wine-Braised Pork Tacos
You'll need extra napkins on hand to wipe up all the juices from Melissa's three-hour-braised pork tacos.
Get the Recipe: Wine-Braised Pork Tacos
Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa
Get the Recipe: Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa
Pork Carnitas Tacos
Get the Recipe: Pork Carnitas Tacos
Sopaipillas with Chocolate Sauce
Get the Recipe: Fried Tortillas With Chocolate Sauce
Beef and Bean Burritos
Get the Recipe: Beef and Bean Burritos
Enchiladas de Pollo en Mole Coloradito
An enchilada stuffed with juicy chicken and covered with mole sauce is an excellent way to showcase mole coloradito, one of the seven moles of Oaxaca. Coloradito typically calls for brioche or other bread to thicken the sauce; I like using sourdough for the slightly funky flavor it brings to the mole. Chocolate and plantains are common in this version as well, but I prefer mine without these to emphasize the flavors of the other ingredients. This recipe is a great way to demonstrate one of my favorite Mexican cooking techniques: refrying. Refrying is the process of cooking something again in an extremely hot saucepot to give it more character and depth of flavor.
Get the Recipe: Enchiladas de Pollo en Mole Coloradito
Sopa de Lima
The most famous soup from the Yucatan, sopa de lima highlights the subtle, sweet, bergamot-like flavor of limas, a type of citrus from the region. Meyer lemon is a close second from what we can find in the U.S. The soup is traditionally seasoned with a classic recado, a mixture of warm spices, garlic and bitter orange (naranja agria) juice, and the chicken is usually boiled plain. In this rendition, the chicken gets a recado rub and is marinated for a few hours to capture the essence of the spices. Browning the chicken until crispy and then cooking it through in the soup builds on the flavors that keep you coming back for more.
Get the Recipe: Sopa de Lima
