30+ Mexican Recipes Perfect for Cinco de Mayo

The tastiest Mexican recipes for Cinco De Mayo! I’ve got tacos every which way, the best guacamole and salsa, and burrito bowls loaded with fresh flavor. Plus, a few ice cold margaritas! This list has everything you need for your Mexican fiesta. 

As a Southern California native and lover of Mexican food, Cinco de Mayo is by far my favorite foodie holiday. But interestingly enough, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day (as some believe). Rather, it commemorates the victory of the Mexican military over France in 1862, and in fact, it’s not widely celebrated in Mexico.

But in the U.S., Cinco de Mayo has morphed into a heritage and cultural celebration of Mexico. So, what better way to celebrate this beautiful culture than with the best of Mexican recipes, fiestas, mariachi music and perhaps a margarita.

Best Mexican Recipes for Cinco de Mayo

Below is a list of my Mexican or Mexican-inspired recipes (I do take some liberties to make things Downshiftology appropriate). Case in point, the use of cassava flour to replace more traditional flour tortillas. But trust me, everything is so good, you won’t even know it’s gluten-free.

Essential Mexican Salsas and Dips

A table full of salsas and dips is a non-negotiable when it comes to the best fiestas. They’re perfect for dipping, dolloping, and creating layers of flavor.

• Best Ever Guacamole: I’m not lying when I say this is the best guacamole recipe you’ll ever have. It’s perfectly creamy, chunky, and full of the freshest ingredients. 
• Pico De Gallo: The classic chunky salsa. It’s a cinch to whip up!
• Creamy Pico De Gallo: This one isn’t as traditional, but adding a bit of Greek yogurt to your pico de gallo turns it into a creamy delight!
• Best Salsa Recipe: This restaurant-style salsa is smooth and more liquidy than pico de gallo. Perfect for drizzling.
• Avocado Salsa: If you can’t decide between guacamole or salsa, combine the flavors to make this insanely delicious avocado salsa! 
• Mango Salsa: Come mango season, this fruit forward salsa is a given. It’s sweet and fresh with a little kick. Plus it tastes amazing with seafood. 
• Chipotle Sauce: Made with chipotles in adobo sauce, it’s creamy, smoky, and perfect for adding a little heat to your meals. 
• Lime Crema: A refreshing, zesty sauce that’s perfectly creamy and tangy.

The Best Mexican Chicken, Beef, and Pork Recipes

These are your must-make staple Mexican recipes. I’ll show you the best way to cook beef (carne asada and barbacoa), pork (carnitas), and chicken (cilantro lime chicken) with mouthwatering results. Once you master these, you can create dozens of other recipes on this list.

• Carne Asada: This tried and true recipe will have people coming back for seconds thanks to my easy and fresh carne asada marinade. 
• Barbacoa: Spicy shredded beef that’s fall-apart tender is super easy in a slow cooker or Crockpot.
• Carnitas: If you’re a pork lover like me, this recipe cooks up the most juicy, tender, and crisp carnitas. Guaranteed to be a crowd favorite.
• Cilantro Lime Chicken: These juicy, golden chicken thighs are coated in garlicky cilantro lime goodness, with a hint of sticky sweetness – yes please!

Flavorful Mexican Taco Recipes

It’s not a fiesta without the ultimate taco spread! Now that you know how to whip up the meat basics listed above, these tacos are a cinch to make with warmed up tortillas and a few other fresh ingredients. Here’s a few ideas for taco night.

• Carne Asada Tacos: You can never go wrong with carne asada tacos! Just dice up your steak into small pieces and top your tacos with guacamole, cilantro, onions, and cotija cheese for the final touch. 
• Carnitas Tacos: Tacos made with meltingly tender pork, cilantro, chopped red onions, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. My favorite!
• Shrimp Tacos: For a Baja take on tacos, these shrimp tacos can’t be beat with cilantro lime bacon slaw and a drizzle of lime crema. 
• Barbacoa Tacos: Layer juicy barbacoa into quick and easy tacos with onions, cilantro, and lime juice. 
• Grilled Fish Tacos: If seafood tacos are more your thing, add grilled Alaskan wild cod into the mix. It’s the perfect summer taco! 

Favorite Fajita Recipes

Sizzling skillet fajitas are incredibly easy to make with my homemade fajita seasoning, and can be served a variety of delicious ways. All you need are a few sides (rice, guac, salsa, cheese) and tortillas. Done!

• Chicken Fajitas: Nothing beats this colorful pan bursting with flavors from perfectly seared chicken breasts, bell peppers, onion, and fresh lime juice. 
• Shrimp Fajitas: Amp up juicy jumbo shrimp in this fajita recipe that’s loaded with bold Mexican spices!
• Steak Fajitas: Come grilling season, these steak fajitas are sure to be a summertime ritual.

Crowd-Pleasing Mexican Appetizers

If you’re planning a big party with lots of mouths to feed, it’s always smart to throw some appetizers into the mix! These recipes are fun, fresh, and extra tasty.  

• Ceviche: Serve up citrus shrimp ceviche or mango halibut ceviche in individual glasses (for an elegant touch) or in a large bowl for scooping with chips. 
• Ultimate Nachos: When can you ever go wrong with a sheet pan overflowing with loaded nachos?
• Carne Asada Fries: While this is more of an American appetizer, these loaded fries sure are tasty! Golden fries are topped with carne asada pieces, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream.
• Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats: Enjoy your favorite taco flavors in stuffed zucchini boats! It’s light, fresh, easy to make, and looks great served on a platter.

Quick and Easy Mexican Recipes

If you need some quick “throw together” recipe ideas with ingredients you have on hand, these simple options have just the right amount of Mexican flair. 

• Barbacoa Burrito Bowl: With leftover barbacoa you can create hearty burrito bowls. Just add cilantro lime rice (or Mexican rice), beans, corn, salsa, and avocado. 
• Taco Soup: When it’s chilly out, enjoy the best taco flavors in one warming soup! 
• Black Bean Soup: Grab a few extra cans of black beans to make this easy soup layered with spiced and savory flavors.
• Mexican Chicken Zucchini Noodles: For a light, refreshing, low-carb meal, zucchini noodles are mixed with chicken and pico de gallo.

• Carnitas Burrito Bowl: With my slow cooker carnitas you can make your favorite Chipotle burrito bowl recipe at home!
• Carnitas Stuffed Poblano Peppers: Turn your batch of carnitas into these crazy good stuffed poblano peppers.
• Black Bean Mexican Pizza: This vegetarian Mexican pizza is super simple and has the best Mexican flavors.
• Huevos Rancheros: For a tasty breakfast, or breakfast-for-dinner situation, huevos rancheros can be made in just 10 minutes! 

The Best Margarita Recipes

There’s nothing like a chilled margarita to amp up a fiesta! And if you’ve got more than a handful of people, these recipes can easily be tripled or quadrupled to make a large pitcher. Bottoms up my friends! 

• Classic Margarita: You can never ever go wrong with this classic version. It’s easy, timeless, and simply delicious. 
• Mango Margarita: With sweet, juicy mangos, this fruity blend will surely be a summer favorite. 
• Strawberry Margarita: While there’s many ways to make a frozen margarita, this strawberry version is always a win! 
• Pomegranate Margarita: For a festive holiday touch, mix in some pomegranate juice for a beautiful pop of red sweetness. 

Refreshing Mexican Non-Alcoholic Drinks

For my non-alcoholic drinkers, these delicious Mexican drinks are always thirst quenchers on sweltering days! 

• The Best Horchata: Who doesn’t love horchata? It’s creamy, cinnamon-y, refreshing, and perfect for serving in a pitcher. 
• Agua Fresca: Turn in-season fruit from the farmer’s market into the most refreshing, all-natural fruit juice. 

Want more recipe roundups? Check out my best easy dinner ideas, easy salmon recipes, and best chicken thigh recipes.

If you make any of these Mexican recipes, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.

30+ Mexican Recipes Perfect for Cinco de Mayo

5 from 6 votes

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 8 hrs

Total Time: 8 hrs 10 mins

Servings: 6 tacos

Author: Lisa Bryan

Print Pin Review

The tastiest Mexican recipes for your Cinco De Mayo fiesta, including these juicy, tender, barbacoa tacos!

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Barbacoa

• ▢ 4 pound beef chuck roast, cut into 3-inch chunks
• ▢ 1 onion, diced
• ▢ 3-4 chipotle in adobo sauce, finely diced
• ▢ 5 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cumin
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• ▢ 2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 3/4 cup beef stock
• ▢ 3 bay leaves

Taco Ingredients

• ▢ tortillas
• ▢ diced onion
• ▢ avocado slices
• ▢ chopped cilantro
• ▢ sour cream or cheese

Instructions 

• Add all of the ingredients, except the bay leaves, to the bowl of a slow cooker.
• Gently toss and mix it all together. Then add the bay leaves, and cover. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. The beef should be tender and fall apart easily when shredded with a fork. If it doesn't shred easily, cook it a bit longer.
• Remove the beef and use forks to shred it on a cutting board.
• Place the shredded beef back in the slow cooker, give it a stir, and let it soak up all the juices.
• Use tongs to remove a serving from the slow cooker, top it on a tortilla, and garnish with diced onion, avocado, cilantro, and other toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 730kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 63g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 209mg, Sodium: 1512mg, Potassium: 1245mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 78IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 138mg, Iron: 9mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Cinco De Mayo Recipes, Mexican Recipes

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