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Whether you’re throwing a big fiesta or just celebrating with your family, this collection has all the Cinco de Mayo Recipes you’ll need! From entrees and appetizers to desserts and drinks, we have you covered!
For more collections: Mexican Sides, Mexican Desserts, Mexican Soups, Mexican Beef Recipes, Mexican Appetizers
A Day to Celebrate!
Cinco de Mayo (The Fifth of May) is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican armyโs victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War in 1862. It’s also known as Battle of Puebla Day.
While it’s somewhat of a minor holiday in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo has become a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage in the United States, especially in areas with large Mexican-American populations.
Growing up in Arizona, and having a Mexican mother myself, we’ve ALWAYS made a big deal of Cinco de Mayo and celebrate every year with lots of amazing homemade Mexican food. I’ve compiled this list of all our favorite Cinco de Mayo recipes, including entrees, sides, appetizers, drinks, and desserts!
Cinco de Mayo Party Tips
Like any dinner party, youโll want to plan your menu beforehand.
- Decide which dishes you want to make fresh and which dishes can be made ahead of time. (See the individual recipes for more storage and reheating information.)
- Mix in traditional favorites with a couple new dishes. Be sure to try out the new dishes beforehand to work out any recipe kinks.
- Use dishes with different flavors and textures.
- Be mindful that while some people love spicy hot Mexican food, others prefer a more mild dish. I suggest labeling which dishes are spicy and which ones are more mild. A great way around this is to prepare more mild dishes, but have hot sauce set out for those who want to give their plates a bit more kick
Typically, for a meal with guests we like to have the following:
- APPETIZERS โ 1-2 (Salsas + Dips can be made ahead of time.)
- SIDES โ 1 (Rice is a great one that can be made ahead and kept WARM in the slow cooker or chafing dish)
- MAIN DISHES โ 1-2 (That can be made ahead of time). Anything Fried is usually made right before serving.
- DESSERTS โ 1 (Usually made ahead of time and extended with ice cream) ๐
- DRINKS – 1-2 (Including water). It’s nice to have a flavored beverage (or two!), but make sure you have either plain or flavored water as well.
FAVORITE Cinco de Mayo DECORATIONS
When I think of Mexican decorations, I think of bold, bright, contrasting colors. I always use red, green, and white (yes, some yellows, reds, pinks, blues and more!) since those are the colors of the Mexican flag, from there choose 3 more colors that can be repeated throughout the decor.
- Paper Picado Banners strung from above and around tables.
- Large Tissue Paper Flowers are beautiful and easy to make. Children especially enjoy helping make these.
- Sombreros are fun to have both for decor and for picture opportunities.
- Piรฑata, In my opinion, is a must for any Mexican party. Fill with candies or small toys.
- Salsa cans are great for holding decor, flowers and succulents
- Candles โ You can usually find these for cheap at the dollar store and they go great with the decor.
So much decor can be found online and on Amazon, so be sure to check those out and then store for future uses. ๐
Best Cinco de Mayo Recipes
These are some of our go-to Mexican recipes that we think are the BEST! A lot of these classic dishes are perfect for big gatherings (like Cinco de Mayo parties).
We’ve included are favorite appetizers, sides, and entrees! And typically, we like to pick one or two from each section to create our menu.
Appetizers:
1 Salsa Recipe
2 Salsa Verde Recipe
3 Black Bean Corn Salsa
4 How to Make Guacamole
5 7 Layer Bean Dip Recipe
6 Tortilla Chip Recipe
Sides:
7 Canned Refried Beans
8 Spanish Rice Recipe
9 Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
10 Flour Tortilla Recipe
11 Chicken Tortilla Soup
Main Dishes:
12 Chicken Tacos
13 Carne Asada Recipe
14 Chicken Enchilada Recipe
15 Cheese Enchiladas
16 Chicken Flautas Recipe
17 Baked Chicken Chimichanga Recipe
Easy Cinco de Mayo Recipes
Even though we’ve shared our go-to’s for Cinco de Mayo, we wanted to make sure you had the complete list of simple recipes to make for your celebration.
From appetizers to sides to main dishes, we’ve got you covered. And best part is all of these recipes are easy with quick preparation, or few ingredients. What’s not to love about simple, yummy recipes?!
Appetizers:
18 Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
19 Jalapeno Poppers Recipe
20 Loaded Nachos Recipe
21 Queso Blanco Recipe
22 Crock Pot Bean Dip Recipe
23 Bean Dip Recipe
24 Chili’s Salsa Recipe
25 Mango Salsa Recipe
Sides & salads:
26 Esquites
27 Mexican Street Corn Recipe
28 Mexican Cornbread Recipe
29 Sopa de Fideo
30 Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe
Recipe Video
Get the recipe31 Taco Soup Recipe
32 Chicken Taco Salad Recipe
33 Taco Pasta Salad Recipe
34 Southwest Caprese Salad Recipe
35 Southwest Salad Recipe
Main Dishes:
36 Tostada
37 Sweet Pork Barbacoa Recipe
38 Carnitas Recipe
39 Mexican Chicken
40 Salsa Chicken Recipe
41 Green Chili Chicken Recipe
42 Green Chile Burritos Recipe
43 Green Chili Smothered Burritos Recipe
44 Burrito Recipe
45 Flautas
46 Pork Tacos Recipe
47 Ground Beef Tacos Recipe
48 Taco Casserole Recipe
Recipe Video
49 Beef Enchiladas
50 Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
Recipe Video
Get the recipe51 Creamy Chicken Enchilada Recipe
Recipe Video
Get the recipe52 Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe
53 Mexican Lasagna Recipe
Cinco de Mayo Dessert Recipes
There are so many traditional Mexican desserts you can make to accompany your Cinco de Mayo meal besides the classic cinnamon churro.
All of them are pretty simple to make and will pair perfectly with whatever entree you decide to serve!
54 Cinnamon Tortilla Chips
55 Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe
56 Sopapilla Cheesecake Recipe
57 Mexican Fried Ice Cream Recipe
58 Arroz con Leche Recipe
59 Sopapilla Recipe
60 Tres Leches Cake
61 Churro Recipe
62 How to Make Flan
63 Churro Cheesecake Bars
Cinco de Mayo Drink Recipes
The most well known Mexican style drink is probably Horchata, but we also love Mexican hot chocolate (you can turn it into a cold drink by preparing it like our Frozen Hot Chocolate). You can also serve juices or smoothies with refreshing fruit flavors like mango, peach, or strawberry.
64 Mexican Hot Chocolate Recipe
65 Horchata Recipe
66 Peach Mango Smoothie Recipe
We hope these Mexican recipes help you in creating the perfect Cinco de Mayo menu!
Oh my goodness!!! So much good food – and the presentation is wonderful. I am planning a Cinco de Mayo party for my family. I will definitely use your recipes. Especially the salsa and enchilada recipe. By the way – I love all of your ideas – food, family, and life. You are so refreshing and positive. Thank you for being a light in a sometimes dark world! Debbie
Thank you so much for all of these kind words! That means so much! Glad you can use the ideas/recipes for your party!!
Love these recipes!
This post is full of delicious recipes! My favorite is the salsa. Itโs the easiest recipe ever.
Thank you! Yes, that salsa is so quick and easy. I love when recipes are fast to make and delicious!
These look amazing and so delicious! My family and I are going to love these recipes! Canโt wait!
Thank you!! I hope you enjoy them!
These are all so fun! And look so tasty. We love to celebrate cinco de mayo, so we will definitely use some of these!
Same! Cinco de Mayo is so fun to celebrate… especially because there is such great food to enjoy! ๐