30+ Ideas for the best Mexican christmas food! This collection includes sides, entrees, and even drinks and desserts for an amazing Mexican Christmas Dinner.
More Collections: Italian Christmas Dinner, Christmas Side Dishes, Christmas Appetizers, Christmas Dinner Ideas, Christmas Desserts, Christmas Cookies
mexican christmas dinner menu
In Mexico, and many Hispanic households, Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, is when the largest Christmas feast is eaten.
As far back as I can remember, my Luna family would gather on Christmas Eve and enjoy a spread of our favorite Mexican dishes. And because so many people love Mexican food, especially for the holidays, I wanted to share with you some of our favorite recipes for a traditional Mexican Christmas menu.
You just need a few sides, salsas, main dishes and you’re set in enjoying all the best Mexican Christmas food!
Tips for a festive Christmas Meal
Planning your meal: 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.
Also, 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.
Sit down or buffet style: The amount of guests may determine whether or not you host a sit down or a buffet style dinner. Sit down dinners work best with a smaller gathering whereas buffet style can work with 5 guests or 50. Mexican food, especially, makes a nice buffet spread. Also, I employ the use of Chaffing dishes and crock pots in keeping the dishes warm.
Decorating for our Noche Buena celebration always includes 2 things:
First, a Nativity. Traditionally, on Christmas Eve in Mexico children lead a procession into the church and place the baby Jesus into the manger. We don’t necessarily have a procession, but we always have the Nativity displayed.
Second, Poinsettias. My mother has them everywhere. Poinsettias bloom in southern Mexico during the winter and there is a heartfelt Christmas legend associated with the beautiful plant.
mexican christmas appetizers
Some of the best Mexican Christmas food is in the form of appetizers!
We love to have appetizers laid out as people come for holiday gatherings, and any of these recipes would be great for your Mexican Christmas dinner. And don’t forget the tortilla chips – our all-time fav are Juanita’s!
- Simple Guacamole – Chunky guacamole made with avocado, spices, onion, tomatoes, garlic, and cilantro.
- Homemade Salsa – The EASIEST salsa recipe you’ll ever make! Just toss all your ingredients into the blender and with a few seconds of blending, it’s good to go! Or be sure to check out our green salsa.
- 7 Layer Bean Dip – Delicious chip dip made from layers of beans, guac, sour cream, and all your favorite toppings including lettuce, tomatoes, olives, green onions, and cheese.
- Queso Blanco – Smooth and melty white cheese dip with a little kick. Perfect for dipping tortilla chips.
- Black Bean and Corn Salsa – A mixture of beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro and more perfect on top of food or served with chips.
- Cream Cheese Bean Dip – Everyone loves this bean dip that has salsa, cream cheese AND cheese in it!
- Black Bean Dip – Made from black beans and so cheesy and delicious, this dip is great to serve as an appetizer.
Mexican Christmas Side Dishes
Now that you have your appetizers, you need some sides. We like to have at least one or two sides to serve with our Mexican meals. Our go-to’s always include a rice – Mexican or Cilantro Lime rice, and beans!
- Easy Refried Beans – Perfectly creamy restaurant style refried beans made from just 4 ingredients!
- Homemade Flour Tortillas – Soft flour tortillas made entirely from scratch using only 5 simple ingredients. Use them for an entree, or serve them on the side.
- Mexican Street Corn – Corn kernels off the cob, flavored with butter, cheese, chili powder, and cilantro.
- Homemade Spanish Rice – Our all-time favorite side made simply from rice and a handful of spices and seasonings.
- Mexican Cornbread – Cornbread filled with cheese and jalapenos – the perfect amount of nip in your cornbread.
- Cilantro Lime Rice – It’s popular at Chipotle and Cafe Rio, and you’ll be amazed at how simple this rice is.
- Taco Pasta Salad – Filled with so much flavor and delicious ingredients, this taco pasta salad is a great side for any meal.
- Southwest Salad – All of our favorite Mexican ingredients in one salad with a delicious cilantro ranch dressing.
Mexican christmas dishes
We have so many delicious Mexican recipes we love to make, but for Christmas we always do at least 3 recipes, and it’s usually a taco of some sort, enchiladas of some sort and ALWAYS empanadas (they’re the family’s favorite!)
But all of the recipes below are winners, so give them a go and let us know what you think.
- Tostadas – Crispy fried corn tortillas topped with refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and any other toppings. Add a meat of choice if you like!
- Green Chili Chicken – Oven baked chicken breasts smothered in green enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Flautas – Shredded beef and cheese rolled into a corn tortilla and deep fried until crispy.
- Chicken Tacos – Filled with shredded chicken and fried until golden.
- Beef Empanadas – Beef smothered in red sauce and wrapped in homemade empanada dough then fried.
- Carne Asada – Tender, juicy, and flavorful meat perfect for adding to tacos, burritos, salads, and more.
- Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas – Corn tortillas stuffed with chicken, cheese, las palmas green chile enchilada sauce, sour cream, and green chiles, topped with more sauce and cheese.
- Red Enchiladas – Delicious cheese enchiladas made with our favorite homemade red enchilada sauce.
- Beef Enchiladas – Corn or flour tortillas filled with corn, beef, green chiles, cheese and covered in red sauce.
- Bean Chimichanga – Flour tortillas filled with a creamy been and cheese mixture, flash fried, and then baked until warm and crispy.
Drinks and Desserts:
- Mexican Hot Cocoa – Homemade hot cocoa with the perfect hint of spices including cinnamon and cloves.
- Horchata – A creamy, refreshing, cinnamon flavored drink made from rice milk. Serve chilled with ice!
- Arroz Con Leche – A variation of rice pudding that is sweet and cooked with milk, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk, topped with cinnamon.
- Tres Leches Cake – A cool, sweet treat made from a tasty sponge cake, a creamy mixture of three different milks, and homemade whipped topping.
- Cinnamon Chips – Flour tortillas cut into chips and baked with butter and cinnamon sugar. Serve with one of the fruit salsa recipes below!
- Strawberry Salsa – A sweet and spicy combination of strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and lime juice.
- Peach Salsa – A unique and flavorful mixture of fresh peaches, tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeño, and purple onion.
Pick and choose a handful of recipes from each of these categories for the perfect Mexican Christmas Dinner! We promise you will love all of these recipes and that they are the best Mexican Christmas food.
