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Need some sides for your Mexican fiesta? Don’t fret! We have all the Mexica Side Dishes you need to complete your meal – appetizers, soups, salads, dips, salsas – you name it!
For more collections: Mexican Dinner Ideas, Mexican Desserts, Mexican Appetizers
Our Favorite Mexican Sides
Whether you’re making a weeknight dinner for your family or hosting a Mexican-themed fiesta with friends, find the perfect side dishes to go along with the rest of your meal.
We have so many favorites on the site and have rounded up the best ones to go with your meal.
What are the most popular Mexican sides? Creating a Mexican feast is a salivating prospect. From the appetizer to dessert there are so many delicious recipes to choose from. Side dishes are not to be overlooked. Some of our most well-loved Mexican Side Dish recipes include:
- Spanish Rice. This is definitely one of my most popular recipes on the entire Lil’ Luna Site. It is easy to make, flavorful, and can be served with just about any Mexican meal.
- Since corn is a Mexican food staple you’ll often see it in side dishes like sweet corn Elote, Mexican coleslaw, low-carb calabacitas, and this Mexican Street Corn.
- Frijoles (beans) are another favorite side such as Refried beans, black beans, and Pinto Beans.
- Mexican Cornbread and Flour Tortillas are great to use. And useful in case the dish has some heat!
serving tips
Many Mexican Dishes are warm and it can be tricky to figure out how to keep all your different dishes warm while prepping the food and throughout the evening.
- A cooler is not just for keeping food cold. Its insulation will help retain heat.
- Use the grill. A gas grill, with a thermometer, will work to keep foods warm. Keep the internal temp around 200°F.
- Oven. Keep dishes like rice, beans, or dips in a crock pot set to low or warm.
- Use an insulated food carrier to transport to another location.
- Chafing dishes are great for sides and main dishes.
Some classic main dishes to serve with these amazing Mexican side dishes include:
- Red Cheese Enchiladas
- Carne Asada
- Sweet Pork Barbacoa
- Bean Chimichangas
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Carnitas Tacos
- Beef Empanadas
- Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken
Once you’ve chosen your main dishes, it will be easier to pick the perfect sides!
Planning a party
If you are planning a party, I’ve gathered some helpful tips:
- Sometimes side dishes can also be used as appetizers or even a main dish when making a simple meal. If you’re creating a large menu be sure that the courses don’t overlap.
- Use seasonal ingredients if you can. They’re often fresh and cost-effective.
- Find side dishes that can be prepped and/or made ahead of time.
- Be sure to test out new recipes before serving so you can work out any kinks.
- For 8 or fewer guests have 3-4 different sides, then add one more side for every 8 guests.
Our Go-To Mexican Sides
A good side can really make the meal. We have so many favorites, but these are the ones we use most often when we are serving Mexican food.
Sour Cream Rice
Mexican Sour Cream Rice filled with cheese, corn, green chiles, sour cream and cilantro. This delicious side dish is simple and great with any meal!
1 Sour Cream Rice Recipe
Easy Refried Beans
Get perfectly creamy restaurant style refried beans by adding just THREE extra ingredients to your canned beans! These refried beans are perfect served as a dip, side, or filling for burritos and tacos!
2 Canned Refried Beans Recipe
Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe
Restaurant-Style Spanish Rice (aka Mexican Rice), that is easy to make and tastes like it came straight from the restaurant, and is the best side dish to any Mexican entree.
3 Spanish Rice Recipe
Mexican Cornbread
This mexican cornbread (AKA jalapeño cornbread) is light and fluffy and is filled with cheddar cheese and jalapeño. It has a bit of a nip and a lot of flavor.
4 Mexican Cornbread Recipe
Mexican Street Corn
Delicious mexican street corn – a copycat version from Torchy’s Tacos filled with butter, cheese, chili powder and cilantro.
5 Mexican Street Corn Recipe
Chips & Dip
What’s a Mexican meal without tortilla chips and dip?!
We always have them (and our favorite is Juanita’s – if you haven’t tried them, you must!) Along with the chips we love to serve some dips and salsas.
We have a post with ALL our Mexican Appetizers, but if we only had to pick a few to complete the meal, here are our favorites.
Avocado Lime Ranch Dip
It only takes a small handful of ingredients and a few minutes to whip up some creamy and delicious avocado lime ranch dip! Filled with cilantro, lime juice, and avocado, this ranch dip is perfect for dipping chips or topping Mexican dishes!
6 Avocado Lime Ranch Dip Recipe
Bean Dip
This easy cheesy bean dip is ready to enjoy in only 30 minutes. It’s a favorite to eat with chips, tacos, or any Mexican dish!
7 Bean Dip
Cafe Rio Cilantro Ranch Dressing
Copycat recipe for Café Rio Cilantro Ranch Dressing is fresh and creamy with a hint of spice. We LOVE this stuff!
8 Cafe Rio Dressing Recipe
Guacamole
Spicy, chunky simple guacamole is so easy and addicting, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser! You won’t be able to stop eating it.
9 Simple Guacamole Recipe
Chili Cheese Dip
Just four ingredients make for the BEST and yummiest chili cheese dip! Melty cheese and hearty chili are so tasty together! It’s the perfect appetizer for any party.
10 Chili Cheese Dip Recipe
7 Layer Bean Dip
This 7 layer bean dip recipe is a must-have at every function! It has loads of flavor and all your favorite dip ingredients including avocados, olives, tomatoes, cheese, guacamole and more!
11 7 Layer Bean Dip Recipe
Jalapeno Popper Dip
Jalapeño popper dip is packed with 4 kinds of cheese, just enough spicy Jalapeños to give it a kick, and a golden crispy topping. This dip is sure to be a hit at your next party!
12 Jalapeno Popper Dip Recipe
Tamale Dip
Tamale pie dip – this cheesy dip is going to be a new favorite at any gathering! Filled with shredded chicken, creamed corn, cream cheese, Mexican cheese, and sour cream!
13 Tamale Dip Recipe
Queso Blanco
This delicious queso blanco is made in no time, and will be the perfect addition at your next get together, especially served with tortilla chips and veggies.
14 Queso Blanco Recipe
Taco Dip Recipe
Loaded with all of your favorite taco toppings, this creamy taco flavored dip is perfect for dipping with tortilla chips.
15 Taco Dip Recipe
Easy Mexican Side Dishes
It’s always good when the side dish is not only tasty but an easy side dish too!! These simple sides whip up in no time and are the perfect complement to your favorite Mexican Dishes.
Cilantro Lime Rice
This recipe tastes just like Cafe Rio and Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice! If you’ve ever been to either of these restaurants, you know how delicious cilantro rice is inside a salad, burrito, or taco. Now you can make this delicious lime rice from home!
16 Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
Loaded Nachos
Piled high loaded nachos are the perfect game day food and appetizer. They’re easy to make and customize with your favorite nacho toppings!
17 Loaded Nachos Recipe
Southwest Egg Rolls
These delicious southwest egg rolls are fried to perfection and are filled with chicken, corn, peppers, beans, spices and more! Serve them with salsa, sour cream or guac and they are sure to be a favorite party appetizer.
18 Southwest Egg Rolls Recipe
Esquites
Esquites is a tasty corn salad topped with chili and cotija cheese. It’s incredibly delicious and easy to whip up!
19 Esquites Recipe
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Homemade flour tortillas made from 5 Ingredients. They’re so soft, easy to make, and can be used for burritos, tacos, quesadillas, however you like!!
20 Flour Tortillas Recipe
Mexican Corn On The Cob
Mexican corn on the cob is one of the best street foods in the world!! It’s slathered in cheese, mayo and spices and is perfectly delicious!
21 Elote Corn Recipe
Mexican Corn Salad
Grilled Mexican Corn Salad is a quick, easy twist on Elote. It’s a perfect side for pairing with your Mexican favorites!
22 Mexican Corn Salad Recipe
Healthy Mexican Side dishes
We love any dish full of Mexican spices. Some of our favorites are soups and salads.
We have a whole post dedicated to Mexican Soups, but when we are looking to add one of these to the menu, we have a few that we love most.
Southwest Salad
Simple and delicious southwestern chopped salad filled with chicken, peppers, beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado and topped with a homemade cilantro ranch dressing.
23 Southwest Salad Recipe
Albondigas Soup
Albondigas soup is a delicious Mexican recipe filled with meatballs, vegetables and spices! Packed full of flavor, this simple Albondigas soup is sure to become a favorite.
24 Albondigas Recipe
Southwest Quinoa Salad
Southwest quinoa salad is bursting with freshness. It’s got a ton of texture going on and a whole lot of flavor!
25 Southwest Quinoa Salad Recipe
Mexican Soup
Filling and flavorful mexican soup is packed with chicken, beans, and veggies with just a little bit of heat!!
26 Mexican Soup Recipe
Chicken Taco Salad
Crunchy and fresh chicken taco salad is a weeknight dinner dream! Easy, flavorful, and a recipe that everyone will enjoy.
27 Chicken Taco Salad Recipe
Green Chili Chicken Soup
Perfectly spiced green chili chicken soup is like an enchilada in soup form! It’s hearty, delicious, and is always a crowd pleaser.
28 Green Chili Chicken Soup Recipe
Sopa De Fideo
This quick, simple and delicious Sopa (soup) de fideo is a family favorite. It’s also cheesy and flavorful! Just 5 Ingredients and you’ll have dinner in no time.
29 Sopa de Fideo Recipe
Taco Pasta Salad
Delicious taco pasta salad filled with beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado and more!!
30 Taco Pasta Salad Recipe
Caldo De Pollo
Hearty and delicious caldo de pollo is a homey chicken soup filled with Mexican spices and flavors. It is warm, comforting, and SO yummy!!
31 Caldo de Pollo Recipe
Chicken Tortilla Soup
The BEST slow cooker chicken tortilla soup is filled with chunks of chicken, beans & corn with flavorful chicken broth. It is easy to make and full of flavor!
32 Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Salsa
Can’t forget the best part – the salsa!! These are some of our go-to’s for any fiesta we have.
Homemade Salsa
This is such an EASY homemade salsa recipe! All you have to do is throw all the ingredients into your blender, and blend!
33 Salsa Recipe
Mango Salsa
This sweet and savory mango salsa is perfect with chips or any Mexican meal. It’s filled with sweet pineapple, cilantro, mangoes, onion, cilantro and jalapenos making it full of flavor and simple to make.
34 Mango Salsa Recipe
Black Bean And Corn Salsa
This black bean and corn salsa is one of our favorite dips and appetizers. It’s great with any Mexican dish or served with tortilla chips!!
35 Black Bean and Corn Salsa Recipe
Tomatillo Salsa
Easy tomatillo salsa is spicy and delicious! It’s great with tortilla chips or as a sauce on top of your favorite Mexican dishes!
36 Tomatillo Salsa Recipe
Strawberry Salsa
You can’t go a summer without eating this sweet and spicy strawberry salsa! The flavors are so unique. Grab some cinnamon and sugar chips or your favorite tortilla chips and dig in!
37 Strawberry Salsa Recipe
Pineapple Salsa
Sweet and spicy pineapple salsa that you won’t be able to stop snacking on. Eat it with your favorite tortilla chips and share with friends and family!
38 Pineapple Salsa Recipe
Chili’s Salsa
The restaurant salsa you know and love, made at home anytime you like! This Chili’s Salsa copycat recipe is literally made in minutes with the help of a blender.
39 Chili’s Salsa Recipe
Corn Salsa
Savory corn salsa has a little kick of spice! There are so many yummy uses for this delicious and simple salsa.
40 Corn Salsa Recipe
Salsa Verde
Sweet salsa verde – a delicious salsa recipe that is sweet and takes just minutes to make. Ingredients include tomatillos, jalapenos, sugar, & cilantro.
41 Salsa Verde Recipe
Peach Salsa
Fresh peach salsa is delicious with chips, on top of fish or pork, or spooned over tacos! You’ll love the flavor combinations in this recipe!
42 Peach Salsa Recipe
Easy & Delicious Mexican Side Dishes
Side dishes are usually simple, and we think you’ll find these side recipes just that – easy and delicious for your next Mexican dinner! Let us know which recipes are your favorites!
More Collections: Mexican Chicken Recipes, Mexican Casserole Recipes, Mexican Beef Recipes
Cant really go wrong with any of these sides! There all so delicious and your family will love them.
My girls sold your red and green salsa to raise money for girls’ camp. Everyone loved the recipes, particularly the sweet salsa verde.
I think I have made almost everything on this list!! None of them disappoint!! I make your Spanish rice a few times a month & have people asking me for the recipe all the time!!