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Need some sides for your Mexican fiesta? Don’t fret! We have all the Mexican side dishes you need to complete your meal – appetizers, soups, salads, dips, salsas – you name it!

More Collections: Mexican Dinner Ideas, Mexican Desserts, Mexican Appetizers

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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.

Why we love them:

  • Easy to pair. You can pretty much pair any side with your favorite Mexican dishes. Once you’ve chosen your main dishes, it will be easier to pick the perfect sides!
  • Plan a fiesta. 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.
  • Enjoy before or during the meal! Sometimes side dishes can also be used as appetizers or even a main dish when making a simple meal.
Queso dip in a white bowl with tomatoes and cilantro on top.

Classic Main Dishes

Some favorite main dishes to serve with these amazing sides include:

Dipping a chip into chili cheese dip.

Planning a party

If you are planning a party, I’ve gathered some helpful tips:

  • When creating a large menu be sure that the courses don’t overlap. 
  • Use seasonal ingredients when available.
  • Find side dishes that can be prepped and/or made ahead of time.
  • Test out new recipes before serving to work out any kinks.
  • For 8 or fewer guests have 3-4 different sides, then add one more side for every 8 guests. 
  • Have favorite toppings available like avocados, lettuce, onion, jalapeño peppers, lime juice, tomatoes, and cotija cheese.

Our Go-To Mexican Sides

Some of our most well-loved side recipes include our Mexican rice, Mexican street corn, canned refried beans, and flour tortillas! You’ll love our favorite sides that we pair with all of our Mexican food spreads.

1 Spanish Rice Recipe

Side Dish Spanish Rice Recipe
Total Time: 45 minutes

Recipe Video

4.99 from 5760 votes
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2 Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe

cropped-cilantro-lime-rice-resize-2.jpg
Side Dish Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Video

4.97 from 63 votes
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3 Flour Tortilla Recipe

Side Dish Flour Tortilla Recipe
Total Time: 45 minutes

Recipe Video

4.98 from 72 votes
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4 Esquites Recipe

Side Dish Esquites Recipe
Total Time: 20 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 35 votes
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5 Canned Refried Beans

Appetizer Canned Refried Beans
Total Time: 10 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 47 votes
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6 Mexican Corn on the Cob

Appetizer, Side Dish Mexican Corn on the Cob
Total Time: 14 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 62 votes
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7 Nachos Recipe

Appetizer, Main Course Nachos Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 1 vote
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8 Mexican Corn Salad Recipe

Appetizer, Side Dish Mexican Corn Salad Recipe
Total Time: 25 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 7 votes
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9 Mexican Cornbread Recipe

Bread Mexican Cornbread Recipe
Total Time: 50 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 108 votes
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10 Taco Soup Recipe

Soup Taco Soup Recipe
Total Time: 20 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 29 votes
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11 Albondigas Recipe

Soup Albondigas Recipe
Total Time: 55 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 347 votes
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More Mexican Side Dish Recipes

Enjoy a variety of tastes with even more dishes to choose from! We love our Mexican sides, so let’s keep the options coming.

12 Mexican Cornbread Recipe

Bread Mexican Cornbread Recipe
Total Time: 50 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 108 votes
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13 Loaded Nachos Recipe

Appetizer, Main Course Loaded Nachos Recipe
Total Time: 27 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 23 votes
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14 Southwest Egg Rolls Recipe

Appetizer Southwest Egg Rolls Recipe
Total Time: 40 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 13 votes
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15 Sour Cream Rice Recipe

Side Dish Sour Cream Rice Recipe
Total Time: 55 minutes
5 from 14 votes
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16 Queso Blanco Recipe

Appetizer Queso Blanco Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe Video

4.97 from 94 votes
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17 7 Layer Bean Dip

Appetizer 7 Layer Bean Dip
Total Time: 10 minutes

Recipe Video

4.98 from 46 votes
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18 Tortilla Chip Recipe

Appetizer, Side Dish Tortilla Chip Recipe
Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 9 votes
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19 How to Make Guacamole

Appetizer How to Make Guacamole
Total Time: 10 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 13 votes
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20 Salsa Recipe

Appetizer Salsa Recipe
Total Time: 10 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 113 votes
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21 Refried Bean Dip

Appetizer Refried Bean Dip
Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 378 votes
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Healthy Mexican Side dishes

Keep it light, but don’t skimp on the flavor! Whip up an easy side dish with a Mexican flair that won’t leave you feeling heavy.

22 Southwest Salad Recipe

Salad Southwest Salad Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 18 votes
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23 Southwest Quinoa Salad Recipe

Salad Southwest Quinoa Salad Recipe
Total Time: 35 minutes
5 from 12 votes
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24 Chicken Taco Salad Recipe

Salad Chicken Taco Salad Recipe
Total Time: 25 minutes
5 from 6 votes
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25 Mexican Soup Recipe

Soup Mexican Soup Recipe
Total Time: 50 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 8 votes
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26 Albondigas Recipe

Soup Albondigas Recipe
Total Time: 55 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 347 votes
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27 Chicken Tortilla Soup

Main Course, Soup Chicken Tortilla Soup
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 383 votes
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28 Sopa de Fideo

Soup Sopa de Fideo
Total Time: 20 minutes

Recipe Video

4.99 from 270 votes
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29 Green Chili Chicken Soup Recipe

Main Course, Soup Green Chili Chicken Soup Recipe
Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 57 votes
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30 Caldo de Pollo

Soup Caldo de Pollo
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Recipe Video

5 from 7 votes
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31 Taco Pasta Salad Recipe

Salad Taco Pasta Salad Recipe
Total Time: 15 minutes
5 from 7 votes
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Easy Mexican Rice

One of our favorite Mexican restaurants in Arizona makes the BEST Spanish Rice so naturally we had to hunt down the recipe and we’ve been making it ever since.

One of the main reasons we love this recipe (other than the fact that it’s simple), is because we always have the ingredients on hand so we can whip it up anytime!

Here is the recipe:

4.75 from 4 votes

30+ Mexican Side Dishes

By: Lil’ Luna
Need some sides for your Mexican fiesta? Don't fret! We have all the Mexican side dishes you need to complete your meal – appetizers, soups, salads, dips, salsas – you name it!
Servings: 8
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups long grain rice
  • 1/8 cup vegetable oil
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce
  • 6 stems cilantro (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 4 cups water (or 4 cups chicken lower sodium chicken broth – and no bouillon)
  • 1 cube chicken flavored bouillon
  • dash cumin
  • dash garlic pepper

Instructions 

  • Add vegetable oil to a large frying pan over medium heat.
  • Add the long-grain rice and cook until golden brown.
  • Add the bouillon cube to 4 cups water and microwave for 3 minutes.
  • Once the rice is golden brown, add the water with bouillon, tomato sauce, salt, garlic, cumin, and garlic pepper to the pan.
  • Give it a good stir and cover the pan. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until there is no remaining liquid. Fluff with a spoon before serving.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 90kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 447mg, Potassium: 108mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 173IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.


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

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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4.75 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. Kyle says:

    4 stars
    Love the taste, but at 15 minutes, the rice was seared to the bottom of my pan!

  2. Julie Coombs says:

    5 stars
    Absolutely the best Mexican rice I’ve ever made. Rivals any authentic restaurant. Turns out perfect every time.

  3. Dianna says:

    5 stars
    This is one of my favorite recipes from your page. My family loves it.

  4. Olivia says:

    Cant really go wrong with any of these sides! There all so delicious and your family will love them.

  5. Sue says:

    My girls sold your red and green salsa to raise money for girls’ camp. Everyone loved the recipes, particularly the sweet salsa verde.

  6. Joy says:

    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!!