From tacos to tamales, it’s hard not to love authentic Mexican cuisine. Sure, we love a good Tex-Mex recipe as well, but let’s be clear: it’s a totally different beast from the authentic Mexican food found south of the border.
Mexican Cooking Techniques
Mexican cuisine draws on indigenous staples like chile peppers and corn. Turn the latter into homemade masa, which can be used as a base for the best masa recipes, namely, excellent tortillas. And while tortillas can be found across the canon of Mexican cooking as the starch du jour, a drive through the country reveals that bread too has a place: the behemoth Mexican sandwiches, cemita poblana with fried cutlet, roast pork torta ahogada reminiscent of a French dips, and griddled pambazo, are ubiquitous throughout Mexico.
Looking for comfort food? Mexican comfort dishes are among some of the best Mexican recipes—think hearty stews, cheesy enchiladas, and zesty soups. Mexican food is never short on flavor, but just to make sure, almost every Mexican dish comes with a side of serious sauce, from rich moles to pico de gallo and various salsas. If the spice gets to you, reach for the closest Mexican drink, like a cooling agua fresca.
Whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo or just in the mood for classic Mexican recipes, we’ve rounded up our 80 favorite authentic Mexican recipes here.
In this elote-inspired riff on corn chowder, grilled corn kernels and their cobs are cooked with milk, cream, and potatoes, then finished with crema, cotija cheese, lime, ancho chile powder, and cilantro. Get the recipe for Mexican Street Corn Soup
These crunchy empanadas, featuring shells made with masa, lard, and salt, are filled with tender shredded beef tossed in a spicy salsa. You can prepare the masa and filling in advance, but don’t fill or fry the empanadas until just before eating. Get the recipe for Fried Shredded Beef Empanadas >>
This version of the classic Mexican rice-based drink, which writer Sara Deseran adapted from one at Fresno's El Mercado Super, is made with a mix of coconut milk and coconut water for a beverage that is both luxurious and refreshing. Get the recipe for Coconut Horchata »
Every element of this taco—inspired by those at Don Pepe Taqueria in Fresno—is amped up, from the red rice simmered in a blend of chicken stock and puréed tomatoes to the quick-marinated shrimp. Use large flour tortillas as tacos or wrap them into a burrito. Get the recipe for Shrimp Tacos »
Requeson (Mexican ricotta) and a variety of other Mexican cheeses to make these craveable croquettes. Serve them with a sweet and smoky chipotle-honey salsa. Get the recipe for Mexican Ricotta Croquettes »
Avocado is an unlikely but delicious pairing for smoked whitefish, and this guacamole is a smokier, creamier spin on classic whitefish salad. Get the recipe for Whitefish Guacamole »
Rough-chopped and served on fresh, homemade tortillas is New York City chef Julian Medina's way of showcasing brisket. Get the recipe for Brisket Tacos »
A low-and-slow cooking technique used for this birria, which colloquially means "a mess," ensures that the meat is fork-tender and the tomatillo broth infused with a rich, meaty flavor. Swap pork for goat, if you prefer. Get the recipe for Jalisco-Style Goat Stew (Goat Birria) »
This salsa is spicy—use it sparingly!—as any serious salsa should be. Its flavor is all chili and garlic, and does well atop nachos, burritos, and eggs. If you're feeling daring, go for big scoops with your favorite bag of tortilla chips. Get the recipe for Chile de Arbol Salsa »
Canned chipotle chiles and chorizo are two of the ingredients that distinguish this central Mexican version of chilaquiles from other regional styles of the dish. Get the recipe for Chilaquiles »
This quick breakfast dish is made a la Mexicana with red tomatoes, white onions, and green jalapeños, ingredients that mirror the colors of the Mexican flag. Get the recipe for Mexican Scrambled Eggs »
At Yo'on Ixim, the women make these simple but substantial disks using masa pressed slightly thicker than tortillas, griddled, and pinched around the edges to make a place for the salsa and cheese to settle. You can top them with anything else you like—beans, fried pork skins, or a vegetable. If you can't find fresh chipilín (a pungent leafy green), then cilantro, watercress, or even radish leaves make a similar if untraditional substitute. Get the recipe for blue corn pellizcadas, masa boats filled with salsa and queso fresco »
Meat and fat are scarce in Chiapas, so the local tamale dough is much leaner than it is in other regions. The most common meatless versions at the markets in southern Chiapas are wrapped in banana leaves and can include greens like hoja santa or chilipin, as well as black beans. At Yo'on Ixim in Puebla, the women make both blue corn and white corn versions, sometimes adding fresh shelling beans. Frozen banana leaves are easy to come by in Asian supermarkets—moisten them with water to keep them pliable while filling. Get the recipe for Tamales with Black Beans »
Lighter and simpler than the nut-enriched moles of Puebla and Oaxaca, this Zacatecan version is made with fresh tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeños, and garlic.
We've tried many roasting methods over the years, but the one Susana Trilling uses to make the chile-rubbed turkey she serves at her Thanksgiving feast in Oaxaca, Mexico, really stands out. An hour into roasting, Trilling flips the turkey so that the breast is on the bottom. The result is juicy white meat and meltingly tender legs and thighs.
A flip through any cookbook from the early or mid-20th century will reveal a bevy of shimmering, molded gelatin treats like this one, made with peaches and cream cheese.
The smoky flavor of this side dish from Oaxaca-based cook Susana Trilling comes from charring the onions before adding them to a spice-infused cream sauce. Get the recipe for Creamed Roasted Onions »
The key to making this Mexican street-food and market-vendor snack is to char the corn on the grill and then brush it with mayonnaise so that the cheese, cilantro, and chile powder adhere to the kernels.
Mexico's overstuffed cemita poblana brims with queso blanco, chipotle, pepper, avocado, papalo and crisp milanesa (a fried cutlet). Get the recipe for Cemita Poblana »
These salsa-dunked and griddled sandwiches, an iconic Mexico City street food, are named for the pambazos—soft, oval rolls—they're typically made with. Telera and kaiser rolls make fine substitutes.
The bolillo, a French-style crusty white bread roll from Mexico, is the traditional foundation of this comforting dish, but a kaiser or most any other sandwich roll will work well.
Similar to tortilla soup, this version is sour from lots of whole limes in the broth and garnish; roasted habañero chiles add smokey heat to this bright soup. Get the recipe for Lime Soup (Sopa de Lima) »
Toasted rice horchata is traditionally served in the Mexican state of Campeche. Surprisingly clean and refreshing in flavor, it's an ideal thirst quencher on a hot day.
When apricots are in season, use them to make this velvety-rich version of horchata. You can also substitute peaches or nectarines—when it's not stone fruit season, the fresh-frozen variety work just as well.
