Welcome to the ultimate guide for celebrating Cinco de Mayo with an incredible feast! Whether you’re planning a lively party or a cozy family dinner, this comprehensive collection of recipes has everything you need to create an unforgettable Mexican-inspired meal. From vibrant drinks and savory appetizers to hearty main courses, delightful desserts, and essential homemade seasonings, you’ll find recipes that are not only delicious but also surprisingly easy to prepare. Get ready to explore classic favorites like Sopapilla Cheesecake and Enchiladas, alongside exciting new dishes that will become staples in your kitchen long after the celebrations are over.
The Ultimate Collection of Easy Cinco de Mayo Recipes: Drinks, Dinners, Appetizers & Desserts
Cinco de Mayo is more than just an excuse to indulge in fantastic food – it’s a celebration of culture, flavor, and community. And for me, any reason to enjoy a spread of delicious tacos, savory dips, and refreshing beverages is a good reason! I’ve curated a list of my absolute favorite recipes, designed to delight every palate and fit any budget. This isn’t just a list; it’s an invitation to discover new culinary passions and bring the vibrant spirit of Mexican cuisine right into your home. You’ll find a mix of traditional tastes and creative twists, all presented with clear instructions and helpful tips to ensure your dishes turn out perfect, every single time.
Each recipe featured in this collection comes with step-by-step guidance and all the insider tips and tricks to guarantee a flawless result. Simply click on any image or “Read more” button below to jump directly to the detailed recipe page. This list is a living collection, so I may add more fantastic recipes over time, ensuring you always have fresh inspiration for your Mexican feasts!
Refreshing Cinco de Mayo Drinks
Kick off your Cinco de Mayo fiesta with a selection of vibrant and cooling beverages. Whether you prefer something fruity, minty, or a classic margarita, these drinks are guaranteed to get the party started and perfectly complement your Mexican-themed menu. Easy to mix and bursting with flavor, they are a must-have for any festive gathering.
Strawberry Margaritas
A deliciously easy summertime drink, these Strawberry Margaritas are a breeze to whip up. Made with minimal ingredients, they are super flavorful and perfect for any festive occasion, especially Cinco de Mayo!
Pitcher Mojitos
A perfect combination of fresh mint, light rum, zesty lime, and bubbly club soda, these pitcher Summer Mojitos cocktails offer all the refreshing flavors you crave and are incredibly tasty for sharing with a crowd!
Delightful Cinco de Mayo Desserts
No celebration is complete without something sweet! Our selection of Cinco de Mayo desserts brings a touch of Mexican-inspired indulgence to your table. From crispy churros to creamy cheesecakes, these treats are simple to make and promise a delightful end to your festive meal. Prepare for rave reviews from your guests!
Easy Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars (+Video)
This Easy Sopapilla Cheesecake is a delectable dessert made with flaky crescent roll dough, a rich cream cheese filling, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. It’s a deliciously simple treat that comes together quickly!
Easy Baked Churros (+Video)
Enjoy the amazing taste of churros without the fuss! These Easy Baked Churros require no oil, no frying, and no messy dough. All you need is puff pastry, butter, and cinnamon sugar for an incredibly satisfying dessert!
Homemade Churros (+Video)
A fun and tasty Mexican treat, these Homemade Churros are quick to put together, incredibly delicious, and make the perfect snack or dessert for any occasion!
Air Fryer Cheesecake Chimichangas
If you love your air fryer and adore cheesecake, then you’ll absolutely go crazy for these simple Air Fryer Cheesecake Chimichangas! They are fun, flavorful, and a perfect dessert for the whole family to enjoy.
Fried Ice Cream Cake
This incredible Fried Ice Cream Cake is crafted with softened ice cream, a light whipped topping, crunchy crushed corn flakes, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and finished with a drizzle of sweet honey and rich chocolate sauce.
Air Fryer Churro Bites
These homemade Air Fryer Churro Bites are absolutely divine! An easy-to-make dough creates sweet and incredibly tasty bites of cinnamon sugar goodness that are perfect for a quick dessert or snack.
Irresistible Appetizers & Dips
Start your Cinco de Mayo celebration right with an array of crowd-pleasing appetizers and dips. These recipes are perfect for sharing, offering a burst of Mexican flavors in every bite. Easy to prepare and guaranteed to be a hit, they set the stage for a truly memorable meal.
7 Layer Dip Cups
These 7 layer dip cups are the perfect way to ensure everyone gets their own serving of their favorite party dip! They’re convenient, mess-free, and loaded with all the classic flavors in an individual portion.
Refried Bean Dip
This easy Refried Bean Dip is made with convenient canned refried beans, plenty of shredded cheese, and zesty taco seasoning, all topped with even more melted cheese for ultimate creaminess!
The Best 7-Layer Dip
The Best 7-Layer Dip recipe is an absolute must-have at any gathering or Cinco de Mayo celebration. This particular version features a slight twist that everyone absolutely loves and keeps coming back for!
Creamy Taco Dip
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this incredibly creamy Taco Dip! It’s also a lightning-fast appetizer to prepare since it doesn’t even need to be heated, making it perfect for last-minute gatherings!
Copycat Chili’s Salsa (+Video)
This Super Simple Copycat Chili’s Salsa whips up in just five minutes! Made with whole tomatoes, a special blend of seasonings, fresh onion, and a hint of jalapeño, it truly is the best homemade salsa!
Crock Pot Queso Dip (+Video)
Indulge in a rich and flavorful Crock Pot Queso Dip that’s incredibly easy to make and absolutely perfect for any gathering or game day spread. Keep it warm and gooey throughout your event!
Creamy Salsa Chicken Dip
Salsa Chicken Dip is a super easy and scrumptious dip made with only three ingredients: tender chicken, rich cream cheese, and your favorite salsa! It’s best served warm with crispy tortilla chips.
Blender Salsa
This Blender Salsa is an incredibly quick and easy recipe that’s absolutely delicious and ready in just 5 minutes! It’s the perfect appetizer or snack to serve with chips or alongside your favorite Mexican dishes.
Sheet Pan Nachos
Made with a luscious homemade cheese sauce and generously layered with all your favorite nacho toppings, these Sheet Pan Nachos come together in absolutely no time, making them a super easy and satisfying meal or appetizer!
Air Fryer Mexican Street Corn
Enjoy the beloved flavors of Mexican Street Corn (Elote) with this super easy Air Fryer recipe! It delivers perfectly cooked corn on the cob, richly coated with creamy, tangy, and spicy toppings.
Hearty Main Courses for Cinco de Mayo
From succulent tacos to cheesy enchiladas and satisfying casseroles, our main course selections are designed to be the star of your Cinco de Mayo feast. These recipes are packed with flavor, easy to follow, and promise to keep everyone at your table happy and full. Dive into a world of rich, savory goodness!
Taco Braid
This Easy Taco Braid uses convenient pizza dough, seasoned taco beef, creamy refried beans, and savory cheese, all wrapped up to create the most delicious and fun family dinner that everyone will adore!
Crock Pot Birria Tacos
Experience the rich, savory goodness of Birria Tacos made effortlessly in your Crock Pot. Featuring tender, slow-cooked beef stuffed into cheese-crusted corn tortillas, these tacos are a burst of authentic flavor that will impress everyone.
Tater Tot Enchilada Bake
This Tater Tot Enchilada Bake is a family favorite dinner that offers all the delicious flavors without being spicy hot! It’s like a playful fusion of a tater tot casserole and a taco, made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
Easy Arroz con Pollo
Ready in just 20 minutes, this Easy Arroz con Pollo is a Mexican restaurant classic that combines seasoned chicken, fluffy rice, fresh vegetables, and is decadently topped with creamy queso for an irresistible meal!
Chicken Chimichangas
These Chicken Chimichangas are made with a deliciously seasoned chicken, cheese, and refried bean filling, all perfectly wrapped in a crispy fried flour tortilla for an irresistible texture and flavor combination!
Salsa Verde Chicken
This Salsa Verde Chicken recipe perfectly combines delicious spices and tangy salsa verde, creating a quick and incredibly tasty dinner. You’ll definitely want to put this one on repeat for easy weeknight meals!
Chicken Taco Pizza (with Secret Sauce)
Get two amazing meals out of one preparation! This recipe features the most incredible chicken pizza with a secret sauce, plus the versatility to use the ingredients for a second meal of delicious Chicken Tacos!
Copycat Chipotle Chicken
Enjoy your favorite restaurant dish right at home with this tasty Copycat Chipotle Chicken recipe. All your beloved flavors come together in a homemade version that’s just as satisfying and perfect for meal prep!
Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Burrito Bowl
This Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Burrito Bowl bursts with tons of flavor, thanks to zesty salsa and savory seasoning, and requires only a few minutes of prep time. It’s an incredibly easy and satisfying weeknight meal!
Smothered Beef Burritos
Cheesy, beefy, and generously covered in a delicious white sauce, these Smothered Beef Burritos are an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will eagerly devour! They’re hearty, comforting, and packed with flavor.
Crock Pot Taco Meat
This Crock Pot Taco Meat requires just 3 simple ingredients and makes the perfect, flavorful base for all your taco-inspired recipes! It’s incredibly easy to prepare and packed with authentic taco taste.
Grilled Pollo Loco
Fire up the grill and prepare to go loco for this sizzling hot Pollo Loco recipe that’s bursting with zesty lime and savory flavors! It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser and a perfect addition to your Cinco de Mayo spread.
Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas (+Video)
This Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas recipe is super simple to make, incredibly flavorful, and results in the most tender and delicious chicken fajitas you’ll ever taste! A perfect hands-off meal for a busy day.
Steak Bite Fajita Bowls
Steak Bite Fajita Bowls are incredibly flavorful, easy to make, and the perfect weeknight dinner that can be customized in so many ways! This satisfying meal can be whipped up quickly with minimal ingredients.
Sheet Pan Beef Fajitas
Taco night just got a whole lot easier with these Sheet Pan Beef Fajitas! They are tasty, simple to prepare, and easily customizable for the entire family, making dinner a breeze.
Taco Quesadillas
Have fun with your tortillas and try this exciting twist on Taco Quesadillas! Easy ingredients make this viral folded hack come together effortlessly, resulting in a flavorful and fun meal for any day of the week.
Taco Crescent Ring
This Taco Crescent Ring is incredibly versatile and always a favorite with friends and family! It uses simple ingredients wrapped in crescent rolls, making it a fun and delicious appetizer or a satisfying main dish.
Easy Layered Taco Bake
This layered Taco Bake is a simple and quick weeknight meal featuring savory layers of tortillas, perfectly seasoned ground beef, and creamy salsa con queso. It’s comfort food with a Mexican twist!
Cornbread Taco Bake (+Video)
Cornbread Taco Bake features a delicious cornbread base generously topped with seasoned ground beef, a creamy filling, and finished with a blanket of melted cheese! It’s an incredibly satisfying and flavorful dish.
Bisquick Taco Casserole
All your favorite taco flavors are topped with a cheesy, fluffy layer of Bisquick to craft the ultimate comfort food: Bisquick Taco Casserole! It’s both easy and quick to make, perfect for any weeknight.
Taco Pizza
Make it a fun Taco Tuesday dinner with this extremely easy and crowd-pleasing Taco Pizza! It features simple ingredients, with flavor bursting in every single bite, making it a family favorite.
Taco Pasta Salad
This flavorful Taco Pasta Salad is simple to make and absolutely delicious! It combines all the best parts of a taco but served as a refreshing pasta salad, famously topped with crunchy Doritos for an extra kick!
Taco Stuffed Shells
These taco stuffed shells are literally oozing with the best taco flavors and are ready in under an hour! They combine tender pasta shells with a hearty, seasoned filling for a delicious and easy weeknight meal.
Hillbilly Tacos
Hillbilly Tacos are a delightful twist on the classic, featuring tender pulled pork tacos generously topped with a creamy coleslaw, all neatly stuffed into a warm corn tortilla. Have a little fun on taco night with this delicious recipe!
Taco Bubble Up (+Video)
Taco Bubble Up uses savory ground beef, plenty of cheese, fluffy biscuits, and your favorite taco flavors to make a quick and bubbly casserole for dinner in just 40 minutes! It’s a fun and easy family meal.
Crock Pot Shredded Chicken for Tacos
This Crock Pot Shredded Chicken for Tacos is a creamy and flavorful chicken taco filling made with tender chicken breasts, vibrant salsa, classic taco seasoning, creamy cream of chicken soup, and a touch of sour cream!
Instant Pot Barbacoa
This Instant Pot Barbacoa delivers incredibly tender, juicy beef cooked in a delicious medley of chilis and aromatic spices. It’s perfect for creating a variety of dishes such as tacos, bowls, and burritos with rich, authentic flavor!
Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
These Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas feature tortillas generously filled with cilantro lime rice, a rich creole shrimp filling, and fresh pico de gallo, all lovingly topped with a decadent cheese sauce for an unforgettable meal.
Shrimp Tacos
Fresh, flavorful, and incredibly hearty, these Shrimp Tacos are made with perfectly seasoned shrimp and generously covered with a creamy sauce and refreshing homemade coleslaw! They are a delightful and vibrant meal.
Lazy Chicken Enchiladas
If you love enchiladas but don’t love all the work, then you absolutely have to try these Lazy Chicken Enchiladas! They offer all the delicious flavor of traditional enchiladas, but with so much less effort, making them a perfect weeknight meal.
Ground Beef Enchiladas
These simple Ground Beef Enchiladas require only a few ingredients and create the perfect dinnertime meal that everyone will love! They’re comforting, savory, and a surefire family favorite for any night of the week.
Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas
This recipe for creamy White Chicken Enchiladas is made with soft flour tortillas, tender shredded chicken, rich cheese, mild green chiles, and smothered in a delicious creamy white sauce! It’s a comforting and flavorful classic.
Taco Rice
This easy, one-pan Taco Rice recipe delivers a complete meal in a single dish! Featuring seasoned ground beef, zesty taco seasonings, savory salsa, fluffy rice, and melted cheese, it’s a family favorite that’s simple to make and packed with flavor.
Swiss Enchiladas (Enchiladas Suizas)
These Creamy Swiss Enchiladas are made with soft corn tortillas generously stuffed with a creamy chicken mixture and then elegantly topped with a rich cream cheese sauce. It’s a comforting and flavorful dish that truly impresses.
Air Fryer Chicken Chimichangas
A quick and easy recipe ready in under 20 minutes, these Air Fryer Chicken Chimichangas are a flavorful and effortless dinner-time solution! Enjoy crispy chimichangas with a delicious chicken filling, without the deep frying.
Crock Pot Pork Carnitas
These Crock Pot Pork Carnitas only require a handful of ingredients and are bursting with flavor! Featuring perfectly seasoned pork and a clever trick to ensure the meat stays tender with delicious crispy edges, they’re truly exceptional.
Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Beef (+Video)
This Crock Pot Mexican-Style Shredded Beef is absolutely perfect for taco night or any Mexican feast! Succulent chuck roast, zesty salsa, rich taco seasoning, and a flavorful sauce are all that’s needed for this incredibly tender dish.
Mexican Million Dollar Spaghetti
All your favorite Mexican flavors are infused into this incredible Mexican Million Dollar Spaghetti! This dish combines cheesy, taco-flavored pasta into a rich and comforting casserole that’s sure to be a new family favorite.
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
This copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza recipe is made with crispy fried tortillas, creamy refried beans, seasoned ground beef, rich enchilada sauce, and plenty of melted cheese! It’s all the flavor you love, made right at home.
Mexican Lasagna
The Best Mexican Lasagna recipe is a hearty and satisfying dish made with layers of pasta, seasoned ground beef, creamy refried beans, shredded cheese, and a luscious alfredo sauce. It’s a family favorite dinner with a delightful twist!
Essential Sides & Accompaniments
Complete your Cinco de Mayo spread with these flavorful and easy-to-make side dishes. From classic rice to fluffy homemade tortillas and rich refried beans, these accompaniments are crucial for a truly authentic and satisfying Mexican meal.
3-Ingredient Mexican Rice
If you’re searching for a quick and incredibly tasty side dish to pair with your next Mexican-inspired meal, this 15-minute Mexican rice recipe is just what you need! It’s unbelievably simple and packed with flavor.
Slow Cooker Refried Beans
If you’ve never tried to make your own refried beans before, then now is absolutely the time! They are so simple and bursting with flavor that you may never go back to the canned stuff again! A true game-changer for your Mexican dishes.
Homemade Flour Tortillas (+Video)
Homemade Flour Tortillas are surprisingly easy to make! Just a small amount of basic ingredients and no special equipment are needed. The result is incredibly tender and soft tortillas that elevate any Mexican meal!
Mexican Cornbread
This Mexican Cornbread is an easy homemade recipe crafted with wholesome cornmeal, flour, sharp cheddar cheese, creamy creamed corn, fresh green onions, and diced peppers! It’s a flavorful and moist side dish.
Homemade Seasonings: The Secret to Authentic Flavor
Elevate your Mexican cooking to the next level with these essential homemade seasoning blends. Creating your own mixes allows you to control the spice level and ensures the freshest, most vibrant flavors in all your dishes. Say goodbye to store-bought packets and hello to truly authentic taste!
Homemade Taco Seasoning
This gluten-free Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe offers the perfect balance of flavors, allowing you to control exactly what goes into your food. This easy and mild seasoning blend is ideal for healthier and tastier taco nights!
Homemade Fajita Seasoning
Craft your own perfect blend of seasonings to create a homemade fajita seasoning mix. This allows you to customize the flavor profile to your liking, ensuring perfectly spiced fajitas every time. A pantry staple for Mexican cuisine lovers.
With this extensive collection, your Cinco de Mayo celebration is set to be the best yet! Enjoy exploring new flavors, revisiting old favorites, and sharing delicious moments with friends and family. Happy cooking!