11 Cinco de Mayo Traditional Recipes (2024)

Cinco de Mayois so close I can practically taste it… and what a taste it is!From exquisitely made co*cktails to tasty enchiladas it’s a food lover’s dream come true.

Although some of the dishes are made all year-round there are some that only feature prominently during special Mexican occasions such as Cinco de Mayo. This year, I decided to try out some of these sumptuous Cinco de Mayo traditional recipes; I figured it would be a good excuse to have friends and family over (and have a margarita or two!).

Here’s the deal, I wanted to make a variety of dishes so I could have a decent buffet going on but I didn’t want to spend hours slaving in the kitchen (you get where I’m going with this, right?). Instead I looked for traditional Cinco de Mayo recipes that didn’t take too much time to put together. Some of the recipes I’ve listed below can even be prepared in less than 30 minutes!

So for those of you planning a Cinco de Mayo fiesta, here’s another awesome roundup for you.

Chicken Mole

This dish can be prepped and cooked in 1 h hour 20 minutes tops and this is especially important if you are planning on treating your guests to several other enticing delicacies with limited time on your hands. The chicken mole is a rich savory dish that represents true Mexican culture.

Black Bean and Mango Tostadas

This dish is more than enough excuse to have friends come over. It’s quite easy to prepare but the result is a burst of flavors so well balanced, you can’t help but want toshow off!

Mexican Corn and Quinoa Salad

Here are three reasons why you will want to try this recipe for the Cinco de Mayo Celebrations; 1.) It’s an authentic traditional Mexican dish (ok, maybe not the quinoa-but the rest of it will have you swearing your eating esquites on a street corner somewhere in Mexico).

2.) It helps you stay on the healthy side of things (shout out to the protein packed quinoa and the heart healthy avocado- woo!

3.) prep time + cook time =25 mins. Mic drop.

Tamale Pie

Because who has time to acutally make tamales? This simple spin on tamales, the Mexican Tamale Pie is a simple but brilliant mix ofonions, bell peppers, corn bread, beef and cheese that tastes just like the real deal without all the work and is guaranteed to elicit great dinner reviews from your guests.

Enfrijoladas de Pollo or Chicken Enfrijoladas

One of the most significant differences between the enfrijoladas are the traditional enchiladas is the bean sauce that coats the enfrijoladas, while chili sauce is used for enchiladas. That being said, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations wouldn’t be complete without it.

Beef Fajitas

Here’s another classic Mexican dish with a finger-licking taste. Traditionally, beef is used in the recipe but feel free to substitute with chicken.

Spanish Garlic Mushrooms – Champinones Al Ajillo

So in keeping with the theme of traditional Cinco de Mayo recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, how about what another dish of spicy garlic mushrooms with a total cook time of 13 mins?

Queso Enchilado And Rajas Gorditas

Although you can find this treat year-round in most Mexican homes, it’s always something to look for to during traditional Mexican festivals and Cinco de Mayo is no exception.

Mexican Tamales

There’s a reason tamales are only reserved for special occasions; these delicacies takea crew of workers to prepare but what’s a little work when you can have quality family bonding time (and these tamales!) as a result.

Chiles Rellenos

Quick note; when roasting the peppers, you want to do it on an open flame as opposed to using the oven so they don’t come out mushy. Theroasted tomato salsa dressing is simply genius; you have to try this recipe!

Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potato

Totally authentic? Maybe not quite, but this simple recipe is both easy enough and delicious enough that I am posting it here with no shame. Plus it’s got sweet potatoes, avocados, beans and pico de gallo- all authentic ingredients- combined into a flavorful dishthat is quite tasty, very healthy, easy toprepare and the total cook time is just 25 minutes!

Do you think our list represented real authentic Cinco de Mayo traditional recipes? If not let us know what you think of the roundup by leaving a comment below.