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A Day to Celebrate!
Cinco de Mayo (The Fifth of May) is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War in 1862. It’s also known as Battle of Puebla Day. While it’s somewhat of a minor holiday in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo has become a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage in the United States, especially in areas with large Mexican-American populations. Growing up in Arizona, and having a Mexican mother myself, we’ve ALWAYS made a big deal of Cinco de Mayo and celebrate every year with lots of amazing homemade Mexican food. I’ve compiled this list of all our favorite Cinco de Mayo recipes, including entrees, sides, appetizers, drinks, and desserts!
Cinco de Mayo Party Tips
Like any dinner party, you’ll want to plan your menu beforehand.
Decide which dishes you want to make fresh and which dishes can be made ahead of time. (See the individual recipes for more storage and reheating information.)Mix in traditional favorites with a couple new dishes. Be sure to try out the new dishes beforehand to work out any recipe kinks.Use dishes with different flavors and textures. Be mindful that while some people love spicy hot Mexican food, others prefer a more mild dish. I suggest labeling which dishes are spicy and which ones are more mild. A great way around this is to prepare more mild dishes, but have hot sauce set out for those who want to give their plates a bit more kick
Typically, for a meal with guests we like to have the following:
APPETIZERS – 1-2 (Salsas + Dips can be made ahead of time.)SIDES – 1 (Rice is a great one that can be made ahead and kept WARM in the slow cooker or chafing dish)MAIN DISHES – 1-2 (That can be made ahead of time). Anything Fried is usually made right before serving.DESSERTS – 1 (Usually made ahead of time and extended with ice cream) 😉DRINKS – 1-2 (Including water). It’s nice to have a flavored beverage (or two!), but make sure you have either plain or flavored water as well.
FAVORITE Cinco de Mayo DECORATIONS
When I think of Mexican decorations, I think of bold, bright, contrasting colors. I always use red, green, and white (yes, some yellows, reds, pinks, blues and more!) since those are the colors of the Mexican flag, from there choose 3 more colors that can be repeated throughout the decor.
Paper Picado Banners strung from above and around tables.Large Tissue Paper Flowers are beautiful and easy to make. Children especially enjoy helping make these.Sombreros are fun to have both for decor and for picture opportunities.Piñata, In my opinion, is a must for any Mexican party. Fill with candies or small toys.Salsa cans are great for holding decor, flowers and succulentsCandles – You can usually find these for cheap at the dollar store and they go great with the decor.
Best Cinco de Mayo Recipes
These are some of our go-to Mexican recipes that we think are the BEST! A lot of these classic dishes are perfect for big gatherings (like Cinco de Mayo parties). We’ve included are favorite appetizers, sides, and entrees! And typically, we like to pick one or two from each section to create our menu.
Appetizers:
Sides:
Main Dishes:
Easy Cinco de Mayo Recipes
Even though we’ve shared our go-to’s for Cinco de Mayo, we wanted to make sure you had the complete list of simple recipes to make for your celebration. From appetizers to sides to main dishes, we’ve got you covered. And best part is all of these recipes are easy with quick preparation, or few ingredients. What’s not to love about simple, yummy recipes?!
Appetizers:
Sides & salads:
Main Dishes:
Cinco de Mayo Dessert Recipes
There are so many traditional Mexican desserts you can make to accompany your Cinco de Mayo meal besides the classic cinnamon churro. All of them are pretty simple to make and will pair perfectly with whatever entree you decide to serve!
Cinco de Mayo Drink Recipes
The most well known Mexican style drink is probably Horchata, but we also love Mexican hot chocolate (you can turn it into a cold drink by preparing it like our Frozen Hot Chocolate). You can also serve juices or smoothies with refreshing fruit flavors like mango, peach, or strawberry. We hope these Mexican recipes help you in creating the perfect Cinco de Mayo menu!
