We Need To Talk To Those Of You Who Think Mexican Food Is All About The Tacos (2024)

Frequently served with refried beans at Tex-Mex restaurants, Mexican rice can often be pushed to the side (literally). Here at Delish, we think that’s criminal—when made right, Mexican rice can be a flavor-packed side that upgrades everything it’s added to, from burrito bowls to taco dinners and everything in between.

Get the Mexican Rice recipe.

Elote is an unbelievably popular antojito (little craving) that you can find sold on the street in Mexico. It's often served on a stick, though you could skip the skewer and make it the same way you'd boil or oven bake regular corn on the cob.

Get the Elote: Mexican Street Corn recipe.

When corn is in season, it’s a crime to not eat as much of it as possible. It’s divine slathered with butter and salt, but if the goal is to eat your weight in corn all summer, you’ll need more recipes for inspiration. This summer salad hits all the right notes.

Get the Fiesta Corn Salad recipe.

Mastering this classic Mexican staple takes a little bit of time, a lot of pork fat, and a few helpful hints (like how to speed up soaking your homemade beans!). Trust us, the effort is worth it for the best refried beans you'll ever have.

Get the Refried Pinto Beans recipe.

Fresh tortillas are softer and more flavorful than what you’ll find packaged at the store. They would take any taco Tuesday night to another level; after all, if you’ve put in the work to make great tacos al pastor, you need great corn tortillas to go with it.

Get the Corn Tortillas recipe.

Everyone loves a good queso dip, but we love this Mexican street corn variety even more—it's got crunch, spice, and EXTRA cheese as garnish. How could you go wrong?

Get the Instant Pot Street Corn Queso recipe.

This filling is loosely based on a very traditional Mexican (top-secret!) recipe. It’s delicious as is, but if you want to give it even more pizzaz, feel free. Once you've got the pastry down, you can pretty much stuff them with anything!

Get the Cheesy Beef Empanadas recipe.

Salsa has been around for a very very long time—the origins date back to the Incas and Aztecs. To make ours the most flavorful ever, we use both cherry tomatoes and fresh off-the-vine tomatoes. We also roast some of the ingredients to intensify their flavors and make this salsa POP!

Get the Homemade Salsa recipe.

This easy salad comes together quickly and works as a side dish, a great topping for tacos, or as an appetizer with tortilla chips. Think of this as a medley of the most exciting parts of a vegetarian burrito bowl, unadulterated by rice, and hyped up by a little honey-lime action.

Get the .

Whether you serve it as a simple dip, load it on top of your tacos, or smear it on a bun as a burger topping, we can all agree—it’s not a party without Mexico’s most famous dip. Keep it simple, like we did, or go wild with your mix-ins—just be sure to make extra, this'll go fast.

Get the Best-Ever Guacamole recipe.

Pickled red onions are one of our favorite condiments here at Delish, so we felt compelled to share this super-simple, super-delicious treat with everyone. It's perfect for tacos, nachos, salads... pretty much anything you can think of! Besides being incredibly crunchy, their beautiful pink color also adds a visual pop to any dish they grace.

Get the Pickled Red Onions recipe.

We’re happy to report that esquites, the irresistible and less-messy version of everyone’s favorite cotija-coated snack, elote, were the perfect inspiration for these bite-sized fritters. Paired with a lime- and garlic-spiked sour cream sauce, these crisp patties are guaranteed to disappear in a crowd in minutes.

Get the Esquites Fritters recipe.

Fair warning—once you’ve made homemade flour tortillas, you can never go back to store-bought. This recipe aces perfectly fluffy tortillas that are made to be filled with all your favorite fillings (quesadillas, tacos, burritos...here you come).

Get the Homemade Flour Tortillas recipe.

Bright and acidic with a kick of heat, this just might be the easiest side to prepare (and devour). All it takes to make is chopping your ingredients and tossing them together—that's it!

Get the Pico De Gallo recipe.

If you can't get enough of Chipotle's corn salsa, this is the copycat recipe for you. Loaded with sweet corn, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño and citrus juice, it’s delicious served completely on its own with some chips (or paired with some chicken and turned into a bowl!).

Get the Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa recipe.

Chicken tortilla soup isn’t a plain chicken soup—chili powder, fire-roasted tomatoes, and jalapeño all pack heaps of flavor and depth into this classic comfort food. Ready in just 30 minutes, this is one of our favorite low-effort meals that delivers on big flavor.

Get the Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe.

Are you a sweet potato fry fan? You’re going to LOVE these. These sweet and nutty cassava fries admittedly do take a bit of preparation, but once you’ve peeled, chopped, and boiled them, you can turn them into extremely crispy fries that’ll rival any French fry.

Get the Baked Yuca Fries recipe.

If salsa verde and hummus had a child, it would be this dip. Our version of Sikil p’ak, is inspired by the Yucatecan version that uses ground unhulled pumpkin seeds and red tomatoes. Our riff uses hulled pepitas and charred tomatillos, and its subtle smokiness keeps us coming back for more.

Get the Sikil P’ak (Pumpkin Seed Salsa) recipe.

Want to get the party started? Put out a pot of queso. Studded with tomato, jalapeño, and cilantro, this warm and creamy cheesy dip is a classic party food for a reason—we’ve yet to meet anyone who can resist loading up a chip (or two).

Get the Best Queso Dip recipe.

While it may seem fancy, ceviche is actually a fairly simple dish at its core. All it involves is tossing raw seafood in lime juice, then letting the acid in the citrus “cook” the fish. Our simple recipe takes inspiration from Mexican-style shrimp ceviche, and is the perfect jumping-off point to discover what makes your perfect ceviche.

Get the Ceviche recipe.