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30 Mexican Desserts To Make For Cinco De Mayo (& All Year Long)

No surprise that the birthplace of chocolate has some killer desserts!

By and Mo Goldstein
tres leches cake topped with whipped cream and cinnamonpinterest
PHOTO: RYAN LIEBE; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

Have a sweet tooth? So do we. Whether you're celebrating Cinco de Mayo, taco Tuesday, or are just having a Mexican-themed weeknight dinner, don't forget about dessert! Instead, take inspiration from our 30 best Mexican-inspired desserts to make your fiesta extra sweet.

There are a few main standout flavors among the Mexican desserts we’ve highlighted here. First up is sweet and mellow dulce de leche. If you’re unfamiliar, dulce de leche is very similar to caramel, but because there’s no sugar involved, there’s none of the finickiness of hitting the right level of caramelization (yep, no candy thermometer!). We love it here as a topping for our rumchata cupcakes or cheesecake, as a filling for dulce de leche pastry pockets, and as a topping for magical chocoflan.

If you love Mexican food, it’s likely you’re into spicy food too. From taco seasoning, chipotle chiles in adobo, and Valentina hot sauce, there’s lots of options for adding heat to your Mexican dishes, and that holds true for desserts too. One of our favorite Mexican condiments is spicy, pickled chamoy, so we added it to a mango sorbet. Trust us, the sweet, tangy spicy flavor combo works! We love spicy sweet Mexican hot chocolate too, so we turned it into a fluffy Mexican hot chocolate mousse pie that kind of tastes like a peppery s’mores. Want the spice without the heat? Go extra crazy with the cinnamon in your desserts, like our cinnamon sugar churros, our tres leches cake, or our sopapilla cheesecake bars. For true Mexican authenticity, go with ceylon cinnamon, which is slightly sweeter than its other counterparts.

And we can’t forget about one of our favorite Mexican flavor combinations: tequila and lime. Made famous, of course, by the classic margarita cocktail, we love it in desserts, like our margarita cheesecake mousse or margarita bars. We’ve even got a frozen margarita pie. Think Key lime pie, but with tequila. Want even more tequila? Try our fried tequila shots—we dip angel food cake in tequila and lime, then fry them. Your party guests will love them!

Speaking of, it’s not a Mexican food night without drinks—check out our lists of our favorite Cinco de Mayo cocktails or Mexican beers for ideas.

1

Dulce De Leche Pastry Pockets

dulce de leche pastry pockets   delishcom
Suzanne Clements

Flaky, chocolatey, rich and creamy, these pop tart-inspired pastry pockets delicious toe the line between breakfast and dessert. Plus-the chocolate dough comes together very easily in a food processor, making these super easy to whip up!

Get the Dulce De Leche Pastry Pockets recipe.

2

Chocoflan

chocoflan with chocolate cake on the bottom and flan on top
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

Chocoflan’s beautiful contrasting layers of chocolate cake and flan are totally mind-blowing. During the bake, the batters switch places, which can seem like magic. The end result is a distinctly layered dessert with moist chocolate cake as the foundation, a creamy set flan on top, and a caramel drizzle to crown it all.

Get the Chocoflan recipe.

3

Spiced Hot Chocolate Brownies

frosted hot chocolate brownies with a spice mix dusting on top
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDSERON

Mexican hot chocolate is very much unique. It’s rich in chocolate, not too sweet, and the added spices will surprise yet comfort you. Inspired by that classic drink, these brownies are reminiscent of those iconic flavors with a little something extra.

Get the Spiced Hot Chocolate Brownies recipe.

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4

Tres Leches Cake

tres leches cake topped with whipped cream and cinnamon
PHOTO: RYAN LIEBE; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

A tres leches (which means "three milks" in Spanish) cake is a sponge cake that contains three different types of milks to make it extra moist and tasty. It's basically the original poke cake, and you're going to be obsessed.

Get the Tres Leches Cake recipe.

5

Mangonada Sorbet

mangonada sorbet
LUCY SCHAEFFER PHOTOGRAPHY

The secret to this sweet and savory scoop is chamoy, a sauce made of pickled fruits and chiles that is delicious on pretty much everything. If you can't track it down, we've provided an alternate recipe for a spicy strawberry swirl using Tajin.

Get the Mangonada Sorbet recipe.

6

Homemade Churros

churros on a platter with chocolate dipping sauce
PHOTO: RYAN LIEBE; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON

We don't often feel like getting a deep fry going, but when you have an churro recipe this delicious, it's absolutely worth it. They only take a few minutes to fry and will actually still taste good at room temp, making them a great party dessert!

Get the Homemade Churros recipe.

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7

Concha Bread

chocolate and vanilla concha bread rolls
PHOTO: LUCY SCHAEFFER PHOTOGRAPHY; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

Conchas are probably the most recognizable of all Mexican pan dulce. Pan dulce means sweet bread in Spanish—think of these little breads as the brioche of Mexico. They've got a delicious sugary topping, often flavored with vanilla, chocolate, or café con leche (so have them for dessert or breakfast).

Get the Concha Bread recipe.

8

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

sopapilla cheesecake bars
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: ERIKA JOYCE

Traditionally a pillow-shaped deep-fried dough, sopapillas are the Mexican, cinnamon-sugar topped cousins to puff pastry. Naturally, it follows that sopapilla and cheesecake are a match made in heaven: crispy, sweet dough sandwiching creamy, smooth cheesecake filling is a combination that can't be beat.

Get the Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars recipe.

9

Champurrado

champurrado pin, thick mexican hot chocolate
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Champurrado is like the best kind of hot chocolate you could have on a cold winter day. Unlike the plain, watery version you make with the powdered stuff, this hot chocolate is thick, rich, and decadent, thanks to masa harina (yep, the stuff usually used to make corn tortillas). Instead of tasting like a Choco Taco, though, the masa lends a delicately sweet corn flavor and gives the champurrado a delightful richness.

Get the Champurrado recipe.

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10

Fruit Popsicles

strawberry fruit popsicles
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: ERIKA JOYCE

In the heat of summer, nothing satisfies quite like a fruit Popsicle, or paleta. This classic strawberry version is big on fruit flavor and not too sweet.

Get the Fruit Popsicles recipe.

11

Flan

one large flan on a plate topped with caramel and sliced
PHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Ultra-creamy with a rich caramel sauce, a slice of flan just might be one of the most luxurious desserts there is. The classic baked custard often served in Latin America and Spain is a forever-favorite here at Delish—it’s a recipe we reach for again and again to wow at dinner parties and holiday dinners alike.

Get the Flan recipe.

12

Dulce de Leche

dulce de leche
Park Feierbach

Homemade caramel is delicious, but it's not the easiest. We love the simplicity of dulce de leche, and in our opinion, it's just as tasty as classic caramel! All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk and a little time.

Get the Dulce de Leche recipe.

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13

Polvorones (Mexican Wedding Cookies)

polvorones cookies covered in powdered sugar
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: BARRETT WASHBURNE

Similar to a snowball cookie, polvorones are often called Mexican wedding cookies, though where that name came from is a bit unclear. What is crystal clear is that they're melt-in-your-mouth delicious and worthy of any holiday cookie spread.

Get the Polvorones (Mexican Wedding Cookies) recipe.

14

Capirotada

mexican bread pudding
PHOTO: ROCKY LUTEN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

In Mexican culture, capirotada, or Mexican bread pudding, is a popular casserole-style dish that evokes religious significance during the Easter holiday. The ingredients are symbolic of Christ, his body, his blood, the cross, the nails on the cross, and the holy shroud. TMYK!

Get the Capirotada recipe.

15

Churro Cookies

churro cookie filled with caramel
PARKER FEIERBACH

We are obsessed with churros and love making them at home, but sometimes we don't have the time to fry up a fresh batch. These cookies are the perfect solution. Caramel (or dulce de leche?) gets sandwiched between puff pastry and then tossed in cinnamon sugar for a simple and fast yet completely addicting treat.

Get the Churro Cookies recipe.

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16

Pan De Muerto

pan de muerto  delishcom
Joel Goldberg

Pillowy soft and fragrant with anise and orange flower water, this Mexican sweet bread is eaten during the weeks around Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The sugar-coated loaf is typically decorated with a skull or crossbone shape, the crossing of the bones meant to represent the four directions of the Aztec calendar.

Get the Pan De Muerto recipe.

17

Mexican Hot Chocolate Pie

mexican hot chocolate pie
Delish

If Mexican hot chocolate is good, spiced Mexican hot chocolate PIE is even better. This filling's light and fluffy, with a little bit of heat.

Get the Mexican Hot Chocolate Pie recipe.

18

RumChata Cheesecake

rumchata cheesecake
Chelsea Lupkin

We hate when recipes call for just a tablespoon or two of booze. This cheesecake calls for a generous pour—enough so that you can actually taste the RumChata once the cheesecake is baked.

Get the RumChata Cheesecake recipe.

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19

Margarita Pie

frozen margarita pie
JON BOULTON

Made with tequila, triple sec, sweetened condensed milk, Cool Whip, and lots of lime juice, it tastes like a creamy version of a frozen margarita. In other words, it's amazing.

Get the Margarita Pie recipe.

20

Snowball Cookies

snowball cookies
ETHAN CALABRESE

The first thing we will say about these snowballs, also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies, is that you shouldn't eat them while wearing your Sunday best. The powdery confectioners' sugar that makes these snowballs "snowy" and delicious can end up dousing you in sugar with every bite, but it's SO worth it.

Get the Snowball Cookies recipe.

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