Want to spice up dinner this week? I have 20+ Mexican side dishes that the whole family will love. From street corn to Mexican potatoes and zesty salads, there’s something for everyone on this list.
20+ Mexican Side Dishes to Spice Up Your Meal
1. Dairy-Free Mexican Street Corn Quinoa Salad
A healthy, flavorful quinoa salad that’s the perfect side for any main dish. Just mix quinoa with corn, onion, feta, cilantro and a tangy lime dressing. While this recipe calls for the non-dairy version of feta cheese, you can easily use real feta (it’s just as tasty).
Related: Power Up with These 15+ Surprising & High-Protein Quinoa Recipes
2. Mexican Potatoes
These Mexican-spiced potatoes are divine and surprisingly easy to make. The secret to the amazing flavor is in the spices: paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cinnamon, black pepper and cumin.
If you like your potatoes extra-crispy, try this trick: boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes first, and then mix with the spices and olive oil before roasting.
3. Mexican Street Corn Salad
The classic Mexican street corn recipe in salad form. It blends sweet corn with bell pepper, fresh cilantro, spicy jalapeno, onion and tasty cotija cheese. Toss the whole thing in a creamy, spicy lime dressing. We love to serve this with grilled chicken, but it can easily pair with any main dish you want.
4. Corn and Black Bean Salad
One of my favorite Mexican side dishes is corn and black bean salad. This recipe adds colorful bell peppers, fresh red onion and diced cilantro into the mix. Top it all with a simple vinaigrette. For the dressing, make sure you use Mexican oregano – it’s different from the Greek oregano you normally find in stores. Try making this the night before or a few hours ahead of time, so the dressing has time to marry the flavors.
5. Mexican Coleslaw
Spice up your coleslaw with this Mexican-inspired recipe. It uses a bag of coleslaw mix to save time and adds flavorful ingredients like black beans, corn, jalapeno, cilantro, lime and taco seasoning. Combine it all together, and serve with your favorite main dish.
Coleslaw is synonymous with summer, but you can easily enjoy this spiced-up version any time of year.
6. Fiesta Cucumber Salad
A classic cucumber salad spiced up with homemade chipotle vinaigrette. This recipe calls for Persian cucumbers, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, red onions, fresh herbs and cotija cheese add so much fresh flavor to this salad. I love to serve this with chicken or turkey, but it works just as well with a vegetarian main dish or even steak.
7. Sweet and Spicy Mexican Roasted Sweet Potatoes
These potatoes really are the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Mix sliced sweet potatoes with chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, sea salt, black pepper and honey. Top with chili flakes, lime, pumpkin seeds and thinly sliced red onion for a truly memorable side dish that will impress everyone.
The honey creates a delicious glaze and pairs so well with the spice blend. If you want to kick up the spice a little, you could use hot honey instead.
8. Borracho Beans
One of the most traditional Mexican side dishes on this list. This creamy side dish, called Frijoles Borrachos, simmers pinto beans in a tasty beer broth with crispy bacon, spices, jalapeno and onion. Stir in some pico de gallo at the end to take the flavor over the top.
You’ll need dry pinto beans for this – trust me, it’s worth it to cook these beans from scratch.
This side dish is typically served with carne asada, but you can pair it with anything you like.
9. Cilantro Lime Rice
Rice is the perfect side dish because it goes well with just about everything. This recipe adds a Mexican twist by incorporating fresh lime juice, onion, garlic and cilantro into the mix. The recipe’s author cooks the onion in butter, but I’ve used coconut oil and olive oil when making this and both variations were wonderful.
You can use any rice you like for this dish, but I prefer jasmine or basmati. Long-grain rice varieties like these are fluffier and have a subtler flavor.
10. Papas Anchos
A truly irresistible side dish that’s a little spicy and a little savory. Crushed ancho chilies, feta cheese, Asadero cheese, spices and cream make these potatoes unforgettable.
If you can’t find Asadero cheese, use a good melting cheese, like mozzarella or Monterey Jack instead.
11. Mexican Jicama and Citrus Salad
I love Mexican side dishes like these because they’re so different from the usual sides you find at dinner. Diced jicama paired with oranges, mandarins and citrus juice. Salt, cilantro leaves and a pinch of Piquin pepper make this salad so refreshing. Serve it with chicken, steak or a vegetarian main dish.
Related: 20 Easy Keto Side Dishes That Are Low-Carb and Delicious
12. Mexican Cauliflower Rice
Spice up your cauliflower rice recipe with smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder and diced tomatoes. Top with cilantro and add a slice of avocado to make this Mexican side dish a staple in your meal rotation. I add a squeeze of lime juice at the end to enhance the flavor.
13. Mexican Brussels Sprouts Salad with Tomatillo Dressing
Take your bland Brussels sprouts recipe and transform it into something spicy and flavorful. Shaved Brussels sprouts, fresh corn, cotija cheese, avocado, pickled onions and almonds are topped with a creamy tomatillo dressing.
You’ll need a Nutribullet for this recipe to ensure your dressing is well-blended.
14. Calabacitas
If you’re craving a cheesy side, you can add cotija cheese to this dish. Packed with good-for-you veggies, this dish can be served on its own or in a tortilla.
Start by heating up your butter or olive oil in a saute pan. Once hot and melted, you’ll add in the poblano pepper and onion. When cooked until brown, you can then incorporate the other ingredients, such as:
- Squash
- Zucchini
- Salt
- Oregano
- Red pepper flakes
- Corn
After you cover the pan and allow it to simmer for a few minutes, you’ll stir in your heavy cream and top with cotija cheese.
15. Perfect Cilantro Lime Rice
Eight ingredients are all you need to make one of the tastiest rice dishes you’ll ever try. Your rice of choice is long-grain white rice. Additional ingredients include:
- Butter (or olive oil)
- Finely chopped onion
- Minced garlic
- Veggie broth or you can swap in chicken broth if you like
- Sea salt
- Fresh lime juice
- Fresh cilantro leaves
And you can even follow along with this YouTube video to make this recipe even easier to follow:
16. Mexican Black Beans
If you have black beans sitting in your pantry and are trying to find an excuse to use them, this Mexican black bean salad will do the trick. For this simple recipe, you’ll heat olive oil over medium heat, add in your onion, garlic and cumin.
Black beans will be cooked in either water or broth, but broth will add great flavor.
Cook, add in lime juice, spices and seasonings. Top with queso fresco and cilantro and enjoy.
17. Mexican Sweet Potato Skins
Mexican side dishes are almost an enigma. They have a punch of flavor, but the recipes are so simple. For this dish, you’ll make the potato skins with salsa sauce, corn, chili, non-dairy cheese, black beans, garlic and onions.
You’ll then make an avocado aioli and serve with parsley, scallions and a touch of lime juice on top.
18. Easy Mexican Coleslaw
Don’t worry. While this is another Mexican coleslaw dish, it’s different from the previous recipe on the list. And it’s super easy to make this Tex-Mex dish. You’ll need mayo, sour cream, lime juice, taco seasoning, coleslaw mix, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes, black beans, grilled corn, jalapenos, fresh cilantro and ground black pepper.
19. Mexican Avocado Salad
Healthy and delicious is exactly what this side dish offers. You’ll need a food processor for this recipe because it speeds up the chopping so much. The salad portion of the dish is made with onion, red and green pepper, black beans, avocado, cherry tomatoes and fresh corn.
The avocado dressing is made from white beans, garlic, plant-based milk, avocado, lime juice, mustard, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper.
20. Mexican Chickpeas
Chickpeas with an extra kick are the best way to describe this dish. You’ll only need about 15 minutes to make these, so they’re a great option when you’re short on time. It’s as simple as mixing your homemade spice mixture in a small bowl, heating some vegetable oil in a skillet, adding in your cooked chickpeas and stirring with the spice mixture until thoroughly coated and roasted.
21. Mexican Street Corn Potato Salad
Delicious street corn in a potato salad is always a way to spice up any meal. Perfect for any occasion, but especially a barbeque. You’ll boil water, add in your chunks of potatoes and let cook until they’re tender.
Drain, toss with your salt, pepper and vinegar before letting it cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Next, you’ll make the street corn with Greek yogurt, corn, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, chili powder, and salt. At the end, you’ll combine everything and add cotija cheese and more seasoning to taste.
Related: 25+ Best Vegetable Side Dishes for Every Meal
22. Cactus Salad
Cactus salad – without the prickly needles – is a Mexican favorite that uses nopales, which you can either cook fresh or buy jarred. You’ll start by straining the nopales if jarred and then rinsing under water to remove the liquid.
Chop up the nopales before tossing them together with onion, cilantro and tomatoes in a stainless steel bowl.
Add in your oregano and salt, olive oil and lime juice, mix well and then pour additional dressing on top before mixing again and refrigerating. Allowing the mixture to set helps the flavors meld together.
