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    Home » ROUNDUPS

    35+ Vegetarian Cinco de Mayo Recipes!

    Modified: May 1, 2025 by Susan Pridmore · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    I eat Mexican food all year long, but as we roll into Cinco de Mayo, it's always fun to try something new. Here's a roundup of more than 35 Mexican inspired vegetarian Cinco de Mayo recipes that you can make for this holiday (or any other time of year).

    Four dishes for a vegetarian Cinco de Mayo with text overlay.

    Here are more than 35 vegetarian Cinco de Mayo recipes, including cocktails, appetizers, main dishes, sides, soups, brunch ideas, and dessert.

    If there's a particular category of food you're most interested in, use the below Table of Contents to help you find it quickly.

    Jump to:
    • 35+ Vegetarian Cinco de Mayo Recipes
    • C O C K T A I L S
    • A P P E T I Z E R S
    • M A I N     D I S H E S
    • S I D E S
    • S O U P S
    • B R U N C H
    • D E S S E R T

    35+ Vegetarian Cinco de Mayo Recipes

    C O C K T A I L S

    Two glasses of Irish Bloody Marys that use beer in place of vodka.

    Spicy Mexican Clamato Michelada Recipe

    Make this mildly spicy Clamato Michelada made with clamato juice (or tomato juice to keep it vegetarian) and a light Mexican beer. It's spiced up with hot sauce and horseradish sauce, but it's up to you how spicy you want it!

    Two tall glasses filled with ice and mojitos, topped with mint leaves.

    Shortcut Classic Mojito

    This simple cocktail recipe for classic mojitos is special for at least two reasons: it provides a shortcut for muddling the mint leaves that loses none of the freshness, and it has an extra ingredient that makes them shine. 

    A glass with a salted rim and a slice of lime filled with a margarita on the rocks.
    Photo Credit: Pexels

    Classic Simple Margaritas

    A good margarita needs only three ingredients and very little time to make. This classic simple margarita recipe always gets raves, and it's perfect to stash away in the freezer until the party begins.

    A glass of jalapeno margarita cocktail with salted rim.

    Spicy Jalapeño Mango Margarita from Culinary Ginger blog

    You only need 3 ingredients to make this spicy jalapeño mango margarita, and one of those ingredients is mango sorbet.

    A P P E T I Z E R S

    Refried beans mixed with cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning, and topped with cheese. A bowl of chips on the side.

    Texas Trash Dip

    Texas Trash Dip is a classic cheesy, warm bean dip of refried beans loaded up with sour cream, cream cheese, taco seasoning, and topped with gooey cheese. Addictive.

    A muffin tin filled with baked jalapeño mac and cheese bites, with one of them turn on its side.

    Jalapeño Mac and Cheese Bites

    These jalapeño mac 'n cheese bites swap out the more traditional milk with yogurt to make them creamy. They're the perfect finger food.

    A bowl of tomatillo green-chili salsa verde with a napkin.

    Tomatillo Green Chile Salsa Verde Recipe with Avocado

    Salsa verde is the slightly tart cousin to red salsa, and you can make this recipe for fresh salsa with only 7 ingredients and 15 minutes. 

    A row of cheesy cornbread stuffed jalapeno poppers on a serving board.

    Jalapeño-Cornbread Poppers

    Jalapeño halves are filled with cheese and cornbread for a perfect cheesy jalapeno cornbread poppers party appetizer.

    A bowl filled with nacho flavored chickpeas.

    Nacho Roasted Chickpeas from Life Currents blog

    These roasted nacho chickpeas are packed with all the nacho seasonings you love and cheese. Make these for lunch, a snack, an appetizer, or a filling for tacos.

    A square bowl of Mexican cheese dip with chips.

    Air Fryer Mexican Cheese Dip from Recipes From a Pantry blog

    This Mexican Cheese Dip recipe is a delicious combination of cheese, jalapenos, tomatoes, and salsa, and it's made in the air fryer!

    Crispy mini tacos with guacamole and salsa dipping sauces.

    Air Fryer Mini Tacos from The Urban Life blog

    These vegetarian mini tacos crisp up perfectly in the air fryer, making them the ultimate appetizer. Serve them up with your favorite toppings.

    M A I N     D I S H E S

    A cast iron skillet of skillet enchiladas topped with cheese, avocado, tomatoes, scallions, cilantro and jalapeño slices.

    30-Minute Vegetarian Skillet Enchiladas

    These vegetarian skillet enchiladas are made with a red enchilada sauce, and can be completely made in ONE pan in about 30 minutes. This is a fabulous vegetarian Cinco de Mayo recipe. My meat-loving husband always has seconds and never misses the meat.

    A plate of stuffed pepper casserole, Mexican style, topped with parsley, avocado and sour cream, with pita bread on the side.

    Mexican Stuffed Pepper Casserole

    This "dump-it" Vegetarian Mexican Stuffed Pepper Casserole is made with a Mexican twist using taco seasonings, black beans, and corn. It's topped with cilantro (or parsley), sour cream, and avocado.

    Tamale pie with cornbread on the bottom, and Beyond Beef sauce on top. The tamale pie is topped with melted cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, enchilada sauce and jalapeño slices.

    Vegetarian Tamale Pie

    This Vegetarian Tamale Pie starts with dressed-up cornbread mix. The cornbread is topped with Tex-Mex spiced Beyond Beef, cheese, and whatever toppings you like. Any plant-based meat substitute works great in this recipe.

    A plate of Cuban seasoned tacos filled with sweet potatoes, black beans, shredded cabbage and avocado sauce.

    Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

    These spiced black bean and sweet potato tacos are topped with cabbage and Mexican cheese, and topped with salsa verde.

    A casserole dish of vegetarian enchiladas, covered in melted cheese.

    Vegetarian Enchiladas with Beer

    These vegetarian enchiladas are filled with two kinds of beans for protein, veggies, spices, and cheese. The filling is first simmered in beer and lime juice before rolled into tortillas and topped with cheese and salsa.

    Toasted flour tortilla topped with guacamole, black beans, peppers and a cabbage and corn salad.

    Black Bean and Avocado Tostadas with Cabbage Salad

    This incredibly simple Mexican tostada recipe uses a flour tortilla as the base, although you can also use a corn tortilla. It's fried in just a little oil until crispy and then topped with guacamole, black beans, and peppers. Finish it with a cabbage salad with corn, radishes and lime.

    Spicy bean burger make with black beans topped with cheese, tomatoes and lettuce on a plate.

    Crispy Mexican Black Bean Burgers

    These spicy bean burgers are made with black beans and have a crispy crust from switching out breadcrumbs for rolled oats that are pulsed in the food processor. As a bonus, the oats make these fabulous burgers gluten-free.

    A plate of trofie twisted pasta tossed in a creamy poblano sauce topped with queso fresco cheese.

    Creamy Mexican Green Spaghetti

    Mexican Green Spaghetti, also called Espagueti Verde and Spaghetti Verde, tosses cooked spaghetti pasta with a creamy green sauce made from roasted poblanos, Mexican crema, garlic, cilantro, and queso fresco. I use trofie pasta, a twisted pasta shape, that holds the sauce beautifully.

    A sweet potato stuffed with black beans, onions, and cheese.

    Cheesy Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

    Originally created for the Food Network blog, these Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes stuff fully baked sweet potatoes with black beans, white onion, Anaheim pepper, and cheese. The potatoes are topped with chipotle pepper spiked Mexican Crema.

    A bowl of cooked quinoa, roasted peppers, mushrooms, avocado, and jalapeño.

    Vegan Fajita Bowls with Quinoa from Healing Tomato blog

    These quick and easy Vegan Fajita Bowls with quinoa and fresh bell peppers are ready in only 30 minutes.

    Two chiles rellenos on a plate topped with cheese and cilantro with lime slices.

    Chiles Rellenos from Giangi's Kitchen blog

    This Chile Relleno recipe starts with roasted poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, which are then dipped in a fluffy egg batter and fried to a golden brown.

    S I D E S

    Cheesy Mexican quinoa casserole with black beans and tomatoes in a baking dish.

    Healthy Mexican Casserole with Quinoa

    This cheesy Mexican quinoa casserole is made healthy with quinoa and pumpkin seeds, eliminating the sour cream many similar recipes include. It's packed with protein from the quinoa, black beans, and pepitas, making it a perfect main or side dish for the whole family.

    Newly cut cornbread pieces stacked on a plate.

    Jiffy Mexican Cornbread

    Thanks to both the sour cream and cream-style corn, this easy Jiffy Mexican Cornbread is incredibly moist and tender, and as much a Mexican cornbread casserole as it is a cornbread.

    Mexican black beans topped with cilantro and grated cheese in a dish, with lime slices on the side.

    Easy Mexican Black Beans

    Homemade Mexican Black Beans are so easy to make, and you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry right now! 

    Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad in a serving bowl.

    Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

    Mexican street corn is turned into a Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad with lots of charred corn, cojita cheese, cilantro, and a yummy sauce of mayonnaise, sour cream, lime, and spices.

    A plate of tomalito sweet cornbread, with the casserole in the background.

    Chevy's Sweet Corn Tomalito Copycat

    Also called tomalito, this Mexican sweet cornbread has both puréed and whole corn kernels added to it. This dish is steamed in the oven, so it's soft and moist. 

    Mexican Street Corn Casserole baked in a tart shell.

    Mexican Street Corn Casserole

    This Mexican street corn casserole is a little dressed up from the norm by adding diced peppers and red onion. Serve it in a crust like a tart, or in a casserole dish.

    Corn pudding baked in a skillet, ready to serve.

    Skillet Baked Corn Pudding 

    This southwestern corn casserole without Jiffy Mix strikes the perfect balance between a creamy and soufflé-like consistency. And it's laced with cheese and has a little kick of roasted poblano heat.

    S O U P S

    Bowl of black bean soup with sour cream, red onion and jalapeno slices, with lime wedges and cilantro off to the side.

    Vegan Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

    This slow cooker black bean soup is made with dry beans and practically makes itself. Dress it up with garnishes such as sour cream, pickled jalapeños, or the spicier variety, cilantro, lime, green onions, or avocado.

    A bowl of avocado soup made with tomatillos.

    Avocado Soup with Roasted Tomatillos and Hatch Chile

    This avocado soup is a chilled soup of avocados, roasted tomatillos, white onion, and Hatch chili (or Anaheim chili), puréed in the blender with cilantro, Mexican crema and broth for a perfect summertime soup.

    Two bowls of Mexican spaghetti soup on a piece of burlap.

    Mexican Green Spaghetti Soup

    Roasted poblano peppers are puréed with cooked tomatillos, onion, and garlic to create a mildly spicy broth which is the amazing flavor base of this Mexican Green Spaghetti Soup. The purée is combined with vegetable broth and fideo (cut pasta) toasted in oil.

    Black bean soup with corn, tomatillos, and topped with slices of avocado.

    Southwestern Black Bean Chili with Tomatillos and Corn

    This is a hearty southwestern black bean soup made with tomatillos, corn, and tomatoes, and topped with avocado, lime, cilantro, and sour cream.

    B R U N C H

    Huevos Rancheros on a plate with roasted mini peppers in a bowl beside it.

    Huevos Rancheros

    Huevos Rancheros is a traditional Mexican breakfast of crispy corn tortillas, refried beans, and warm salsa, with a fried egg on top. This recipe, which won first prize in a contest, adds roasted mini peppers and uses salsa verde instead of the more traditional red salsa.

    A casserole dish filled with a chile rellenos frittata.

    Chiles Rellenos Frittata

    This chiles rellenos frittata recipe stuffs roasted poblano peppers with corn, black beans, sweet bell pepper, and cheese and bakes them inside an egg bake for a fabulous brunch dish. 

    D E S S E R T

    A frozen margarita pie made with a pretzel crust.

    Margarita Pie with Pretzel Crust

    This is a no-bake margarita pie that tastes like a margarita, complete with salt from a pretzel crust.


    « Spicy Mexican Clamato Michelada Recipe
    Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice Mujadara Recipe »

    About Susan Pridmore

    Susan Pridmore is an award-winning cookbook author and the owner of The Wimpy Vegetarian. She has been featured in Huffington Post, Healthline, BuzzFeed, and has written for and developed recipes for The Food Network and Parade Magazine. She is professionally trained and focuses on easy vegetarian recipes for busy lives, bread-baking, and tips for new vegetarians. Susan lives in the mountains in Lake Tahoe with her husband and mini-labradoodle.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Art from My Table

      May 03, 2017 at 9:14 am

      So many great recipes! The Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers and the Mexican Casserole with Quinoa will definitely make my list!

      Reply
    2. mjskitchen

      May 03, 2017 at 8:14 pm

      Who says Mexican food has to have meat? What an awesome collection of goodness and why only on May 5? 🙂 I'll be given some of these a try throughout the summer. Thanks Susan!

      Reply
    3. Baker by Nature

      May 05, 2017 at 12:39 pm

      All of these look fantastic!

      Reply
    4. sayino

      August 28, 2017 at 11:47 pm

      looks really good ... i want to try these

      Reply

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