Mexican cuisine is quite diverse, with many different regional variations of traditional or authentic recipes. However, during the Winter holidays there are a few key staples that can be found in nearly every Mexican household. Below are the essential pantry ingredients that will help you be prepared to take on making most Mexican celebration meals.
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Classic Mexican Celebration Dishes
While you can find many dishes year round in Mexico (or Mexican restaurants in the US), there are three dishes that reign supreme (the Three Kings, if you will).
Tamales
The most classic winter celebration food is tamales. Tamales are quite versatile however- they can be sweet or savory, spicy or mild, and can even be served warm or cold.
Tamales are indeed time consuming to make, which is why they are usually reserved for special occasions. This step by step tutorial on making tamales should help if you are new to tamale-making.
Many families participate in tamaladas (or tamale-making parties), which is a really fun way to bring the whole family together.
Pozole
Pozole is one of Mexico’s oldest soups or stews, and there are a ton of different versions, but old-school pozole rojo has a smoky red stock spiced with pureed chile peppers, slow cooked with pork and hominy.
While in the U.S. we think of stews as cold weather fare, in Mexico pozole is served whenever you need to feed a crowd or when there is something special going on (i.e., a fiesta).
Pozole is often thought of as a rural celebration food, often seen at fiestas, but it tends to be a more casual celebration dish than mole or tamales.
Beverages: Champurrado, Atole and Ponche Navideño
Atole: Atole is a classic Mexican beverage made from masa, piloncillo (or dark brown sugar), vanilla, cinnamon, milk and water.
Champurrado: Champurrado uses those same ingredients but adds a bit of Mexican chocolate, which creates a different flavor profile all together.
Although the key ingredients of Champurrado include masa, piloncillo, water or milk. it sometimes contains cinnamon, anise seed, or vanilla. Ground nuts, orange zest, and egg are also used at times to thicken the drink. This recipe for Champurraado from Isabel Eats looked both traditional and delicious.
While atole and champurrado are easy to make at home, you can also buy premade Champurrado mixes to just add water and make your fiesta easier.
Ponche Navideño: This celebration drink is basically a warm fruit punch. Although it is often consumed like a hot fruit tea without alcohol, it’s almost equally commonly spiked with a little liquor. The version with alcohol is referred to as ponche con piquete: punch with a sting.
This recipe for Ponche Navideño (aka Mexican Christmas Punch) will be a crowd pleaser at any celebration.
Many people will opt for at least one of these celebration drinks during parades for Dia de los Muertos or at celebrations for Christmas or New Year’s.
More Classic Mexican Celebration Food
Some of the other classic celebration dishes include:
- Chocoflan (Impossible Cake)
- Calabaza en Tacha (candied pumpkin)
- Chile Colorado with Nopales
- Chile Verde Stew
- Chicken Mole Rojo
Many of these recipes can be found in the “Fiesta” category on this website.
If you enjoy all types of Mexican food, check out this category of ALL Mexican recipes, where you will find over 40 Mexican recipes, from casual, to low carb, to fancy.
Stocking the Mexican Pantry for Celebration Food
Canned, Jarred and Pouched
Pantry food needs ingredients that have a long shelf life, which usually excludes fruit and vegetables as well as meat. Here are some fruit, vegetable and protein items that would come in handy when you need to make Mexican celebration food in a hurry:
- Canned fruits and vegetables (choose options without added sugar or salt)
- Tinned meat, poultry, & seafood (fish, chicken, or other meats)
- Canned beans (pinto, black, garbanzo)
- Hominy
- Soups
- Nut butters (peanut, almond)
- Dried fruit (including raisins)
- Tomato-based sauces or tomato puree
- Salsa
- Broth or stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
- Canned evaporated and/or sweetened condensed milk
Grains, Pastas & Dried Beans
Grains and dried beans are a standard pantry item for any cuisine, but these are of particularly high value to Mexican celebration food. Just know that some breads will not have a really long shelf life.
- Bread (consider whole grain varieties)
- Tortillas or taco shells
- Pasta (include vermicelli for Fideo recipes)
- Rice (include some whole grain rice and some short grain rice for Mexican rice recipe)
- Oats (old fashioned or rolled, quick, or steel cut)
- Dried beans of all varieties (include pinto beans for sure)
- Corn husks (for tamales)
Baking Supplies
Mexican baked goods are extremely popular during the holidays and most of the ingredients needed can be stored in the Mexican pantry for quite a while. Be sure to include:
- Instant nonfat dry milk
- Canned evaporated milk
- Sweetened condensed milk
- All purpose flour
- Masa harina
- Sugar (white granulated, brown, or piloncillo)
- Seasonings & spices (see spice suggestions below)
- Oil for cooking (or lard)
- Vinegar (apple cider vinegar)
Spices and Herbs
Mexican cuisine makes use of a wide variety of spices, for either sweet or savory dishes. Here are some of the most popular spices for Mexican cooking (remember to refresh spices consistently as they do go stale):
- Cinnamon (canela)
- Vanilla (Mexican vanilla)
- Cumin seeds
- Achiote
- Coriander
- Bay leaves
- Tamarind powder
- Thyme
- Chipotle powder
- Allspice
- Cloves
- Hibiscus powder
- Mexican oregano
- Ancho powder
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are used extensively in Mexican cooking. Here are some of the most popular:
- Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- Sesame seeds
- Peanuts
- Pine nuts
- Pecans
Dried Chiles
Moles and most Mexican sauces make use of dried chile peppers, which are now available in most grocery stores. Shop at a Mexican grocer if you want to buy in bulk however. Here are the most popular dried chiles:
- Guajillo
- Ancho
- Arbol
- Chipotle (Meco)
- Morita
- Pasilla
Miscellaneous
Must have Mexican pantry ingredients that are not listed above include:
- Tequila
- Beer
- Ibarra chocolate
- Queso
- Chicken bouillon
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