¡Fiesta Time! 40 Epic Recipes for Cinco de Mayo

Get ready to spice up your Cinco de Mayo celebration with these mouthwatering Mexican-inspired dishes! From sizzling tacos to cheesy enchiladas, these recipes will have your guests coming back for seconds (and thirds!). Whether you’re hosting a backyard fiesta or a cozy family dinner, these crowd-pleasers are guaranteed to impress. 🎉

1. The Ulitmate Quesabirria Tacos

Close-up of two beef tacos topped with onions and cilantro, next to a cup of orange sauce and a folded tortilla. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These crispy, cheese-filled birria tacos with rich dunking broth are the viral sensation everyone’s searching for – master them at home and become the taco hero your friends didn’t know they needed.
Get the Recipe → The Ultimate Quesabirria Tacos

2. Flank Steak Tacos That Disappear In Minutes

Three tacos filled with grilled meat, onions, red and green bell peppers, garnished with lime wedges on the side. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

Master the restaurant-worthy technique of perfectly grilling and slicing flank steak that makes these tacos the first empty plate at every gathering.
Get the Recipe → Grilled Flank Steak Tacos

3. Zesty Cumin Spiced Lamb Meatballs

A brass pan with spiced rice, grilled meatballs, and vegetables. Beside it are colorful peppers, tomatoes, avocado, a small bowl of sauce, and seasoning on a wooden table. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These Mexican-inspired lamb meatballs with bright chimichurri will make everyone think you spent all day in the kitchen – our most requested recipe for dinner parties.
Get the Recipe → Cumin Spiced Lamb Meatballs with Chimichurri Drizzle

4. 30-Minute Turkey Enchiladas

A skillet of enchiladas topped with onions, peppers, and cilantro beside a bowl of green salsa, tomatoes, and a plate with a serving of the dish on a wooden table. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These bright, tangy verde enchiladas transform forgotten turkey into a meal so good your family will think you planned the leftovers on purpose.
Get the Recipe → Easy Turkey Enchiladas Verdes

5. The 5-Minute Marinade That Guarantees Juicy Steak

Sliced grilled steak on a black tray, garnished with herbs and lime slices. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

This foolproof marinade recipe is the difference between tough, disappointing flank steak and the tender, flavor-packed results that will have everyone thinking you’re a beef expert.
Get the Recipe → Flank Steak Marinade

6. The Easiest Ground Pork Tacos

Three tacos filled with vegetables and meat on a wooden board, surrounded by green onions, tomatoes, radishes, and cilantro. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These lightning-fast ground pork tacos require zero special shopping trips and minimal cleanup, making them the back-pocket recipe that’s saved our dinner plans countless times.
Get the Recipe → Easy Ground Pork Tacos

7. Flame-Kissed Skirt Steak Tacos

Grilled steak with herbs and crumbled cheese, served with tortillas, lime, and sliced peppers on a black plate. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These juicy, charred skirt steak tacos have converted even the pickiest eaters in our test kitchen, proving some things really are better made at home.
Get the Recipe → Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos

8. Mouthwatering Carne Asada Nachos

A foil tray with nachos topped with cheese, meat, and vegetables beside a cutting board with sliced steak and fresh peppers, lime, and avocado. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These genius foil-packet nachos with perfectly grilled steak have made ordinary camping meals obsolete – and they work just as well on your backyard grill.
Get the Recipe → Carne Asada Nachos

9. The 5-Minute Sauce That Tastes Amazing

Three tacos filled with shredded meat, green sauce, and toppings are arranged on a dark surface with lime wedges, radish slices, cheese crumbles, tortillas, and poblano peppers scattered around. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

This smoky poblano crema is the secret condiment chefs keep in their arsenal – instantly elevating anything from simple tacos to roasted vegetables with just a drizzle.
Get the Recipe → Easy Fire Roasted Poblano Crema

10. Simple One-Pot Carnitas

Two tacos with shredded meat, sliced jalapeños, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro on a plate. Lime wedges are nearby. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These foolproof Dutch oven carnitas develop that coveted crispy-tender texture without any babysitting, giving you authentic taqueria results with minimal effort.
Get the Recipe → Easy Dutch Oven Carnitas

11. 15-Minute Shrimp Marinade That Tastes Like Vacation

Grilled shrimp garnished with chopped herbs, sliced jalapeños, crumbled cheese, and lime wedges on a tortilla. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

This bright, citrusy marinade gives ordinary shrimp that authentic coastal Mexican flavor that will transport you to a beachside café with every bite.
Get the Recipe → Cilantro Lime Grilled Shrimp Marinade

12. 30-Minute Authentic Street Tacos

A plate of tacos filled with ground meat, sliced red onions, bell peppers, lime slices, and garnished with herbs and cheese, placed on a wooden table. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These spicy chorizo tacos with zesty lime crema deliver the exact flavors of Mexican street food without the plane ticket – the weeknight meal that feels like a mini vacation.
Get the Recipe → Chorizo Street Tacos

13. The No-Grill Steak Tacos Ready in 15 Minutes

Hanger steak tacos, grilled onions, sliced peppers, and chimichurri sauce on a plate, garnished with lime wedges and jalapeños. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These insider-secret hanger steak tacos use your broiler to deliver perfectly juicy meat in minutes, topped with bright chimichurri that will make you forget about basic taco seasoning forever.
Get the Recipe → Broiled Hanger Steak Tacos with Chimichurri

14. Tender Ground Veal Tacos

Three soft tacos filled with seasoned ground meat, chopped onions, tomatoes, and fresh cilantro on a wooden surface. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

Discover the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness that makes these gourmet veal tacos the unexpected upgrade your weekly taco night has been missing.
Get the Recipe → Ground Veal Tacos

15. Our Favorite Homemade Birria

A bowl of beef stew garnished with avocado slices and radish, surrounded by lime wedges and cilantro on trays. A small dish with chopped onions and herbs is beside it. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

Your friends will be shocked when you reveal the budget-friendly cut behind this rich, authentic birria that tastes like it simmered all day (because it did).
Get the Recipe → Mexican Birria

16. Beer-Marinated Fajitas That’ll Make You Famous

Sliced grilled steak on a wooden board with sautéed bell peppers and onions, surrounded by bowls of avocado, sour cream, and salsa. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

This go-to recipe uses a surprising ingredient that tenderizes the meat while you’re prepping, creating fajitas that have guests begging for your secret.
Get the Recipe → Grilled Flank Steak Fajitas

17. A Cheese-Crusted Quesadilla That Breaks The Internet

Close-up of grilled quesadillas with avocado chunks and sliced red chili peppers on top, arranged on parchment paper. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

This irresistible mashup of tender birria meat and crispy-edged cheese has become our most requested recipe – the dish that makes people forget they ever liked regular quesadillas.
Get the Recipe → Birria Quesadilla

18. 30-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

A white dish filled with baked enchiladas topped with melted cheese, avocado slices, pico de gallo, and sour cream, on a wooden table with green napkins. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These infinitely adaptable chicken enchiladas let everyone personalize their plate, making them the peace-keeping dinner solution for families with picky eaters.
Get the Recipe → Fast and Easy Chicken Enchiladas

19. Mile High Nachos

A hand holding a nacho chip topped with sliced meat, cheese, and vegetables, with a tray of nachos underneath. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These birria-loaded nachos turned our last party upside down – guests abandoned the dining table to hover around this tray of chile-spiced beef, melty cheese and crunchy chips.
Get the Recipe → Birria Nachos

20. The Fusion Fajita Burger

A close-up of a hamburger with lettuce, melted cheese, grilled onions and peppers, guacamole, and a toasted bun. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

Get the best of both worlds with this char-grilled creation that puts all your favorite sizzling fajita flavors between two buns – no more choosing sides.
Get the Recipe → Grilled Fajita Burgers

21. The Prep-Ahead Enchiladas

A plate with three enchiladas topped with chopped lettuce, a fork, two limes, and fresh cilantro on a dark surface. Another plate and a bowl of sauce are in the background. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These perfect beef enchiladas with their ideal red sauce-to-cheese ratio can be prepped days ahead, giving you the entertaining superpower every host dreams about.
Get the Recipe → Make Ahead Beef Enchiladas

22. The Two-Bite Birria Bites That Steal The Show

Taco with diced potatoes, black beans, cheese, cream, red salsa, and chopped cilantro. Lemon wedge and bowl of potatoes nearby. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These tiny, crispy corn discs loaded with leftover birria and melty cheese have become our go-to appetizer when we want to hear guests ask “How did you make these?” between every bite.
Get the Recipe → Beef Birria Garnachas

23. The 60-Minute Birria That Tastes Like Grandma’s

A plate of tacos filled with meat, topped with onions and herbs, served with lime wedges. Accompanied by a bowl of salsa and diced herbs on a wooden table. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

Skip the 5-hour simmer but keep all the flavor with this pressure cooker birria hack that delivers tender, rich results in a fraction of the time.
Get the Recipe → Insta Pot Birria

24. The Creamiest Green Enchiladas

A dish with two rolled tortillas filled with meat, topped with green sauce and cilantro, next to fresh peppers and herbs on a blue cloth. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These regional-secret enchiladas feature a mild green pepper sauce with hidden pockets of melted cheese that will convert even those who usually avoid “green sauce” dishes.
Get the Recipe → Enchiladas Zacatecanas

25. The Butcher’s Secret Steak Tacos No One Can Resist

A wooden table with plates of sliced grilled steak, tacos topped with colorful vegetables, lime wedges, and fresh herbs. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These juicy bavette steak tacos showcase the cut professional chefs don’t want you to know about – delivering melt-in-your-mouth tenderness that will make you question every other steak taco you’ve tried.
Get the Recipe → Bavette Steak Tacos

26. The Smoky Secret Sauce That Elevates Ordinary Tacos

A foil tray of loaded nachos topped with avocado, radish, onions, pomegranate seeds, and sauce, surrounded by citrus halves, herbs, cheese, and a bowl of dip on a wooden board. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

This smoky, spicy cream sauce is the secret weapon in our test kitchen – add a dollop to transform ordinary tacos into the dish everyone asks for the recipe.
Get the Recipe → Chipotle Crema

27. Smoked Lamb Barbacoa

A close-up of a bowl filled with shredded barbecued meat, garnished with sliced red onions, avocado, and fresh herbs. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

This fall-off-the-bone tender lamb delivers authentic Mexican flavors that will make your guests think you spent all day in the kitchen (when the smoker did all the work).
Get the Recipe → Smoked Lamb Barbacoa

28. Baja-Inspired Grilled Shrimp Tacos

Grilled shrimp tacos with red cabbage, sliced jalapeños, cilantro, creamy sauce, and lime wedges on a white plate. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

The lightning-fast shrimp tacos that everyone at our last cookout couldn’t stop raving about – bringing restaurant-quality seafood to your table in under 15 minutes.
Get the Recipe → Baja Inspired Grilled Shrimp Tacos

29. Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Enchiladas

A skillet filled with baked enchiladas topped with melted cheese, sliced peppers, onions, cilantro, and lime wedges, with a bowl of salsa on the side. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These melt-in-your-mouth enchiladas do all the heavy lifting while you’re away, giving you restaurant-quality results with barely any effort – perfect for impressing guests without breaking a sweat.
Get the Recipe → Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Enchiladas

30. Make-Ahead Breakfast Enchiladas

A white baking dish containing several enchiladas topped with melted cheese, avocado slices, diced tomatoes, red onion, and herbs, with a serving spoon inside. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

Prep these sausage and egg stuffed verde enchiladas the night before, and wake up as the morning hero who solves the “what’s for breakfast” question for everyone.
Get the Recipe → Easy Breakfast Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

31. The Viral Birria Anyone Can Make

A birria taco filled with beef, onions, and cilantro, served with lime wedges and a small bowl of chopped onions and herbs on a wooden plate lined with parchment paper. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

Our tried-and-tested birria recipe creates that rich, chile-spiced beef everyone’s talking about – ready to elevate your tacos, quesadillas, and burritos beyond what you thought possible at home.
Get the Recipe → Slow Cooker Birria

32. Quick and Easy Steak Tacos

Tacos filled with grilled meat, sliced peppers, onions, cilantro, and cheese, served with lime wedges, next to a corn salad topped with diced peppers and cheese. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These juicy, flavor-packed steak tacos come together in minutes but taste like they took hours – the secret weeknight recipe that’ll make you skip the taco truck forever.
Get the Recipe → Quick and Easy Steak Tacos

33. The sauce You’ll Use on Everything

A gold fork rests in a white bowl filled with a creamy, light orange sauce on a gray surface. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

This versatile chipotle-spiked aioli has become our readers’ secret weapon for elevating everything from simple tacos to ordinary sandwiches with just a swipe.
Get the Recipe → Chipotle Aioli Recipe

34. Enchiladas Your Guests Won’t Stop Talking About

A casserole dish of cheesy enchiladas topped with avocado and tomatoes, served with yellow rice, refried beans, tortilla chips, salsa, and limes on a blue table. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

The secret marriage of flaky smoked halibut with charred tomatillos creates an enchilada experience so unique, your friends will swear you hired a professional chef.
Get the Recipe → Smoked Halibut Enchiladas Recipe

35. Quick and Easy Stuffed Poblanos

Close-up of stuffed poblano peppers topped with ground meat, avocado slices, and chopped cilantro. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These smoky stuffed poblanos deliver all the enchilada flavor without the tortillas – the low-carb Mexican dish that everyone at our last gathering couldn’t stop raving about.
Get the Recipe → Stuffed Poblano Enchiladas

36. The Best Smoky-Sweet Chicken Fajitas

Sliced grilled chicken breast on a wooden board, with mixed sautéed peppers and onions, tortillas, and halved limes on a blue checkered tablecloth. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These charcoal-grilled chicken fajitas develop that coveted caramelized edge that makes restaurant fajitas sizzle – without the $18 price tag or long wait.
Get the Recipe → Charcoal Grilled Chicken Fajitas

37. Smoked Pulled Pork Enchiladas

Two bowls of enchiladas topped with melted cheese, chopped vegetables, and lime wedges sit on a dark surface with a striped napkin beside them. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

Your leftover pulled pork becomes tonight’s star attraction in these hearty enchiladas that let you customize the heat level for even your pickiest eaters.
Get the Recipe → Smoked Pulled Pork Enchiladas

38. Tinga Stuffed Peppers That Satisfy Taco Cravings

Stuffed poblano peppers topped with chopped tomatoes, onion, herbs, and a drizzle of white sauce in a cast iron skillet, with lime wedges on the side. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These flavor-packed poblanos stuffed with zesty chicken tinga have converted even the most dedicated tortilla lovers in our house to this fork-and-knife Mexican masterpiece.
Get the Recipe → Chicken Tinga Stuffed Peppers

39. Slow Cooker Turkey Tacos

A table with a plate of seasoned ground meat, bowls of chopped red onion, shredded cheese, and lettuce, two chili peppers, a lime, a tomato, and yellow bell peppers. — Image Credit: Girl Carnivore.

These set-it-and-forget-it turkey tacos stay perfectly warm for seconds (and thirds), making them the stress-free solution for hosting taco night without being stuck in the kitchen.
Get the Recipe → Slow Cooker Turkey Tacos

40. 30-Minute Pressure Cooker Tacos

These quick-fix smoky chicken tacos create an instant taco bar that lets everyone customize their perfect plate – our most-saved weeknight recipe.
Get the Recipe → Chipotle Chicken Tacos in the Instant Pot