11 Delicious Mexican Desserts
Create special treats with the flavors of dulce de leche, Mexican chocolate, chiles, and fresh fruit.
You’ve got your Cinco de Mayo party platters. You’ve got your sides. You’ve got your drink menu set, with a few premium tequilas lined up. What’s missing? Something sweet, of course. It’s a party; now is not the time to exercise restraint. Now is the time to whip up something delicious and indulgent to please every part of your guests’ palates.
One flavor that appears often in Mexican desserts is that of caramelized sugar. It’s front and center in this recipe for cajeta ice cream sundaes (cajeta being the Spanish word for caramel). You’ll find it in alfajores de dulce de leche as well; these rum-spiked, caramel cream-filled cookies won’t last long so consider making a double batch.
One other characteristic of these recipes? Some of them are boozy enough to toast with. The aforementioned alfajores incorporate liquor, and so does the frozen margarita pie, which tastes like someone made an old-school grasshopper pie and took it to Tijuana for the weekend.
For an all-ages spread, try something a little more family-friendly, like ancho chile pumpkin pie. The mild spice kick elevates this dessert well above the realm of Thanksgiving fare and into the pantheon of year-round crowd-pleasers. Mexican chocolate pots de crème also offer a little taste of something unexpected (coffee and cayenne, specifically), and so do Mexican Chocolate Streusel Brownies, whose hints of almond and cinnamon are mildly out of the ordinary. For a can’t-miss finale, try this Mexican chocolate cakes recipe. Yes, plural “cakes.” The recipe makes two, so as popular as this dish will be, there’s certain to be enough to go around.
Favorite Mexican Desserts
Cajeta Ice Cream Sundaes
These 5-minute, buy-and-serve sundaes feature caramel sauce you can source from a Mexican market.
Recipe: Cajeta Ice Cream Sundaes
Frozen Margarita Pie
We started with the ’60s classic, grasshopper pie (a minty chiffon pie with a chocolate crust) and used tequila and lime instead of crème de menthe.
Recipe: Frozen Margarita Pie
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Alfajores de Dulce de Leche (Caramel Sandwich Cookies)
These decadent cookie sandwiches have a rum-flavored dough and dulce de leche filling, and are rolled in toasted coconut.
Recipe: Alfajores de Dulce de Leche (Caramel Sandwich Cookies)
Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream
Make your own super-premium ice cream, starting with a custard flavored with Mexican chocolate.
Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream
Margarita “Poptails”
Three kinds of citrus and yes, tequila, go into these grown-up popsicles.
Recipe: Margarita “Poptails”
Ancho Chile Pumpkin Pie
Traditional pumpkin custard gets a dried chile glow.
Recipe: Ancho Chile Pumpkin Pie
Mexican Chocolate Pots de Crème
Imagine a stylish, ultra-rich take on chocolate pudding, flavored with coffee in addition to a little cinnamon and cayenne.
Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Pots de Crème
Tres Leches Cake with Raspberries
Make a sauce that’s similar in flavor to dulce de leche for soaking the layers of this moist cake, then frost the cake with whipped cream.
Mexican Chocolate Streusel Brownies
Almonds and cinnamon are what make Mexican chocolate special, and they flavor both the brownie and the streusel in these bars.
Mexican Paletas
Try our 7 variations on fresh fruit pops, from sour orange to piña colada and even cucumber-chile.
Recipe: Mexican Paletas
Mexican Chocolate Cakes
This easy one-bowl recipe, flavored with a little cayenne and plenty of cinnamon, makes two cakes—enough to feed a crowd, or to freeze and enjoy later.
Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Cakes
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