Food World Cuisines Latin American Cuisines Mexican Cuisine 12 Mexican Christmas Recipes From Enchiladas to Tamales By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 4, 2023 Close Photo: Caitlin Bensel Mexican Christmas food spans enchiladas, pozole, tamales, and plenty of desserts. These are our favorite recipes for flavorful versions of those dishes from Mexican chefs, along with a few festive drinks. Start a tamale making tradition, warm up with pozole this winter, and enjoy enchiladas everyone will love. How Christmas Is Celebrated Around the World 01 of 12 Banana Leaf-Wrapped Lamb Shank Tamales with Morita Chile Salsa DYLAN + JENI These smoky braised-lamb tamales, favorite at event producer Paola Briseño González's holiday tamale parties, get a pop of freshness from bright cilantro-onion relish, while a wrapper of banana leaves perfumes the masa with a softly sweet aroma as they steam. Get the Recipe 02 of 12 Oyster Mushroom Tamales with Mole Encacahuatado DYLAN + JENI Paola Briseño González roasts oyster mushrooms, concentrating their flavor, for a hearty vegetarian tamale filling to pair with velvety, intensely aromatic, and deeply savory peanut mole, or mole encacahuatado. Get the Recipe 03 of 12 Vegan Pozole Rojo Photo: HEAMI LEE / FOOD STYLING CHELSEA ZIMMER / PROP STYLING / CHRISTINE KEELY This recipe from Edgar Castrejón's cookbook, Provecho, is velvety and rich, smartly employing mushrooms for earthy flavor and slight chew. The result is just as satisfying as a meat-laden pozole, and leftovers are fabulous. Get the Recipe 04 of 12 Mushroom-Chickpea Pozole Caitlin Bensel Marcela Valladolid's vegetable-packed pozole also uses mushrooms for earthy heartiness without the meat. Get the Recipe 05 of 12 No-Bake Vegetarian Enchiladas © Con Poulos The recipe here is based on a dish created by Josef Centeno's great-grandmother, who raised 12 kids. Because meat was expensive, she often made enchiladas using only vegetables, like carrots and potatoes. The salsa is spicy and complex, made with both serrano chiles and dried chipotles. Get the Recipe 06 of 12 Pork and Chorizo Pozole © Fredrika Stjärne Pozole is a slow-simmered, elaborately spiced Mexican stew made with hominy (dried corn kernels soaked in a mineral lime bath). This streamlined version from Chopped judge Aarón Sánchez uses two time-saving ingredients: fresh chorizo (which is already spiced) and pork cut into small, quick-cooking cubes. Get the Recipe 07 of 12 Cheese Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce © Fredrika Stjärne At Mestizo, his former restaurant in Leawood, Kansas, Aarón Sánchez would make an elaborate, long-simmered sauce for enchiladas. For a quick meal at home, though, he reaches for canned red chile sauce, such as one from Las Palmas. "It's old-school, very straightforward," he says. Sanchez sometimes adds shredded braised chicken to his enchiladas for a heartier meal. Get the Recipe 08 of 12 Vanilla-Orange Flan © Petrina Tinslay Chef Jose Garces serves this thick, creamy flan — his mother's recipe — alongside a refreshing salad of melon and citrus. Get the Recipe 09 of 12 Coconut Arroz con Leche Tamales DYLAN + JENI Lightly sweetened coconut rice pudding provides a custardy contrast to the tender masa in these dreamy dessert or breakfast tamales. Get the Recipe 10 of 12 Cinnamon-Sugar Churros with Cajeta Greg Dupree Claudette Zepeda offers pro tips for perfect churros, a crowd-pleasing dessert for any celebration. Get the Recipe 11 of 12 Guava Ponche with Sweet Vermouth DYLAN + JENI Ponche Navideño is a Christmastime spiced tropical fruit punch that's served warm with a shot of tequila in Mexico. Paola Briseño González's chilled riff is refreshing and bright thanks to hibiscus, guava, apples, and mint. Get the Recipe 12 of 12 Mezcal Negroni Victor Protasio Yana Volfson's riff on the classic gin and Campari cocktail has an earthy richness courtesy of smoky mezcal. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit