Christmas wouldn’t be complete without the delicious Mexican Christmas desserts that have been enjoyed for many centuries.
During this time, the Spaniards introduced many aspects of Western culture and cuisine to Mexico.
These include Christmas traditions such as nativity scenes, Santa Claus, gifts, and decorations.
The importance of Christmas in Mexican culture has led to the creation of traditional Mexican Christmas desserts like cajetas de frutas and pan de Muerto, or Day of the Dead bread.
This guide comprises these delectable desserts. Let’s dive in!
1. Mexican Fried Ice Cream
Mexican fried ice cream, the first on the list of Mexican Christmas desserts, is a delicious dish. It is perfect for the cold winter season and easy to make alone.
You will need vanilla ice cream, egg, milk, sugar, and vegetable oil to make this delicious dessert.
You will also need a frying pan or deep fryer and hot sauce to taste.
Start by combining milk and egg in a bowl. Once they are combined well, whisk in the sugar and gradually add oil while constantly whisking so it doesn’t form lumps.
Afterward, dip your scooped-out vanilla ice cream into this mixture. Lastly, place it into your frying pan with some hot vegetable oil.
2. Buñuelos
Compared to other Mexican Christmas desserts, this delicious holiday dish is a must-try for any die-hard Mexican food fan.
These fried dough balls are traditionally filled with honey and topped with cinnamon.
Buñuelos are a popular breakfast option in Mexico. They are served with hot chocolate or atole (a hot cornmeal drink).
The best part about this dish is that it’s easy to make, and most ingredients can be found in your local grocery store.
The recipe has many variations, but the traditional version calls for frying strips of fresh dough.
These are then dunked in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar before being served. If you’re feeling adventurous, add raisins or ground almonds to the batter before frying.
3. Mexican Flan
Mexican Flan is a traditional sweet served as a dessert or at parties. It is made from eggs, sugar, and milk, boiled together in a double boiler until the custard has set.
The mixture is whisked into egg whites, beaten until stiff peaks form, and poured into individual ramekins.
In addition, the flan is baked in an oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes. Or until the surface of the custard has browned slightly on top.
This traditional Mexican Christmas dessert can be served with whipped cream, ice cream, or fruit sauces like raspberry sauce.
4. Fresas Con Crema
Fresas Con Crema is a dessert often served in Mexico during the Christmas season.
The ingredients are simple and can all be found at your local grocery store: milk, sugar, heavy cream, strawberries, and vanilla extract.
The recipe for this sweet treat is as follows: first, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add milk and sugar.
Next, stir continuously until the mixture begins to simmer, and then add the vanilla extract.
Once it starts boiling, turn off the burner and let it cool for about ten minutes before adding the heavy cream.
There you have one of the delicious Mexican Christmas desserts!
5. Rosca De Reyes
The Rosca de Reyes is a delicious Mexican bread cake traditionally eaten on the night of Epiphany, January 6.
The bread is made from a ring of yeast dough, shaped into three circles, and filled with candied fruit.
It is then symbolically decorated with the colors of the three kings (magenta for Melchior, green for Caspar, and blue for Balthazar) and topped with sugar icing.
Equally important, the Rosca de Reyes originated in Spain, originally called Rosca de Belén or the Bethlehem ring.
When Spanish Catholic settlers brought this tradition to Mexico, they adapted it using local fruits such as pears, apples, prunes, and figs. Instead of the traditional citrus fruit found in Spain’s climate.
6. Margarita Bars
Margarita Bars are a delicious and easy-to-prepare dessert that can be served at any time of the day.
All you need is a bit of margarita mix, sugar, cake mix, and basic ingredients like butter, flour, and eggs.
You’ll also need an oven, a few other tools, such as cookie cutters and biscuit cutters, and some cooking spray.
You can make as many bars as you want by simply adjusting the number of ingredients in the recipe. So, if you’re feeling ambitious, give these Mexican Christmas desserts a try!
7. Jericalla
Jericalla is a traditional festive dessert in Mexico served on December 24th and 25th.
The recipe from Puebla consists of an oven-baked rice paste, almonds, pineapple, and sugar.
This dish is topped with sweet water syrup, piloncillo (unrefined brown sugar), or panela (darker variety) and sprinkled with ground cinnamon.
Further, the Jericalla recipe has many variations. Some add condensed milk or raisins, and others use honey instead of a panel.
However, some bake it without the syrup topping; others add chocolate chips or nuts, such as walnuts or pistachios.
It is still one of the sumptuous dishes of the Mexican Christmas desserts!
8. Mexican Cheesecake
The Mexican Cheesecake is a fantastic and delectable dessert that will delight your taste buds.
It can be found in many different regions of Mexico and is typically made with various ingredients.
These ingredients include cream cheese, milk, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract or lemon juice, and sugar.
Often, the cheesecake, one of the Mexican Christmas desserts, is topped with whipped cream, strawberries, or blackberries for added sweetness.
Mexican Cheesecakes are usually baked in a water bath since the cooking time is 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350°F (175°C).
9. Ensalada De Nochebuena
The traditional Mexican dessert for the evening of December 24th is a salad called Ensalada De Nochebuena, which translates as Christmas Eve Salad.
The dish includes lettuce, onion, tomato, green and red pepper, cucumber, olives, cheese, and boiled eggs. It can be topped with shredded chicken or shrimp.
What’s more, this delectable dish is usually served on top of a crispy tortilla with soured cream and guacamole, so it can be eaten like a sandwich.
This dish also works well as an appetizer or side dish for those not in the mood for a salad. Of the Mexican Christmas desserts, you shouldn’t miss out on this specialty!
10. Churros
Some may think churros are typically breakfast food, but they are delicious Mexican Christmas desserts perfect for the holidays.
Traditionally, they are made with flour and butter, deep-fried, and then rolled in cinnamon sugar.
They can be eaten alone or dipped into chocolate sauce or melted butter.
Churros remind me of my childhood because my dad always got them from the local market, especially when I was little. Then, we would make our dipping sauces.
The only thing I don’t like about churros is that sometimes the dough doesn’t cook all the way through.
As a result, you have to eat it anyway, even if it’s not cooked through.
11. Mexican Sweet Bread
Mexican sweet bread, also known as concha, is a traditional Mexican dessert eaten during the holidays. It can be served with a warm drink like coffee or hot chocolate.
Meanwhile, the recipe for concha is from Chef Enrique Olvera of Pujol in Mexico City.
Speaking about the delicious Mexican Christmas desserts, this sweet bread isn’t excluded!
12. Mexican Corn Cake
Mexican Corn Cake (Pastel de Elote) is one of the traditional Mexican Christmas desserts.
This dish contains a corn tortilla with sweet, creamy milk, butter, sugar, and eggs.
The tortillas are then rolled into small packages and deep-fried until golden brown.
After they are cooked, the corn cakes are topped with powdered sugar, cinnamon, or more sugar and served alongside hot chocolate or coffee.
Pastel de Elote is often considered an alternative to Pan Dulce because it has a richer flavor and texture.
However, it still has a similar sweetness that most people associate with typical Mexican Christmas desserts.
