✔ Updated · expanded to 50 Mexican desserts, names and methods corrected, easiest-first table added
Mexican desserts lean on a handful of pantry staples: cinnamon, piloncillo or brown sugar, sweetened condensed and evaporated milk, vanilla, rice, corn and fruit. That's why so many are easy at home, and why Lucy volunteers for cinnamon-sugar duty.
The most popular Mexican desserts are churros, tres leches cake, flan, chocoflan, arroz con leche (rice pudding), buñuelos, sopapillas, Mexican wedding cookies and conchas. The easiest to make at home are churro chips, arroz con leche, fresas con crema, Mexican hot chocolate and paletas, which need only basic ingredients and no special equipment.
These 50 Mexican desserts cover fried and griddled treats like churros and buñuelos, milky cakes and custards like tres leches and flan, pan dulce from the bakery, old-fashioned candies, fruit and frozen sweets, and warm dessert drinks. Each one has a short description of what it is and how it is made, and there is a table of the easiest ones to start with.
Fried and Griddled Mexican Desserts
Crisp fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar is the classic Mexican street sweet. Keep frying oil at 350°F to 375°F with a thermometer: too cool and the dough turns greasy, too hot and it browns before the inside cooks.
1. Churros
A simple choux-style dough piped through a star tip, fried until golden and ridged, then rolled in cinnamon sugar. Serve with thick chocolate or cajeta for dipping.
Get the recipe →2. Buñuelos
Thin rounds of flour dough fried until crisp and bubbly, then dusted with cinnamon sugar or drizzled with piloncillo syrup. A Christmas and New Year's favorite.
3. Sopapillas
Squares of soft dough that puff into hollow pillows in hot oil. Drizzle with honey, dust with cinnamon sugar, or split and fill with fruit.
4. Fried Ice Cream
Hard-frozen scoops of vanilla ice cream rolled in crushed cornflakes, cinnamon and sugar. Fry for 10 seconds, or skip the oil and toast the crumbs in butter.
5. Churro Chips
Flour tortilla wedges brushed with melted butter, tossed in cinnamon sugar and baked at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp. Great with fruit salsa.
6. Plátanos Fritos con Crema
Very ripe plantains sliced and fried until caramelized and soft, then served warm with Mexican crema and a drizzle of condensed milk or sugar.
7. Gorditas de Nata
Small, thick, slightly sweet griddle cakes made with nata (rich milk cream), flour, sugar and egg, cooked on a comal until golden on both sides.
8. Torrejas
Slices of bread soaked in milk and egg, fried until golden, then served in a warm piloncillo and cinnamon syrup. Popular during Lent and the holidays.
Mexican Cakes, Custards and Puddings
Milk is the star of these desserts, often as sweetened condensed and evaporated milk. Most can be made a day ahead and taste even better after a night in the fridge.
9. Tres Leches Cake
A light sponge cake soaked in evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream, then topped with whipped cream. Chill overnight so the milk soaks all the way through.
10. Flan
A silky baked custard of eggs, condensed milk and evaporated milk, baked in a water bath over caramel, then turned out with its sauce.
11. Chocoflan (Impossible Cake)
Chocolate cake batter poured over flan custard in a caramel-coated pan. As it bakes the layers swap places, so the flan ends up on top when flipped.
12. Pastel de Elote (Sweet Corn Cake)
A moist, pudding-like cake made by blending fresh or frozen corn kernels with eggs, butter and condensed milk. Sweet, golden and soft in the middle.
13. Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)
Long-grain rice simmered with milk, a cinnamon stick and sugar until creamy, often finished with condensed milk and raisins. Delicious warm or cold.
14. Capirotada (Bread Pudding)
Toasted bolillo bread layered with spiced piloncillo syrup, raisins, nuts and cheese, then baked until the syrup soaks in. A traditional Lent dessert.
15. Jericalla
A custard from Guadalajara made with milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, baked until set with a browned, slightly blistered top.
16. Carlota de Limón
A no-bake icebox cake layering Maria cookies with a tangy cream of lime juice, condensed milk and evaporated milk. Chill until sliceable.
17. Natillas
A soft stovetop custard of milk, egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, served chilled with a dusting of cinnamon.
18. Gelatina de Mosaico
Cubes of brightly colored fruit gelatin set inside a creamy condensed-milk gelatin, so every slice looks like stained glass. A party favorite.
19. Pay de Queso
Mexican-style cheese pie: cream cheese, condensed milk, evaporated milk and eggs baked in a crust of crushed Maria cookies or graham crackers.
Mexican Sweet Breads, Cookies and Pastries
Many of these are pan dulce, the sweet breads and pastries sold at Mexican bakeries and eaten with coffee or hot chocolate.
20. Mexican Wedding Cookies (Polvorones)
Buttery shortbread balls made with finely chopped pecans or walnuts, baked until just set and rolled twice in powdered sugar. They melt in the mouth.
21. Conchas
Soft, round yeast buns topped with a crackly sugar paste scored into a seashell pattern. The most recognizable pan dulce, usually vanilla or chocolate.
22. Orejas (Elephant Ears)
Puff pastry sprinkled with sugar, rolled from both sides toward the middle, sliced and baked until caramelized and crisp. Also called palmiers.
23. Fruit Empanadas
Half-moon pastries filled with cooked pineapple, apple, guava or pumpkin and baked or fried until golden. Cook the filling thick so it doesn't leak.
24. Churro Apple Pie Bars
A buttery crust topped with cinnamon apple filling and a second crust, baked, brushed with butter and coated in cinnamon sugar like a churro.
25. Marranitos
Soft, cakey pig-shaped cookies sweetened with piloncillo or molasses and spiced with cinnamon and ginger. Also called cochinitos or puerquitos.
26. Cuernos
Crescent-shaped sweet bread rolls, buttery and tender, sometimes finished with a sugar crust. A pan dulce cousin of the croissant.
27. Campechanas
Very flaky, crisp laminated pastries with a shiny, caramelized sugar glaze that shatters when you bite in.
28. Besos
Two small domed cakes joined with jam or cream, brushed with butter and rolled in shredded coconut or sugar. The name means kisses.
29. Pan de Muerto
An orange-scented sweet bread decorated with dough bones and dusted with sugar, baked for Day of the Dead in late October and early November.
30. Rosca de Reyes
A large ring-shaped sweet bread topped with candied fruit and sugar paste, with a tiny figurine baked inside, shared on Three Kings Day, January 6.
Mexican Candies and Sweets
These dulces are sold at markets and candy stalls across Mexico. Many need only two or three ingredients and keep for days in an airtight container.
31. Dulce de Leche and Cajeta
Thick milk caramel. Bake condensed milk covered in a water bath until amber; cajeta is the goat's milk version. Never heat an unopened can, which can burst.
32. Cocadas
Shredded coconut cooked with sugar or condensed milk and egg yolk, then shaped into mounds and baked until golden and chewy.
33. Mazapán de Cacahuate
A crumbly peanut candy made by pressing finely ground roasted peanuts with powdered sugar into small rounds. Melts on the tongue.
34. Jamoncillo de Leche
A fudge-like milk candy made by slowly cooking milk and sugar until thick, often with cinnamon and pecans, then cut into bars.
35. Dulce de Tamarindo
Tamarind pulp mixed with sugar and often chili powder and salt, rolled into balls or pressed onto sticks. Sweet, sour and a little spicy.
36. AlegrÃas
Crunchy bars of puffed amaranth seeds bound with honey or piloncillo syrup and studded with nuts, raisins or pumpkin seeds.
37. Glorias
Soft, chewy goat's milk caramel candies with pecans, traditionally wrapped in red cellophane. Associated with Nuevo León in northern Mexico.
38. Obleas con Cajeta
Paper-thin, colorful wafers sandwiched with a layer of cajeta. A simple street-stall sweet that kids love.
39. Ate con Queso
Slices of thick fruit paste, usually quince or guava, served with slices of mild fresh cheese. A simple sweet-and-salty dessert.
40. Palanquetas
Crunchy brittle of roasted peanuts, pecans or pumpkin seeds bound in hot piloncillo or sugar syrup, then cooled and snapped into pieces.
Fruit, Frozen Treats and Sweet Tamales
Fresh fruit, cinnamon syrup and sweet masa make these some of the lightest and most seasonal Mexican desserts.
41. Paletas
Mexican ice pops made from blended fresh fruit such as mango, strawberry, watermelon or lime, sometimes with chunks of fruit or a creamy milk base.
42. Nieve de Garrafa
A hand-churned fruit ice made by spinning a metal canister of fruit, sugar and water in a bucket of salted ice until frosty and smooth.
43. Fresas con Crema
Sliced strawberries folded into a sweet, chilled cream of Mexican crema, condensed milk and vanilla. Ready in 10 minutes.
44. Mango con Chile
Fresh mango cut into spears or a flower shape, sprinkled with lime juice, salt and chili powder. Sweet, sour, salty and spicy at once.
45. Calabaza en Tacha
Pieces of pumpkin simmered in piloncillo syrup with cinnamon and orange until tender and glossy. A Day of the Dead tradition.
46. Camotes Enmielados
Sweet potatoes simmered in a thick piloncillo and cinnamon syrup, served warm or cold, sometimes with a splash of milk.
47. Tamales Dulces
Sweet tamales made from masa beaten with sugar and butter, often tinted pink and filled with raisins, pineapple or strawberries, then steamed.
Mexican Dessert Drinks
Warm, thick drinks are often served as dessert or with pan dulce, especially in the colder months.
48. Mexican Hot Chocolate
Milk heated with chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla and a pinch of chili, then whisked until frothy. Serve with churros or conchas for dunking.
Get the recipe →49. Champurrado
A thick, warm chocolate atole made with masa harina, milk or water, piloncillo, cinnamon and chocolate. A holiday favorite with tamales.
50. Horchata
A chilled, creamy drink made by soaking rice with cinnamon, blending and straining, then sweetening. Refreshing after spicy food.
Get the recipe →Easiest Mexican Desserts to Start With
If you're new to Mexican baking, start with one of these. Churro chips were my own first try, back in my Austin days. Times are approximate and include baking or chilling.
| Dessert | Time | Difficulty | Key ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Churro chips | 20 minutes | Very easy | Flour tortillas, butter, cinnamon sugar |
| Mexican hot chocolate | 10 minutes | Very easy | Milk, chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla |
| Arroz con leche | 40 minutes | Easy | Rice, milk, cinnamon stick, sugar |
| Fresas con crema | 10 minutes | Very easy | Strawberries, crema, condensed milk, vanilla |
| Paletas | 15 minutes plus freezing | Easy | Fresh fruit, sugar, lime |
| Carlota de limón | 20 minutes plus chilling | Easy | Maria cookies, limes, condensed and evaporated milk |
| Mexican wedding cookies | 45 minutes | Easy | Butter, flour, pecans, powdered sugar |
| Tres leches cake | 1 hour plus chilling | Moderate | Eggs, flour, three milks, cream |
| Flan | 1 hour plus chilling | Moderate | Eggs, condensed and evaporated milk, sugar |
| Churros | 40 minutes | Moderate | Flour, butter, eggs, oil for frying |
Tips for Making Mexican Desserts
- Stock the pantry: sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon, vanilla and piloncillo (or dark brown sugar) cover most of this list.
- Fry safely: use a heavy pot no more than half full of oil, a thermometer, and fry in small batches. Never leave hot oil unattended.
- Bake custards gently: flan and chocoflan bake in a water bath until the edges are set and the center still wobbles slightly, then chill at least 4 hours before unmolding.
- Chill milky desserts: tres leches, flan and rice pudding contain dairy and eggs, so refrigerate them within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days.
- Make ahead: tres leches, flan, chocoflan and capirotada are all better made a day in advance, which makes them ideal for parties. Tres leches is my go-to party cake for exactly that reason.
- More ideas: see our Spanish desserts, Mexican breakfast recipes and Mexican appetizers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular Mexican dessert?
Churros, tres leches cake and flan are the most widely known Mexican desserts. Churros are the classic street treat, while tres leches and flan are celebration favorites at birthdays, weddings and holidays. Arroz con leche and Mexican wedding cookies are popular everyday sweets made at home.
What are some easy Mexican desserts?
Cinnamon-sugar churro chips, Mexican hot chocolate, arroz con leche, fruit paletas and Mexican wedding cookies are the easiest. They use pantry ingredients like tortillas, rice, milk, butter and cinnamon, and none of them need deep frying or special equipment.
What is Mexican pudding called?
The best-known Mexican pudding is arroz con leche, a creamy rice pudding cooked with milk and cinnamon. Capirotada is a spiced bread pudding made for Lent, and natillas is a soft stovetop custard. Flan is a baked caramel custard that is firmer than a pudding.
What is the difference between flan and tres leches cake?
Flan is a baked egg custard with a caramel sauce and no flour, so it is smooth and firm. Tres leches is a sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk and topped with whipped cream, so it is soft, wet and cake-like. Both are served chilled.
What desserts are served at Mexican holidays?
Buñuelos are popular at Christmas and New Year, capirotada is made during Lent, rosca de reyes is shared on Three Kings Day in January, and pan de muerto is baked for Day of the Dead. Tres leches cake and flan appear at birthdays and family celebrations year round.
