Looking for Mexican Independence Day food to celebrate? This collection of Mexican Independence Day traditional food has everything you need to help you celebrate at home or at a family gathering. From traditional pozole and chiles en nogada, to refreshing agua frescas and desserts, I’ve got you covered.
Mexican Independence Day is on September 16th and it’s one of the most important celebrations of the year, and of course, food and drinks are at the heart of the festivities!
Chiles en Nogada Recipe
What is Mexican Independence Day and When is It?
Outside of Mexico there’s a common misconception that 5 de Mayo is our day of independence. That’s not correct, Mexican Independence Day is actually the 16th of September!
Did you know that Mexican Independence Day celebrations start the evening of the 15th and continue into the early hours of the 16th?
In actuality the whole month of September is a festive month and called “el mes patrio” or the patriotic month. All across Mexico you’ll see Mexican flags, traditional foods and garments, fireworks, and fun festivities.
Every September 15th families and friends gather to enjoy traditional dishes, refreshing drinks, and plenty of festive flavors and partying. Many people celebrate at home or gather at their local town square to hear El Grito de Dolores.
El Grito de Dolores is a yearly reenactment of The Cry for Independence. In smaller towns and cities the local mayor is who leads the Grito, but at midnight of the 16th the whole nations tunes in to watch the Mexican president reenact the Grito from the balcony of the Presidential palace in the Zocalo in Mexico City.
Mexican Independence Day celebrations are super fun and even better if you can celebrate in Mexico.
So whether you’re planning a big party or just want to cook up something special at home (even if you’re not Mexican), this collection of vegan Mexican Independence Day recipes have all the authentic taste of classic traditional dishes.
Watch this fun video below to learn a little bit more.
Mexican Independence Day Food
If you want to join in on the fun celebrations pick some of these authentic and traditional Mexican Independence Day foods.
I have you covered from the most typical dishes to other less common but still delicious recipes. There’s something for everyone!
Is Mexican Independence Day Food Plant-Based?
No, many of it is not – but don’t worry because I’ve got you covered!
The recipes in this collection are both vegetarian and vegan Mexican Independence Day food. Best of all you can also share with meat eaters and I promise they’ll also enjoy these flavorful, traditional dishes.
Chiles en Nogada
Main Dishes for Mexican Independence Day
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Vegetarian Chiles en Nogada
Chiles en nogada or peppers in walnut sauce are the star dish of Mexican Independence Day. To the point that when Mexican’s think Mexican Independence Day food, chiles en nogada is in the top 2 foods that comes to their minds.
Pozole is a dish Mexican families make for just about any celebration. My pozole rojo is vegan and instead of meat uses mushrooms. It’s incredibly satisfying for those who are missing pozole since going meatless. The broth is full of delicious flavors. Serve with tostadas, crema, shredded lettuce, radishes, avocado, lime juice and anything else you’d like.
Made with green chiles, tomatillos, herbs and pepitas, i’s an incredibly medley of flavors. Traditionally pozole verde is made with pork or chicken. To make this a 100% vegan posole recipe we are going to use oyster mushrooms or jackfruit or a mix of both. Serve with tostadas, crema, shredded lettuce, radishes, avocado, lime juice and anything else you’d like.
Pambazos are tortas that are dipped in a mild red salsa and then lightly fried before stuffing. They’re filled with chorizo and potatoes, salsa, lettuce, sour cream and cheese.
Crispy potato tacos are great party food. They’re easy to make, very budget friendly, can feed a crowd — be it vegan, vegetarian or even meat eaters love them.
You won't believe that these cochinita tacos aren't made with pork! They're easy to make and bursting with delicious flavors from the Yucatan Peninsula.
Roasted poblano pepper strips cooked in a cream sauce and served with tortillas and refried beans. I have both a vegan and vegetarian rajas con crema recipe.
They too are a special meal for many Mexican holidays and for Mexican families. We always had them for different celebrations in my family.
Did you know I wrote a whole cookbook dedicated entirely to making tamales?
It’s called Mexican Tamales Made Meatless and you can buy a paperback on Amazon as well as a Kindle version or a digital version directly from me. Click the links below.
These green tamales or tamales verdes are made with meaty jackfruit and oyster mushrooms. They are full of flavor and taste just like the traditional ones.
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The BEST Birria Tamales
Take your two favorite dishes and make one scrumptious new one!
Though in my family we never served a side dish, I do know that many people like to serve a side dish with tamales. You can serve with rice and beans. Salsas are a great addition though. A salsa like a molcajete one, or a salsa verde or even a simple tomato with chile de arbol would pair well with the tamales.
Carlota de Limon
Mexican Independence DayDesserts
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Carlota de Limon
This Mexican lime icebox cake is one of my most favorite desserts ever and also one of the most raved about here on my blog. It’s light, airy, creamy, tart and sweet and just melts in your mouth. So, so delicious! You can make this the day before and leave it in the refrigerator to set and use the next day.
This Mexican corn cake or cornbread is until anything you’ve ever tasted. It’s sweet, creamy, dense, decadent, has hints of corn taste and vanilla flavor and it’s insanely delicious!
These conchas rellenas are filled with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Use your favorite dairy or non-dairy whipped cream or you could use Nutella and strawberries instead!
Pineapple makes delicious agua fresca. My recipe is sugar free but you can add sugar according to your taste. If you’d like you could even spike it with some silver tequila for a refreshing cocktail.
It’s a refreshing watermelon margarita made without simple syrup and just very little sugar added — it really doesn’t need it if you have a sweet watermelon.
This cocktail is made with a Mexican poblano pepper liqueur that’s smoky and a tad spicy. It pairs perfectly with cucumber and lime — like the traditional pepino snack, that’s actually what inspired me to create this cocktail.
Cheladas are one of the easiest cocktails you can make. You literally only need 4 ingredients to make it. It’s a refreshing drink that’s light enough to be served with just about any main dish.
Nancy Lopez is a Mexican-born food writer and author of Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Raised in the U.S. and now living in Southern Mexico, she creates authentic vegan and vegetarian Mexican recipes rooted in tradition and tested for real home kitchens.Read more…
