• 85 things to bring

What Should I Bring to a Mexican Potluck

Pico de gallo with chips, tamales, a pot of tinga, tres leches cake: five things to bring at a press.

What Should I Bring to a Mexican Potluck

Show all 85
  1. Tacos de canastaBasket tacos: soft, filled and packed warm in a lined basket. Made to travel.
  2. Pozole in a slow cookerHominy with pork or chicken. Bag the cabbage, radish and lime to set beside it.
  3. Watermelon and mango spearsSet the chamoy, or a shaker of chile and lime, beside them.
  4. BuñuelosFried dough. In Mexico it often comes with a piloncillo syrup: carry that in a jar.
  5. Pineapple agua frescaStrain it at home, so the jug pours clean.

Next step Bringing carnitas? Pick what goes with itDraw another dessert

All 85 things to bring

Salsas and dips 15

  • Chamoy for the fruit A salty, sweet and sour chile sauce made from pickled fruit.
  • Chile con queso in a small slow cooker A Tex-Mex dip of melted cheese and chiles; plug it in beside the chips.
  • Guacamole and a big bag of tortilla chips Press plastic wrap onto the surface so it is still green at the table.
  • Homemade totopos Corn tortillas cut in triangles and fried or baked: chips, one day fresher.
  • Jar of pickled red onions They go on the tacos, the tostadas and the beans alike.
  • Mango salsa with red onion and lime Something sweet beside the hot ones. It goes on the carnitas too.
  • Pepitas toasted with chile and lime Pumpkin seeds for the small bowls along the table.
  • Pico de gallo Chopped tomato, onion, chile and cilantro with lime. Drain it before you leave.
  • Queso fundido in a small skillet Melted cheese with chorizo. It sets as it cools, so ask to warm it there.
  • Refried bean dip, warm Carry it in the dish it was heated in, wrapped in a towel.
  • Roasted tomato salsa and a molcajete Carry the stone bowl empty and the salsa in a jar; pour at the table.
  • Salsa macha Dried chiles and garlic in oil. A small jar and a small spoon are plenty.
  • Salsa roja, made mild A red one the children can eat, to stand beside a hot one.
  • Salsa verde in a jar Tomatillo and green chile. Write "green, medium" on the lid.
  • Three salsas with a card for each Mild, medium and hot, so nobody finds out the hard way.

Dishes that travel 17

  • Carnitas in a slow cooker Bring tongs, tortillas, chopped onion and cilantro; people build their own.
  • Chicken in mole Sauce and chicken in one pot; the sauce keeps the meat moist on the drive.
  • Chicken tinga and a stack of tostadas Shredded chicken in tomato and chipotle. Pack the tostadas apart.
  • Chile relleno casserole The stuffed chile laid flat in a pan, so it cuts into squares.
  • Cochinita pibil Slow-roasted pork from the Yucatán. Shred it at home and carry it in its juices.
  • Empanadas, baked the night before Good warm or cold, and nobody needs a fork.
  • Pan of enchiladas verdes Rolled, sauced and baked in the foil pan you carry them in.
  • Papas con chorizo Potatoes with chorizo, a usual filling at a taco party. It reheats well.
  • Pastel azteca Tortillas layered with sauce, poblano, corn, cream and cheese, then baked.
  • Pozole in a slow cooker Hominy with pork or chicken. Bag the cabbage, radish and lime to set beside it.
  • Rajas con crema Poblano strips in cream: a taco filling for guests who eat no meat.
  • Shredded beef for tacos, in its broth Left in the broth, it stays tender in a slow cooker all afternoon.
  • Sopes, with the toppings in tubs Thick fried masa bases. Spoon the beans and cheese on at the table.
  • Tacos de canasta Basket tacos: soft, filled and packed warm in a lined basket. Made to travel.
  • Tamales, still in their husks Stand them in a pot with the lid on; the husks hold the steam.
  • Taquitos, stood up in a loaf pan Rolled, fried tortillas. Line the pan with paper and bring crema to dip.
  • Tortas, cut in quarters Mexican sandwiches on crusty rolls; a toothpick holds each quarter shut.

Sides 13

  • Arroz rojo Rice cooked with tomato, garlic and onion. Fluff it with a fork when the lid comes off.
  • Cabbage slaw with lime It keeps its crunch where lettuce would wilt, and it goes on every taco.
  • Caesar salad, dressed at the table It was first made in Tijuana, in 1924, so it belongs here.
  • Esquites in cups Corn in a cup. Dress it at home and hand out spoons.
  • Frijoles charros Pinto beans cooked slowly with bacon, garlic and onion. Soupy, so bring a ladle.
  • Jicama sticks with lime and chile powder Crisp and cold, and gone before the chips are.
  • Nopalitos salad Diced cactus pads as a salad, so it can wait on the table.
  • Pot of black beans For the guests who skip the bacon in the charro beans.
  • Radishes, cucumbers and limes, sliced Cold, crisp things for a plate full of rich ones.
  • Refried beans under crumbled cheese Stir in a splash of water when you reheat them; they thicken on the way.
  • Tray of taco toppings Shredded lettuce, chopped onion, cilantro and radish, each in its own tub.
  • Warm corn tortillas, wrapped in a towel Heat them last and they stay soft in a small cooler with no ice.
  • Zucchini cooked with corn A vegetable side that is as good at room temperature as hot.

Sweets 12

  • Alegrías Bars of amaranth seed and honey. Wrap each one so they do not stick.
  • Arroz con leche in cups Rice pudding, spooned out at home with cinnamon on top.
  • Buñuelos Fried dough. In Mexico it often comes with a piloncillo syrup: carry that in a jar.
  • Churros with chocolate for dipping Fry them as late as you can and carry them in an open box.
  • Cocadas Chewy baked coconut sweets, served at room temperature.
  • Cochinitos de piloncillo Sweet breads called little pigs, made with cane sugar. Children take these first.
  • Flan, still in its mould Turn it out at the table so the caramel does not end up in the car.
  • Fruit cups with lime Melon, pineapple and cucumber. A cup each means no serving spoon.
  • Polvorones Soft, crumbly shortbread. Pack them in one layer so they arrive whole.
  • Sweet empanadas Filled with pumpkin or pineapple; they stack in a box and need no plate.
  • Tres leches cake A sponge cake that soaks up three milks. Soak it in the pan you carry it in.
  • Watermelon and mango spears Set the chamoy, or a shaker of chile and lime, beside them.

Drinks without alcohol 11

  • Agua de jamaica A deep red hibiscus drink, tart like cranberry. Sweeten it at home.
  • Agua de tamarindo Tamarind, sugar and water, poured over a lot of ice.
  • Bag of ice, a big jar and a ladle Aguas frescas are ladled from a jar into cups.
  • Café de olla in a flask Coffee with cinnamon and piloncillo, for after the sweets.
  • Champurrado in a flask A thick, warm chocolate drink made with corn masa, for a cold evening.
  • Cucumber and lime agua fresca The lightest thing on the table, for the plate with the hottest salsa.
  • Horchata Rice, cinnamon and sugar. Stir before you pour; it settles on the way.
  • Limonada in a big jug Make it sharp; the ice will thin it.
  • Pineapple agua fresca Strain it at home, so the jug pours clean.
  • Sparkling water and a bag of limes For the guest who wants nothing sweet.
  • Watermelon agua fresca Fruit blended with sugar and water. Use a jug with a lid that locks.

From the shop 17

  • Bolillo rolls Crusty rolls for the mole and the beans.
  • Chicharrones and a bottle of hot sauce Fried pork rinds. Put them out in a bowl with lime.
  • Cilantro and a white onion, chopped The two toppings every taco on the table will want.
  • Conchas and other pan dulce Sweet breads from a Mexican bakery; a concha has a striped, shell-like top.
  • Corn tortillas from a tortilla shop Buy them warm that day, if there is a shop near you.
  • Cotija and a small grater A firm, salty cheese that softens and does not melt. It goes over corn and beans.
  • Fruit sodas in glass bottles Pack an opener. Someone will ask for one.
  • Hot sauces, lined up mild to fierce Three or four bottles, with the mild end pointed at the children.
  • Jars of salsa, one red and one green Pour them into bowls and set a spoon in each.
  • Limes, cut in wedges They are squeezed over nearly everything here. Bring more than seems sensible.
  • Papel picado for the table Strings of cut tissue paper. The host will not have thought of them.
  • Piñata and sweets to fill it Ask the host first: it needs a branch or a beam and clear space round it.
  • Ripe avocados and a knife Slice them at the table; they brown when they are cut at home.
  • Rotisserie chicken, shredded A taco filling with no cooking: pull the meat at home and bring it in a tub.
  • Small paper cups and spoons For esquites, pozole and salsa, which a flat plate cannot hold.
  • Tortilla chips, two big bags One bag is never enough once the salsas are open.
  • Tub of crema Mexican cream for the tacos, the taquitos and the pozole. Keep it cold.

How it works

These 85 things to bring to a Mexican potluck cover salsas and dips, dishes that travel, sides, sweets, drinks without alcohol and things from the shop.

Read the full guide

Mexican or Tex-Mex

Most tables welcome both, but they are not the same. Fajitas, chile con queso, taco salad and seven-layer dip are Tex-Mex, an American cuisine from Texas inspired by Mexican cooking. Tamales, pozole, mole, tinga and tacos de canasta are Mexican. If the host asked for one, bring that one.

Bring what a taco party serves

In Mexico a taco party is a taquiza: pots of filling and a stack of warm tortillas. Rajas con crema, tinga, mole, chicharrón and papas con chorizo are among the dishes most often served at one. Bring one pot and one spoon, and let the guests fill their own.

  • Write the name of the dish on a card, and how hot it is.
  • Ask the host who is bringing tortillas. A taco table without them is a salad bar.

Questions and answers

What is the easiest thing to bring to a Mexican potluck?

Pico de gallo. It is chopped tomato, onion, chile and cilantro with lime juice and salt. Nothing is cooked, it travels in a jar, and with a big bag of tortilla chips it is done.

What should I bring to a Mexican potluck if I can't cook?

Tortilla chips and two jars of salsa, pan dulce from a Mexican bakery, limes and cilantro for the taco table, fruit sodas or a bag of ice. Tamales ordered from a tamale shop count as a main dish.

What dessert should I bring to a Mexican potluck?

Tres leches cake, a sponge soaked in evaporated, condensed and whole milk, rides in its own pan. Flan, arroz con leche in cups and polvorones travel well too. Churros are best fried just before you leave.

What Mexican dish travels best?

Tacos de canasta, or basket tacos. The name comes from the basket the filled tacos are packed in to keep them warm, and that is how they are sold on the streets of central Mexico. Tamales in their husks come second.

More tools

Show 8 more

Browse Food