11 Delicious Mexican Desserts

You’ve got your Cinco de Mayo party platters. You’ve got your sides. You’ve got your drink menu set, with a few premium tequilas lined up. What’s missing? Something sweet, of course. It’s a party; now is not the time to exercise restraint. Now is the time to whip up something delicious and indulgent to please every part of your guests’ palates.

One flavor that appears often in Mexican desserts is that of caramelized sugar. It’s front and center in this recipe for cajeta ice cream sundaes (cajeta being the Spanish word for caramel). You’ll find it in alfajores de dulce de leche as well; these rum-spiked, caramel cream-filled cookies won’t last long so consider making a double batch.

One other characteristic of these recipes? Some of them are boozy enough to toast with. The aforementioned alfajores incorporate liquor, and so does the frozen margarita pie, which tastes like someone made an old-school grasshopper pie and took it to Tijuana for the weekend. 

For an all-ages spread, try something a little more family-friendly, like ancho chile pumpkin pie. The mild spice kick elevates this dessert well above the realm of Thanksgiving fare and into the pantheon of year-round crowd-pleasers. Mexican chocolate pots de crème also offer a little taste of something unexpected (coffee and cayenne, specifically), and so do Mexican Chocolate Streusel Brownies, whose hints of almond and cinnamon are mildly out of the ordinary. For a can’t-miss finale, try this Mexican chocolate cakes recipe. Yes, plural “cakes.” The recipe makes two, so as popular as this dish will be, there’s certain to be enough to go around.

Favorite Mexican Desserts

1 of 11Alex Farnum

Cajeta Ice Cream Sundaes

These 5-minute, buy-and-serve sundaes feature caramel sauce you can source from a Mexican market.

Recipe: Cajeta Ice Cream Sundaes

2 of 11James Carrier

Frozen Margarita Pie

We started with the ’60s classic, grasshopper pie (a minty chiffon pie with a chocolate crust) and used tequila and lime instead of crème de menthe.

Recipe: Frozen Margarita Pie

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3 of 11Quentin Bacon

Alfajores de Dulce de Leche (Caramel Sandwich Cookies)

These decadent cookie sandwiches have a rum-flavored dough and dulce de leche filling, and are rolled in toasted coconut.

Recipe: Alfajores de Dulce de Leche (Caramel Sandwich Cookies)

4 of 11Annabelle Breakey

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

Make your own super-premium ice cream, starting with a custard flavored with Mexican chocolate.

Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

5 of 11Jeffery Cross

Margarita “Poptails”

Three kinds of citrus and yes, tequila, go into these grown-up popsicles.

Recipe: Margarita “Poptails”

6 of 11Lisa Romerein

Ancho Chile Pumpkin Pie

Traditional pumpkin custard gets a dried chile glow.

Recipe: Ancho Chile Pumpkin Pie

7 of 11Annabelle Breakey

Mexican Chocolate Pots de Crème

Imagine a stylish, ultra-rich take on chocolate pudding, flavored with coffee in addition to a little cinnamon and cayenne.

Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Pots de Crème

8 of 11Leo Gong

Tres Leches Cake with Raspberries

Make a sauce that’s similar in flavor to dulce de leche for soaking the layers of this moist cake, then frost the cake with whipped cream.

Recipe: Tres Leches Cake with Raspberries

9 of 11James Carrier

Mexican Chocolate Streusel Brownies

Almonds and cinnamon are what make Mexican chocolate special, and they flavor both the brownie and the streusel in these bars.

Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Streusel Brownies

10 of 11James Carrier

Mexican Paletas

Try our 7 variations on fresh fruit pops, from sour orange to piña colada and even cucumber-chile.

Recipe: Mexican Paletas

11 of 11Shelly Strazis

Mexican Chocolate Cakes

This easy one-bowl recipe, flavored with a little cayenne and plenty of cinnamon, makes two cakes—enough to feed a crowd, or to freeze and enjoy later.

Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Cakes

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