12 Traditional Mexican Christmas Recipes You'll Want to Try #MexicanCuisine #christmas2025

pork

🥗Healthier: chicken

💰Cheaper: turkey

Chicken is leaner and more affordable.

tamales

🥗Healthier: vegetable wraps

💰Cheaper: rice paper

Vegetable wraps are lighter and cheaper.

bacalao

🥗Healthier: cod

💰Cheaper: hake

Hake is a more economical fish option.

ponche

🥗Healthier: fruit juice

💰Cheaper: water with spices

Fruit juice provides flavor without added sugars.

First, place one cup of water and the piloncillo in a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it dissolves and looks like liquid caramel.

Carefully add the rest of the water, cinnamon stick, guavas, anise seed, and orange peel to the pot and bring to a boil.

Cook for about 6 minutes, stir, and simmer for 4 more minutes.

Set aside to use as a topping for the buñuelos.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: If you want a thicker consistency, simmer for a longer time until the desired thickness.

Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

Form a hollow hole in the center and add the egg, melted butter, and vanilla.

Now, mix everything together until the mixture resembles a coarse flour meal.

Then, slowly add the water a tablespoon at a time, mixing and kneading until you have a soft and smooth dough. This process will take less than 5 minutes.

Finally, cover the dough with a kitchen napkin and let it rest for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare your working area.

You will need a rolling pin, a large dish, a paper towel or open paper bags, extra flour for rolling the circles, and a large frying pan with the vegetable oil ready for the moment you start frying the buñuelos.

Divide the dough into 12 small balls and cover.

Heat 1 inch of oil in a large frying pan.

Place one of the dough balls on your already floured working surface and stretch with your rolling pin.

Roll out each ball to forma a circle as thin as possible without breaking the dough.

To give that extra stretching to the buñuelo, gently pull the edges and place the dough on an inverted bowl or clay pot covered with the pastry napkin. The buñuelo should be thin, almost transparent.

Before cooking, some people like to place all the already formed buñuelos over a clean tablecloth, in a large table, making sure they don’t touch each other. This step will dry the dough, the buñuelos will be even crispier, and absorb less oil while cooking.

Fry the buñuelos in hot oil until they are golden and crispy. Turn them once. This step will take a few seconds.

Place the buñuelos on a plate covered with paper towels to drain the excess oil.

Serve warm or at room temperature and sprinkle with sugar.

If you do not sprinkle the sugar right away they can still be nice and crispy for another day and just add the sugar at serving time. If you prefer to serve them warm, place them in your oven in a low setting for 5 minutes. Now, we need some hot chocolate to go along with the buñuelos.

Enjoy!

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: