Day of the Dead Recipes
El Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a significant and vibrant Mexican celebration. Rather than a somber event, the Day of the Dead is a festive, family-oriented commemoration of deceased loved ones, marked by tributes and offerings in homes and public spaces. Food plays an essential role in this, as in many cultural celebrations.
Observed annually on November 1st and 2nd, Day of the Dead incorporates elements from harvest festivals, the spiritual beliefs and traditions of pre-Columbian indigenous peoples of Mexico, and Catholic customs introduced during the Spanish colonial era. Seasonal fruits and crops often hold symbolic meaning when consumed or placed on the altares (altars) that families prepare to honor the memory of their departed loved ones. This collection highlights traditional recipes and customs from various regions of Mexico; however, regional and familial traditions for celebrating the deceased can vary widely.
-
Pan de Muerto: Recipe for the Traditional Bread of the Dead
The Spruce
Meaning “bread of the dead,” Pan de Muerto is a traditional Mexican sweet bread often placed on altars during the festivities and also enjoyed by families. The form, ingredients, and specific recipe for Pan de Muerto can differ by region. The bread may be round, crescent-shaped, bow-shaped, or take a human form, and can be topped with white or colored sugar, sesame seeds, glaze, or frosting. A common version found outside Mexico is a semi-spherical sweet bread decorated with dough pieces shaped like stylized bones, typically covered with a light glaze and white sugar.
The bread’s texture can range from a simple, fluffy white bread to a denser, moist, egg-rich sweet bread. The top is often adorned with small pieces of dough resembling bones, teardrops, or flower petals. For the recipe detailed here, the dough includes butter, sugar, anise, flour, eggs, and orange zest, and is left to rise for 90 minutes. After shaping, it requires another hour to rise. Preparation and baking for this specific recipe take approximately 4 hours.
-
Calabaza en Tacha: Recipe for Sweet Candied Pumpkin
The Spruce / Katarina Zunic
Candied pumpkin, another traditional food, is frequently placed on Day of the Dead altars as an offering and is also served as breakfast, dessert, or a snack. Slices of fresh pumpkin, cooked and glazed with piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), are a popular treat in Mexico. Additions such as raisins, sweet potatoes, guava, or toasted pumpkin seeds can further enhance this dessert.
In some regional preparations, the pumpkin is candied whole, with openings made to add spices and allow flavors to infuse during cooking. The pumpkin is then cut into portions before serving, often including seeds and internal fibrous strands. This recipe requires pumpkin, brown sugar or piloncillo, orange, cinnamon, and water, and can be ready in about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
-
Tamales: A Traditional Day of the Dead Dish
Mexican tamales wrapped in corn husks.
photo (c) Miguel Malo / Getty Images
Numerous types of tamales exist, featuring a wide variety of fillings. Tamales of many kinds are a favored dish during Day of the Dead celebrations. Most fillings are based on corn, an ancestral grain native to Mexico that carries significant symbolic meaning. This deep historical connection makes tamales a significant food for honoring ancestors.
The featured corn and green chile tamales recipe is one of many variations. It represents the tradition of homemade food, prepared with care for the ingredients and for those who will enjoy it. This particular recipe can be time-consuming but yields a traditional dish; allow approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes to prepare these vegetarian tamales.
-
Atole: Recipe for a Warm Traditional Mexican Corn Drink
The Spruce / Diana Chistruga
A warm cup of this thick, hearty corn-based beverage can provide welcome warmth on a chilly November night, whether enjoyed at home or while spending time at a cemetery vigil honoring loved ones.
Although consumed throughout the year, this comforting drink is particularly popular during Day of the Dead and December festivities. Atole is an indigenous Mexican beverage typically made with milk, piloncillo, corn flour, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. The ingredients are usually cooked for about 25 minutes, stirring constantly, and the drink is served hot.
Continue to 5 of 9 below -
Mole Poblano: Recipe for a Rich and Complex Mexican Sauce
The Spruce.
The precise origins of mole are debated, but narratives suggest this historic dish may have resulted from a blend of indigenous American and European ingredients, creating a rich, dark sauce. With numerous regional variations, mole is a highly esteemed part of Mexican cuisine.
Many families have their own cherished mole recipes, passed down through generations. Its cultural importance and association with ancestral heritage make it a meaningful dish for observances like Day of the Dead, where it is commonly served. The recipe presented here, while involving many ingredients, provides a method to prepare this sauce in approximately two hours.
-
Colorful Sugar Skulls (Calaveras de Azúcar): A Sweet Tradition
photo (c) maogg / Getty Images
These distinctive decorative and often edible items are commonly found on family ofrendas (offerings) for the dead. The skulls are typically made from white sugar mixed with egg whites and pressed into molds. After drying until hardened, they are adorned with brightly colored icing and sometimes non-edible elements like foil or colorful sequins.
In Mexican markets, during the weeks leading up to Day of the Dead festivities, numerous colorful sugar skulls of various sizes are sold. When making them at home, it’s important to plan, as the sugar skulls generally need to dry overnight.
-
Crispy Churros: A Popular Fried Treat
Tastyart Ltd Rob White / Taxi / Getty Images.
Sweet fried dough, like that of churros, is a widely enjoyed treat. Churros, popular in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, have gained significant popularity in the United States, partly due to the broader influence of Mexican culinary traditions. These treats are now widely available in many areas.
Originating from simple ingredients, churros are a popular food. As a well-liked sweet, they may be included in Day of the Dead offerings or enjoyed during the festivities, reflecting personal or family preferences. For the recipe described, the dough consists of eggs, flour, buttermilk, butter, sugar, and vanilla. After the dough is mixed and piped into hot oil, churros can be filled with spreads like chocolate-hazelnut, dulce de leche, or jam, or simply dusted with sugar. This recipe takes about 50 minutes.
-
Jamoncillo de Leche: Creamy Mexican Milk Fudge
Jamoncillo de Leche, a type of Mexican milk fudge.
Clarkson Potter
These visually appealing milk fudge bites are a popular Mexican candy that can be shared among friends and family during Day of the Dead celebrations or other festive occasions. They can be prepared in advance and packaged for gifting.
To make this type of fudge, ingredients such as condensed milk, evaporated milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt are cooked on the stove. The milk sugars caramelize, and the mixture thickens, typically after about 30 minutes of cooking. The mixture can then be divided and food coloring added if desired. For this recipe, preparation and cooking take about 45 minutes, followed by shaping and a cooling period of approximately 2 hours.
Continue to 9 of 9 below -
Champurrado: Recipe for Rich Mexican Hot Chocolate
Lisa Romerein/Getty Images
Early November Day of the Dead celebrations may include extended periods outdoors, such as honoring the deceased in cemeteries or participating in parades. Champurrado, a Mexican style of hot chocolate, is often sold by street vendors or prepared at home and carried in thermoses to share with friends and family during these observances.
Key ingredients typically include corn masa or corn flour, water, milk, chocolate, piloncillo (or brown sugar), and sometimes anise or cinnamon. The mixture is generally simmered for about 20 minutes, whisking continuously to ensure it is well combined and develops a frothy, light texture.
