35+ Healthy Mexican Recipes
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Published Apr 19, 2022, Updated Jan 30, 2024
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Mexican food that’s colorful, calorie-friendly and very flavorful. Get inspired with these healthy Mexican recipes.
Mexican food is delicious, flavorful and everyone loves it. Although there are a ton of options when it comes to healthy Mexican recipes, it can be a tad difficult to keep things on the lighter side when dining at a Mexican restaurant.
The typical scenario: you’re on your way to the restaurant and have all intentions of sticking with healthy options. Then you arrive, the server puts a sombrero on your head and your plan gets thrown out the window faster than you can say tamale!
Hello unlimited chips and salsa — can’t stop, won’t stop! Sure, I’ll have a margarita. And what the heck, why not get the Guadalajara Especial and then some fried ice cream to finish off the meal. You’re all fiesta, fiesta at the restaurant and end up leaving feeling a little tipsy and ready for a siesta. 😉
Okay, that example is a little over the top, but I also know that it happens. Been there, done that!
But it doesn’t have to be. there are plenty of lightened up to choose from. From tacos and drinks to dips and soups, these recipes are sure to satisfy your craving for Mexican in a healthy way. There’s a little something for everyone and as you’ll see many of the recipes are vegan and gluten-free.
Dips & Appetizers
Guacamole
The best guacamole recipe made with avocado, grape tomatoes, garlic, red onion, jalapeño, fresh lime juice and cilantro. It comes together quickly and is the perfect appetizer with chips or topping for tacos, burritos and so much more.
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Healthy Guacamole (with Frozen Peas)
This healthy guacamole with frozen peas is lower in fat and calories, but tastes just as delicious as the real deal. The peas add a subtle sweetness and give the guac a vibrant green color!
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Vegan Queso
Creamy vegan queso made with cashews, sweet potatoes, nutritional yeast, green chilis and a blend of spices. Drizzle it on your favorite dish or serve it as a dip with tortilla chips!
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Easy Black Bean Dip
Healthy and easy black bean dip that takes only 15 minutes to make. It's the perfect appetizer or snack served with veggies and tortilla chips for game day. It's creamy, packed with flavor and vegan!
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Southwest Sweet Potato Black Bean Dip
A delicious southwestern dip with a mix of roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, red onion and cilantro. Perfect served with tortilla chips as a dip, as a side or topping for salads and tacos.
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Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
This Mexican shrimp cocktail combines cooked shrimp with fresh vegetables and avocado in a spicy, tangy tomato sauce. It's such a fun and refreshing appetizer to serve at parties!
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Healthy 7 Layer Dip
This layer dip starts with a base of refried beans and is packed with fresh veggies. It’s the perfect dip for healthy game-day snacking!
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Easy Corn Salsa
This Chipotle copycat corn salsa recipe can be whipped up in just 10 minutes using a bag of frozen corn. It's delicious served as a snack or topping on your favorite dish.
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Pineapple Salsa
This sweet and fresh pineapple salsa is so easy to make! Pair it with tortilla chips for a flavorful appetizer or use as a topping for tacos, grilled chicken or fish.
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Salads
Healthy Taco Salad
This healthy taco salad is made with ground turkey taco meat instead of beef and is packed with veggies. It comes together quickly making it perfect for a weeknight meal.
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Kale Mexican Street Corn Salad
This Mexican street corn kale salad turns esquites into a meal-sized salad with shredded kale, grilled chicken, avocado and tortilla chips!
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Avocado Salad
This easy avocado salad combines creamy avocado with ripe tomatoes, red onions and a zesty lime dressing. It's the perfect healthy side dish.
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Black Bean and Corn Salad
Meet your new go-to cookout dish! This colorful black bean and corn salad is super healthy and takes only minutes to prepare.
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Mexican Street Corn Salad
An easy lightened-up Mexican street corn salad that can be made with fresh or frozen corn. This salad is creamy, delicious and perfect for summer cookouts.
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Black Bean Fiesta Mason Jar Salad
This black bean fiesta mason jar salad makes for a colorful, convenient meal that will satisfy your craving for Mexican food! The lime jalapeño dressing is zesty and really ties the whole salad together.
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Mango Jicama Slaw
This mango jicama slaw with a spicy and sweet mango dressing is a copycat recipe for the Trader Joe’s slaw. It’s light, refreshing and makes a perfect summer side or topping for tacos or burgers.
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Cilantro Lime Dressing
This cilantro lime dressing is loaded with flavor and takes no time to whip up. It’s the perfect zesty vinaigrette to use for salads, tacos, chicken, fish and more!
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Tomatillo Avocado Dressing
A creamy tomatillo avocado dressing that’s just like the Mexican Goddess dressing you can find at the Chopt Creative Salad Co. restaurant chain! It’s perfect as a dip, sauce or dressing. Vegan, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly.
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Soups
Chicken Fajita Soup
This slow cooker chicken fajita soup makes for a comforting and healthy meal that's packed with flavor and a hint of spice. It can be made in your slow cooker or Instant Pot!
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Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
This chicken enchilada soup is packed with flavor and a hint of spice. It tastes just like traditional chicken enchiladas but with a fraction of the effort and can easily be made in your slow cooker, Instant Pot or over the stove top.
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Mexican Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
This hearty Mexican sweet potato chicken soup is loaded with veggies, lean protein and has a smoky, sweet flavor from dried guajillo Mexican peppers. Grain/gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo and whole30 friendly.
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Taco Soup
This easy taco soup recipe combines all your favorite taco ingredients in one pot – ground turkey, beans, corn, tomatoes and taco seasoning. It's packed with flavor and a hint of spice and is perfect for meal prep.
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Easy Black Bean Soup
The perfect vegan black bean soup recipe! It's healthy, easy to toss together and super flavorful. Instructions included for the slow cooker and stovetop.
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Breakfast
Red Chilaquiles
This Red Chilaquiles recipe is a classic Mexican dish that combines crispy tortilla chips in a red tomato sauce topped with a fried egg. It comes together in under 30 minutes and can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
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Lunch & Dinner
Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
These healthy chicken enchiladas are packed with flavor and nutritious ingredients! The homemade enchilada sauce is the star of this recipe.
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Healthy Chicken Tacos
These healthy chicken tacos come together in about 30 minutes, making them perfect for busy weeknights. They're packed with flavor and totally customizable!
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Vegan Enchiladas
These healthy vegan enchiladas are packed with flavor and nutritious ingredients. They're stuffed with black beans and corn and topped with a delicious creamy vegan queso!
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Ground Turkey Tacos
These ground turkey tacos are juicy and packed with tons of flavor. They come together in about 20 minutes for a quick and easy weeknight meal that the whole family will love!
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Copycat Chipotle Sofritas
A delicious copycat recipe for Chipotle's tofu sofritas that's loaded with flavor and a hint of spice. It makes a great vegan protein option for homemade burrito bowls!
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Cilantro Rice
This cilantro rice recipe gives white rice a ton of flavor with lime juice and fresh cilantro! It's great as a base for burrito bowls and taco salads.
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Mexican Quinoa Casserole
This vegetarian Mexican quinoa casserole is a dish the whole family will love. It’s packed with veggies, black beans and lots of cheesy goodness.
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Healthy Fish Tacos
These healthy fish tacos are made with grilled white fish and topped with a cabbage slaw and avocado crema. They make for such a quick and easy weeknight meal!
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Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
These sheet pan shrimp fajitas are packed with Mexican flavor and perfect for busy weeknights. Simply bake your shrimp, peppers and onions together on one sheet, load up your tortillas and enjoy!
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Tempeh Tacos
These easy tempeh tacos are loaded with flavor! Create a taco bar and let everyone load up the tacos with their favorite toppings.
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Spaghetti Squash Taco Bake
This spaghetti squash taco bake combines low-carb spaghetti squash with ground turkey, taco seasoning, salsa and cheese for a delicious, healthy and easy dinner.
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Taco Zucchini Boats
Protein packed and dairy-free, these taco zucchini boats are perfect for a quick and easy healthy weeknight dinner.
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Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchilada Bake
Layered with tortillas, sweet potatoes, black beans, cheese and a homemade enchilada sauce. Vegetarian, gluten-free and absolutely delicious!
View Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchilada Bake
Slow Cooker Mexican Quinoa Casserole
A vegetarian Mexican quinoa casserole made entirely in the slow cooker. Packed with sweet potatoes, black beans and taco seasoning, this is sure to be a family favorite! Vegetarian and gluten-free.
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Loaded Sweet Potato Nacho Salad Bowls
These sweet potato nacho salad bowls are perfect when you’re craving crispy cheesy nachos but also feel like your body needs some greens. Gluten-free and vegetarian.
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Cheesy Cauliflower Nachos
These low-carb cauliflower nachos are cheesy, delicious and loaded with extra veggies like tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, onions and avocado.
View Cheesy Cauliflower Nachos
Drinks
Skinny Paloma (no sugar added)
A lightened up skinny Paloma made with freshly juiced grapefruit, tequila, lime juice and sparkling water.
View Skinny Paloma (no sugar added)
Skinny Margarita
This skinny margarita is low calorie, but still delicious. It’s made with fresh juice and has no added sugar!
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Chili Lime Mango Margaritas
This recipe is simple, requiring just 10 minutes and less than 10 ingredients! And it’s extremely customizable.
View Chili Lime Mango Margaritas
Desserts
Healthy Baked Churro Donut Holes
These donut holes are sweet, cinnamony, fluffy on the inside, yet a little crispy on the outside… very churro-like, but healthy!
View Healthy Baked Churro Donut Holes
How to Eat Healthy at a Mexican Restaurant:
Last but not least, here are some of my best tips for eating healthy when out at a Mexican restaurant:
- Skip the chips — this one is so dang hard. But once you start munching on chips it’s really difficult to stop and often times you’ve eaten so many you’re too full to enjoy your meal.
- Skip the margaritas and sangria — both are usually made with mixes and contain a shocking amount of calories and sugar. Lighter options include tequila with grapefruit juice and soda water or a light Mexican beer. You can also ask if they can make you a skinny margarita.
- If you simply gotta have the chips or an adult beverage, here’s a good rule of thumb = pick one and enjoy it, just don’t do both.
- Go with guacamole instead of queso — at least you’ll be loading up on healthy fats rather than processed cheese. Just watch your portions with the guac because one serving is only about 2 tablespoons.
- Share a dish — Mexican restaurants usually serve massive portions. Order something you really want and spilt it with a friend. Bonus, you’ll save $ as well!
- When looking at the menu, look for items that are baked, steamed, roasted or grilled and skip things that say fried (fritos), crispy, creamy or stuffed, covered or smothered. Chimichangas, taquitos, gorditas and tostadas are all fried. Enchiladas, burritos and tacos aren’t usually fried.
- Ask for black beans as a side instead of refried beans.
- Look for something with a grilled protein and lots of veggies — fajitas and salads fit the bill.
- Keep it simple and stick with tacos. Grilled fish, shrimp or chicken tacos are great options. Pile on the lettuce, tomato and salsa and skimp on the cheese and sour cream.
- Watch out for taco salads. They’re usually loaded with ground beef, cheese, sour cream and tortilla strips or served in a fried tortilla bowl. Ask for the salad without the tortilla strips and bowl, a grilled protein option, extra veggies, light cheese and pico de gallo or salsa for your dressing.
- Even if you’re not gluten-free, opt for authentic corn tortillas over flour tortillas. They’re usually house-made and sans refined flour.
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35+ Healthy Mexican Recipes + Mexican Quinoa Casserole
Healthy Mexican recipes that the whole family will love, plus my Mexican Quinoa Casserole that's packed with veggies, black beans and lots of cheesy goodness.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup dry quinoa
- 3 cups sweet potato, peel and diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- ½ small yellow onion, diced
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon McCormick Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning
- One 14-oz can black soybeans or black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup sliced green onion
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 ½ cups prepared salsa, mild, medium or hot
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 2% Greek yogurt, avocado, extra green onion and cilantro (for topping)
Instructions
- Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let the covered saucepan cool for 4-5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9″x 13″ dish and spread the sweet potato, bell pepper, and onion in the bottom. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the taco seasoning.
- In a bowl combine the beans, cooked quinoa, green onion, cilantro and 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning; mix well.
- Place the bean and quinoa mixture over the veggies in the baking dish. Spread salsa on top of the quinoa mixture. Top with cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Removed cover and bake for another 20 minutes or until cheese has melted, the sweet potatoes are cooked and everything is hot throughout.
- Serve immediately topped with greek yogurt, avocado slices, green onion and cilantro if desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of recipe | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!
I loved that you said that you could consider tempeh tacos that are loaded with Mexican flavor. As you said, your favorite topping could be used to load them up. My husband and I are interested in eating at a Mexican restaurant with the kids for a bonding moment. Since we want something that everyone will enjoy, we will consider your tips.