Must-Try Mexican Desserts That Feature Sweet and Spice

By BH&G Food Editors
Updated August 02, 2019
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Craving a way to satisfy your sweet tooth after a taco dinner or fajita feast? Try one of our fan-favorite Mexican dessert recipes, including crispy churros and fruit-stuffed empanadas. Loaded with flavors like cinnamon, caramel, mango, and more, these festive dessert recipes will help any day feel more like a fiesta.
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Tequila-Spiked Apple Empanadas

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Hand pies go South of the Border with a tequila- and cayenne-infused glaze. We made these empanadas sweet by filling the Mexican dessert with buttery chopped apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. This isn't your grandma's apple pie recipe. (Shh... It's better!)

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Glazed Churros

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Churros, with their cinnamon-sugar coating, are the quintessential Mexican dessert. A flavorful glaze puts a fun spin on the airy treat. Our authentic Mexican churros recipe lets you pick from four different types of glazes to dip into: Mexican chocolate, birthday cake, orange, or pistachio-lime.

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Watermelon Margarita Pops

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Part fruit, part cocktail, these adults-only watermelon pops freeze in a marinade of orange juice and zest, tequila, and a bit of sugar. Just like the shaker drink, this Mexican dessert recipe is finished with a sprinkle of salt.

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Homemade Tres Leches Cake

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You can never have too many recipes for tres leches cake. Among Mexican cake recipes, tres leches is a classic, and its ultramoist texture is enticing for any occasion. We sprinkled strawberry slices over the whipped frosting in this recipe, but you could also try it with mixed berries or a drizzle of dulce de leche.

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Stuffed Churro Puffs

Credit: Jason Donnelly
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Transform plain churros into an even more decadent dessert. A cross between an authentic Mexican churros recipe and cream puffs, this supersweet dessert is the perfect ending to your Mexican dinner party (it makes enough to serve 15!). Loaded with dulce de leche and whipped cream, guests will have a hard time stopping after just one.

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Mexican Chocolate Pots de Crème

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A little bit of cinnamon (just a quarter teaspoon!) goes a long way to give these creamy chocolate custards warm Mexican flavor. The hardest part about this dish is the waiting—you'll have to be patient for an hour so this Mexican chocolate recipe can cool before digging in.

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Cajeta Quesadillas with Fruit Salsa

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Discover the sweet side of Mexican food with our fruity spin on quesadillas. The outside features a crispy caramel-drizzled tortilla, while the inside holds a marvelous medley of pineapple, blackberries, and agave nectar. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream, and you've got yourself one fun, fiesta-ready Mexican dessert recipe.

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Huachibolas (Jam and Cream Cheese Rolls)

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Break open one of these buttery rolls to discover a cream cheese and fruit jam filling. (Hint: Opt for orange marmalade for the perfect tangy-sweet combo to complement the cinnamon-sugar topping.) Add it to the top of your must-make list of Mexican pastry recipes, because these goodies can function both as a dessert and a special sweet breakfast.

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Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Rather than piping long, stick-like churros, funnel the dough into round spirals before frying. Two of these churro cookies are the perfect cinnamon-sugar bookends for an ice cream sandwich! With melty vanilla ice cream smushed between two fried churros, it comes close to a Mexican fried ice cream recipe.

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Vanilla and Chocolate Conchas

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Often served with breakfast at Mexican restaurants, these sweet yeast cookies are loaded with enough classic dessert ingredients (butter, sugar, cocoa powder) to be a satisfying treat any time of day. Plus, they have to be some of the prettiest Mexican cookie recipes we've ever seen!

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Dulce de Leche Fluff Brownies

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This Mexican dessert is perfect for a crowd! Mounds of swirly marshmallow creme add sticky sweetness to caramelly dulce de leche bars. Don't forget to sprinkle with a spoonful of toasted pecans for a bit of crunch on top of this Mexican brownie recipe.

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Mexican Corn Cakes

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If you love bread pudding or spoon bread, this Mexican dessert is just your style. Cinnamon ice cream and honey add just the right amount of sweetness to the delicious fresh corn flavor. Unlike other Mexican cake recipes, there's no need to stir together a batch of frosting for a topper; a scoop of cinnamon ice cream is all you need.

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Upside-Down Mango Cake

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Give pineapple upside-down cake a modern makeover by using mangoes as the spotlight fruit. Top things off with a drizzle of dulce de leche and a sprinkle of shredded coconut for even more Mexican flair. One look at all that gooey dulce de leche on top, and no one will be able to resist a slice of the Mexican cake recipe.

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Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

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Don't want to fuss with making fried sopapillas at home? Bake a batch of dessert bars that feature the same flavors. To make prep for this Mexican cheesecake recipe even easier, we call for refrigerated flaky biscuits for the top and bottom crusts.

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Dulce de Leche Cake

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Dulce de leche is a creamy concoction similar to caramel sauce that's made from sweetened milk; when warmed, it tastes like caramelized cinnamon-sugar. You can make your own or look for this South American delicacy in the ethnic section of your grocery store or at Mexican specialty markets. It's utterly delicious and gorgeous drizzled on top of this Mexican cake recipe.

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Cinnamon Churros

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Like donut recipes, these cinnamon-sugar-coated strips of fried dough are always a hit. Dress them up with a bowl of sweet and spicy Mexican chocolate sauce for dipping. If you're looking for authentic Mexican dessert recipes to serve at your fiesta, you can't go wrong with churros.

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Salted Caramel Flan with Blackberries

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Give a traditional Mexican flan recipe a sophisticated spin with elegant flavors from salted caramel and fresh blackberries. The smooth, melt-in-your-mouth caramel flan is a delicious and impressive sweet for any occasion.

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Sopapillas with Spiced Honey

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We promised some spice with your sweetness, and here it is. Sopapillas are one of our favorite Mexican pastry recipes because of the flaky fried dough and the variety of toppings and sauces (or a scoop of ice cream). To add some fire to the sweetness of this recipe, we drizzled them with a mix of honey and crushed red pepper.

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Caramelized Banana Champurrado

Credit: Blaine Moats
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Champurrado is a Mexican drink that's similar to hot chocolate, but usually includes masa harina to make it thicker than traditional hot chocolate. While a steaming mug of champurrado is enough to qualify as a dessert on its own, this Mexican champurrado recipe goes to the next level with caramelized bananas.

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Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies with Dulce De Leche Filling

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A sprinkle of cayenne pepper sasses up these chocolaty one-bite wonders. Just add a pinch or two to the smooth dulce de leche filling that's sandwiched between two homemade icebox cookies. Each bite of this Mexican cookie recipe is balanced with a spicy kick and gooey, chocolatey sweetness.

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Canela Buñuelos with Anise Syrup

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You're looking at one of our favorite Mexican desserts. Canela, Spanish for "cinnamon," is milder and crumblier than most versions. Its flavor gives these fried funnel-cake-like treats their light flavor, allowing the homemade anise syrup to shine.

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Tres Leches Cake

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Tres leches means three milks in Spanish and refers to the three different milks in the vanilla sauce that drizzles over this cake. This no-fuss version of a classic cake starts with a box of cake mix and adds a layer of chopped fresh strawberries that makes it look like a fancy layered Mexican cake recipe.

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Pineapple-Banana Crepas de Cajeta

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Give banana pancakes a break in favor of banana crepes. These thin but mighty treats get a Mexican makeover with the help of fresh fruit, creamy cajeta caramel, and a splash of rum. When you're ready to serve this easy Mexican dessert recipe, don't hold back on the homemade caramel sauce—it's so good!

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Mocha Tres Leches Cake

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Sink your teeth into soft, fluffy spoonfuls of rich, chocolaty goodness. This twist on tres leches features espresso coffee powder baked into moist chocolate cake that's topped with creamy curls of whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. If you're craving cocoa, this Mexican chocolate recipe will satisfy your sweet tooth.

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Mango-Horchata Rice Pudding (Arroz con Leche)

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Horchata is a popular drink in Mexico similar to other plant-based milks and made with rice and cinnamon. To make it more dessert-like, we added fresh mangos and golden raisins to make a sweet Mexican rice pudding. Served cool, this Mexican horchata recipe is at its best with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon and a few sliced almonds on top.

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Tres Leches-Berry Parfaits

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Transform an ordinary fruit parfait into a delectable dessert when you add a few simple ingredients: rum-infused cake cubes, juicy berries, and our homemade cinnamon tres leches sauce. Starting with a boxed cake mix cuts down on the measuring and mixing involved in this easy Mexican dessert recipe.

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Anise Churros with Chocolate Sauce

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These sugar-coated Mexican churros are just like the classic with one flavor update. We added both anise seed and anise extract to the batter to give them a rich, licorice-like flavor. Remember to dunk them in a creamy bowl of coffee-infused chocolate for a wonderfully warm Mexican combination.

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Lime-Piloncillo Cocada

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Piloncillo is unrefined cane sugar that's pressed into cones and tastes like caramel. The dark brown sugar adds sweetness to these flaky coconut cookies featuring salted pistachios and toasted almonds. You can freeze the Mexican cookies for up to a month so you always have a sweet snack on hand.

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Vanilla Flan with Butterscotch Sauce

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This Mexican dessert recipe couldn't be easier! The simple pairing of sweet vanilla bean and half-and-half creates smooth spoonfuls of creamy goodness. Drape the top of this delightfully light Mexican flan recipe in a layer of velvety butterscotch for a warm touch.

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By BH&G Food Editors