59 Healthy Mexican-Inspired Recipes You Can Feel Better About Eating
Because giving up Mexican food just isn't worth it.
We're getting to that time of the year where sometimes we want to make lighter choices without cutting out our favorite types of foods. For us, that’s Mexican cuisine—we just can’t get enough of its wide variety of flavors, textures, and colorful dishes. Relatable? These 59 healthy Mexican recipes are proof you can have it all, whether you’re cutting carbs, going vegan, or just trying to add more veggies to your diet. Paired with all the classic Mexican sides and drinks, they might just have you feeling like you're oceanside in Tulum. 😎
We know health looks different to different people, so we’ve included options for every diet, like keto, vegan, pollo- or pescatarian, gluten-free, and even low oil. Craving Mexican classics like tacos or burritos, but trying to ditch the carbs? Try our cabbage burritos, our zucchini enchiladas, or our taco tomatoes. Looking to cut out your red meat consumption? Our Mexican chicken recipes have your back—some standouts here include our grilled chicken street tacos, our cheesy salsa chicken & cauliflower rice skillet, or our copycat Chipotle chicken burrito bowl. Want something plant-based? Try our chipotle vegan queso, our vegan crunchwraps, or our summer squash sheet-pan tacos. Want one of Mexico’s super crunchy dishes, but aren’t stoked on the deep frying? Your air fryer to the rescue! Our air fryer chimichangas or or our air fryer chicken taquitos are proof you can get all the crispy texture you crave, without all that oil.
Want some drinks to go with your healthy and light Mexican feast? Try some of our favorite summer cocktails, our fave non-alcoholic beverages, and our best big batch summer drinks too. We also have a host of Mexican desserts to round out your meal, because at Delish, we believe desserts = balance.
Taco Salad
When it comes to healthy salads, none are more hearty than a taco salad. Load it up with veggies, cheese, and ground beef for the perfect satisfying meal. We love this classic version, but if you want to get fancy, feel free to swap in and out your fave toppings.
Get the Taco Salad recipe.
Skinny Margaritas
Margaritas are pretty slimmed down (or “skinny”) already, ingredients-wise, so all we’re doing here is removing some of the refined sugar and replacing it with more natural ingredients. This means not only are these “skinny margs” lower in calories, they’ve also got slightly less alcohol (meaning you can enjoy more of them 😉). Win win!
Get the Skinny Margaritas recipe.
Grilled Chicken Street Tacos
Nothing beats a street taco—super-juicy, tender grilled meat in a quick grab-and-go format, typically made possible by doubling up two smaller corn tortillas. This makes them easier to eat on the side of the street, in the car, anywhere! They're no frills yet tend to be some of the most craveable tacos around.
Get the Grilled Chicken Street Tacos recipe.
Cabbage Enchiladas
Skeptical about cabbage? You might be surprised how well it melds with the other flavors. We're fans!
Get the Cabbage Enchiladas recipe.
Spicy Chicken Taquitos
Traditionally shallow-fried, our lightened-up taquitos crisp up perfectly in the oven or the air-fryer. We love topping them with pickled jalapeños or pickled red onions, homemade salsa, and sliced radishes, but you do you.
Get the Spicy Chicken Taquitos recipe.
Burrito Zucchini Boats
You won't miss the tortilla in these stuffed zucchinis. They've got everything you love about your favorite burrito—black beans, corn, CHEESE—minus the carbs!
Get the Zucchini Burrito Boats recipe.
Corn Tortillas
Fresh tortillas are softer and more flavorful than what you’ll find packaged at the store. They would take any taco Tuesday night to another level, afterall, if you’ve put in the work to make great tacos al pastor, you need great corn tortillas to go with it.
Get the Corn Tortilla recipe.
Keto Taquitos
Typically, taquitos are made by rolling a variety of fillings tightly in a corn tortilla before deep frying. They're good. Like, REALLY good. Unfortunately, they're not keto, so we got creative and replaced the tortilla with something that is: cheese!
Get the Keto Taquitos recipe.
Turkey Taco Lettuce Cups
We’re always on the lookout for yummy ground turkey recipes, and this one is one of our faves. These lettuce wraps come together fast (just 20 minutes!), are super flavorful, and can be customized how you like it. Top them with your favorite taco toppings, really anything goes!
Get the Turkey Taco Lettuce Cups recipe.
Taco Tomatoes
We're all for a genius low-carb hack—and these tomatoes totally deliver. We had never thought to stuff them with taco meat, cheese, and sour cream, but we'll do anything in the name of ditching a tortilla for a low-carb meal. You can change up the fillings for cheeseburger tomatoes, too.
Get the Taco Tomatoes recipe.
Crispy Sheet-Pan Black Bean Tacos
Featuring refried black beans stuffed inside a crunchy corn tortilla, this irresistible cross between a taco and a sheet-pan quesadilla will make any weeknight feel like a celebration. Oh—and did we mention you only need 5 ingredients to get the party started?
Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowl
While we’re all about switching things up, when we want a tried-and-true perfect meal, we always go back to Chipotle's chicken burrito bowl. It’s classic, reliable, and, best of all, completely customizable depending on our mood. We’ve included recipes here for all our favorite burrito bowl toppings, but feel free to swap them in and out for yours!
Get the Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowl recipe.
Ceviche
While it may seem fancy, ceviche is actually a fairly simple dish at its core. All it involves is tossing raw seafood in lime juice, then letting the acid in the citrus “cook” the fish. The result is a light and refreshing dish that’s a perfect summertime snack or pre-dinner app.
Get the Ceviche recipe.
Grilled Portobello Tacos
Mushroom lovers alert: Summer taco nights just got upgraded. Featuring portobello mushrooms marinated in taco spices and grilled to perfection, these vegetarian tacos will delight meat-lovers and vegans alike.
Get the Grilled Portobello Tacos recipe.
Vegan Crunchwraps
We updated our fave crunchwrap supreme to be totally vegan and completely irresistible. Creamy vegan queso dip and meaty lentils make a satisfying filling while a quick trip in a hot skillet adds crunch to every bite.
Get the Vegan Crunchwraps recipe.
Baked Yuca Fries
Are you a sweet potato fry fan? You’re going to LOVE these. These sweet and nutty cassava fries admittedly do take a bit of preparation, but once you’ve peeled, chopped, and boiled them, you can turn them into extremely crispy fries that’ll rival any French fry.
Get the Baked Yuca Fries recipe.
Picadillo
This isn’t a glorified chili, even if your gut instinct is to call it one. Picadillo is even more than a simple tailgate bowl of beef and beans, anyone you serve it to will love it. Complex in flavor, and studded with briny capers and olives and sweet raisins, it is a great weeknight meal.
Get the Picadillo recipe.
Turkey Zucchini Enchilada Casserole
There are few things zucchini can't do—from grilled zucchini to zucchini soup and zucchini lattice lasagna, you can use it in so many different ways. Here, the summer squash is standing in for corn tortillas in this lightened-up, enchilada-inspired casserole. Yum!
Grilled Shrimp Tacos With Sriracha Slaw
There are no extraneous ingredients here—once you grab shrimp, you've probably got almost everything to make these already! We left the tails on the shrimp for grilling, but feel free to take them off.
Cauliflower Tacos
Looking to spice up taco night? Call in the roasted cauliflower. Loaded with crisp cabbage slaw and drizzled with a tangy lime crema, these richly spiced cauliflower tacos promise to shake up your weeknight dinner routine for good.
Get the Cauliflower Tacos recipe.
