Cinco de Mayo Party Inspiration and Recipes

If you're looking for Cinco de Mayo ideas, here they are! These are some of the best Cinco de Mayo inspiration ideas plus 40 amazing recipes you can use!

Mexican food was a favorite of mine long before I lived in the southwest. My mom could practically eat cheese enchiladas for a week straight if she had to. Though you wouldn't need to pull her arm too much for that to happen. I guess I come by it naturally, because I, too, could eat Mexican multiple times in a row without complaint.

So when Cinco de Mayo rolls around every year, I like to plan to eat all things Mexican, margarita and taco.

Cinco de Mayo Party Ideas

One reason I'm super excited about Cinco de Mayo this year is because we have a local Mexican food market that I discovered and love going to! For Christmas, we made tamales and were able to go this market to get fresh maza, corn husks and the rest of the supplies we needed to make our tamales. I feel like a little bit of an outsider there, but it's a fantastic place to get great deals on meat and spices and it takes me to another world for just a few moments.

Much of the inspiration for this Cinco de Mayo party set up of mine came from walking around the market, looking at decorations and picking up these Jaritos soda bottles. I love that Mexican themed decorations are always so bright and colorful! It was also super fun layering a lace tablecloth with an authentic blanket that we have in the family.

When it comes to food for a Cinco de Mayo get together, there are so many options. We enjoyed this little meal after my party setup, so I kept it simple with slow cooker beef tacos with cilantro, lime and queso blanco, bean dip, my one pot taco soup, chips and salad plus festive pink margaritas! Instead of making cupcakes, I decided to go with store bought white cake cupcakes and spiced them up by adding a sprinkle of cinnamon on top and a cinnamon stick! This was a super easy way to be able to have dessert, without adding another dish I had to make for this party.

I had a bit of a hard time finding decorations I loved for the back drop for this Cinco de Mayo party, but did find that Amazon has traditional paper flags. I found these colorful pinwheels at Michael's for a few dollars! The coasters are from World Market and the festive silverware was found in the dollar section at Target!

I've talked about the importance of height differences when you're setting up a tablescape for a party and a Cinco de Mayo party is no different. You can add visual height changes with different size bowls, glasses and adding things like a crate upside down for a cupcake stand, or the bottles in the back to add depth to the whole scene.

Recipes for Cinco de Mayo:

Margarita Granita by Feast + West
Traditional Mexican Rice by A Joyfully Mad Kitchen
Chicken Enchilada Casserole by A Joyfully Mad Kitchen
Salsa Verde Pork Tacos by A Joyfully Mad Kitchen
Poblano & Mushroom Tosadas by The Mexitalian
Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Agua Fresca by Will Frolic for Food
Street Corn-style Roasted Potatoes by A Little Gathering
Pork & Black Bean Stew by think fruitful
Tequila Lime Tart by Love & Flour
Crispy Fish Tacos with Cajun Mayo by Winstead Wandering
Strawberry Watermelon Agua Fresca by A Savory Feast
Shredded Chicken Gorditas by Loves Food, Loves to Eat
Carne Asada Fries by Tornadough Alli
Mexican Carrot Dogs with Chunky Salsa Verde by Strength and Sunshine
Raspberry Lime Rickey Margaritas by Feed Me Phoebe
Slow Cooked Carnitas Style Chicken by Simple and Savory
Chicken Fajita Sandwich by Brunch-n-Bites
Cantaloupe Mint Margaritas by The Speckled Palate
Brussel Sprout, Wild Mushroom, Avocado and Feta Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa by Arthur Street Kitchen
Roasted Veggie Salsa by Living Well Kitchen
Seared Scallop Tacos with Spring Mango Salsa and Avocado Cream by Domesticate ME!
Blackberry Mint Agua Fresca by the Grant life
Traditional Homemade Flour Tortillas by Sustaining the Powers
Nightshade Free Southwest Salad by I Say Nomato
Southwestern Orzo Salad by Family Food on the Table
Cheesy Southwest Egg Rolls by Pink Cake Plate
Watermelon Mint Margarita by Gold & Bloom
Blood Orange Margaritas by Glisten and Grace
Veggie Stuffed Chiles Rellenos with Avocado Cream by Hello Little Home
Slow Cooker Red Chicken Enchiladas by Sustaining the Powers
Margerita Poke Cake by Pink Cake Plate
Mojito Cupcakes by The Rustic Willow
Margarita Shrimp Tacos by Crunch Time Kitchen
Pineapple Cilantro Salsa by Feast + West
One Pot Taco Soup by A Joyfully Mad Kitchen
Sizzling Texas Fajitas by Sustaining the Powers
Tequila Lime Cupcakes with Margarita Buttercream by Sugar Dish Me

What are your Cinco de Mayo plans? Do you have a favorite recipe from the list above?