Eight Traditional Dia de los Muertos Recipes

Traditional Day of the Dead dishes like tamales and pozole don’t just feed the living — they also nourish the souls of the dead on their long journey between worlds.

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Vibrant and joyful, Day of the Dead celebrates the lives of loved ones who have passed away. The holiday is observed on November 1 and 2 throughout Latin America but is most strongly associated with Mexico, where it originated. It’s believed that the spirits of the deceased return during this time to visit the living, who welcome them back with open arms. Some families travel to cemeteries to decorate graves and picnic. Others set up ofrendas (altars) in their homes with marigold flowers, prayer candles, and photos of departed kin, who are the guests of honor. Día de los Muertos is a personalized, intimate affair — but no matter how each family marks the holiday, food is always central to the celebration.

Traditional Day of the Dead dishes like tamales and pozole don’t just feed the living — they also nourish the souls of the dead on their long journey between worlds. Families place the deceased’s favorite foods and drinks on graves and ofrendas, enticing the spirits to make the trip with mouthwatering aromas and delicious displays. Many dishes date back hundreds if not thousands of years to pre-Hispanic cultures like the Aztecs and Maya. While Día de los Muertos fare varies by region, by family, and by ancestors, certain foods are intricately interwoven with the special time of year that reunites the living and the dead.

Pan de Muerto / Bread of the Dead

Perfect with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate, pan de muerto is a fluffy, semisweet circular loaf that’s dusted with sugar and topped with knobby crossbones of dough. Subtle flavorings of star anise, orange zest, and orange blossom complement its buttery, brioche-like texture. The bread symbolizes different things to different people: the circle of life, the tears that were cried, the tomb or the skull of the deceased. Some loaves are covered in sesame seeds and others in pink sugar. Placed on the ofrenda to pay tribute to the dead, pan de muerto brings back sweet memories of loved ones lost.

You’ll see pan de muerto at grocery stores and Mexican bakeries all over town leading up to Day of the Dead; Esperanza’s Bakery & Café makes some of the best. Part of the Joe T. Garcia’s family, the bakery churns out hundreds of pan de muerto each season.

Calaveras de Azúcar / Sugar Skulls

Although not intended to be eaten, these elaborately decorated ornaments are inextricably connected with Day of the Dead. Each calavera represents the spirit of a friend or family member who has passed on; their name is often written on the skull. Big smiles, bright icing, sequins, and jewels create an eye-catching display for the ofrenda. More folk art than food, calaveras are crafted with a mix of sugar, water, and meringue that’s pressed into a mold and dried (amaranth seed dough was used before the Spanish introduced sugar). The skulls’ striking iconography makes them the very symbol of Día de los Muertos, and they’re replicated on everything from cookies to T-shirts. 

In Mexico, sugar skulls are usually purchased at open-air markets, but you can shop for them at Kandy Queen Dulceria in Richland Hills — a colorful extravaganza of Mexican candy, chips, and drinks. You’ll find pre-decorated skulls in three sizes along with Day of the Dead piñatas and party decor.

Tamales

Tamales are a year-round staple in many Latin American cultures, but they’re especially important on holidays like Día de los Muertos. Originating in Mesoamerica as early as 8,000 B.C.E., tamales consist of masa (corn dough) and a filling wrapped inside a corn husk or banana leaf. They’re mentioned in the oldest known indigenous record, the Dresden Codex, which notes they were stuffed with fish, deer, turkey, and iguana. Aztecs filled them with frog, flamingo, and salamander, and their warriors carried the portable protein packets into battle. One of the most common foods on ofrendas, tamales can have hundreds of different sweet and savory fillings. Local restaurant Maria’s Mexican Kitchen makes its tamales with chicken and blue corn masa, then tops them off with crema, tomatillo sauce, and a fried egg.

Atole & Champurrado

Atole is a warm, satisfying beverage that’s often sipped at breakfast with tamales — and like tamales, its main ingredient is corn. It’s impossible to overstate the significance of corn, or maiz, to indigenous American cultures. Much more than the principal source of nourishment, corn was the life source of humanity. Maize gods played vital roles in many native mythologies; the ancient Maya believed that human beings were formed from yellow and white corn. You can use either to make atole, a blend of corn flour with canela (Mexican cinnamon), raw cane sugar, and vanilla. Turn it into champurrado by adding chocolate, another Mesoamerican treat. During Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico, street vendors sell atole and champurrado to families heading to cemeteries to keep vigil with the departed. 

Pozole

Taking its name from the Aztec word for corn (pozolli), this hearty stew has been served on the Mexican table since the pre-Hispanic era. Hominy and meat (usually chicken or pork) are pozole’s defining ingredients, but the rich broth gets its verve from chili peppers, onion, and garlic — plus a flotilla of fresh toppings like avocado and cilantro. “Pozole is one of the main celebratory dishes we do on Day of the Dead,” says Angel Fuentes, owner and mastermind of Guapo Taco. He cooks pozole in honor of his grandmother, who loved the flavorful soup. “I use her recipe pretty much — that’s why it’s so good!” Fuentes serves this green chicken pozole at his restaurant during colder months, a steaming bowl of comfort that’s ideal on a chilly evening.

Recipe:

Angel Fuentes’ Pozole

Ingredients

4 ounces dried guajillo or ancho chiles, or a combination

3 pounds pork shoulder well-marbled with fat (preferably with bone), cut into 1- to 1½-inch cubes (or pork shank)

1 large can white hominy (108 ounces), drained and rinsed well

1 white onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic

5 bay leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

4 tablespoons dry oregano (Mexican oregano if available)

Salt to taste

Garnishes

1 small cabbage, shredded

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

½ white onion, chopped

4 limes, quartered

1 bunch radishes, sliced thin

12-24 tostada shells (or tortilla chips)

Directions

In a small pot, cover the chiles with water and boil until soft. Blend with ½ onion, 4 cloves garlic, and 1 tablespoon oregano. Set aside.

Add the remaining ingredients to a large pot: pork, hominy, bay leaves, cumin and the rest of the onion, garlic, and oregano.

Cover, bring to a boil and then simmer until the pork shreds easily, around two hours — but it might be more or less, so check it with a fork to see. 

Strain the red chile sauce and add to the pork mixture, then simmer for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves and garlic cloves, and salt to taste.

Ladle into bowls and top with garnishes and a squeeze of lime. Serve with tostadas or tortilla chips.

Calabaza En Tacha / Candied Pumpkin

Calabaza en tacha has a place of honor on many ofrendas, particularly on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Pumpkin was an essential component of the Mesoamerican diet for thousands of years; its firm flesh was roasted in fire pits and sweetened with the sap of the maguey plant, which you know as agave syrup. But today most calabaza en tacha is made with piloncillo, an unprocessed Mexican cane sugar sold in a cone. Slices of pumpkin are braised in a thick piloncillo syrup with Mexican cinnamon and maybe cloves or star anise. Baked until tender and fragrant, calabaza is eaten warm and swimming in syrup. You can also drizzle it with condensed milk or serve with vanilla ice cream.

Arroz con Leche / Rice with Milk

“Arroz con leche is the first food that comes to mind when I think about Día de los Muertos,” says Jacqueline Anaya, the chef behind the restaurant Calisience. Seasoned simply with sugar and cinnamon, the creamy rice pudding is a surefire crowd-pleaser that brings up fond memories for many. “Everyone makes arroz con leche similar, in my opinion, and because of its similarity, it reminds us of past holidays or of a specific person who’s no longer with us,” says Anaya. “It’s a delicious, sweet, comforting dessert.” Serve the recipe hot off the stove or chill it down — or just stop by Calisience and order a bowl made by the master.

Recipe

Jacqueline Anaya’s

Arroz con Leche

Ingredients

8 cups water

2 cups whole milk

1 can evaporated milk (12 ounces)

1 can condensed milk (14 ounces)

1 cup long-grain white rice

½ cup sugar

4 cinnamon sticks

Raisins (optional)

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently so the rice doesn’t clump or stick.

Leave uncovered and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the rice is tender, continuing to stir frequently.

If desired, add raisins a few minutes before serving. Remove cinnamon sticks and spoon into bowls. 

Mole Negro / Black Sauce 

With layer after layer of smoky, complex flavor, mole negro is one of the richest Mexican dishes. Recipes for this intense and velvety sauce are often cherished heirlooms and handed down for generations. Up to 30 ingredients come together in mole negro: blackened or burned chiles, nuts, seeds, raisins, prunes, breadcrumbs and/or chocolate. Typically spooned over chicken or turkey, the sauce takes at least a day and sometimes more to prepare correctly — which is why it’s only made for special occasions, like Día de los Muertos. You’ll often see mole negro on graves and ofrendas; this beloved dish is at the top of the list of family favorites. 

The mole at Enchiladas Olé isn’t technically mole negro, “but I make it with a lot of nuts,” says chef and owner Mary Perez — and it’s considered by many to be the best mole in Fort Worth. Pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, almonds, and chocolate all go into the recipe. Restaurant Don Artemio puts a twist on tradition by serving mole negro with seared Chilean sea bass, sliced plantain, and tomato herb rice. As Day of the Dead draws closer, watch for the sauce to pop up on other Mexican menus around town.