Day of the Dead Food & Drink: 10 Iconic Recipes That Honor Your Loved Ones

Do you believe Day of the Dead cuisine can be celebrated by professional chefs and conventional Mexican kitchens? That's a wrong assumption.

You can make meals at home with the right recipes and bring the spirit of Día de los Muertos food into your own house. These culinary customs are intended to bring families closer to their deceased loved ones, rather than merely serving basic recipes. It's a special day to celebrate the lives of those who have passed away. 

Here's your guide to making ten authentic Day of the Dead recipes without leaving home. Read further to enter a journey into the sacred world of Día de los Muertos cuisine!

Traditional Day of the Dead Dishes 

Do you want to appreciate the culinary traditions? Try these with Day of the Dead food. Prepare these dishes to savor the authentic flavors your family will always love. So, explore these traditional recipes:

1. Pan de Muerto 

Known as the Bread of the Dead, Pan de Muerto is a golden, sweet bread. Its round shape presents the circle of life, and bone-shaped decorations honor the departed loved ones.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup warm milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp active dry yeast

3 eggs

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp anise seeds

Steps:

Add flour, sugar, salt, and yeast, then combine them using warm milk and eggs. 

Add butter, orange zest, and anise seeds when kneading the dough, and shape the loaves into round shapes.

Keep it at rest for 1 hour. Brush egg and sprinkle with sugar. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350°F.

2. Sugar Skulls 

These sugar skulls aren't decorations, but colorful edibles. You can decorate each skull with icing, flavored gels, flowers, and your loved one's name. 

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar

2 tbsp meringue powder

2 tbsp water

Food coloring

Icing for decoration

Method:

Make a dough of sugar and meringue powder with water.

Press firmly into the skull molds, ensuring a tight fit for clean edges.

Dry it at room temperature.

Decorate with icing or gel food colors.

3. Champurrado 

Comfort families with this creamy, spiced hot chocolate.  Unlike regular hot chocolate, champurrado gets thickened with masa harina.

Ingredients:

4 cups whole milk

1/4 cup masa harina

3 oz Mexican chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cinnamon stick

Preparation:

Mix milk with the masa harina to make it smooth and lump-free. 

Simmer the remaining milk with a cinnamon stick. Then add chocolate and brown sugar. 

Pour the masa mixture to avoid lumps. 

Simmer to thicken the mix.

4. Mole Negro 

Though the sauce requires time and effort, it honors the departed loved ones. It is known to be Mexico's most treasured dish among the Day of the Dead dishes.

Ingredients:

6 dried chiles

1 oz Mexican chocolate

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

2 tomatoes

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

Spices 

Steps:

Toast chiles in a dry pan 

Then soak in hot water for a few minutes.

Set aside after toasting the seeds until they are golden brown.

Blend these chiles with water until smooth.

Sauté vegetables and mix in the chile mixture.

Serve with turkey or chicken.

5. Atole de Guayaba

Love guava flavor? This pink, frothy drink tastes the best. So, combine the guava with tropical flavors and sweet bread, and sweeten your taste buds.

Ingredients:

1 cup guava paste

4 cups milk

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Dissolve cornstarch in cold milk.

Heat the remaining milk with the guava paste and whisk until the paste dissolves completely.

The sugar and cornstarch mixture should be added while whisking constantly over medium heat.

Add a few drops of vanilla essence

Thicken the mixture 

6. Tamales de Dulce 

Enjoy Day of the Dead celebrations with pineapple and raisin flavors. Enhance the taste of the masa harina using food colors and hibiscus water.

Ingredients:

2 cups masa harina for tamales

1/2 cup lard or vegetable shortening

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

Pink food coloring

Raisins and pineapple chunks for filling

Corn husks, soaked

Preparation:

Beat lard until fluffy

Then mix masa harina, sugar, and baking powder.

To get the appropriate hue for these Dead delicacies, mix pink food coloring.

Fold the masa tightly and distribute it on the corn husks, then add the sweet filling.

Steam until the masa pulls easily from the husk.

7. Calabaza en Tacha 

This isn’t an ordinary dessert. The pumpkin transforms the ingredients into a magical cuisine. In addition, the cinnamon adds an amber essence.

Ingredients:

3 lbs pumpkin, cut into large pieces

2 cones piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar)

3 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

Water to cover

Steps:

Layer pumpkin pieces in a large pot with piloncillo and spices.

Add water and cover the pumpkin slices.

Thicken the syrup by simmering.

8. Agua de Jamaica 

Hibiscus flowers contribute to the deep red color in the agua de jamaica, a Day of the Dead drink. Fresh fruit pieces float in the sweet, tart liquid like jewels.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried hibiscus flowers

8 cups water

1/2 cup sugar 

Fresh fruit pieces 

Ice cubes

Method:

Boil water and pour over hibiscus flowers. 

Steep for 20 minutes.

Strain the liquid and add the remaining cold water and sugar.

Add fresh fruit pieces and serve with ice.

9. Ate de Membrillo 

Cut the decorative shapes of quince sweet paste to enhance the celebration of the Day of the Dead. Its orange color represents the marigold flowers.

Ingredients:

2 lbs quince, peeled and cored

2 cups sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:

Cook the quince till it softens.

Add sugar and lemon juice.

Stir for 45-60 minutes 

Pour into molds and cool completely.

10. Dulce de Leche Skulls

Dulce de Leche skulls are so soft that they melt in your mouth. This is the easiest dish to prepare for the Day of the Dead celebrations.  

Ingredients:

Condensed milk

Pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Skull-shaped molds

Steps:

Cook condensed milk in a double boiler till thick and caramel-colored.

Add vanilla extract and salt in the last ten minutes of cooking.

Pour the mixture into the skull molds and refrigerate until set.

Dust with cocoa powder.

Create Dishes for the Day of the Dead Celebration

Picture the delight of presenting your family with these authentic Day of the Dead snacks, each recipe steeped in history and significance. Creating these Day of the Dead recipes at home will cost you less than buying from specialty stores. 

You don't have to be just a Mexican to celebrate the Day. Savor the tastes and create unforgettable memories.