Healthy Mexican Food Recipes (lower calorie)

Mexican food is never off limits with these healthy Mexican food recipes! Big flavors and lean ingredients make them a great choice for everything from Taco Tuesdays to Cinco de Mayo and busy weeknights!

There's no question why Mexican food is a favorite. Bold flavors, steamy spices and filling ingredients make it a satisfying comfort food choice.

We've rounded up an exciting collection of healthy, slimmed down Mexican food recipe perfect for Cinco de Mayo or whenever the urge strikes. Fresh ingredients and authentic flavors make these showstoppers a hit any time.

Authentic Mexican Recipe

We are fortunate to have some international friends who have collaborated with us sharing their beloved family recipes for us to slim down (as always, using real food ingredients). These are a few favorites we know you'll love and may not have tried before. From delicious Salpicon beef salad to Adobo Chicken (great as a main dish or shredded for meal prep and other dishes), these Mexican food staples are stars.

Mexican Food Inspired Recipes

Here at Make It Skinny Please we can't keep Mexican food off our plates (and in our glasses when it comes to Skinny Margaritas and Skinny Palomas). We especially love recipes heavy on fresh ingredients and lighter on the cheesy aspect.

We think you'll agree, you won't miss the loads of cheese or fatty toppings on these recipes. The natural ingredient flavors shine bright and are so satisfying.

Whether making shredded Mexican chicken or Copycat Chipotle Chicken for as a component for other dishes like tacos (or meal prepping), or a healthy deconstructed taco in the form of Taco Black Bean Spaghetti, these easy recipes never disappoint.

Healthy Mexican recipe ideas

Having some staple 'component' recipes is great to whip up dishes tailored to your own preferences. By component recipes we mean recipe that you can make and use in other dishes. Mexican Cauliflower rice is an example as well as the Slow Cooker Barbacoa, Mexican shredded chicken or the Copycat Chipotle Chicken.

Here are some delicious, healthy Mexican recipe ideas that you can customize with your favorite ingredients:

Burrito bowls. A healthy bowl recipe is perfect for lunch on the go or dinner on busy weeknights. Use some of the cauliflower rice, one of our lean proteins or a plant protein like black beans and loads of colorful vegetable toppings (chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and or purple cabbage, cilantro) and some salsa or pico de gallo.

Tacos. This classic is a great option because you can go heavy on the vegetables toppings to keep it light, yet filling. Pick corn tortillas which have more fiber, whole grains and are lower in fat than flour tortillas. A fun twist is to use 'street taco' size corn tortillas. They are perfect for 3 bite tacos (which are more filling than you'd guess).

Healthy Ingredient Swaps

Sometimes it seems Mexican food is all about the cheese.....and no one (me included) is complaining about that! But when trying to work it into a healthy eating plan those extra calories add up fast.

Here are some ideas to pare down the calories while keeping the flavors you love:

Cheese. Swap in lower fat cheese or just use less. Frankly you'll feel better and your body will thank you for multiple reasons.

Sour cream. Non-fat plain Greek yogurt is a great swap. We love Chobani brand for this very reason. It has just the right tanginess and is thick just like sour cream. You can thin it with a bit of non-fat milk for a crema consistency too.

Add more vegetables. The beautiful thing about many favorite Mexican dishes is the toppings and they are usually mainly fresh ingredients. Don't be shy about adding more shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced jalapenos (if you like some spice). And make it colorful with finely shredded purple cabbage, fresh salsa, red onion, colorful cherry tomatoes. We eat first with our eyes.