Mexican Independence Day party food for September 16

Mexican Independence Day party food has one job: feed a crowd that will be standing, singing, and staying late. September 16 is the biggest national holiday in Mexico, and in north Texas it fills backyards, church halls, and office break rooms with green, white, and red. I have cooked for a lot of those parties from my kitchen in Richardson, and the menu that works is always the same shape: one hot dish that anchors the table, a few things to scoop and crunch, and drinks in the colors of the flag.

The short answer: Build the party around tamales (two per guest as the main dish, one to two alongside other food), then add pozole or a tostada bar, rice and beans, a fresh salsa, and aguas frescas in green, white, and red. For 25 guests that is about four dozen tamales at $60 per dozen, ordered a week or two ahead so the kitchen can plan for you.

My grandmother cooked for the whole block on the night of the 15th. The pot of tamales went on at noon, and the last plate came off it after the Grito, close to midnight. That is the rhythm I still plan around.

What September 16 celebrates, and why it is not Cinco de Mayo

Early on the morning of September 16, 1810, a priest named Miguel Hidalgo rang the church bell in the town of Dolores and called the people to rise against Spanish rule. That call is the Grito de Dolores, and it started the war that made Mexico a country. Every year on the night of September 15 the president of Mexico rings the same bell in Mexico City and shouts the Grito, and the crowd shouts back “¡Viva México!” three times. Then everybody eats.

Cinco de Mayo is a different day. It marks a battle won against the French in Puebla, and it is a much bigger deal in the United States than in most of Mexico. If you want to throw the party Mexicans actually throw, September 16 is the one. I wrote about the difference in my Cinco de Mayo office party guide, and the short version is: get the date right, and your Mexican guests will notice.

In Dallas the celebrations run all weekend around the 16th. Families host on the night of the 15th so they can watch the Grito on television at eleven, and offices and schools usually celebrate on the nearest weekday with a lunch. Either way, the food comes first.

The Mexican Independence Day party food that belongs on the table

There is no single official menu, but there is a strong tradition, and it leans on dishes that take a big pot and a long afternoon. The rule I use when I plan a September 16 menu is simple: one thing to anchor, several things to build, and colors everywhere.

Tamales, the anchor

Tamales are the dish that feeds everyone at once. They come out of the pot hot, they hold their heat in the husk, and nobody needs a fork. Ours are big, so two per person is a full lunch and three is a dinner; if you are serving pozole or a tostada bar as well, plan one to two each. Pork in red salsa is the crowd favorite, and chicken breast in green tomatillo salsa gives you the lighter option. Put both on the table and you have the red and the green of the flag before the decorations even go up. Both are on the menu, and both are made with gluten-free corn masa, which takes care of the one dietary question every party raises.

Pozole

Pozole is the other great September dish: a hominy stew, usually with pork, served with a plate of toppings, shredded cabbage, radish, onion, oregano, lime, and tostadas on the side. It is easy to make in a big pot the day before, it gets better overnight, and a bowl of it next to a tamal is the most Mexican plate I know.

Chiles en nogada

This is the dish that was invented for the holiday, or at least the story says so. A roasted poblano stuffed with picadillo, covered in a white walnut cream sauce, and scattered with pomegranate seeds and parsley: green, white, and red on one plate. It is fussy to make and it is served at room temperature, so I do not recommend it for a hundred guests, but for a table of twelve it is a showstopper.

The build-your-own layer

• Tostada bar. Crisp tortillas, refried beans, shredded chicken, lettuce, crema, cotija, salsa. Guests build their own, and it stretches the meal.
• Elote or esquites. Corn with mayo, chile, lime, and cheese, on the cob or in a cup.
• Rice and beans. Always. They fill the plate and they cost almost nothing.
• Salsas and guacamole. A red, a green, and a bowl of guacamole with a big spoon.
• Sweets. Tres leches, churros, or conchas from a bakery. Something white or tricolor looks right on the table.

Drinks in the colors of the flag

Aguas frescas do this for you. Limeade or cucumber-lime for green, horchata for white, and jamaica or watermelon for red, in three glass dispensers side by side. Add Mexican beer with lime and a bottle of tequila for the toast at eleven, and you are done. For everything that pairs well with the main dish, my article on what to serve with tamales goes deeper.

How much to order: tamales by headcount

People eat more at a September 16 party than at a regular dinner, because the party starts early and ends late. My rule: if tamales are the main dish, two per adult and one per child; if pozole or a tostada bar is sharing the table, one to two per adult. Round up to the next dozen, because a cold tamal from the fridge the next morning is a good breakfast, and nobody has ever complained to me about leftovers.

Split the order about two thirds pork and one third chicken unless you know your crowd leans one way. If you want the full arithmetic for any headcount, the tamales-per-person guide is the one I send to every host who asks.

A September 16 lunch at the office

More offices in Richardson, Plano, and Dallas mark the day every year, often because someone on the team asked for it. The lunch version is easy: tamales delivered hot in an agreed window, labeled by filling, with salsas, crema, and serving spoons so the break room becomes a buffet line. Two tamales per person is the right count for a lunch, and a tray of rice and beans, priced on the quote, fills out the plate.

A few things I have watched work well. Let the Mexican employees on the team lead the playlist and the decorations if they want to; it is their holiday to share. Put a short note on the invitation explaining the Grito, so nobody confuses it with Cinco de Mayo. Do the toast at lunch with agua fresca and keep the tequila for the evening. And if the office likes it, this is the day a lot of teams start a monthly Tamale Day, because once people have eaten tamales at their desk they ask when the next one is. The office catering page explains how a recurring order works with one invoice.

Colors, music, and the Grito at eleven

A September 16 party has a rhythm, and the food should follow it.

1. Early evening: the table opens. Tamales go out hot in a covered pan or a low steamer, and they stay hot for hours that way. The tostada bar and the salsas go out at the same time.
2. Mid-evening: music. Mariachi if you can get it, a good playlist if you cannot. Rancheras, cumbias, and at least one round of “Cielito Lindo”, which everyone knows the chorus to.
3. Eleven o’clock: the Grito. Turn the television to the broadcast from Mexico City, hand everyone a glass, and shout “¡Viva México!” back at the screen three times. This is why the party is on the night of the 15th.
4. After: the second plate. People eat again after the Grito. This is where the extra dozen goes.

Decorate in green, white, and red: papel picado across the yard, small flags on the table, and a bowl of limes next to a bowl of radishes if you want the colors without buying anything. Keep the tamales in the husk until they are on the plate; an unwrapped tamal dries out on a buffet. My guide to keeping catered food hot for hours covers the pans, the towels, and the timing.

Ready to feed the party on September 16?

Tell me how many guests you are expecting and whether tamales are the main dish or one of several, and I will send a menu and a price the same business day from Maggie’s Tamales & Catering. We deliver hot, in an agreed window, everywhere from Dallas to Richardson, Plano, Frisco, Allen, and McKinney. Backyard parties and family gatherings start on the parties and celebrations page; offices go through the quote form the same way. Request a catering quote for your Mexican Independence Day party and I will read it myself.

Frequently asked questions

What is traditional Mexican Independence Day party food?

The traditional table is built from dishes that feed a crowd from a big pot: tamales, pozole, and chiles en nogada, which shows the green, white, and red of the flag on one plate. Around them go tostadas, elote, rice and beans, salsas, and guacamole, with aguas frescas in the three colors and tequila for the toast at eleven. Tamales are the easiest of these to serve to a large group.

Is Mexican Independence Day the same as Cinco de Mayo?

No. Mexican Independence Day is September 16 and marks the Grito de Dolores, the call to rise against Spanish rule that began the war of independence. Cinco de Mayo marks a single battle against the French in Puebla decades later and is celebrated far more in the United States than in Mexico. September 16 is the national holiday, with the Grito shouted from Mexico City on the night of the 15th.

How many tamales do I need for a September 16 party of 50?

If tamales are the main dish, plan two per adult and one per child, which for 50 guests is about eight dozen, or $480 at $60 per dozen. If pozole or a tostada bar shares the table, five to six dozen is enough. Our tamales are large, so these counts are generous. Order roughly two thirds pork in red salsa and one third chicken in green salsa, and round up to the next dozen for the second plate after the Grito.

What drinks go with a Mexican Independence Day party?

Aguas frescas in the colors of the flag are the classic choice: limeade or cucumber-lime for green, horchata for white, and jamaica or watermelon for red, served side by side in glass dispensers. Add Mexican beer with lime and a bottle of tequila for the toast after the Grito. For an office lunch, keep it to the aguas frescas and a big pitcher of iced tea; the tequila belongs to the evening.

Can I get tamales delivered for a September 16 office lunch in Dallas?

Yes. We deliver tamales hot to offices across Dallas, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, Allen, and McKinney, labeled by filling, with salsas, crema, and serving spoons on request so the break room works as a buffet line. Plan two tamales per person for lunch. Send a quote request with the date, the delivery window, and the headcount, and I will price it myself, usually the same business day.

When should I order tamales for a September 16 party?

A week or two ahead is comfortable for most parties, and earlier is better for large ones, because every tamal is made from scratch on the morning it is delivered and the kitchen plans its days around confirmed orders. Small orders of a plate or a half-dozen go through DoorDash during kitchen hours. Anything for a party goes through the quote form or a phone call, and I confirm the delivery window with the quote.