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Here’s what to serve with fajitas to make them a meal! These easy side dishes aren’t to much extra effort, from chopped salad to bean dip.
Making homemade fajitas? As two cookbook authors who love to entertain, we’ve put together a list of our favorite side dishes that go with fajitas! Our criteria? These sides should be easy enough that you can concentrate most of your effort on the enchiladas, but also go with Tex Mex and Latin-style flavors while complementing the meal with contrasting ingredients and textures.
With that in mind, here’s our list of what to serve with fajitas! There’s everything from crisp green salads and cilantro rice, or simple chips and guacamole. Or, try our family favorite bean dip that takes only 5 minutes to whip up!
Our top ideas for what to serve with fajitas
What to serve with fajitas? Whip up a crisp green salad! This Mexican-style salad is a chopped salad with Tex Mex flavors: colorful veggies, cilantro lime salad dressing, and tortilla strips. It all combines into a super-flavorful dish that can be served as a side, or dressed up to work as a healthy main dish salad. Top with creamy cilantro dressing or cilantro lime dressing and crispy tortilla strips (or substitute crushed chips).
Add cilantro, lime juice and lime zest to your rice, it catapults it to an entirely different level! The ways to serve it are endless: use it as a side to go with tacos, burrito bowls, enchiladas, grilled shrimp skewers, and more. It’s incredibly versatile, and we find ourselves making it often. Really, any meal is better with a little cilantro lime rice!
Of course, one of the easiest fajita side dishes is guacamole and chips! Guacamole is like potato salad and coleslaw: everyone has their family favorite recipe. And this simple guacamole is ours. It’s a home run every time! When we serve it, a chorus of “Wow’s” fill the room. What makes it so great? It’s classic and has the perfect balanced flavor: perfectly savory, creamy, and tangy. For a dinner party, serve with Homemade Tortilla Chips warm from the oven.
Here's another great side to serve with fajitas: cucumber tomato avocado salad! This one is all about the ingredients: ripe and juicy tomatoes, cool cucumbers, and creamy avocado. They’re mixed with lime juice and cilantro for a tangy pop that perfectly accentuates their flavors. This one is great as a side dish for any meal; it specifically jives well with Latin-style flavors with the lime and cilantro.
It’s not superlative when we say this bean dip might be the very easiest recipe we’ve ever created. Beans, salsa, and cheese come together into the creamiest, gooiest piping hot mess. Dunk in crunchy chips and it tastes remarkably like the queso from your favorite Mexican joint. With just 3 ingredients, the flavor is more irresistibly complex than you’d imagine. But to really understand the magic here: you’ve got to taste it.
Another idea of what to serve with fajitas...Mexican-style slaw! It has no mayo, and instead focuses on fresh flavors: crunchy cabbage, red onion, cilantro, and cumin. It’s got both cumin seed and ground cumin for a double hit of flavor.
The best refried beans? Homemade refried beans! The flavor and texture are loads better than the canned ones you can find at the store. (At least, the brands we’ve tried!) So when we have time, we love making refried beans at home. It’s seriously simple. Or, open up a can of your favorite refried beans and add a little cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder: even easier!
Also try: Easy Instant Pot Refried Beans, Refried Black Beans, or Instant Pot Pinto Beans
This Mexican-style will absolutely blow your mind. The smoky flavor in each bite makes it impossible not to take another bite! The flavors here are reminiscent of Mexican street corn: a creamy sauce flavored with mayo, lime, chili powder and cumin. Mix in a few colorful veggies and a bit of feta cheese if you’d like, and you’ve got a sweet savory salad that’s bursting with summer flavor. Make it with grilled corn, or it also works with canned or frozen (or, try to find frozen fire roasted).
Here’s how to make an easy rendition of black beans and rice! This classic Latin-style side dish is perfect for serving with fajitas. You've got black beans, jumbled with rice and green bell pepper, and seasoned with cumin, lime and cilantro.
Elote is the perfect side dish, if you ask us. One bite of this irresistible Mexican grilled corn and you’ll be a believer: it’s sweet, smoky, savory, creamy, and tangy: all at once. It’s charred perfection and slathered in a creamy spiced sauce with cheese crumbles. (Of course, it’s best on the street in Mexico!). Serve it with fajitas, shrimp tacos, grilled fish, or a good old burger.
Last but not least in what to serve with fajitas: good old chips and salsa! Grab your favorite store-bought red salsa, unless you have time and ripe tomatoes. If so, try our best homemade salsa recipe: fresh garden tomatoes, cilantro, and lots of lime. For a next level experience, make it with warm Homemade Tortilla Chips.
Last up and one of our favorite sides to serve with fajitas, this black bean and corn salad! It comes together in no time, no chopping required! It’s a quick way to get fresh food on the table. It’s zingy and refreshing, with a burst of sweetness from corn and zingy lime.
Some top fajitas recipes
Of course, we couldn’t leave you without our favorite fajitas recipes. If you don’t have a go to yet, here are the recipes in our regular rotation:
- Our Shrimp Fajitas are the ideal 30 minute meal: full of irresistible flavor that everyone loves!
- These Vegetarian Fajitas are full of big flavor and beautiful colorful veggies, pleasing veggie lovers and meat lovers alike.
- These Fajita Veggies are the best combo to use with any protein!
- These Vegan Fajitas make big flavor out of vegetables.
- This Fajita Sauce recipe works for beans, chicken, steak or shrimp!
- Fajita Salad is one of our favorite ways to serve fajita fixings over greens.
Frequently asked questions
Rice and beans: A staple in Mexican cuisine, black beans and rice provide a hearty and flavorful accompaniment to fajitas.
Guacamole: This creamy avocado dip is a must-have for any fajita night.
Salsa: Whether it’s mild, medium, or hot, salsa adds a zesty kick to your meal.
Elote (Mexican street corn): Grilled corn on the cob slathered with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime juice.
Margaritas: This classic margarita recipe is a perfect match for fajitas, or our 25 top margarita recipes.
Mexican beer: Corona, Modelo, or Pacifico are refreshing options to enjoy with your meal.
Jarritos: These fruity Mexican sodas come in various flavors and are a fun and festive choice.
Agua fresca: This refreshing beverage is made with blended fruit, water, and a touch of sugar.
Sides for Fajitas: Chopped Salad & More!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This Tex Mex chopped salad is the best easy side dish for fajitas! It’s topped with savory cilantro lime dressing and crunchy tortilla strips.
Ingredients
- 3 Romaine hearts (8 cups chopped)
- 2 cups baby greens, like baby kale (optional)
- ¼ cup sliced red onions (or Pickled Red Onions)
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- 4 radishes
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 1 handful roasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Dressing (pick one): Cilantro Lime Dressing, Creamy Cilantro Dressing or Taco Salad Dressing
- Add-ons: Crispy Tortilla Strips (or crushed tortilla chips), crumbled feta or cotija cheese, chopped avocado, black beans, or chopped cucumber
Instructions
- If using, make the Crispy Tortilla Strips. Or use crushed tortilla chips.
- Make the dressing: Cilantro Lime Dressing, Creamy Cilantro Dressing (pictured), or Taco Salad Dressing (simplest).
- Chop the vegetables: Chop the romaine. Thinly slice the red onion (follow the instructions at 1:30 of this video). Slice tomatoes in half. Thinly slice the radishes. Defrost the corn. Prepare any other add-on veggies as appropriate. Add a sprinkle of salt on the tomatoes, radishes, and corn to lightly season them.
- Serve: Place the greens on the plate and top with the vegetables (and tortilla strips, if using). Top with the dressing and serve. If making in advance, refrigerate the components separately; bring the dressing to room temperature before serving.
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
- Diet: Vegetarian
More sides to go with…
We love helping you find great recipes to pair with main dishes! Here are a few more side dish collections:
- Sides to Serve with Soup
- Sides to Serve with Mac and Cheese
- What to Serve with Stuffed Peppers
- Sides to Serve with Enchiladas
- Sides to Serve with Lasagna
- What to Serve with Scallops
- What to Serve with Crab Cakes
- Best Sides to Go with Salmon
- Sides to Go with Tacos
- Best Sides to Go with Pizza
- Sides to Go with Chili