What to Serve with Fajitas to Spice Up Your Meal

If you ask us, we think that Mexican cuisine is some of the best on the planet. It’s vibrant, bold, and often very interactive.

Case in point: fajitas!

You can customize fajitas to your liking by using beef, chicken, shrimp, or even pork to sizzle up with your slices of bell peppers, onions, and garlic for a meal that hits all the right notes.

Aside from your tortillas, shredded cheese, chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream, you’ll certainly want to get what to serve with fajitas right to make your meal even more memorable.

Especially if you’re having a party!

And what a fiesta it will be if you make a big tray brimming with fajita fillings and let everyone serve themselves to eat, drink, and be merry!

The traditional way to make fajitas in Mexico involved grilled beef or skirt steak, though feel free to use other meats and vegetables to make it your own way. We love that kind of versatility.

It’s like the wonderful, easy-going and friendly nature of Mexican culture aptly depicted in food.

What Goes with Fajitas: An A-list of Sides

Let’s get this fiesta started and jump right in to our collection of favorite combos for your fajita dinner.

1. Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice

Some people love their carbs, and with a side like Mexican rice, it’s kind of hard to resist.

But it adds another layer that your guests can stuff into their tortillas, or if they’d prefer to make themselves a fajita bowl, then it’s the perfect foundation for it.

Mexican rice is bursting with color and flavor, a perfect side to serve with fajitas of any kind.

Add some beans alongside it if you prefer.

You know what else you’ll love about it?

It takes less than 30 minutes to make, and it tastes better than in the restaurant.

No need to have an abuela present…you can just follow the handy tips and recipe provided by Jen at Carlsbad Cravings!

2. Spicy Black Bean Soup

Now, while we love a good side of beans to go with fajitas and Mexican rice, sometimes having those beans in the form of a soup is an even better choice.

If you make it thick enough, you can still spoon it over the rice for an unforgettable side dish.

Or you can elevate the elegance of the meal by serving it as a Mexican soup in bowls.

When done right, you can make it an entirely vegan side, which is great if you’re entertaining any meatless guests.

Even meat-lovers will fall head over heels for a good spicy black bean soup.

Kate at Cookie + Kate has a great tasting vegan-friendly recipe that all everyone will love!

3. Mexican Street Corn Salad with Avocado

When checking out your choices for what to eat with fajitas, it seems Mexican street corn is a natural fit. While we certainly agree, when you’re having a party, it might be easier to make it in the form of a salad.

This way, guests can spoon out what they want to eat.

And hey, if they want to add it into their tortillas or on top of that Mexican rice, more power to them.

Making a Mexican street corn salad means that even kids will eat their vegetables.

Who can resist the powers of corn, cheese, and avocado? No one, that’s who!

We just adore Jaclyn’s recipe for it over at Cooking Classy.

4. Best Homemade Salsa Ever

When it comes to what to serve with chicken fajitas (or ground beef, steak, fish or anything!), there’s no denying that you HAVE TO have salsa.

And if we’re honest, it’s one of the tastiest ways to add a serving of veggies to your meal.

Even kids love salsa so if they pick the onions and peppers out from the fajita meats you use, they’ll still be getting their vegetables.

Everyone wins with fajitas when you serve them with salsa.

But please, oh please, don’t go pouring that jarred stuff out to serve with your fajitas.

It’s so easy to make your own homemade salsa. Once you do, you’ll never buy another jar of it again, we promise.

See how it’s done with this video. Don’t forget the tortilla chips too!

5. Refried Bean Dip

You know what goes with fajitas?

A great dip to serve before the main event, or even alongside it at a party.

Depending on how you’re setting things up, a dip can be a great way to keep all your guests happy.

Not a bad idea for having everyone over for the big game either.

Fajitas really are the perfect party food for any type of situation, and with a nice dip, you’ll always be a winner.

Refried bean dip is a great choice to serve with fajitas too.

Again, guests can spoon it into their fajitas or onto a bowl of rice for a fajita bowl or dip tortilla chips into it.

Bump it up a notch by adding some ground beef for a hearty Mexican dish.

Some baked cheesy beans are pretty much addictive. This is easy stuff to make, not to mention it can be made in under 30 minutes tops!

6. Loaded Avocado Shrimp Salsa

Some people call it ‘shrimp de gallo.’ We call it delicious.

Whatever you want to call it, if you want to know what to serve with fajitas, then it’s got to be a combination of pico de gallo meets guacamole meets ceviche.

Sweet and plump chunks of shrimp are a beautiful match for avocado which adds a natural creaminess.

With a lime-infused flavor, the fiesta is all in your mouth.

Get your tortilla chips ready and check out this helpful video on how to make it.

7. Tomato Avocado Salad

Tomatoes and avocados are staples of the Mexican diet. You find them in just about every dish or served alongside it.

Refreshing, not to mention healthy, if you’re deciding what to make with fajitas, tomatoes and avocados certainly do.

While fajitas do contain veggies, you might want a nice salad to add to the meal.

Cool and refreshing, it can take away some of the bite from any heat or spice you’ve got going on with your fajitas.

Erren’s Kitchen has a simple and divine recipe for a winning tomato avocado salad!

8. Mexican Crispy Roasted Potatoes

There are few occasions where potatoes aren’t welcome at the table.

When you’re ready to make up some fajitas though, you can usher in potatoes with open arms.

They make for a wonderful and filling side to round out your meal of fajitas, especially steak fajitas.

When you have guests that don’t eat meat, having potatoes means they’ll leave full and without regrets.

And even if everyone at your fiesta loves to eat meat, they’ll be happy to enjoy potatoes with it. Especially Mexican-style.

Isabel Eats has an authentic recipe for Mexican-style potatoes, roasted to a perfect crisp in the oven!

9. Best Ever Guacamole

As true lovers of Mexican cuisine, we could never leave off our favorite Mexican staple of guacamole when it comes to what to serve with fajitas.

Guacamole arguably goes with every single Mexican dish, and fajitas are no exception to that rule.

You can enjoy it on the side, on your Mexican rice, on top of that spicy black bean soup, in your fajitas, on top of any side dish, and of course, with chips.

If you buy your guacamole pre-made though, you’re missing out. It’s so easy to make with authentic flavors.

It seriously takes just minutes.

Let Lisa show you how over at Downshiftology. She even has great tips on how to choose the best avocados.

10. Blackened Shrimp Caesar Salad

Ok, so ‘blackened’ is more of a Cajun thing, but hear us out.

When you’re preparing some side dishes for fajitas, especially those of the steak variety, nothing could prime the meal like a bit of fiery heat from a blackened or grilled shrimp Caesar salad.

The slightly-charred flavor from your grill and the cold, crisp, creamy salad beneath are a beautiful way to begin a meal of fajitas.

This is a great side to serve with your fajitas for a smaller family dinner, one that will preface the deliciousness yet to come.

Cheri at Cooks Well With Others has a tasty recipe you can use.

11. The Best Grilled Peppers

What to eat with fajitas? How about grilled peppers! When peppers are grilled, they take on a whole new, even more amazing flavor. A

nd if you stuff the peppers with cheese, you will absolutely be in heaven.

Need another selling point on why to serve them with your fajitas?

Because they take less than 10 minutes from start to finish! Yes, you’ll have the best dinner in the neighborhood when you pair grilled peppers with fajitas.

We love the creative and easy recipe Carrian and Cade have at Oh Sweet Basil!

12. Chorizo Con Papas (Mexican Chorizo and Potatoes)

If going fully-authentic with what to serve with fajitas is your concern, then we suggest you try chorizo con papas.

Chorizo is a delightfully-spiced sausage and it is pure heaven when paired with potatoes.

This is a dish you’ll find made in homes throughout Mexico, one that is bold and satisfying and sure to please everyone.

In Mama Maggie’s Kitchen walks you through this recipe and even has notes on what to do if you can’t find chorizo near you.

13. Mexican Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

And finally, one last salad option for you to serve with your fajitas, a chopped variety.

This is ideal for anyone that wants something a bit lighter than a Caesar salad.

With a bounty of fresh vegetables and a homemade salad dressing that brightly accentuates the freshness using cilantro and lime, it’s the kind of salad you can rely on for an easy weeknight meal of fajitas.

Mel’s Kitchen Café has a fabulous recipe!

What to Serve with Fajitas with a Few Twists

Why wait until your next dinner out at your local Mexican restaurant to enjoy a well-rounded fajita meal?

When you know what goes best with fajitas and have some of the highest-rated recipes as your disposal, you’ll have a delicious dinner at home that tastes just as authentic.

Here are a few more tips for serving perfect fajitas:

Make Them Your Own Way

Just like its cousin the quesadilla, fajitas can be made with any meat you prefer. Though you should slice that meat thin. This way, it cooks evenly and is a little easier to chew when everything is assembled.

Marinate the Meat

To have it come out just like your favorite restaurant, the secret is using a marinade. If you really want to add sizzle, try adding tequila or any other spirit to the marinade which will serve to tenderize the meat.

Use Citrus

Citrus in your marinade and served on the side in the form of wedges of limes and such adds an extra zing of flavor.

As with any Mexican dish, the tangyness citrus adds can really bring out seasoning of the main event.

Don’t Forget the Tortillas

And lastly, we want to remind you that fajitas NEED tortillas. Duh, of course!

You can look for low-carb or gluten-free options to suit dietary needs, and if need be, you can use lettuce leaves to wrap the fillings for anyone that can’t have (or prefers to opt out of), flour tortillas.

Oh yes, and of course, we wouldn’t want you to forget your shredded cheese or sour cream either! While not fully traditional, they add a Tex-Mex twist to your fajitas.

Your guests or family can simply help themselves to build their fajitas the way they want to enjoy them.

Fajitas are always a hit because there’s really no wrong way to enjoy them.

Whether you make them with steak, chicken, shrimp, fish, pork, or even tofu, they’ll be a delight any night of the week.

They’re also easy to make in big batches for fiestas and what could make a better party food than fajitas?

When you need to know what to serve with fajitas, this list has you covered to make your next Mexican meal really pop!