The 10 Best Mexico City Cooking Classes (#5 Is on a Floating Farm in Xochimilco)

Looking for the best Mexico City cooking classes?

You’re in the right place as I’ve lived in Mexico City, on and off, since 2018.

Mexico City is a food lover’s dream, with busy markets, Michelin-recognized taquerías and cooks who still make tortillas by hand.

👀 Curious about my top pick? It’s the chinampa cooking class I took myself in Xochimilco — check it out here.

There are dozens of cooking classes in the city, from quick churro classes to full days on a farm.

That’s where I come in!

I’ve hand-picked a list of classes, all with nearly-5 star ratings and lots of glowing reviews, including the one I took myself.

My Top 3 Picks: The Best Mexico City Cooking Classes

The 10 Best Mexico City Cooking Classes

1. Tacos al Pastor Class with a Market Visit

⏰ Tour time: 5 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.99 out of 5 Stars | ➡️ Book now

Learn to make Mexico City’s most famous taco from scratch in this hands-on class.

You’ll start at Mercado Melchor Múzquiz, a local market in San Ángel, picking out ingredients and learning about Mexican spices with your chef.

Then it’s into the kitchen to marinate the meat, shape fresh tortillas and make guacamole.

You’ll also make red and green salsas, one in a traditional molcajete (stone mortar).

Your host’s dad has taught the culinary arts for 20 years, so you’ll pick up real knife and cooking techniques, too.

You’ll finish by sitting down together to eat everything you made, and the recipes are sent to you afterward.

One guest wrote, “If you’re visiting Mexico City, I cannot recommend this experience enough.”

It’s for ages 9 and up.

➡️ Check rates and availability

2. Churros and Mexican Hot Chocolate Class

⏰ Tour time: 1.5 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.99 out of 5 Stars | ➡️ Book now

This is the most-reviewed cooking class in Mexico City, with nearly 5,000 reviews.

It’s hosted at Borola Café in Condesa, a specialty coffee shop founded by your host Ricardo, a coffee judge and chef.

You’ll pipe, shape and fry your own churros until they’re golden and crisp.

Then you’ll melt traditional Mexican chocolate into a warm dipping sauce and whip up a chocolate ganache.

Dip your fresh churros and enjoy them around the table, then take the recipes home.

One guest wrote, “I have taken many cooking classes and many Airbnb experiences and this one tops them all.”

It’s great for families, too, for ages 5 and up.

➡️ Check rates and availability

3. Mezcal Mixology Masterclass

⏰ Tour time: 2.5 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.99 out of 5 Stars | ➡️ Book now

Trade the kitchen for the bar in this fun mezcal cocktail class in Condesa.

You’ll start by learning how to drink and appreciate mezcal in its purest form.

Then you’ll learn the secrets of layering flavors and create two mezcal cocktails made to your taste.

You’ll round off the night with one last creation, using everything you’ve learned.

Light bites and drinks are included, and it’s for ages 18 and up, with 10 guests at most.

One guest wrote, “Sade was GREAT. Very enthusiastic about her craft. Made for an excellence experience.”

➡️ Check rates and availability

4. Traditional Mexican Cooking Class with a Pro Chef

⏰ Tour time: 4.5 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.98 out of 5 Stars | ➡️ Book now

Cook a whole traditional Mexican menu with a professional chef at Aura Cocina Mexicana’s studio in Roma Norte.

You’ll start with coffee and a quesadilla, then visit a neighborhood market for fresh, local ingredients.

The menu changes daily, but you’ll usually make mole, sopes, tortillas, tamales and salsas from scratch.

Many of the recipes have been passed down through generations.

You’ll finish by eating together family-style, with drinks like agua fresca, beer, mezcal, wine and hot chocolate.

One guest wrote, “Amazing experience! So so worth it and you walk away with a lifetime of making these recipes!”

It’s for ages 12 and up, and an apron is provided.

➡️ Check rates and availability

5. Canoe Ride and Farm-to-Table Cooking Class on a Xochimilco Chinampa

⏰ Tour time: 6 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 5.0 out of 5 Stars | ➡️ Book now

This is the class I took myself, and it was a true farm-to-table experience.

We canoed through the canals of Xochimilco for about 30 minutes each way.

It wasn’t too difficult, even for someone with little to no canoe experience, like me.

It was so peaceful, and so nice to be out in nature after the bustle of the city.

On the chinampa (a floating island farm), we picked fresh veggies, then cooked with them.

We made two salsas (a red one with peanuts and a green one), plus tortillas, quesadillas, sopes and fresh guacamole.

There was also huitlacoche, squash blossoms (flor de calabaza) and nopales (cactus).

It was a vegetarian meal, but very filling.

My favorite part was learning to make fresh salsa in a molcajete: it’s harder than it seems!

I also loved finding such a peaceful place so close to one of the world’s biggest cities.

The class is run by Chinampas en Movimiento, a team of women who protect Xochimilco’s reserve and keep its food traditions alive.

It’s for ages 9 and up, with 10 guests at most, and a full meal and drinks are included.

Bring a hat, sunscreen, closed shoes, a jacket and bug repellent.

➡️ Check rates and availability

6. Tamales and Colorful Tortillas with Tamales Madre’s Chef

⏰ Tour time: 2 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.95 out of 5 Stars | ➡️ Book now

Step inside the kitchen of Tamales Madre, a tamal shop featured in Food & Wine and Vogue.

This is an Airbnb Original, hosted by Regina, the restaurant’s founder and chef.

You’ll learn the story of native corn and how nixtamalization turns it into fresh masa.

Then you’ll press tortillas in different natural colors and fill, wrap and steam your own tamales.

You’ll also taste atole, a warm drink made from the same corn.

A full meal and a keepsake are included, and the class is for ages 18 and up, with 6 guests at most.

➡️ Check rates and availability

7. Salsas and Tortillas with an Oaxacan Chef

⏰ Tour time: 2 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 5.0 out of 5 Stars | ➡️ Book now

Make three salsas and a variety of tortillas with Eduardo, a chef born and raised in Oaxaca City.

He’s the head chef for a group of restaurants in Mexico City, and the class works with the Conservatory of Mexican Gastronomy.

You’ll learn about native ingredients, then press and cook tortillas, including tlacoyos and gorditas.

You’ll enjoy everything you made on the rooftop with a Mexican craft beer.

Vegetarian and vegan options are available, and it’s for ages 18 and up, with 10 guests at most.

One guest wrote, “Arturo was awesome and the class was both very educational and a lot of fun.”

➡️ Check rates and availability

8. Traditional Mexican Bread Baking Class in Condesa

⏰ Tour time: 2 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.98 out of 5 Stars | ➡️ Book now

Bake classic Mexican breads from scratch in this hands-on class in Condesa.

You’ll mix, knead, shape and bake the breads using local recipes, adding the traditional finishing touches.

Along the way, your baker shows you how the ingredients, texture and timing affect the final result.

Then you’ll eat your bread warm from the oven together, with light bites and drinks.

One guest wrote, “one of the highlights of our trip! grace was so personable and friendly, and the conchas were delicious! 10/10 recommend”

It’s run by the same team as the churros class (#2), for ages 6 and up.

➡️ Check rates and availability

9. Cooking with Mayoras (Traditional Cooks)

⏰ Tour time: 3.5 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.96 out of 5 Stars | ➡️ Book now

Learn family recipes from the mayoras, women cooks who learned to cook in regions like Oaxaca, Chiapas and Puebla.

You’ll make your own salsa, then shape tortillas by hand.

Next, you’ll make quesadillas, sopes and tlacoyos alongside the mayoras.

You’ll also taste mole poblano and cochinita pibil, with drinks like agua fresca, mezcal and hot chocolate.

One guest wrote, “Super hands-on (making salsas, tortillas, everything) and didn’t feel touristy at all.”

It’s for ages 10 and up, with 10 guests at most.

➡️ Check rates and availability

10. Mexican Bread (Conchas) Baking Class

⏰ Tour time: 3.25 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.99 out of 5 Stars | ➡️ Book now

Learn to bake conchas, Mexico’s famous shell-topped sweet bread, in a baking instructor’s own kitchen.

You’ll start with a glass of hibiscus agua fresca and the history behind conchas.

Then you’ll mix and knead the dough, shape it and add a crunchy vanilla or chocolate topping.

Once they’re baked, you’ll eat your conchas warm with Chiapas coffee and Oaxacan hot chocolate.

One guest wrote, “He truly cares about baking and is so passionate about sharing his culture through food.”

It’s for ages 10 and up, with 8 guests at most, and it’s hosted in English and French.

➡️ Check rates and availability

Best Mexico City Cooking Classes FAQ

The most-reviewed class is the churros and Mexican hot chocolate class in Condesa, with nearly 5,000 reviews.

Xochimilco is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Mexico City’s historic center.

To explore the canals on a trajinera, see my list of the best Xochimilco tours.