Here are the 11 Best Cooking Classes in Oaxaca Mexico for Foodies

Top 3 Picks: Best Cooking Classes in Oaxaca

#1 TOP PICK

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oaxaca Cooking Class & Mezcal Tasting
✔️ Make mole, tortillas, and salsas from scratch
✔️ Unlimited mezcal
✔️ Transportation

↳ Book it

#2 PICK

Farm to Table Cooking Class in Oaxaca
✔️ Source ingredients at a Oaxacan family’s farm
✔️ Cook a traditional three-course Oaxacan meal

↳ Book it

#3 PICK

Flavors of Oaxaca by Casa Crespo
✔️ All ingredients
✔️ Gluten free option available

↳ Book it

11 Best Cooking Classes in Oaxaca Mexico

1. Traditional Oaxacan Cooking Class with Sonia Silvia (Plus Mezcal Tasting)

⏰ Class time: 4.5 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.98 out of 5 Stars | 👩‍🍳 Book now

Want to experience one of the highest-rated cooking classes in Oaxaca City? Then you must book this Traditional Oaxacan Cooking Class with Sonia Silvia.

A local woman who’s had a passion for traditional Oaxacan cuisine since she was a child, Sonia’s love of Oaxaca food is infectious.

She learned how to cook from her mother, using clay pots and preparing dishes al carbon (over charcoal).

Today, Sonia continues learning from some of the best traditional chefs in the region of Oaxaca.

Sonia begins the class by showing you the different ingredients you’d typically find in a traditional Oaxacan kitchen.

She’ll even take you for a quick look around her garden, where she grows herbs and organic chilies.

Sonia’s knowledge of food will be matched by her son’s knowledge of locally-made Oaxaca mezcal.

He’ll guide you through some of the region’s best mezcals and invite you to experience them during a mezcal tasting.

There is one catch, though! You’ll need to drink it Oaxacan style, which includes consuming chicatanas (winged ants), chapulines (grasshoppers), and gusano (worms). Are you brave enough?

Next, it’s time for the main event. Sonia will show you how to make handmade tortillas, tetelas and memelas.

She also specializes in salsas made the old school way, in a molcajete (Mexican mortar and pestle).

During the class, you’ll be able to create one of the seven Oaxacan moles from scratch. You’ll leave completely satisfied, but do make sure to come with an empty stomach.

If you want to cook authentic Oaxacan food in a family home while also trying some of the region’s best mezcal, then this is the experience for you.

Note: Classes are available in English and Spanish, with vegan and vegetarian options.

5. Private Class: Traditional Gastronomy Cooking Class in Oaxaca

⏰ Class time: 4.5 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | 👩‍🍳 Book now

Looking for the best private cooking class in Oaxaca City? Look no further than this Traditional Gastronomy Cooking Class by Casa Crespo, where you’ll work one-on-one with a local Oaxacan chef. 

As a private class, everything will of course be customized to your skill level and dietary requirements.

There are plenty of gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian options within authentic Oaxaca food, so they sky’s the limit.

Enjoy a personalized experience learning how to prepare Mexican dishes like tacos, chile relleno, ceviche, empanadas and mole. For dessert, the chef will teach you how to make ice cream with local ingredients.

After some memorable time spent learning and cooking, you’ll sit down at the table to enjoy the fruits of your labor with a family-style dinner. 

This is one of the best private cooking classes in Oaxaca, ideal for an intimate experience.

6. Oaxaca Vegetarian Cooking Class (Supporting a Local Nonprofit)

⏰ Class time: 4 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.86 out of 5 Stars | 👩‍🍳 Book now

One of the best vegetarian cooking classes in Oaxaca, this Traditional Mexican Cooking Class is hosted by Luis Hernandez of Etnofood.

Etnofood “Food Lab” is a social tourism project and nonprofit that promotes the preservation of traditional Oaxacan foods and culinary techniques.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, it can be made vegan upon request — making this also the Best Vegan Food Cooking Class in Oaxaca!

The class itself is an all-hands-on-deck style cooking class and interactive workshop where you’ll learn a lot.

The class starts at one of the best Oaxaca markets, where you’ll buy ingredients and also get to try some unique things you’ve likely never even seen before.

From there, you’ll head to the host’s cooking studio to learn more about each ingredient before you prepare the dishes.

Next, the group will create a divine vegetarian menu, and an agua fresca (fresh fruit water).

During this cooking class, you’ll learn techniques you can use in your own kitchen but also discover all the delicious local produce and veggies in Oaxaca.

The best part is that 100% of what you pay for this experience goes to fund Etnofood’s community projects in Oaxaca City.

If you want to practice sustainable travel that directly benefits the local community, this is the best Oaxaca cooking class for you.

7. Cook a Oaxacan Prehispanic Mole (Supporting a Local Nonprofit)

⏰ Class time: 4.5 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.88 out of 5 Stars | 👩‍🍳 Book now

Oaxaca is nicknamed the Land of the Seven Moles, and mole (pronounced moe-lay) is actually the national dish of Mexico.

It is unique in that mole is both a sauce and a marinade, and it has been consumed in Mexico for centuries.

The word mole comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word mōlli, which means “sauce.”

Although historians debated this, some say there was a form of mole that Aztecs ate long before the European settlers arrived in Mexico.

This Cook a Oaxacan Prehispanic Mole Experience is hosted by two Oaxacan locals who are also part of a project called Etnofood.

This Oaxaca nonprofit organization seeks to “promote the dissemination of food heritage.”

The class begins with a local market tour, where you’ll pick out some ingredients.

Once you’re back in the kitchen, you’ll start to prepare the ingredients and also learn more about the history of Oaxaca mole.

This is one of the best cooking classes in Oaxaca, and not only because you’ll eat some amazing mole!

Participants will also learn more about the historical significance of this dish, one of the best Oaxaca foods.

8. Cooking Classes from the Isthmus with a Tehuana

⏰ Class time: 5.5 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | 👩‍🍳 Book now

For a hyper-local experience, the Cooking Classes from the Isthmus is one Oaxaca cooking class no foodie should miss.

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is one of the regions of Oaxaca, and where the teacher, Betsaida, hails from.

Join Betsaida to cook with her in her family home and discover the flavors of Oaxacan Isthmus gastronomy.

She’ll teach you how to cook traditional dishes with recipes that have been passed down through generations.

The experience starts with a trip to the local market to shop for ingredients.

You’ll next return to Betsaida’s home, gather in her kitchen and learn about the traditions, food, history and culture of her native Tehuanas.

While cooking traditional Oaxacan Isthmus foods, you’ll also sample local mezcal, beer and non-alcoholic drinks before sitting down for a family-style meal.

This is a unique chance to discover one of Oaxaca’s best regional cuisines.

9. Tortillas, Nixtamal and Salsas Workshop

⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | ⏰ Class time: 5 hours | 👩‍🍳 Book now

Corn has a lot of cultural significance in Mexico, and is arguably the most important staple ingredient in Mexican gastronomy. After all, we would never have tacos if there was no corn!

In the Tortillas, Nixtamal and Salsas Class you’ll prepare Mexican staple foods like tortillas and salsas, and also learn more about corn and the nixtamal process.

This is how corn is turned into masa, or corn dough.

The experience starts in the market, where you’ll pick up essential ingredients for the class.

Your teacher, Luis, will tell you all about the star ingredient, maiz (corn), and other unique local ingredients from Oaxaca Mexico.

Next, you’ll head to the host’s cooking studio to prepare the dishes. While cooking, you’ll learn about how corn was domesticated in the Oaxaca region and other parts of the continent.

After cooking, you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of labor, sharing a table with the other participants and eating a delicious meal.

This is one of the best cooking classes in Oaxaca to learn more about the history of corn in Mexico.

10. Authentic Oaxacan Food Cooking Class in a Zapotec Village

⏰ Class time: 4.5 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 4.94 out of 5 Stars | 👩‍🍳 Book now

This Authentic Oaxacan Food Cooking Class in a Zapotec Village is hosted by Quetzalli, who’s from a small pueblo in Oaxaca.

In this immersive experience, you’ll travel to her pueblo (small town), located 20 minutes from Oaxaca City to cook in her home.

Her cooking passion ignited at a young age, when her grandmothers taught her traditional Zapotec cuisine secrets.

Along with their recipes, she inherited clay pots and comals, so you’ll be cooking the old school way!

Your Zapotec cooking experience in Quetzalli’s village starts with a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

She will talk about the recipes and traditions of the Zapotec people, the natives of Oaxaca state.

Next, you’ll learn about the ingredients before cooking with them.

Everyone in the class will get to prepare tortillas on a real clay comal, drink some mezcal and discover the cooking techniques from Quetzalli’s grandmothers.

11. Oaxacan Traditional Cooking Class with Minerva

⏰ Class time: 6 hours | ⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | 👩‍🍳 Book now

This Traditional Oaxacan Cooking Class is hosted by Minerva, a Oaxaca local from Sierra Mixe Oaxaqueña.

She is also a Mixe master chef and has won first place in the Meeting of Traditional Cooks in Oaxaca.

Minerva, who learned how to cook from her mother and grandmother, has more than 40 years of experience preparing traditional Oaxacan cuisine.

This is truly a Oaxaca cooking class fit for any would-be Mexican chef!

During this experience, Minerva will meet you and take you to a local market where she will talk about local and endemic foods and products.

Here, you will buy everything you need for your class.

In the kitchen, you’ll prepare Oaxacan mole and masa for tortillas, empanadas and memelas.

While cooking, there’s quesillo (Oaxacan cheese) and chapulines (grasshoppers) to snack on, and agua fresca (fruit water) to drink.

Once everything is prepared, get ready to enjoy a hearty and delicious meal that has been paired perfectly with mezcal. For foodies in Oaxaca, this class is a must!

BONUS: A Few More Oaxaca Cooking Classes

Want to take more than one Oaxaca city cooking class? Need even more traditional Oaxacan food in your life? Who doesn’t, right?!

In an effort to keep this list manageable, we kept it to 11, but there are other amazing cooking classes in Oaxaca City, Mexico!

Here are some additional picks for the best cooking classes Oaxaca has:

1. Cacao, Chocolate Experience in Oaxaca for Small Groups (Information here)
2. Pulque Tour Plus: Aguamiel Harvest in the Field with Zapotec Dinner (Information here)
3. Alma de Mi Tierra Cooking Classes
4. La Cocina Oaxaqueña Cooking School
5. Seasons of My Heart Oaxaca Cooking Classes By Chef Susana Trilling
6. El Sabor Zapoteco Oaxacan Cooking School
7. Que Rico Es Oaxaca Cooking School
8. Casa de los Sabores By Pilar Cabrera

In fact, there’s no one Mexican food — as Mexican food varies by region — and Oaxaca is just one of its regions.

Within Oaxaca, there are also regions, so it’s also impossible to label Oaxacan food as a monolith.

In fact, there are eight regions of Oaxaca, and 18 recognized ethnic groups in the state.

Still, there’s a common threat within traditional Oaxaca foods, which emphasizes local ingredients and ancient cooking techniques.

Traditional Oaxacan dishes come from pre-hispanic food, but there are modern influences as well.

Without the nixtamalization process, there would be no corn tortillas — and no tacos 😭

One of the main ingredients in Oaxaca food and Mexican food is maiz, or corn.

It is transformed into masa, or corn dough, through the nixtamal process.

From this, we’re able to create tortillas, tamales and more. You can learn all about this in the Tortillas, Nixtamal and Salsas Workshop.

In it, you’ll see the fascinating process where corn is turned into masa dough, and from that, how tortillas are made on a cooking comal.

While you can eat tacos all over Mexico, they aren’t one of the traditional Oaxaca foods.

There are also many beloved Oaxaca drinks, like mezcal and tejate (pronounced tay-ha-tay).

This is a centuries-old cacao and corn drink that tastes similar to a chocolate almond milk, but much more complex.

Oaxaca City: The Foodie Capital of Mexico

Oaxaca City is often called Mexico’s Foodie Capital.

Some of the country’s best chefs, like Alejandro Ruiz Olmedo of Casa Oaxaca and Enrique Olvera of Criollo Oaxaca, have restaurants in Oaxaca City.

However, Oaxaca City is just one of the eight regions of Oaxaca — all of which have unique local food.

For example, food from the Oaxacan Isthmus of Tehuantepec bears little resemblance to Oaxaca City food.

🎥 Oaxaca Food: As Seen on Netflix

Oaxaca also has an exciting street food culture, as seen on Netflix’s Street Food: Latin America (Season 1, Episode 3, “Oaxaca, Mexico”).

Fans of the series even voted the tlayuda as their favorite street food in an online poll.

🫔 Mexican & Oaxacan Cuisine Today

While Mexico had been snubbed for culinary respect in decades past, things have been changing.

Nowadays, many people will tell you Mexican food is their favorite food, and you can find it in most countries on Earth.

In 2010, UNESCO declared traditional Mexican food an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind.”

In plain English, this means Mexican food and Oaxacan recipes are cultural treasures worth preserving.

Oaxaca Travel Guide and FAQ

The word Oaxaca is pronounced waa-haa-kah.

🗣️ how do you pronounce oaxacan?

Since we cleared up the pronunciation for Oaxaca, let’s make sure you’re saying the word Oaxacan right as well.

The word Oaxacan is pronounced waa-haa-ken.

🗺 Oaxaca Map

The southern edge Oaxaca state sits on the Pacific Ocean. Oaxaca City is the state’s capital city, and located about six hours south of Mexico City, you can book direct flights.

If you don’t mind some rain during the Oaxaca rainy season, you will also get lower prices — as this is the slow season.

🌡️ Oaxaca weather

The temperate weather in Oaxaca City means it can be a year-round destination — similar to Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende and Baja California, Mexico.

Oaxaca City has a desert climate, so expect hot days and cool nights (sometimes even cold nights).

The temperature in Oaxaca fluctuates a lot, so be mindful and bring layers when packing for Oaxaca.

If you hate the heat and hot weather, avoid the hottest months in Oaxaca. These are April and May, though some will also include June and July.

To avoid the crowds, the Oaxaca busy season runs from late-October for Day of the Dead, through mid-January.

Many also visit Oaxaca de Juárez (Oaxaca City) for La Guelaguetza in July, the second biggest Oaxaca festival.

Oaxaca City is the country’s 67th largest city, with a population of about 275,000, but retains a humble, pueblo vibe.

That’s not to say bad things don’t happen in Oaxaca City; they do.

However, if you take the same general travel precautions you would anywhere else — ie. stay aware of yourself, your belongings and your surroundings — you should be safe traveling to Oaxaca City.

⚠️ For a deep dive into this topic, check out Is Oaxaca Safe to Travel to Right Now?a

What are the best places to stay in Oaxaca?

Not sure where to stay in Oaxaca Mexico? That’s understandable because there really are a lot of great options at all price points.

Have a look at the options below, and if you need even more suggestions, check out these 17 Best Places to Stay in Oaxaca City.

🏆 Best neighborhoods in Oaxaca City

Want a deep dive into the best Oaxaca City neighborhoods?

Check out the linked article. If not, the info below will also help you understand where to stay in Oaxaca.

For first time visitors, you’ll find staying in Oaxaca Centro (Downtown) near the Zocalo very convenient, as it’s super walkable.

There’s also the colorful and artsy Jalatlaco neighborhood, and Xochimilco, the most historic neighborhood in Oaxaca — all three are great options.

🏩 Best HotelS in Oaxaca

• Quinta Real Oaxaca City ($$$$, Centro)
• Pug Seal Oaxaca ($$$$, Centro)
• Hotel Escondido Oaxaca ($$$$, Centro)
• City Centro Hotel Oaxaca ($$$, Jalatlaco)
• NaNa Vida Hotel ($$$, Centro)
• Casa de Arte ($$, Xochimilco)

🏩 Best HostelS in Oaxaca

• Hostal Central Oaxaca
• Azul Cielo Hostel
• Selina Oaxaca Hostel
• For even more options, check out these 13 Best Oaxaca Hostels

If you’re doing Oaxaca day trips, a rental car or group tour is your best bet, and I recommend booking Oaxaca tours via Viator and Airbnb Experiences.

I personally prefer to call taxis via the DiDi Rider app (see below), so I have a record of my trip and the price is already set for me — but you can also just hail a cab on the street.

They do have DiDi Taxi through the DiDi Rider app, which lets you call a Oaxaca taxi via the app.

It’s basically like using Uber or Lyft, but you will get a regular cab.

• Download DiDi Rider for iPhone
• Download DiDi Rider for Android

However, many visitors could realistically spend a week in Oaxaca City — especially art, food and culture lovers.

For those who want to explore the villages outside town, like Hierve el Agua in San Lorenzo Albarradas, San Agustín Etla, Teotitlán Del Valle and San Pablo Villa de Mitla, you’ll want at least 5-6 full days.

In fact, Oaxaca is known as the Foodie Capital of Mexico, so try both the street food in Oaxaca and the restaurants while on your Oaxaca vacation.

There’s everything from rich history, colorful festivals, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, locally-made Oaxacan mezcal, beautiful nature, colonial architecture, indigenous artisan communities, and of course, the Oaxacan food.

As you’ll usually need to take at least two flights to Oaxaca, Mexico, or even a flight and a bus, you might still be wondering if traveling to Oaxaca is worth it.

I hope this guide to Oaxaca made it clear that YES IT IS!

My Final Thoughts on Taking the Best Cooking Classes in Oaxaca

While there might seem to be an endless number of things to do in Oaxaca City, you’ll want to pencil a cooking class in on your Oaxaca itinerary.

It is the best way to really appreciate Oaxacan food in all its complexities.

Of all the class options, this Traditional Oaxacan Cooking Class with Sonia Silvia is considered the best cooking class in Oaxaca City.

It has abut two thousand 5 Star reviews, so you can’t go wrong with it.

Of course, you’ll also want to check out these best Oaxaca restaurants.

There’s also amazing local mercados (markets in Oaxaca), a thriving street food culture, locally-made mezcal and plenty of Oaxaca mezcal tours to enjoy.