Top 6 Cooking Classes in Oaxaca

1.Flavors of Oaxaca: Cooking Class with No Set Menu and Local Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 333 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $75Our pick

Meet Oscar or another Casa Crespo instructor at 10:00 a.m. for a market walk and hands-on Oaxacan cooking class. Your group helps choose dishes, grinds masa, prepares regional recipes, and eats together with drinks such as mezcal, margaritas, and agua fresca. Vegetarian and special-diet menus can be arranged.

“It was an amazing experience. Probably my favorite thing we did on the trip. The food we cooked with our instructor Oscar was absolutely delicious. I’m just waiting patiently for him to send me the recipes like he said he would.”

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2.Oaxacan Vegetarian Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 235 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $70Best value

Walk through Oaxaca’s Merced neighborhood with chef Victor or a member of his team, shop for fresh produce, taste local ingredients, then prepare a vegetarian Oaxacan meal in a traditional kitchen. Expect market stories, hands-on group cooking, mole, tortillas, salad, dessert, and a shared lunch.

“Victor was an amazing teacher of Oaxaca, the cuisine and how to cook it step by step! Best mole (and the rest of the food!) I've ever had! My favorite memory from my short trip by far.”

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3.Traditional Cooking Class with Minerva Lopez

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 197 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $119

Join award-winning Oaxacan cook Minerva Lopez for a six-hour market-to-kitchen experience. Shop for local ingredients at Mercado de Abastos, make mole, tortillas, tamales, salsas, or corn dishes in her outdoor kitchen, and finish with lunch, seasonal fruit drinks, and mezcal.

“A perfect day. Annotated visit to the huge traditional central market. Minibus transport to Minerva’s beautiful home up in the hills not far from Monte Alban. Hands-on and thorough lesson where Minerva took us through selecting ingredients for and preparing her family recipe for black mole plus making corn tortillas. A mezcal moment. And we got to eat the delicious meal that we helped to create. A most satisfying day that I highly recommend!”

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4.Vegetarian Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 139 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $70

Join an English- or Spanish-speaking chef such as Victor or Quetzali for a market visit and hands-on vegetarian cooking class in Oaxaca. You will choose fresh produce, prepare several traditional dishes, then share the meal with your small group, with mezcal and recipes included.

“Our cooking class with Chef Victor was amazing, one of the highlights of our trip! First because it felt very authentic. Victor seems like he has genuine relationships with people at the market. He is a proud Oaxacan who learned some of his best recipes from his grandma and who talks about local food and ingredients with knowledge and passion. He speaks English very well but is easy to understand in Spanish as well. He's a very chill and friendly guy, who'll happily talk about life in Mexico or give local recommendations. The food was delicious, with a great variety of dishes and lovely complimentary drinks. No advanced cooking skills…”

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5.Traditional Oaxacan Cooking Class with Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 80 reviews · 5.5 hours · from $133

Meet a bilingual chef and driver, visit an Oaxaca market for fresh ingredients, then cook traditional dishes in a local home. Depending on your host, you may prepare mole, tamales, soup, tortillas, chocolate, or filled peppers, with drinks such as tejate and mezcal.

“Sandra and Samuel were fantastic. It was like cooking with your favorite Aunt and Un le at their home. We learned six dishes over the five hours we spent together and it was so fun! I highly recommend.”

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6.Oaxaca de Juarez: Traditional Oaxacan Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 31 reviews · 5 hours · from $87

Baldo and the Sonia Cocina Oaxaqueña team take you from Santo Domingo Temple to a mountain village for a hands-on cooking class. Make tortillas, tetelas, memelas, tlayudas, sauces, and mole with organic garden produce, then taste mezcal, chapulines, chicatanas, and gusanos.

“This was such a fantastic day out! The whole experience was so thought out and created such a fun and authentic day. The food was delish too ☺️”

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