Disney’s Coco Inspired Movie Night Menu

What better way to kick off the season than to put together a Coco movie night menu? Featuring food mentioned or consumed by characters in the movie, my Coco inspired menu provides the perfect food spread for a family friendly seasonal movie night. Gather the family, it’s time to eat.

Read on for recipes, tips and a free printable download of my menu graphic!

Contents

• Disney’s Coco (2017)
• Coco Movie Night Menu
• Act One
• Act Two
• Burrito Recipe
• Act Three
• Churro Recipe
• Bonus Features
• Margarita Recipe
• Margarita Mocktail Recipe
• Epilogue
• Coco Movie Night Menu Printable Graphic

Disney’s Coco (2017)

I saw Coco when it was first released in cinemas. The bright colours, catchy music and endearing storyline had me absorbed from the get go, but what I remember most is how hard  I was crying by the time the credits were rolling.

When I say crying, I mean uncontrollably SOBBING. 

This gorgeous film is one I go back to regularly, especially when October comes knocking. 

Its focus on the importance of family and loved ones becomes the central theme.

It’s what gives the film heart – and what makes me cry every single time I watch it.

But, it also plays out with an underlying message about staying true to yourself and following your dreams. Along with nuanced layers of understanding that Miguel has to become aware of in the process.

I love it.

Fun fact: Miguel’s fingers actually match up to the correct chords as he plays the guitar.

The attention to detail in Pixar movies in particular never ceases to amaze me.

Celebrating elements of Mexican culture, particularly traditions surrounding el Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), Coco provides an insight on a mainstream platform for younger audiences around the world, who may yet be aware of this Mexican holiday.

It’s a brilliant family movie night option, especially during the autumnal season. I included it in my fall movie bucket list for a reason!

You can find more of my Disney inspired recipes and menus like my Lilo & Stitch themed menu; my Zootopia big donut cake, my Encanto inspired Arepas con Queso and my Elemental cupcakes all under the Disney section of Flavour of the Film.

Coco Movie Night Menu

Here is the menu in text form, in case you prefer to see it in a different format to an image:

Coco Movie Night Menu

Act One

Miguel’s clementines

Act Two

Abuelita’s tamales or burritos

Corn on the cob and green veggies

Act Three

Churros from my family

Chocolate candies

Bonus Features

Frida’s cactus milk

Remember Me margarita

You can find the printable download of my Coco movie night menu graphic at the end of this post!

Act One

We’re starting off easy. This film is an emotional ride, so it’s best to kick things off with something fresh and sweet.

During Miguel’s opening monologue, he talks about how he tells his Mama Coco everything. One of the super quick scenes included during this sequence involves Miguel sharing what looks like a clementine with Coco.

I would say it’s an orange seeing as they are a popular fruit in Mexico, but it honestly doesn’t look big enough to be one in the movie. Nevertheless, feel free to add oranges as your appetiser instead if preferred!

I will say that easy peelers are a brilliant way to open the show. Whether you get clementines, satsumas or mandarins, these delicious citrus fruits are a great way to get into the spirit of your Coco movie night.

Act Two

There is a direct reference to tamales in the same sequence as noted above. Abuelita is seen to be offering Miguel more of her tamales as the family eats. Despite being turned down, Abuelita piles the tamales on anyway.

Now, tamales are a traditional Mexican dish. They are super easy to make, so long as you can get your hands on the right ingredients and other elements needed to make them.

This recipe for authentic tamales on Tastes Better From Scratch is a great reference point if you’re looking to make them yourself, especially if you are based in the U.S.

Some of the items needed to make tamales aren’t easily found in the U.K., so I have provided an alternative option in my Coco inspired movie night menu.

Burritos are another traditional Mexican dish which are incredibly popular all around the world. Rightly so, too, because they are delicious.

Part of what makes burritos so great is the fact that they are really versatile. You can make burritos to suit your preferences and dietary needs, which makes them an accessible meal.

Not to mention, these cylindrical bundles of flavour are incredibly easy to make. I personally like beans as the main source of protein in my burritos, so I have written a simple recipe for bean burritos below. 

Whether you want to have meat, fish, rice, veggies, mixed beans, black beans or all of the above, fill your burritos to your heart’s content.

~ I also like to fry cheese onto one side of the burrito, but that’s entirely optional.

Burrito Recipe

Serves 2 (can be doubled etc for a larger yield)

Ingredients

• 2 white tortilla wraps
• ½ can mixed beans
• ½ red bell pepper
• ½ onion
• Fajita seasoning OR 2 tsp chilli powder and 1 tsp garlic powder
• 4 heaped spoons cooked rice
• 2 dollops salsa optional
• 2 dollops sour cream optional
• 2 handfuls grated cheese   optional

Method

1. Fry off the pepper and onion. Add the beans and cook them through, stirring regularly.
2. Sprinkle over the spices and mix. Add a splash of water if needed.
3. Add the cooked rice and mix everything together.
4. Put the tortilla wraps on a heatproof plate and microwave for 20 seconds to warm them through.
5. This next step is optional. Preheat a second frying pan and add 1 tsp oil to heat up. Sprinkle over a generous amount of cheese and place a tortilla wrap over the top. Press the wrap down on the cheese (be careful of the heat). As the cheese melts, move the tortilla around gently and shimmy a spatula underneath to release the wrap and prevent too much sticking.
6. Once you are happy with the crispness of the cheese, slide the wrap onto a sheet of aluminium foil cheese side facing down.
7. Spoon the rice and bean filling down the centre of the wrap. Dollop on your desired amount of salsa and sour cream, making sure not to overfill your burrito. Tuck two ends in towards the filling, then bring one open side over to start rolling.
8. Just before you close the burrito, slide the whole thing down to the edge of the aluminium foil sheet. Use the sheet of foil to finish rolling the burrito completely, then roll until all of the foil is wrapped around your burrito to help keep it warm. Crimp the ends like a Christmas cracker. Cut down the middle of the burrito, keeping it in the foil, when ready to serve.

To go with Abuelita’s tamales or burritos (whichever you choose), I recommend corn on the cob and some green vegetables.

Corn on the cob can be seen in various shots throughout Coco as part of the food offerings left for ancestors. It makes sense to include it in my Coco movie night menu for this reason.

As for the greens – simply cook up your favourite green veggies to have alongside your tamales or burritos. Green beans, broccoli, sauteed spinach. Whatever floats your boat.

These veggie side dishes are entirely optional, of course. There’s a lot of food on this menu, so only cook as much as you can eat or as much as your party requires!

Act Three

It’s time for a sweet treat or two. I’ve given two options in this section of the menu so that you can choose based on both personal tastes and how much room you have following Act Two of this Coco inspired movie night menu!

Churros feature so briefly in Coco – in one line, to be specific. As we see ancestors returning from the land of the living, one man is asked by border control if he has anything to declare. His response is that he has “churros from his family”.

This is the inspiration behind including these sugar coated cinnamon dough sticks as a sweet option. 

Churros are actually of Spanish and Portuguese origins, not Mexican. They are, however, very popular in Mexico! The scene as mentioned above is purely the reason I opted to include them in the menu. That, and the fact that they are SO tasty.

Churros can be bought at lots of larger supermarkets.

In various sizes, I should add. I’ve seen full length ones as well as more bite-sized versions, so if you can get your hands on a batch and would prefer to buy them rather than make them, by all means. 

Don’t forget to choose your dipping sauce, too! A rich chocolate ganache is always a winner, in my humble opinion.

Otherwise, I have provided a recipe below that I adapted from one on recipetin eats which was originally written by Nigella Lawson. It shows how simple churro making can be!

Churro Recipe

Makes: at least 10 5 inch churros or around 15 bite-sized churros (can be doubled for a larger yield).

Ingredients

Churros:

• 75g [¼ cup + 3 tbsp] plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• ½ tbsp vegetable or olive oil
• 125ml [4.5 oz] freshly boiled water
• 250ml [7.75 oz] vegetable or sunflower oil for frying

Coating:

• 25g [2 tbsp] caster sugar
• 1½  tsp ground cinnamon

Chocolate dipping sauce:

• 50g [1.75 oz] dark chocolate
• 65ml [2.5 oz] double [heavy] cream

Method

1. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt until evenly distributed.
3. Add the freshly boiled water and oil and mix everything together. Your dough should be a thick batter, like a wet dough.
4. Spoon the batter into a piping bag with a wide star nozzle attached. If you don’t have piping bags or tips, prepare two spoons to scoop and drop your batter into the oil to make churro balls.
5. Heat your oil in a wok / deep skillet pan / medium sized saucepan over a medium – high heat. The first two options are better for visibility, but a saucepan can work well, too. The oil will be ready to use once it hits 170°C [340°F] or when a small piece of white bread is dropped in the oil and turns golden and crisp in 20 seconds.
6. Pipe your churros in your desired length, using scissors to snip the dough close to the oil surface to avoid splashing. 
7. Cook 3 or 4 at a time for 2 – 3 minutes, using tongs to turn the churros in the oil. Once crisp and golden, remove from the oil with the tongs or a slotted spoon and leave on kitchen paper or a lined plate to dry off and drain. Roll in the cinnamon sugar and place on a serving plate.
8. To make the sauce, simply microwave the chocolate and cream together in a heatproof bowl in 30 second bursts, stirring in between until melted. Leave to cool slightly before using. Serve everything immediately.

NOTE: If you’d prefer to make the churros ahead, cook as instructed above then store at room temperature in an airtight container once completely cool. When ready to eat, reheat in the oven at 180°C [350°F] or until crisp, then roll in the cinnamon sugar and serve.

The alternative to churros are chocolate candies.

This can be any kind you like. Heck, they don’t even have to be chocolate. Whatever you prefer works. 

Friends, go ahead and buy your favourites. I made homemade chocolates for my Forrest Gump inspired recipe, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t just go out and buy some to include in my Coco movie night!

Miguel mentions candy during his monologue and it’s a must-have during a Halloween movie night, so it makes sense. 

Bonus Features

Hydration is so important, especially when you’re filling up on good food. As usual, the Bonus Features section of my Coco movie night menu is dedicated to drinks.

The first beverage had to be cactus milk. The scene where Miguel meets Frida Kahlo is brilliant! I couldn’t not pay homage to it. 

During this scene, Frida directs her latest opening show for Ernesto de la Cruz’s big party. Cactus milk is involved, as is a giant papaya. Thus, I have included cactus milk as the first drink option. 

I have definitely seen cactus water/juice in my local supermarket, so it’s definitely available (I live in a small town, so if it’s available here, it’s available in most places). However, if preferred, you can absolutely swap it out for papaya juice. 

Papaya juice is way more common and perhaps more appealing to many of you.

The final addition to my Coco themed movie night menu is one of Mexico’s famous cocktails: the margarita.

During my uni days, I was super into coconut margaritas. Unreal.

This Remember Me cocktail is inspired by the main song of the movie. Don’t worry, friends, there is no poison involved.

This can be alcoholic for those of you who are of the legal drinking age in your country of residence and who would like to indulge in a tipple. Otherwise, I am providing a recipe for a non-alcoholic version of this cocktail, as well as an alcohol based one.

Mocktails are for all!

Margarita Recipe

Serves: 2 (can be doubled etc. for a larger yield).

Ingredients

• 100ml [3.5 oz] tequila
• 40ml [1.5 oz] triple sec
• 50ml [1.75 oz] lime juice
• Kosher or sea salt for the rim
• Lime wedges to serve

Method

1. Wet the rims of your glasses by running a slice of lime around them then dip in the salt to create a salt rim.
2. If using a cocktail shaker, pour the tequila, triple sec and lime juice into the shaker and add ice. Shake until the cocktail shaker feels cold on the outside. Otherwise, pour everything into a jug (minus the ice) and stir until combined.
3. Strain or pour the mix into your glasses over fresh ice if desired. Serve with a lime wedge each.

Margarita Mocktail Recipe

Serves: 2 (can be doubled etc. for a larger yield)

Ingredients

• 60ml [2 oz] lime juice
• 60ml [2 oz] orange juice
• 60ml [2 oz] grapefruit juice
• 280ml [10 oz] sparkling water / Limeade / lemon and lime soda i.e. 7UP
• Runny honey to taste   optional
• Fresh limes to serve  sliced in wedges
• Kosher or sea salt for the rim  optional

Method

1. Pour the lime juice, orange juice and grapefruit juice into a jug and stir until combined. Add the honey now if doing so, making sure to taste the mix to check the sweetness level.
2. Optional: wet the rims of your glasses by running a slice of lime around them then dip in the salt to create a salt rim.
3. Pour the juice mix evenly into the glasses (over ice if desired) then top with the sparkling water (or your chosen soda).
4. Serve with a wedge of lime.

NOTE: For frozen margarita mocktails, simply mix together the juices and honey, then pour into ice cube trays. Freeze until solid, then blend with the sparkling water / soda to create a slushy. Serve in the glasses as normal. 

Epilogue

There you have it, friends. My Coco inspired movie night menu, filled to the brim with delicious food that features in the movie. 

Use this menu for your Disney movie night, Halloween movie night, or Coco themed party. You can find the downloadable graphic below. Feel free to print it out and display it at your Coco movie night or themed party! I find A5 to be the perfect size.

Enjoy your Coco movie night!

Coco Movie Night Menu Printable Graphic