Mole amarillo
Photo: Wotancito · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Mole amarillo is the most pre-Hispanic of the seven; it predates the Spanish, with chilhuacle amarillo (only grown in Cuicatlan), hierba santa, masa-thickened broth and no chocolate. It is the canonical mole for the empanadas-de-amarillo street vendors at Plaza Llano on weekend afternoons. Ancestral Cocina Tradicional in Xochimilco serves an amarillo with pork and chayote that locals consider the city's reference version.

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Common allergens: Wheat (tortilla)

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 1 hr 45 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 6 chilhuacle amarillo chiles (or yellow guajillo as substitute)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 small onion, charred
  • 2 medium tomatillos, charred
  • 20g sesame seeds, toasted
  • 3 leaves hierba santa
  • 1 sprig epazote
  • 800ml chicken or pork stock
  • 60g masa harina, dissolved in 200ml water
  • 500g pork shoulder, cubed
  • 2 chayotes, peeled and cubed
  • Salt

Method

  1. Toast the chiles on a comal 1 minute and soak in hot water 20 minutes.
  2. Blend chiles, garlic, onion, tomatillos, sesame and one hierba santa leaf into a paste.
  3. Fry the paste in 40ml lard 5 minutes.
  4. Add stock and bring to a simmer.
  5. Stir in the masa-and-water slurry; simmer 15 minutes until thickened.
  6. Add pork and chayotes; simmer 45 minutes.
  7. Tear remaining hierba santa and epazote into the sauce 5 minutes before serving.

Tip from the editors. Hierba santa is essential; without it the amarillo loses its signature anise-tinged finish.

Where to eat mole amarillo

Mole amarillo in Oaxaca

Ancestral Cocina Tradicional ★ 4.5

$$ MexicanXochimilco

Ancestral in Xochimilco is the thatched-roof grove on Lopez Alavez, well away from Centro tourist flow, with the seven-moles tasting platter as the headline.

Why locals goIn Barrio de Xochimilco, the weaving quarter most tourists never reach; thatched-roof grove.

TipTake a taxi (the Lopez Alavez block is a steep climb); book the moles tasting for two.

Directions

Las Quince Letras ★ 4.4

$$$$ Tasting $700 to $1,100MexicanCentro HistoricoChef Celia Florian

Las Quince Letras is Celia Florian's women-owned mole room since 1992 near Santo Domingo, where the mole negro runs more than thirty ingredients.

Book1 week ahead

TipOrder the duo-de-moles or trio-de-moles to see the kitchen's range across three sauces in one sitting.

Directions Book

Los Pacos ★ 4.2

$$$$ Tasting $600 to $900MexicanCentro HistoricoChef Pablo Manzano

Los Pacos on Abasolo with a rooftop terrace runs seven moles on one tasting board for the canonical mole-flight of the city across two sittings daily.

Book1 week ahead

TipSkip mains and order the moles-de-Oaxaca tasting plate; bring an appetite and a friend to share the seven.

Directions Book

Restaurante Catedral ★ 4.2

$$$$ Tasting $650 to $950MexicanCentro HistoricoChef Catedral kitchen team

Restaurante Catedral one block from the cathedral runs a generous courtyard with live music and a seven-moles menu (negro, chichilo, amarillo, verde).

Book1 week ahead

TipTuesdays closed; the moles oaxaquenos platter for two is the standard ask. Live music after 8pm most nights.

Directions

Tierra del Sol ★ 4.8

$$$$ Tasting $1,200 to $1,500MexicanCentro HistoricoChef Olga Cabrera Oropeza

Tierra del Sol on Reforma is Olga Cabrera's three-floor Oaxaca room, named Mexico's Restaurant of the Year for 2026, with a rooftop comal of tetelas.

Book2 weeks ahead

TipSkip the prix fixe and graze through the rooftop comal section; the chichilo and mole amarillo are the headlines.

Directions

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