A mixta is a Guatemalan hot dog wrapped in a warm corn tortilla instead of a bun: guacamol, a sausage, boiled cabbage and the three sauces, mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup. Antigua Daily Photo sums them up as hot dogs served in a tortilla rather than a bun, and Growing Up Bilingual calls them the same construction as a shuco, folded into a soft corn tortilla. This recipe makes eight in about 30 minutes, with nothing harder to find than ripe avocados.
The Foodies’ Kitchen says the order of the fillings varies with each cook’s preference and that there are no fixed quantities. Recetas de Guatemala puts mayonnaise and mustard on the tortilla first and finishes with ketchup; The Foodies’ Kitchen starts with guacamole, then cabbage, then a whole frankfurter. Both orders work.
Ingredients
For the Cabbage
- 1/4 green cabbage, about 8 oz (225 g), finely shredded
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- Salt and black pepper
For the Guacamol
- 2 ripe Hass avocados
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Mixtas
- 8 corn tortillas, about 6 inches (15 cm) across
- 8 hot dogs (salchichas)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Mayonnaise, yellow mustard and ketchup
- Hot sauce or chirmol (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the cabbage. Put the cabbage in a small pot with a pinch of salt and just enough water to cover. Boil for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Pour it into a colander and press out the liquid with the back of a spoon, then toss it in a bowl with the vinegar and a pinch each of salt and pepper. The vinegar gives a light tang against the rich guacamol.
Step 2: Make the guacamol. Mash the avocados with the lime juice and salt until smooth. Keep it thick: it has to stay on a tortilla, not run off it.
Step 3: Fry the hot dogs. Split each hot dog lengthwise without cutting all the way through, so it opens flat. Fry in the oil over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until browned at the edges. A flat sausage sits better in a tortilla than a round one.
Step 4: Warm the tortillas. Heat a comal or a dry skillet until a drop of water sizzles on it. Lay on a tortilla and flip it as soon as the edges start to curl, then give the second side a few seconds until it puffs or shows a few toasted spots. Stack each one in a folded cloth as it comes off, so the stack steams and stays soft. If your tortillas are thin and tear easily, use two per mixta.
Step 5: Assemble. Lay a tortilla flat. Add a thin line of mayonnaise and mustard, then spread a spoonful of guacamol down the middle. Set a hot dog on top, add a spoonful of cabbage and finish with ketchup and hot sauce if you like. Fold the tortilla around the filling like a taco and eat it while the tortilla is warm.
Mixta or Shuco?
| Mixta | Shuco | |
|---|---|---|
| Wrapper | Soft corn tortilla | Toasted hot dog bun |
| Fillings | Guacamol, cabbage, sausage, sauces | Guacamol, cabbage, sausage or other meats, sauces |
| How it is eaten | Folded like a taco | Held in the bun, half-wrapped in paper |
| Our recipe | This page | Shucos |
Growing Up Bilingual describes both as the same fillings in different wrappers. La Hora’s essay on the shuco records the half-wrap in unprinted newsprint.
Como Lo Hacemos en Guatemala (Local Tips)
Drain the cabbage hard. Wet cabbage softens the tortilla in seconds. Let it sit in the colander while you fry the sausages.
Fresh corn tortillas make the dish. The Recetas de Guatemala and Foodies’ Kitchen recipes use corn, not flour. Buy the freshest tortillas you can find, or make your own if you have masa.
Extras are up to you. Together Women Rise’s version adds chirmol salsa and crumbled queso fresco. Neither appears in the Recetas de Guatemala or Foodies’ Kitchen recipes, but both work.
Keep everything warm. Have the cabbage, guacamol and sauces ready before the tortillas go on the comal, then assemble one mixta at a time.
Find Ingredients in the US
- Corn tortillas: any supermarket or Latin grocery store.
- Hot dogs: beef or pork franks; The Foodies’ Kitchen says chicken or turkey sausages also work.
- Avocados: ripe Hass avocados that give slightly when pressed.
Looking for Guatemalan restaurants instead? Our Guatemalan food in the US directory lists places by city.
More Guatemalan Recipes
- Shucos, the bun version with the same fillings
- Guacamol chapín, Guatemalan guacamole as a dip
- Chirmol, the roasted tomato salsa
- Dobladas, another folded corn-tortilla snack
Sources
- Antigua Daily Photo, Guatemalan Cuisine: Mixtas (Rudy Girón, 20 April 2008): https://antiguadailyphoto.com/2008/04/20/guatemalan-cuisine-mixtas/ (read 4 November 2026)
- Recetas de Guatemala, Mixtas: https://www.recetas-guatemala.com/recetas/entradas/mixtas (read 4 November 2026)
- The Foodies’ Kitchen, Guatemalan Mixtas (Helga Glaesel de Blanding, 30 September 2017): https://www.thefoodieskitchen.com/2017/09/30/guatemalan-mixtas/ (read 4 November 2026)
- Growing Up Bilingual, Guatemalan Shucos (shucos vs mixtas section): https://growingupbilingual.com/shucos-guatemalan-inspired-hot-dogs/ (read 4 November 2026)
- Together Women Rise, Mixtas (Guatemalan-style hotdog): https://togetherwomenrise.org/recipes/mixtas-guatemalan-style-hotdog/ (read 4 November 2026)
- La Hora, Regáleme un shuco, por favor (24 June 2022): https://lahora.gt/lh-suplementos-culturales/la-hora/2022/06/24/regaleme-un-shuco-por-favor/ (read 4 November 2026)
