29 Filipino Recipes That Are Absolutely Worth Feasting On

It's Filipino American History month. Let's eat!

Brooke Greenberg / BuzzFeed

October is Filipino American History month. 🇵🇭

And while I'm big advocate of celebrating Filipino culture year-round (👋), I'll never pass up an opportunity to highlight one of its finest features: the food!

So whether you're already a total pro when it comes to Filipino cuisine, or you're just getting started, here are some favorites to feast on — from dinners, to desserts, to drinks. Kain tayo!

1. Pancit

tasty.co

Pancit is the blanket term for Filipino noodle dishes. This version from Jeepney in New York City is pancit bihon — with thin rice noodles, lechon (pork), and vegetables, all cooked in soy sauce and citrus, and garnished with crispy chicharrón.

Recipe: Pancit

2. One-Pot Chicken Adobo

tasty.co

If you haven't tried Filipino food yet, adobo is a great place to start. The tangy marinade of soy sauce, vinegar, and plenty of garlic is a solid introduction to the flavors of the cuisine. (It's also incredibly simple to make!)

Recipe: One-Pot Chicken Adobo

3. Arroz Caldo

tasty.co

This classic chicken and rice porridge is incredibly comforting and flavorful — thanks to things like fresh ginger and fish sauce.

Recipe: Arroz Caldo

4. Bistek With Onion and Bay Leaves

bonappetit.com

Chef Angela Dimayuga shared her Filipino Christmas menu here — and one of the centerpieces is this simple (yet incredibly flavorful) steak and onion dish.

Recipe: Bistek With Onion and Bay Leaves

5. Calamansi Whiskey Sour

Jun Belen

Calamansi — also known as Philippine lime — is one of the most commonly used fruits in the cuisine. Combine it with whiskey and honey over ice for an amazing three-ingredient cocktail.

Recipe: Calamansi Whiskey Sour

6. Lumpia

food52.com

The filling of these Filipino-style spring rolls may vary, but one thing remains the same: You can (and will) inhale them by the dozen. Don't forget the sweet chili and vinegar-soy dipping sauces!

Recipe: Lumpia with Pork

7. Ube Donuts With Coconut Milk Glaze

burntlumpiablog.com

Ube — or purple yam — has definitely been having a ~moment~ as of late. (See: Trader Joe's churning out ube ice cream.) Adding to that list of ube-centric dessert glory? These homemade glazed donuts.

8. Filipino Picadillo

afamilyfeast.com

Many countries have their version of picadillo — and here, the Filipino edition is made with ground beef and pork, veggies, tomato sauce, fish sauce, and a fried egg. (Over rice, of course!)

Recipe: Filipino Picadillo

9. Instant Pot Kare Kare

cupsofrice.com

Traditionally, kare kare is a rich stew made with slow-simmered oxtail and savory peanut sauce. But this version swaps oxtail for easier-to-find beef chunks — then tosses everything into the Instant Pot so you can get all the same flavors in much less time.

Recipe: Instant Pot Kare Kare

10. Calamansi Margaritas

alwaysorderdessert.com

Calamansi juice is really good. Calamansi juice spiked with tequila is even better. 😋

Recipe: Calamansi Margaritas

11. Easy Slow Cooker Lechon

kawalingpinoy.com

Roast pig is a party favorite, but the traditional spit-roasted preparation takes a *ton* of work. If you want all the best things about lechon — shatteringly crispy skin, tender and juicy meat inside — try this clever weeknight-friendly version, which starts in a Crock Pot and finishes in the oven.

Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Lechon

12. Hopia

foxyfolksy.com

Hopia are little moon-shaped pastries with sweet, paste-like fillings like ube or mung bean. Fair warning that they're a bit of work when you make them from scratch. (But they're worth it!)

Recipe: Hopia

13. Filipino Barbecue Pork Skewers

kawalingpinoy.com

With a marinade that includes soy sauce, vinegar, chili peppers, and (low-key Filipino pantry favorite 🚨) 7Up, these are equal parts salty, sweet, and spicy.

Recipe: Filipino Barbecue Pork Skewers

14. Chicken Afritada

salu-salo.com

This all-purpose dish — braised meat in tomato sauce — works with any protein as the base, though this version uses chicken.

Recipe: Braised Chicken in Tomato Sauce (Chicken Afritada)

15. Mushroom Adobo

salu-salo.com

If you want the flavors of adobo *without* the meat, these are perfect as a side dish — or a main, served over rice and veggies.

Recipe: Mushroom Adobo

16. Shortcut Sisig

food52.com

Sisig — or chopped pork that's been boiled, grilled, and fried — is a staple of the cuisine. And here, Amelia Rampe shares the breakfast version she makes every year for Christmas. She uses pork belly (instead of pork bits), streamlines the cooking method, and tops it all with fried eggs.

Recipe: Shortcut Sisig

17. Turon

thelittleepicurean.com

Think of fried banana and brown sugar rolls — or turon — as the dessert version of lumpia. Dip them in honey, chocolate sauce, or ice cream.

Recipe: Turon

18. Shrimp in Coconut Milk

theskinnypot.com

Ginataan translates to "done [or cooked] with coconut milk." This version spikes shrimp with garlic and chili — but you can swap in any protein or vegetable you'd like.

Recipe: Shrimp in Coconut Milk (Ginataan na Hipon)

19. Beef Tapa, Garlic Rice & Fried Egg

thelittleepicurean.com

Tapsilog is a popular Filipino breakfast that includes beef, garlic fried rice, and fried eggs. Serve it with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, or a lime or vinegar dipping sauce.

Recipe: Beef Tapa, Garlic Rice & Fried Egg (Tapsilog)

20. Siopao

blog.junbelen.com

Like many dishes on this list, you can find cross-cultural variations everywhere — and steamed buns are no exception. The Filipino version is siopao, often filled with pork.

Recipe: Siopao

21. Dinuguan

theskinnypot.com

Dinuguan — or pork blood stew — is rich, savory, and similar to European-style blood sausage.

Recipe: Dinuguan

22. Swirled Ube Bread

thelittleepicurean.com

Think of this as a Filipino variation on cinnamon rolls or even babka. A sweet paste of coconut and purple yam is swirled into flaky dough, then baked.

Recipe: Swirled Ube Bread

23. Filipino Spaghetti

cupsofrice.com

Filipino spaghetti is sweeter than what you're used to. That's because the sauce often contains banana ketchup, a favorite condiment of the cuisine. (If you want to go real homestyle, you gotta add sliced hot dogs, too.)

Recipe: Filipino Spaghetti

24. Leche Flan Cheesecake

adorasbox.com

Leche flan is a favorite Filipino dessert — and this modern variation combines it with cheesecake for something extra-decadent.

Recipe: Leche Flan Cheesecake

25. Oven-Fried Chicharon

adorasbox.com

Think of these oven-fried pork rinds as the best bar snack ever.

Recipe: Oven-Fried Chicharon

26. Sinigang

kawalingpinoy.com

Perfect for cooler weather, sinigang — or hot and sour soup — is packed with protein, vegetables, and a comforting tamarind broth.

Recipe: Sinigang

27. Bibingka

zestuous.com

This sweet coconut cake is typically saved for the holiday season. (But TBH, it's so good that you should eat it year-round. 🙃)

Recipe: Bibingka

28. Tocino

angsarap.net

Often called Filipino bacon, tocino is pork that sits for several hours (or days) in a mixture of sugar, salt, garlic, and oil. Then it's fried up in a hot pan until the coating caramelizes.

Recipe: Tocino

29. Halo-Halo

thelittleepicurean.com

Halo-halo means "mix mix" in Tagalog, and that's exactly what you're supposed to do with it. The dessert is a hodgepodge of ingredients, including shaved ice, sweet beans, fruit, and ube ice cream.

Recipe: Halo-Halo

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