Filipino street food recipes is a vibrant and tasty reflection of the country’s rich cultural heritage.
From the savory adobo to the juicy lechon, the street food of the Philippines offers a tantalizing array of flavors and textures that are sure to excite the senses.
Whether you’re a fan of tangy, savory dishes or sweet, sticky treats, Filipino street food recipes has something for everyone.
In this collection of recipes, we’ll explore the best of what the Philippines has to offer, taking you on a culinary journey through the streets of Manila and beyond.
So get ready to fire up the stove, grab your wok, and let’s start cooking up some delicious Filipino street food!
Best Filipino Street Food Recipes: Quick Table
| Recipe | Calories (Per Serving) | Total Preparation Time |
| Lumpiang Shanghai | 119 | 20 Min |
| Kwek Kwek | N/A | 15 Min |
| Proben | 310 | 10 Min |
| Fish Balls | 30 | 30 Min |
| Squid Balls | N/A | 30 Min |
| Kikiam | N/A | 15 Min |
| Chicharon Bulaklak | N/A | 10 Min |
| Empanada | 315 | 20 Min |
| Ukoy | 119 | 10 Min |
| Bicho Bicho | 355 | 25 Min |
| Banana Cue | N/A | 10 Min |
| Turon | 292 | 10 Min |
| Tocino | 127 | 5 Min |
| Isaw | N/A | 30 Min |
| Pork BBQ | N/A | 3 Hours |
| Tenga | 367 | 15 Min |
| Lechon Manok | 450 | 20 Min |
| Chicken Feet Adobo | N/A | 10 Min |
| Suam Na Mais | 210 | 15 Min |
| Biblingka | N/A | 10 Min |
| Espasol | N/A | 10 Min |
| Taho | 324 | 10 Min |
| Iskrambol | 313 | 5 Min |
| Halo Halo | N/A | 15 Min |
| Ice Cream Sandwich | 283 | 15 Min |
1. Lumpiang Shanghai – Spring Rolls
Lumpiang Shanghai are Spring Rolls, Filipino style. They are smaller in size than their Chinese counterparts, and have a nice, meaty filling.
Try these tasty appetizers at home for your next party, or anytime when you want a great snack!
Calories Per Serving: 119
Total Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
2. Kwek Kwek – Fried Orange Quail Eggs
Beautiful, tiny quail eggs are boiled, battered and deep fried. They have a lovely orange color, and are a treat served with a spicy vinegar.
Kwek kwek are readily available from street vendors in the Philippines, but try this quick recipe at home so you can enjoy them whenever you want!
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
3. Proben – Filipino Fried Chicken
Crispy fried chicken is a favorite treat in a lot of countries, and each has its own, unique twist on flavors. This Filipino version marinates bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in fish sauce before frying it to crispy perfection.
Calories Per Serving: 310
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
4. Fish Balls
A package of frozen fish filets from your local grocery store, and you are ready to make these delicious fish balls in your own kitchen. Delicious on their own or in a soup, fish balls are easy to make and good to eat.
A tasty fish ball sauce adds even more flavor.
Calories Per Serving: 30
Total Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
5. Squid Balls
Tasty little balls of squid mixed with minced pork and basa filet, get additional flavor from garlic powder, white pepper, and ginger.
The deep-fried balls are put on a skewer and served up from street food carts.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
6. Kikiam – Fried Sausage
If you like sausage, but don’t want all of the hassle of stuffing sausage meat into casings, kikiam is a great option.
The mix of ground pork and minced shrimp, carrots, and onions, seasoned with wonderful spices, is wrapped in bean curd sheets, steamed and then fried in oil.
They taste oh so good, and can be made ahead and kept frozen after steaming, until you are ready to deep-fry them, and gobble them up.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
7. Chicharon Bulaklak – Deep-Fried Pork Intestine (Ruffle Fat)
Okay, we know that deep-fried pork intestine doesn’t exactly sound appetizing, but this is tasty, and you shouldn’t shy away from it.
Peppercorns and bay leaves provide the flavor here in this unique Filipino snack.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
8. Empanada
Empanadas are hand pies, and they can be filled with different things, but this recipe is for chicken empanadas.
Hand pies deliver in two ways, you get the crispy outside, plus the delicious inside filling. Whether you choose to fry, bake, or air fry your empanada, you will want to make this one of your go-to recipes.
Calories Per Serving: 315
Total Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
9. Ukoy – Shrimp Fritters
If you are a shrimp fan, you will not want to miss out on these super-tasty shrimp fritters. Flavored with sweet potatoes, and annatto powder which provides both spice and sweet, these fritters are a treat.
Get them from a street vendor, or better yet, make this recipe at home!
Calories Per Serving: 119
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
10. Bicho-Bicho – Filipino Donut
Did you say donut? This marvelous twisted donut will soon be on your list of must-have Filipino sweets!
A yeast bread made from wheat flour or rice flour, these donuts have a coating of sugar or caramel syrup topped with sesame seeds. Yum!
Calories Per Serving: 355
Total Preparation Time: 25 Minutes
11. Banana Cue – Caramelized Banana
Bananas are wonderful just on their own, but when you fry them and coat them with caramel they are out of this world.
This is a simple recipe that requires very few ingredients. Try this at home and enjoy Banana Cue for a snack or a yummy dessert.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
12. Turon
Turon is an easy-to-make dessert that uses sliced bananas that are coated with sugar, topped with jackfruit, and then rolled up in a lumpia wrapper (a pastry that is thin, like a crepe) and fried.
Your entire family will love turon, and you will want to make them often!
Calories Per Serving: 292
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
13. Tocino – Filipino Bacon
Many people think of bacon as it is sold and cooked in the west, as cured, thin strips of pork that are fried to crispy deliciousness. Filipino bacon is also cured pork, from the pork shoulder or pork belly.
The flavors in Filipino bacon are also incredible! You will enjoy both spicy and sweet flavors, and a sticky, marvelous sauce!
Calories Per Serving: 127
Total Preparation Time: 5 Minutes
14. Isaw – Grilled Intestine
Filipino food on a bamboo skewer is fun, right? Eating grilled intestines on a bamboo skewer may seem a little peculiar, but these grilled intestines are popular street food in the Philippines.
After undergoing a thorough cleaning process, spices such as cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper are added for flavor.0
Try this interesting Filipino street food for yourself!
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
15. Filipino Pork BBQ
Delicious grilled pork shoulder pieces have been marinated in a tasty sauce of lemon juice, soy sauce, banana ketchup, brown sugar, and lemon/lime soda.
This is an easy recipe that you will want to add to your list of BBQ favs.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 3 Hours
16. Tenga – Barbecued Pork Ears
Why not add this delicious barbecued appetizer/snack to your next back-yard BBQ? The taste of savory and sweet, so characteristic of Filipino food, will have your guests raving about how good they taste!
After being cooked for 1 ½ – 2 hours to tenderize the pork ears, they are grilled and basted with a mix of oyster sauce and banana ketchup – wow!
Calories Per Serving: 367
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
17. Lechon Manok – Grilled Chicken
In addition to the amazing flavors, one of the things that makes this Filipino grilled chicken so special is that it is marinated in an amazing mixture of vinegar, lemongrass, calamansi juice, and achiote oil before it is barbecued.
The flavor is out of this world, and the chicken has a crispness plus that smoky grilled note.
Calories Per Serving: 450
Total Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
18. Chicken Feet Adobo
Grilled chicken feet are widely available on the streets in the Philippines. They are a fun and easy-to-eat street food that you’ll love once you try it. You might need to get past the look, but once you do, you’ll love the taste!
Thai chili, soy sauce, and oyster sauce give this grilled chicken great flavor, and it is grilled to a nice crispy and deep color.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
19. Suam Na Mais
This creamy, delicious corn soup is made from white corn kernels. It is comfort food that you will want more of.
With shrimp and spinach this white corn soup is both flavorful and nutritious. Check out this recipe and cook some of this yummy soup today!
Calories Per Serving: 210
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
20. Biblingka – Coconut Rice Cake
The mix of different kinds of flavors is characteristic of Filipino cuisine. This cake is no different as it combines both sweet and salty. Typically served at Christmas time, the cake uses coconut milk, and a little cheese on top for the salty taste.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
21. Espasol
Espasol is rice cake, and uses, predictably, rice flour. What makes this cake taste fabulous is that the rice flour is cooked in coconut milk.
This cake is shaped in cylinders. Readily available as street food, you are going to want to bake up this delicious dessert/snack at home, and have it whenever you want. Follow this easy recipe.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
22. Taho
Try this marvelous food once and you will want it again and again.
Extra-soft tofu, caramelized brown sugar, and tapioca pearls combine to make this fun and delicious treat.
There are few ingredients and steps required, so this is easy to whip up in your own kitchen. Follow the easy steps in this recipe to this delightful Filipino food.
Calories Per Serving: 324
Total Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
23. Iskrambol
Iskrambol is shaved ice with a predominant flavor of pineapple. It’s a favorite street food in the Philippines which enjoys a good deal of hot weather.
Iskrambol takes little time to make and will serve as a wonderful, refreshing dessert. Give this recipe a try in your own home!
Calories Per Serving: 313
Total Preparation Time: 5 Minutes
24. Halo Halo – Filipino Shaved Ice
This beautiful and delicious dessert/snack has it all. Topped with flan, halo halo is a combination of sweet red bean, fresh coconut, mango, boba, shaved ice, and ice cream.
You must try this at home. This recipe is easy, and there are suggestions for substitutions if you cannot find certain ingredients.
Calories Per Serving: N/A
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
25. Filipino Graham Ice Cream Sandwich
Kids and adults alike will love this version of a Filipino ice cream sandwich, so popular on the streets of the Philippines.
Traditionally it is a bun that sandwiches the ice cream, but this recipe gives you an easy twist by using graham crackers. Easy to make and delicious, your children will definitely want more of these snacks!
Calories Per Serving: 283
Total Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Most Popular Street Foods In The Philippines?
Some of the most popular street foods in the Philippines include: adobo, lechon, turo-turo, balut, isaw, and bibingka.
How Do You Make Adobo A Traditional Filipino Dish?
Adobo is typically made by simmering chicken or pork in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. The meat is then browned in a pan and served with rice.
What Is Turo-Turo And What Kind Of Dishes Can Be Found In It?
Turo-turo means “point-point” in Tagalog, and it refers to a type of Filipino street food vendor where customers point to the dishes they want to order.
Turo-turo vendors typically serve a variety of dishes such as sinigang, lechon, pancit, and adobo.
25 Fabulous Filipino Street Food Recipes
Course: Street Food RecipesFilipino street food refers to a variety of delicious and affordable dishes that are popular in the Philippines, especially in street markets and food stalls.
Ingredients
Directions
- Pick a recipe from the list above
- Click the recipe name and visit the website
- Collect the ingredients and cook the food
- Enjoy – don’t forget to leave a review
Recipe Video
