Filipino Recipes

Filipino cuisine is one of the most diverse and flavorful in the world — a mix of indigenous, Spanish, Chinese, Malay, and American influences that come together in dishes like crispy Ilocos empanada, rich balbacua stew, and tangy paklay. Every region has its own version, its own technique, and its own story.

This collection brings together our most-loved Filipino recipes — from Ilocano street food to Visayan comfort stews to sweet Filipino desserts. Every recipe is tested, photographed, and written with clear step-by-step instructions, tips, and FAQs. Whether you grew up eating these dishes or you're discovering them for the first time, you'll find something here worth cooking tonight.

Ilocano Street Food

The Ilocos region in northern Philippines is famous for its bold, garlicky, vinegar-forward cooking. These are the crispy, savory snacks that put Ilocano food on the map.

• Ilocos Empanada Recipe — The #1 crispy Filipino street food with a bright orange annatto rice shell, longganisa, green papaya, and egg. Ready in 25 minutes.
• Vigan Empanada Recipe — The Vigan-specific version of the classic, with a thinner wrapper and a slightly different filling ratio. Perfect for comparing regional differences.
• Tupig Recipe — Grilled Ilocano rice cake wrapped in banana leaves with coconut and sugar. Crispy on the outside, chewy inside.
• Putong Bigas Recipe — Steamed Filipino rice muffins, a classic Ilocano merienda.
• Putong Bigas with Gata Recipe — A coconut-milk version of the classic steamed rice cake.
• Pilipit Recipe — Twisted fried dough coated in sugar, a crispy Ilocano snack.

Visayan Comfort Stews

The Visayas region in central Philippines is known for its hearty, slow-cooked stews and bold use of offal, vinegar, and aromatics. These dishes take time but reward patience with deep, soulful flavor.

• Balbacua Bisaya Recipe — Rich Visayan beef and oxtail stew with peanuts, star anise, lemongrass, and banana blossoms. Slow-cooked for 3 hours until fall-apart tender.
• Balbacua Cebu Recipe — The Cebu-specific version with achuete oil, peanut butter, and a reddish-brown broth. Topped with fried garlic and chicharrón.
• Bisaya Paklay Recipe — Hearty Visayan pork offal stew with banana blossoms, ubod, string beans, and kangkong. A true comfort food.
• Paklay Recipe (Ilocano Version) — The Ilocano take on the classic pork organ stew, with a darker, tangier broth.
• Papaitan Recipe — Bitter and bold Ilocano goat or beef offal soup with bile for that signature bitter note.
• Igado Recipe — Tangy Ilocano pork and liver stew with bell peppers and green peas.

Classic Filipino Mains

These are the everyday dishes that show up on Filipino tables across the country — pork, chicken, and seafood classics that pair with steamed rice.

• Lechon Paksiw Recipe — Transform leftover roast pork into a tangy, sweet, savory stew. The classic post-fiesta dish.
• Dinuguan Recipe — Rich Filipino pork blood stew with vinegar and chili. Bold, savory, and unforgettable.
• Adobong Pusit Recipe — Squid adobo cooked in its own ink, with garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce.
• Ilocano Pork Guisantes Recipe — Pork and green peas stewed in a savory tomato sauce, a Filipino household staple.
• Kalderetang Bibe Recipe — Duck caldereta with liver spread, potatoes, and bell peppers. A rich Filipino party dish.
• Sinantomas Recipe — Pork ribs simmered with corn, string beans, and pechay. Simple, homey, and satisfying.
• Chicken with Rice Recipe — The ultimate Filipino comfort food. Chicken simmered with rice and ginger.
• Saluyot Recipe — Jute leaves simmered with garlic, ginger, and fish sauce. A classic Ilocano vegetable dish.
• Sotanghon Recipe — Filipino glass noodle soup with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables.
• Alcapurria Recipe — Puerto Rican fried fritters (included here for the shared fried-food technique and cross-cultural inspiration).

Filipino Desserts & Sweet Snacks

Filipino desserts lean on rice, coconut, and sugar — creating textures that are chewy, soft, and delicately sweet. These are the kakanin (rice cakes) and sweets that end every Filipino meal.

• Inangit Recipe — Sticky rice cooked with coconut milk and sugar, served warm.
• Bakintol Chocolate Moron Recipe — Chocolate-glazed sticky rice roll from the Visayas.
• Binalay Recipe — Filipino sticky rice cake with coconut and sugar, wrapped in banana leaves.
• Barquillos Recipe — Thin, crispy rolled Filipino wafer cookies.
• Barquillos De Polvoron Recipe — Barquillos filled with polvoron, a sweet powdered milk candy.
• Espasol Recipe with Condensed Milk — Toasted glutinous rice flour with coconut and condensed milk.
• Kalamay Lansong Recipe — Sticky rice cake with coconut caramel topping.
• Pichi Pichi Recipe — Steamed cassava cakes rolled in grated coconut and cheese.
• Mango Glutinous Rice Recipe — Sweet sticky rice with fresh mango and coconut cream.

More Recipe Collections

If you love Filipino food, you might also enjoy these collections:

• Copycat Recipes — Restaurant favorites made at home.
• Dessert Recipes — Cakes, cookies, frostings, and international sweets.
• Southern & Soul Food Recipes — Classic American comfort food.

About Filipino Cuisine

Filipino food is often described as a "melting pot" of influences — Spanish, Chinese, Malay, Indian, and American — but that undersells the creativity of Filipino cooks. The best Filipino dishes are the ones that take humble ingredients and transform them through technique and patience: leftover roast pork becomes tangy lechon paksiw; pork offal becomes a soulful paklay; rice flour and annatto oil become the crispy orange shell of an Ilocos empanada.

Every region has its own versions. Ilocano food is garlicky, vinegar-forward, and proudly savory. Visayan food is heartier, slower-cooked, and often uses offal and coconut. Tagalog food is the most familiar internationally (think adobo and sinigang), but it's only one piece of a much larger culinary picture.

Our goal with this collection is to make authentic Filipino cooking approachable for anyone — whether you're in Manila, California, Dubai, or anywhere else. Every recipe has step-by-step instructions, clear ingredient measurements, and honest tips from testing it in a home kitchen.