10 Must-Try Filipino Snacks

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I spent large swaths of my childhood in Guam, where my mother is from, and where the food and culture are largely influenced by the Philippines. As I stayed for long, hot hours in my grandmother's kitchen, making calamansi juice with my cousins and watching my aunt roll lumpia with expert precision, I didn't know which dishes came from which regions (or even that we are actually part Filipino). I only knew that I loved the bold flavors, varied textures, and rich culinary traditions that stemmed from that part of the world, and formed the foundation for my lasting food preferences.

I'm not alone in believing that Filipino snacking culture is a cut above the rest. In fact, according to the 2024 "State of Snacking" report by Mondelez International, 98% of people in the Philippines eat at least one snack per day (the global average is 91%) and a whopping 90% agree with the statement, "sharing snacks is my love language." An average day in the Philippines includes at least two merienda, or snacks between meals, and they can be savory or sweet. So pull up a seat, grab a cold can of Red Horse beer, and choose from these 10 must-try Filipino snacks.

Lumpia are Filipino spring rolls and probably originated in ancient China, when seasonal celebrations called for wraps or pancakes filled with fresh produce to herald a new year. Over time, the dish evolved and adapted to the customs and preferences of the places that embraced them. In the Philippines, they became lumpia, characterized by their thin crepe wrappers that, when fried, provide a light, crispy crunch.

While lumpia may not have originated in the Philippines, they are unquestionably a staple of the country's cuisine, sold everywhere from street vendors to high-end restaurants. In fact, I'd be surprised to see a menu of Filipino food that did not feature this crackly, savory snack. And since making lumpia is a time-intensive practice, requiring each to be wrapped individually, my memories of them are often tied to holidays and family gatherings.

Lumpia can vary in preparation style and filling. But when I picture it, I think of a golden, cigar-shaped egg roll. It flakes a bit when you bite into the fried shell, and it has a classic savory filling of ground pork and vegetables like shredded cabbage and carrot. Lumpia can be eaten as-is or with a dipping sauce of sweet chili, sweet and sour, or soy sauce and vinegar (my personal favorite).

The name pandesal translates to "salt bread," and it points to the Philippines' Spanish influence, and also to the country's dedication to perfecting simple baked goods. These are rolls with a soft, pillowy interior and an exterior made crunchy by a layer of fine bread crumbs. It's also an everyday staple of the Filipino diet, so popular that production of pandesal accounts for roughly half of the country's entire bakery production.

Pandesal is frequently eaten for breakfast, dipped into hot chocolate, coffee, or milk. But it also makes an excellent snack, especially when served warm from the oven with a pat of melty butter, coconut jam, or cheese. It's equally good with savory dishes, like a curry or stew, and it makes a tasty sandwich when filled with meat or peanut butter.

As The Washington Post explains, "Filipinos treat pandesal like the French treat baguettes. You don't bake it, you buy it." And, in today's bakeries, it's not uncommon to find modern twists on pandesal featuring flavors like squash, cheese, and even horseradish. I've yet to try those, but judging from what I know of the classic version, they're certain to be delicious.

Like many Filipino foods, hopia has a rich and storied history. It was brought to the Philippines from China in the 1940s, and its name translates to "good pastry" in Hokkien, a dialect spoken in Taiwan and China's Southern Fujian region (also known as Minnan). And good it is, indeed.

Hopia is a stuffed pastry in the same tradition as Chinese mooncake, served at annual Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. There are two types popular in the Philippines: A doughy, cube-shaped version and a round, flaky variety that looks something like a hockey puck (and that I'm personally most familiar with). Both come filled with a variety of flavors, typically sweet, like pineapple, mung or adzuki bean, or ube, also known as purple yam. If you're feeling more adventurous, you might enjoy hopiang baboy, which has a sweet-and-savory filling of pork, winter melon, spring onion, and bread crumbs.

The best way to enjoy hopia is fresh from a local bakery, but packaged versions can also be purchased, like Goldilocks Hopia. You can eat them cold, when the filling is firm, or quickly toast or microwave one to make it warm and melty inside. Either way, it's a treat.

If you're a fan of shortbread, you've got to try polvorón, the Filipino version of the dense, crumbly treat. It takes its name from the Spanish word for powder, and dates all the way back to convents in the Middle Ages, when Spanish nuns baked polvorones with flour, sugar, and almonds. But while it's easy to draw the connection to that ancient cookie, a Filipino polvorón is a different thing entirely.

Unlike polvorones, a Filipino polvorón is not baked. Instead, it's made by combining toasted flour, powdered milk, sugar, and melted butter, then firmly packing the dough into circular or oval molds to set. The resulting confection has a unique texture that falls apart easily and melts on the tongue.

Polvorón are frequently found at festive gatherings and celebrations, where they're wrapped in colorful tissue paper to look like large hard candies. They come in a variety of flavors, and often feature creative mix-ins like finely chopped nuts, crumbled Oreos, or pinipig (Filipino rice crispies). For an extra dose of decadence, they can even be dipped into melted chocolate and frozen before enjoying.

Puto is one common type of kakanin, an umbrella term for Filipino sweet treats made from glutenous rice. Unlike the more widely known bibingka, which is baked, puto (or putong puti) is steamed. The cooking, however, actually begins before that, when raw rice is soaked overnight with a little cooked rice to jumpstart fermentation without yeast. From there, coconut milk is added to the dough, which lends it a subtly sweet note. But puto is not overly sweet. Instead, once it's been steamed in a traditional bamboo basket with banana leaves, puto has a mild flavor and soft, springy texture that pairs well with pretty much anything.

I've eaten puto as part of a grand feast, as a side akin to a sweet roll or Japanese mochi, for breakfast, and just as a snack. It's great on its own, and next-level when topped with butter or coconut jam. Some like to serve it with fresh fruit, or dip it into hot chocolate as they would pandesal. While I'm partial to classic putong puti, other varieties (like puto bumbong, made with purple rice, and orange-hued puto kutsinta, flavored with brown sugar and coconut) are well worth trying. Its versatility makes puto a permanent fixture in Filipino cuisine, whether at a restaurant or at home. Unlike fancier types of kakanin reserved for the holidays, it's enjoyed year-round.

Filipino foodies know that not all dried mango is created equal. The best is made from carabao mangoes, which grow prolifically in the Philippines and are heralded for their superior flavor and texture. The dehydration process condenses the sweetness of the carabao mangoes, taking the flavor to new heights, and removes the fruit's moisture to create a satisfying, chewy consistency. Plus, it's a great way to preserve mangoes during harvest season, when there are often too many to eat fresh before they spoil.

Unlike some other traditional Filipino snacks, Filipino dried mango is easy to find outside its country of origin. Customers in the U.S. craving this sweet, healthy treat can shop for popular brands online or at most major grocery stores. Simply check the label to make sure that the snack comes from the Philippines, and you're good to go. And if you love classic dried mango and want to try something new, grab a bag of Philippine Brand Dried Green Mangoes for a treat that's less sweet and more tart.

Strips of dried mango can also be chopped and added to cereal or snack mixes, or used as a topping for yogurt. In my household, though, it never lasts long enough to make it into a recipe. We just open the package and enjoy every bite (sometimes in a single sitting).

Buko is the Tagalog word for young, green coconut, a culinary staple featured heavily in religious and cultural traditions, where it symbolizes prosperity and hospitality. It's an ingredient, sure, but also a snack itself, with street vendors commonly selling it from wooden pushcarts, ready to enjoy. Order your coconut, and the seller will happily hack the top off with a machete and insert a straw so that you can drink the nectar before nibbling on the fresh, sweet flesh or turning it into a variety of dishes.

Buko's natural sweetness and rich, creamy texture lends itself equally well to savory meals and desserts. The former might be a tasty stew, like ginataang kalabasa na hipon (squash and shrimp cooked in coconut milk) or ginataang manok (chicken cooked in coconut milk), while the latter could be a cool and colorful halo-halo made with shaved ice, or buko pandan, a Filipino dish made with sago pearls akin to jello salad. Buko is also frequently baked into pies, and blended with other ingredients (lychee, mango, or whatever your heart desires) to make smoothies and shakes. If you'd prefer to skip the work, you can forgo the full coconut and instead ask your vendor for buko juice, which is typically made with condensed milk and thick shreds of the young coconut for a delicious and refreshing treat.

Often enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack, suman is a sticky, starchy cake that makes brilliant use of two common Filipino foods: Rice and coconut. Suman's dough is a thick combination of glutinous rice and coconut milk that's formed into the shape of a large cigar, then wrapped with palm or banana leaves before being steamed. This cooking technique can be traced back to the Philippines' pre-colonial Indian influence, and the style of wrapping varies from region to region, in patterns ranging from simple to more complex.

Where you are could also affect the flavor of your suman. In the Filipino province of Samar, real cacao or chocolate is often mixed in to create suman moron. In the city of Antipolo, meanwhile, you'll find suman sa ibus flavored with (and colored by) turmeric. And in some parts of the Philippines, grated cassava is used instead of rice. Suman is typically served warm, when its chewy texture is best, and the mildly sweet flavor is often enhanced by toppings like milk or latik, a coconut caramel syrup. A sprinkle of raw sugar also adds a nice textural component to this beloved Filipino snack.

Ensaymada is a sweet bread with a yeasty, brioche-like dough that originated on the Spanish island of Mallorca. There, the old-world pastry is so revered by the European Union that it has "protected geographical indication" status, meaning that it can only be sold if it follows a traditional recipe. In the Philippines, though, ensaymada strays slightly from tradition to become something unique to the archipelago.

Like the Mallorcan version, Filipino ensaymada is most often shaped into a spiral, like a cinnamon roll. The dough is sticky, and needs time to rise before baking. Once removed from the oven, it's brushed with lard or butter and then slathered with more butter and caster sugar — this last step is where it differs from the Spanish recipe, which calls for a heavy dusting of icing sugar. Filipino ensaymada is also often topped with grated Cheddar cheese, for a messy but delicious combination of sweet and savory flavors. It's commonly enjoyed for breakfast with coffee or for merienda, the traditional Filipino mid-morning or afternoon snack.

Turon is a sweet Filipino snack best described as a banana spring roll. Unlike many of the country's popular foods, turon appears to be entirely from the Philippines, dating back to when banana plantations offloaded surplus bunches to employees, who then sold them at roadside stands or found inventive ways to prepare the fruit. Today, turon is still made with local saba bananas, rolled in a thin wrapper, deep-fried, and coated in a layer of sugar that caramelizes in the heat. Yes, it's decadent. It's also simple, satisfying, and easy to find throughout the archipelago, where it's sold in corner markets and convenience stores as a grab-and-go treat.

Turon comes in a few varieties, with some people preferring to sweeten the filling further with the addition of ripe jackfruit. It's typically eaten hot and gooey at snack time or for dessert, and is perfectly delicious on its own. But for an extra-special treat, try topping it with ube or macapuno (jellied coconut) ice cream. Yum!