Discover the Best Breakfast Foods in the Philippines

For Filipinos, breakfast is not just a meal – it's a cultural ritual that marks the start of a day filled with delicious food, from lunch to merienda (snacks) and dinner.

Filipino cuisine has evolved through centuries of influence from other cultures, including Mexican, Chinese, American, and Spanish, thanks to trade, occupation, and colonization.

With the arrival of canned meats, breads, pastries, spices, sausages, and more, Filipinos have transformed these imported ingredients into unique local dishes.

Now that the Philippines' islands are welcoming tourists again, it's the perfect time to plan a culinary adventure and explore the rich food culture of the country.

These mouthwatering breakfast foods and drinks are the perfect way to kickstart your day with flavor.

Sinangag and itlog (silog) – a Filipino breakfast classic.

The foundation of many Filipino breakfasts is sinangag, or garlic fried rice. Packed with crispy garlic bits, this dish is simple but requires skill and precision to get just right, with ingredients like garlic, salt, pepper, oil, and rice.

The garlic needs to be fried to a perfect golden brown – crispy, but not burnt – while the rice should ideally be a day old to achieve the perfect texture. The salt should be just right, enhancing the flavor without overpowering it, as sinangag is often paired with highly flavorful proteins that are marinated, salted, or cured.

Sinangag is commonly served with sunny-side-up eggs (itlog), making it sinangag at itlog, which is often shortened to silog.

The name of the dish changes depending on the protein used. For example, when Spam is added, it's called Spamsilog. There are countless variations, from hot dogs to corned beef, all of which fall under the silog category.

Tocino

Tocino, the Spanish word for bacon, refers to a sweet Filipino-style cured pork (or sometimes chicken) that’s fried in its own marinade until it becomes caramelized and crispy.

This dish traces its origins to Pampanga, a province often celebrated as the culinary heart of the Philippines.

Longanisa

The name longanisa comes from the Spanish word longaniza, referring to long, thin pork sausages.

Filipino longanisa is typically categorized into two types: ‘de recado’, which is garlic-heavy and spiced, and ‘hamonado’ (or jamon), which is inspired by the Spanish ham.

Longanisa varies by region, from the choice of meat to the way it’s made. In Vigan, located on the west coast of Luzon, the longanisa is garlicky, spicy, and slightly tangy due to sugarcane vinegar. These sausages are then pan-fried until they reach a caramelized perfection.

Kakanin

There’s a wide variety of kakanin (rice cakes), but they all share a few key ingredients in common.

The most notable of these is malagkit, a sticky, glutinous rice that’s full of starch and gives kakanin its signature texture. Other crucial ingredients include gata (coconut milk) and sugar, with brown sugar being preferred for its richer flavor over white sugar.

Flavors like pandan, ube (purple yam), and vanilla add subtle depth and richness to kakanin. Some of the most beloved kakanin include suman (sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and sugar, then wrapped and steamed in banana leaves) and biko (a sweet, caramelized sticky rice cake).

A Filipino favorite is bibingka, a rice cake made from ground rice, coconut milk, and egg, topped with salted egg and grated cheese, offering that perfect salty-sweet balance. It’s best enjoyed with a hot cup of salabat (ginger tea), which we’ll talk about later.

Tapa

Tapa consists of thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce and calamansi (a citrus fruit that blends the tang of lemon, lime, and orange into one vibrant flavor), then either grilled or pan-fried.

Much like adobo, tapa was traditionally a way of preserving meat by curing or drying it in soy sauce and vinegar, preventing bacterial growth. It’s similar to beef jerky, but today it's often enjoyed as part of a delicious silog breakfast.

Pandesal

These subtly sweet rolls, known for their fluffy texture and crisp exterior, are among the most beloved breads in the Philippines.

The name pandesal comes from the Spanish 'pan de sal,' meaning 'bread of salt,' but ironically, these rolls are not salty. Their signature texture comes from being rolled in breadcrumbs before baking.

These fluffy rolls are often filled with cheese, jam, eggs, or meat, but they’re also delicious on their own – especially when dipped in coffee or hot chocolate (tsokolate).

Corned beef

American-style corned beef, along with other canned goods like Spam, sardines, and Vienna sausages, gained popularity in the Philippines during periods of foreign occupation, particularly after the Philippine-American War and World War II.

Filipinos embraced and modified these canned meats, often sautéing them with onions and potatoes to create 'ginisang corned beef,' a key ingredient in the dish 'cornsilog.'

Ensaymada

This soft, buttery pastry has its origins in a twisted bread called ensaimada de Mallorca from the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain. Traditionally, this flaky bread was made with lard, known as saim in the Mallorqui dialect of Catalan.

With rich layers of butter and sugar, the sweetness of ensaymada is harmonized by the savory, tangy taste of queso de bola, or Edam cheese, a semi-hard cheese hailing from the Netherlands.

Daing na bangus

Daing refers to the method of preparing fish and seafood, typically involving salting and drying.

The fish is usually salted and sun-dried, though it can also be marinated in vinegar, salt, garlic, and pepper, often left to soak overnight. Bangus, or milkfish, is butterflied, marinated, and then pan-fried to perfection.

Champorado

Mexican champurrado, a thick hot chocolate made with milk and masa harina, made its way to the Philippines in the late 17th century, alongside the introduction of chocolate itself.

Instead of masa harina, Filipinos opted for rice, naturally, to create a rich and creamy chocolate porridge that has become a beloved breakfast treat.

Champorado is made with malagkit (sticky rice) and tablea (raw cacao tablets with a rich, bittersweet, and almost savory taste). The mixture is simmered for hours until it reaches a smooth, creamy texture.

It’s typically served with a drizzle of milk (either condensed or evaporated) and sprinkled with tuyo – small, salted, and dried silver fish – adding a salty contrast to the dish's sweetness and richness.

Lugaw/Arroz Caldo

Lugaw, a beloved Filipino comfort dish, is a savory rice porridge that likely arrived in the Philippines through Chinese congee.

The simplest versions are infused with ginger, with the rice slowly simmered with chicken until it achieves a thick, creamy texture. A few dashes of patis (fish sauce) and garnishes of fried garlic and scallions enhance its flavor.

To make it more filling, toppings like a hard-boiled egg and tokwa’t baboy—fried tofu paired with boiled pork—can be added.

When the Spanish arrived in the Philippines, they renamed lugaw as arroz caldo, meaning 'hot rice,' and introduced saffron to give it their own distinctive flavor.

Torta

In the Philippines, omelets are known as torta, and they come in a variety of styles with fillings like ground meat, sardines, or dulong (silver fish). A popular variant is tortang talong, made with grilled or roasted eggplant.

The eggplants are first grilled or roasted, then dipped in beaten eggs and fried until golden brown.

Tortang talong can be enjoyed on its own or served alongside sinangag (garlic fried rice) and salted tomatoes for extra flavor.

Barako

The Philippines has a deep-rooted coffee culture, with a growing interest in coffee consumption across the nation.

Kapeng barako is renowned for its bold flavor, making it an ideal morning energizer. The term 'barako' is derived from the Tagalog word for 'strong man,' while 'kape' means coffee, collectively referring to this powerful brew.

Based on projections from Fitch Solutions, Filipinos are expected to consume 3.78 kilograms of coffee per person annually by 2025, up from 3.05 kg per capita in 2020.

Coffee's history in the Philippines goes back further than modern trends, with the country being one of the world’s earliest coffee producers. Introduced by the Spaniards and planted in Lipa, Batangas, approximately 85 kilometers south of Manila, barako coffee comes from this region.

Tsokolate, or hot chocolate, traces its origins to Spanish colonial times. Made from cacao tablets (tablea de cacao), it is dissolved into hot water to create a rich, flavorful drink.

Hot chocolate, known locally as tsokolate, has its roots in the Spanish colonial era. This indulgent drink is crafted by dissolving tablea de cacao, which are solid chocolate tablets, in hot water.

Tsokolate can be gently sweetened with sugar and enhanced with a dash of milk or cream, but its most important feature is the froth. After dissolving the chocolate, the hot drink is vigorously stirred using a batidor, a whisk-like tool.

Salabat is a soothing ginger tea made by steeping fresh ginger in hot water. Often consumed during cold and flu season, it serves as a comforting and healing remedy, and can also be enjoyed as an alternative to coffee in the morning.

Salabat, a tea brewed from fresh ginger steeped in hot water, is a natural remedy that brings relief during cold and flu season. It’s also a popular breakfast drink for those looking for a comforting substitute for coffee.