30 Street Food Recipes From All Around The World (2024)

Tamales aren’t just fun to eat, they’re a great solo or group project for anyone who loves to cook. Make it a party by involving your friends, enlist your partner or spouse for a different kind of date night, or get the whole family involved. Making them is a joy, and tamales are a great canvas for different kinds of fillings.

Get the Tamales recipe.

The Italian dish is prepared by forming cooled risotto into balls, filling them with some sort of filling (typically cheesy!), then breading and deep frying them into golden, crispy perfection. We've got three different flavor options here, but our fave for spring is pesto provolone!

Get the Arancini, 3 Ways recipe.

This side is perfect for any cookout staple—try it with BBQ chicken or grilled steak—or, at a party, you could set up all of the toppings (adding a few wildcards, like scallions, crumbled bacon, and sriracha) and create a Build Your Own Elote Bar. 😱

Get the Mexican Street Corn (Elote) recipe.

Chicago is as picky about hot dogs as New York is about pan pizza. The specific toppings are as important as the order in which they get layered. It's been "dragged through the garden," as the locals say, and we love it so very much.

Get the Chicago-Style Hot Dogs recipe.

Although birria can be served in countless ways, we love making quesatacos stained red with the fat of the birria and seared until almost crispy. This helps melt queso oaxaca and create what is essentially a mini quesadilla. What's not to love?

Get the Birria Quesatacos recipe.

When you're looking for something warm, comforting, and carb-y, do Polish pierogi come to mind? We think they should, and this cheesy dill version certainly satisfies on all fronts. Loaded with sharp white cheddar, sweet caramelized onions, and creamy mashed potatoes, the only thing more gratifying than making them from scratch is stuffing them in your mouth. 😋

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Pupusas are an easy flatbread made from masa harina that get stuffed with cheese or refried beans—or both! Traditionally they are served with a cabbage relish that brings a bit of an acidic punch, so you don't want to skip it.

Get the Best-Ever Pupusas recipe.

It's undeniable. Banh mi is a PERFECT sandwich. Rich, savory pork combined with bright and crunchy homemade pickles stuffed into a fluffy baguette; what's not to love?! We're fans of this version because it requires minimal ingredients but still packs a powerful punch of flavor.

Get the Classic Banh Mi recipe.

You can find a type of fried dough in nearly every cuisine, and one of our favorites is the Spanish churro. Many countries have adopted the churro since its creation, and our version is a hybrid of the Mexican version, which is characteristically rolled in cinnamon sugar, and the Spanish version, which is often served with a chocolate dipping sauce.

Get the Easy Homemade Churros recipe.

Khachapuri is a traditional Georgian bread—the dish gets topped with an egg yolk after coming out of the oven and mixed into the melty center. The bread is torn from the side and dipped into the cheesy center as you eat, making it the perfect self-contained appetizer. Though very untraditional, we made ours easier by using pre-made pizza dough (we're in LOVE).

Get the Pizza Dough Khachapuri recipe.

Traditional tacos al pastor are made on a vertical rotisserie just like chicken shawarma. The method was used by Lebanese immigrants, and the tacos were adapted to fit the culinary scene of Mexico with their spices and quickly became a popular street food. Serve these up with some queso and call it a fiesta.

Get the Tacos Al Pastor recipe.

Japanese chicken karaage is basically fried chicken, but with a twist (the meat is seasoned, then coated with flour). The word karaage (pronounced kah-raa-geh) refers to the Japanese method of frying, and these double-fried bites couldn't be more deliciously cripsy!

Get the Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) recipe.

Our carne asada torta is assembled with Mexican telera bread, refried beans, sliced marinated steak, pickled onions, avocado-radish relish, and queso fresco. YUM.

Get the Carne Asada Torta recipe.

Looking for a weekend project? We suggest these super-flavorful (and surprisingly easy) pot stickers! Don't miss the photo guide of our folding technique, though you don't need to fuss too much over them. They'll taste amazing no matter how they look.

Get the Ginger Pork Potstickers recipe.

Everything you could ever want in one convenient pocket! You can even make these delicious bites in the air fryer for the same golden, crisp shell in no time at all.

Get the Cheesy Beef Empanadas recipe.

This lamb sandwich is found in casual shops and restaurants all around Greece. Pronounced YEE-roh or ZHEE-roh (it rhymes with hero), gyro sandwiches are packed with delicious spiced lamb, crunchy fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and a tangy herb-and-cucumber yogurt sauce called tzatziki.

Get the Gyro Sandwich recipe.

Here we’re sticking to a simple blueprint of basic arepas with easy fillings like black beans, queso blanco, and avocado, but feel free to customize to your liking. Try arepas stuffed with carnitas, roasted sweet potato, or skirt steak!

Get the Arepas recipe.

Homemade samosas don't need to be intimidating! The spiced potato filling is fast and easy, and the dough comes together quickly using melted ghee. You may need to hunt down some spices and seeds, but it's well worth it for the best, most authentic-tasting samosas this Diwali.

Get the Homemade Samosas recipe.

Kimbap—Korean rice rolls—are less of a recipe and more of a formula. You need seaweed (kim or gim) and freshly cooked rice (bap). Take note that while they look alike, kimbap is not sushi: Sushi rice is seasoned with vinegar and kimbap rice is drizzled with a bit of sesame oil for a fragrant and savory curve. For your fillings, some popular choices include Spam, imitation crab, cheese, spicy tuna, spinach, carrots, burdock root, eggs, and a pickled daikon radish known as danmuji. If you can't find it in stores, you can make your own danmuji facsimile.

Get the Kimbap recipe.

Crepes are probably our favorite quick and easy sweet breakfast treat that bring us right to the streets of Paris. They come together faster than pancakes or waffles, and unlike those two other breakfast treats, crepes are begging to be topped with more than just maple syrup. Fruit, Nutella, Gruyère cheese, and mushroom gravy are just some of the amazing topping options at your fingertips.

Get the Easy Crêpes recipe.