From savory to sweet and creamy to spicy, there are so many delicious Dutch treats to eat in the Netherlands. To enjoy Dutch cuisine like a local (and not a tourist), these are the best Dutch foods to try when you visit Amsterdam, Maastricht, or anywhere in between.
When we moved back to the US after living in the Netherlands for more than three years, one of the things I missed the most was the traditional Dutch food. It was easy to preserve memories by looking at photographs, and I could easily keep in touch with my friends. But the food…
I would sometimes dream about Dutch treats at night I missed the food so much! Even now, when I return to the Netherlands, my goal is to eat so many Dutch frites mit mayonnaise (French fries with Dutch mayonnaise) that I nearly make myself sick. That way, I am fully sated until my next trip to my adopted country.
A friture is to the Dutch what a fast-food hamburger joint is to Americans. These quick-serve restaurants, food trucks, or food stands produce ready-in-minutes, often Dutch fried food like bitterballen, frikandellen, and frites. While I have yet to find anything close to a friture in the US, Bruge’s Belgian Bistro, a restaurant in Salt Lake City, can at least satisfy my craving for a frikandel speciaal and frites when I head out west.
Fun Fact: The Dutch word for yummy is lekker, and it was probably the first word I learned in Dutch when I lived in the Netherlands as a teenager.
What Dutch Foods Do You Like Most?
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What Does Dutch Treat Mean?
Although I’m using the phrase as a play on words to describe the best Dutch foods from the Netherlands, there is another meaning for the phrase “Dutch treat.” In the US, the phrase “going Dutch” or “Dutch treat” means a date or other outing where each person pays their own way.
On the surface, that sounds like a reasonable concept. After all, I’m an independent woman and don’t expect a man to always pay for dinner or the movies. Away at college, my kiddos regularly “go Dutch” with their friends when they grab a bite or coffee. However, the expression dates back to the 17th century and was bestowed upon the Netherlands by the English who meant it to be that the Dutch were stingy.
Sage Advice: There is also a strain of cannabis known as Dutch treat that was originally cultivated in the Pacific Northwest, but is now quite popular in the coffee shops of Amsterdam. Speaking of the food in the Netherlands, coffee shops are local legal dispensaries for marijuana rather than a koffiehuis where you can order tea, coffee, and pastries.
Savory Dutch Foods to Try in the Netherlands
Bitterballen, Deep-Fried Dutch Croquettes
Bitterballen are croquettes made of chunks of slow-cooked, savory meat that has been thickened with butter and flour, rolled into balls, breaded, and deep-fried. An order of this Dutch fried food can include anywhere from four to eight bitterballen, and they are a common menu item at Dutch frituren, establishments serving fast food in the Netherlands. To accommodate vegetarians, some restaurants now offer this Dutch treat using mushrooms, instead of meat, for the filling.
Sage Advice: Author Emily Wright is convinced that Dutch food is going to be the next big thing. Make your own bitterballen by following her recipe on page 76 of Dutch Feast. You can even serve them with little Dutch flag toothpicks for a bit of extra festive fun! Oh, and if you haven’t figured it out yet, the Dutch flag is a red, white, and blue horizontal triband.
Dutch Frites/Friet or Patat, Dutch French Fries
While the French and Belgians argue over who invented French fries, the Dutch are busy eating this tasty treat! The Dutch version is typically served in a cone topped with a massive amount of dipping sauce, they are one of the most lekker foods you can eat in the Netherlands.
Dipping sauces range from regular old tomato ketchup to curry ketchup that tastes more like American barbecue sauce than Indian curry. One of the most popular Dutch frites sauces is mayonnaise. I don’t like American mayonnaise, but I can not get enough Dutch mayonnaise on my frites when I visit the Netherlands!
Sage Advice: If you’re looking for a taste of the Netherlands on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, be sure to check out Bruge’s Belgian Bistro in Salt Lake City. Their freakendel special is the closest I’ve found to authentic Dutch frites and frikandel, including the sauces. I’m also in love with the frites at Duck Fat in Portland, Maine.
Erwtensoep, The National Soup of the Netherlands
While some soups are served as starters, erwtensoep (Dutch pea soup) is hearty enough to be a full meal. After all, it pretty much includes all of the major food groups in one bowl. In addition to dried peas (obviously), it usually includes onions, leek, and potatoes plus a protein like bacon, ham, and/or sausage.
While you may not officially be able to eat this Dutch treat with a fork, one test of quality is to see if the erwtensoep is thick enough to hold your spoon upright in the bowl. Be sure to sop up every last drop using buttered pumpernickel bread when you give this traditional Dutch food a try.
Want to Make Dutch Split Pea Soup, or Erwtensoep, at Home?
Dutch pea soup is full of protein, fiber, and delicious veggies. It’s easy to make, easy to freeze, and a great way to use up a ham bone. Try it at home with this recipe from The Forked Spoon.
Frikadellen, Sausage-Like Dutch Treats
A frikandel is a minced-meat sausage that looks a bit like a dark brown hot dog without a skin. It another common Dutch fried food that is served bun-less. My favorite way to eat a frikandel is as a frikandel special (frikandel speciaal in Dutch). To make a frikandel special, the frikandel sausage is sliced lengthwise, sprinkled with finely chopped onions, and drizzled with curry ketchup (that tastes a bit like barbecue sauce) and Dutch mayonnaise.
Sage Advice: While frikandellen are usually made from an assortment of beef, chicken, and pork, be warned that some manufacturers also use horse meat in their sausages.
Herring, a Favorite Fish
From salted to pickled to smoked and smothered in cream sauce, small silvery herring are regularly incorporated into Dutch dishes. The bravest foodies may want to try herring the Dutch way as a sort of Flanders sushi. With the head and innards of the herring removed, the whole fish is dunked in salt and then consumed by tipping back your head and downing the whole filet pelican-style. Raw salted herring is also commonly enjoyed with raw onions on a fresh bakery bun.
If you’re not sure you can stomach salted herring, you can also try this traditional Dutch food pickled, fried, or smoked.
Kaas, Dutch Cheese
As one of Europe’s smaller nations in terms of area, it might be hard to imagine that the Netherlands is the world’s largest exporter of dairy products. But once you’ve had just one bite of their amazing Gouda or Edam cheese, you’ll understand why everyone else in the world must have this Dutch treat!
In addition to the most popular Dutch cheese varieties (like the Gouda and Edam mentioned above), be sure to try Maasdam or Leyden cheese. On the other hand, I find Limburger cheese to be a bit more of an acquired taste!
Sage Advice: After Gouda, Edam, Leyden, and Maasdam, here is a short list of Dutch cheeses you’ll also want to try when you visit the Netherlands: nagelkaas (clove cheese), goat cheese, geitenkaas (a semi-hard white cheese), and Leerdammer.
Mussels, Dutch Treats from the North Sea
I’ve read that the Dutch consume about 60 million kilos of mussels in their coastal country each year. I’m pretty sure that I ate about one million kilos of mussels in one sitting the first time I tried them!
Our Dutch neighbor invited my family over for dinner, and she prepared the main dish quite simply. The mussels were steamed in a white wine broth with just enough garlic and sprinkled with plenty of fresh parsley. Holy cow, were they good!
Pannenkoeken, Gigantic Savory or Sweet Pancakes
As big as dinner plates and nearly as thin as crepes, pannenkoeken can be both savory and sweet. Savory pannenkoeken can be made with a variety of traditional Dutch flavors like smoked salmon, bacon, Gouda cheese (of course), mushrooms, and sour cream. A modern twist to pannenkoeken include pizza-like toppings such as pepperoni, salami, mozzarella, and oregano.
Sage Advice: If you’re going to eat pannenkoeken at a popular place, like Amsterdam’s Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs, be sure to make reservations in advance.
Sate/Satay, Skewered Meat Inspired by Indonesia
Formerly known as the Dutch East Indies, what is now Indonesia is a former Dutch colony. As a result, there is an Indonesian influence on Dutch cuisine.
One of my favorites is sate (also known as satay). Long strips of meat are threaded onto bamboo skewers, grilled, and served with sauce. In the Netherlands, meats used in sate include chicken, mutton, beef, pork, and fish. The most famous sauce is a not-too-spicy peanut sauce called satay sauce, but others can be quite spicy.
Sweet Dutch Foods to Try in the Netherlands
Chocoladeletter, Dutch Sweets in the Form of Chocolate Letters
When it comes to Dutch sweet treats, chocolate is at the top of my list. During Christmas in the Netherlands, nearly everyone receives a large, chocolate letter of their first initial in their shoes from Sinterklaas. Made from dark, milk, or white chocolate, most of the letters are plain. However, some Dutch Sinterklaas treats may include orange flavoring or nuts like hazelnuts.
Sage Advice: If you’re looking for where to buy Dutch chocolate letters, just head to a local grocery store in the Netherlands.
Drop, Dutch Black Licorice
America’s biggest black jellybean fan may still have a hard time embracing Dutch drop, a traditional Dutch candy. The salty variety can be quite bitter and salty. And, while the sweeter fruit-wrapped licorice (also known as English licorice) may be more tasty to unfamiliar palates, many Dutch don’t consider it to be real licorice.
Fun Fact: The average Dutch resident enjoys more than four pounds of drop per year. So if you truly want to experience the Netherlands like a local, you’ll need to make this typical Dutch candy one of the Dutch foods you try.
Hagelslag, Chocolate Sprinkles Served on Buttered Bread
When I think of all the sugary breakfast items that I absolutely loved as a kid, but rarely let my kids eat now that I’m a mom, hagelslag is at the top of that list.
These delicious sprinkles come in several flavors like dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and rainbow-colored fruit. But, if you’re visiting a country known for Dutch sweet treats like chocolate, why wouldn’t you have it for breakfast?
To eat hagelslag, spread a slice of bread with butter and fill it from corner-to-corner with the hagelslag of your choice!
Oliebollen, A Deep-Fried Dough Ball Dusted with Powdered Sugar
Typically eaten in winter, from early December through the New Year, oliebollen (literally oil balls) are a Dutch holiday treat that resemble a doughnut hole or fritter. Some oliebollen contain currents or apple pieces, and all oliebollen are sprinkled with powdered sugar. When raisins or currents are used in oliebollen, they are typically soaked in rum overnight. Yum!
Poffertjes, Silver Dollar-Sized Dutch Treats
Poffertjes remind me of silver dollar pancakes. But unlike American pancakes that are always cooked on a flat griddle, these yummy Dutch sweet treats are cooked in a heavy cast iron pan with divots. The semi-circular indentions in the pan help the pancake dough puff up. Poffertjes are brushed with melted butter and dusted with powdered sugar before being served.
Want to Make Poffertjes at Home?
If you can whip up pancake batter, you can make Dutch poffertjes at home! While it’s easiest to make poffertjes in a mini pancake pan, what I love about this poffertjes recipe from Recipe Pocket is that it includes directions on how to make these miniature Dutch pancakes in a traditional frying pan.
Speculaas, A Spiced Shortbread Cookie with Almonds
Another Dutch treat common around the Christmas holidays are speculaas cookies which taste a bit like crisp gingerbread. These traditional Dutch cookies are usually shaped like windmills and often have slivered almonds pressed into the bottom. Here in the United States, you may know speculaas in the form of the speculaas butter available during the winter holidays at my beloved Trader Joe’s.
Stroopwafels, Caramel Syrup Filled Waffle Cookies
In addition to its famous cheese, the town of Gouda is also home to stroopwafels, one of the best-known Dutch sweet treats. In fact, these waffle-like wafers pressed together with caramel syrup, or stroop, are generally considered to be the national cookie of Holland.
Stroopwafels are especially fantastic as an afternoon treat. Enjoy this pick-me-up warmed over a cup of coffee before being devoured. While it is relatively easy to find imported stroopwafels in the US at stores like World Market, they never seem to taste as fresh to me as the stroopwafels that jump on a plane with a co-worker in Amsterdam and arrive on my desk about 24 hours later.
Want to Make Stroopwafels at Home?
Check out this recipe for Dutch Stroopwafel Cookies from Barth Bakery. To make authentic Dutch stroopwafels at home, you’ll need a waffle cone iron, cookie iron, or pizzelle press.
Vlaai (or Limburgse Vlaai), Dutch pie from the Southern Region of the Netherlands
Vlaai is a type of pie from the southern Dutch province of Limburg. To make these traditional Dutch pastries, pie crust is filled with fresh fruit like cherries, peaches, and plums, and then capped off with a beautiful lattice top.
But the crust used for vlaai isn’t your traditional flaky pie crust. Instead, it’s a sweet yeast dough that gives this delicious Dutch dessert from the southern part of the country a unique twist.
Look for several variations to this famous Dutch dessert that include:
- Kruimelvlaai, a Dutch pie with a struesel or crumb topping instead of a woven lattice top crust
- Rijstevlaai, a traditional Dutch pastry that features a cooked rice filling in lieu of fresh fruit
Fun Fact: While Americans typically celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, and other milestones with cake, the Dutch mark life’s milestones with vlaai.
Have You Tried Any of These Dutch Foods?
What Dutch cuisine do you like most when you visit the Netherlands? Did I miss one of your favorites? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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My husband is Dutch and loves cooking. He always makes bitterballen for me and the kids and we absolutely love it! Haven’t tried Frikadellen yet so I might ask him to make it for us.
Bitterballen are one of my favs!
Thank you so much for this! I fell in love with Dutch food on a food tour in Amsterdam but couldn’t remember names to hunt down recipes. I’ll be making bitterballen for this week’s dinner!
Oh, yum! Delicious choice! Take a photo and tag me on Instagram @sagescott.kc so I can see how they turned out!
Just back from the Netherlands. Completely addicted to the stroopwafel. I bought some as gifts, but I had eaten them all before even getting on the plane, lol. Not keen on the herring but apart from that, I agree with everything else all on this list. Can’t wait to return.
Aren’t stroopwafels the best? And the ones you buy in the US just never taste as fresh as the ones that make it here by plane from the Netherlands.
When we visited Amsterdam we did a food tour, which was a great way to try a few of these Dutch treats. My absolute favorite thing I had there, besides the incredible cheese, was an Indonesian Rice Table!
Gouda is a very taste Dutch food as well…and a rare treat at my house!
Oh, yes, we LOVE Gouda cheese!
I have never been to Holland but I’m a Dutch girl through and through. Dropjes are one of the best Dutch treats. Boterkoek is also one of my favorites. Another very good one is kroketten.
Oh, yes, I love kroketten with spicy mustard! I recently discovered that #dutchtreat in Pella, Iowa, has fantastic ones this side of the Atlantic Ocean!
Chocolate sprinkles on buttered bread? Sounds strange and amazing, I can’t wait to try it!
One word for you: lekker! 🙂
They are soooo good! you have not lived until you try them!!😁
Nice post! I live in NL and you definitely got some great options here!
Btw chips in Dutch is more Patat than Frites (more Belgium).
Got it! I wonder if I learned the term frites since I lived in Maastricht, practically in Belgium.
A nice report about tasty Dutch food though!
Nevertheless, I miss at least the old Dutch fish, the “salty herring” or the “Hollandse Nieuwe”.
But also Frisian sugar bread, stews such as: stew, sauerkraut, kale, etc., licorice, chocolate milk (very tasty from Nutricia), butter cake, stuffed speculaas and thick speculaas chunks, Bossche dumplings, farm boys (raisins with Brandy) and farm girls (apricots with brandy) ), Limburg pie or beam slurry or beam brie.
Balkenbrij is an old dish that is mainly eaten in autumn and winter. Traditionally, it was made on farms from broth cooked in broth (including head and organs), buckwheat flour (sometimes wheat flour), and special spices (especially ragwort), which give off a sweet taste. Perhaps it is known in Canada as “scrapple” or “goetta”, this name comes from German immigrants in the US.
Of course there are many more tasty dishes, nowadays there are many recipes on the internet for the people who want to make it at home. Nevertheless, I would like to indicate that the Dutch delicacies are not always healthy, some are very high in calories but very tasty ………..
I just want to let you know that the oliebal has a different name, we call it an oliebol.
I post both Dutch and English text (via Google Translate) here because the names are not always translated as well.
Greetings from Holland.
Dutch language
Een leuk verslag over lekker Hollands eten hoor!
Niettemin mis ik in ieder geval het oud Hollandse visje, de “zoute haring” oftewel ook wel de “Holandse Nieuwe” genoemd.
Maar ook Fries suikerbrood, stamppotten zoals: hutspot, zuurkool, boerenkool etc., drop, chocolademelk (erg lekker van Nutricia), boterkoek, gevulde speculaas en dikke speculaas brokken, Bossche bollen, boerenjongens (rozijnen met Brandenwijn) en boerenmeisjes (abrikozen me brandenwijn), Limburgse vlaai of balkenbrij of balkebrie.
Balkenbrij is een oud gerecht dat vooral in het najaar en in de winter wordt gegeten. Traditioneel werd het op boerderijen gemaakt van in bouillon gekookt slachtafval van het varken (onder meer kop en organen), boekweitmeel (soms tarwebloem) en speciale kruiden (vooral rommelkruid), die een zoete smaak afgeven. Misschien is het in Canada bekend als “scrapple” of “goetta”, deze benaming komt van de Duitse immigranten in de VS.
Natuurlijk zijn er nog veel meer lekkere gerechten, tegenwoordig staan er veel recepten ook op internet voor de mensen die het zelf thuis willen maken. Niettemin wil ik nog aangeven dat de Hollandse lekkernijen niet altijd even gezond zijn, sommige zijn erg calorierijk maar wel erg lekker………..
Ik wil nog even laten weten dat de oliebal een andere benaming heeft, wij noemen het een oliebol.
Ik post hier zowel de Nederlandse als Engelse tekst (via Google Vertaal) omdat de benamingen niet altijd evengoed vertaald worden.
Groeten uit Holland.
Oooooh, stuffed speculaas. What is it stuffed with? I will have to make that the first thing I try the next time I visit. Good thing my daughter’s new husband is half Dutch so now I have an official Dutch family! 🙂
Ooh, I miss hutspot and boerekool! Rarely cold enough here in Western Australia to eat them, though. Got some great Dutch butchers around where we can buy kroketten, bitterballen, rookvlees and many other sweet and savoury items. My biggest gripe is that Dutch Leyden (Leijdenkaas or Komeijnekaas) is so damn expensive here. Spiced Gouda is somewhat cheaper, but not quite as good.
Hmm… the only thing on this list that I had when I was in Amsterdam was the stroopwafel. I clearly didn’t do the Netherlands right haha
What? How could you have missed out on the frites with mayonnaise?!?!
Yum! Love ollieballen and stroopwafel! There’s a Dutch bakery fairly close to my office. I hope it’s still open after the pandemic ends…
Ooooh, I’m so jealous! What town do you work in?
Alright, this is making my mouth water! I so want to be back in the Netherlands now. I was able to try a few of these, but not nearly as many as I wish now that I’ve read through! The Hagelslag looks like a dreams. How did I miss the Dutch sausage?! All the more reason to go back!
When you try the frikandel, be sure to pair it with the frites and mayonnaise!
How funny, although I don’t live that far from the Netherlands, there are many treats I’ve never heard of – and some I know in a different context.
Like Spekulatius, like Saté.
By the way, in German, lecker means the same, only that it’s spelled with ck instead of kk – I find kk much cooler, though 😉
To me, Dutch has always sounded like a cuter version of German, so I’m not surprised to learn that lecker and lekker are so similar! (But, I didn’t know that until you told me!)
OH my gosh, I learned so much from reading this post. While all of the treats sound amazing, I would definitely love to try olieballen. And your “fun facts” were cracking me up. I had no idea that coffee shops are local legal dispensaries for marijuana in this area. Good to know! LOL!
Olieballen are amazing! We’ve made them at home and they’re “lekker!” (as the Dutch would say)…
They are very delicious (echt lekker)! I prefer krentebollen, where they add raisins and/or currants, but my wife & kids are weirdos and prefer standard! Lol
Delicious, mussels are among my favorites. I would add appelgebak, or a Appeltaart, the famous apple cake.
Oh, yes, that’s another important “can’t miss” Dutch treat!!!
It’s amazing how there are the similarities with Belgian food. Mussels and chocolates, for instance. But not the waffle. And amazing how the Indonesian sate got in there!
I think a lot of the similarities have to do with where borders have been drawn over the years, especially in the southern part of the country along the Meuse (Maas) River.
I’ve actually only been to the Netherlands once, however must say I’ve tried half of your list. Love a good Stropwafel with my coffee any day.
That’s an impressive effort for a single visit to the Netherlands. Way to go! 🙂 Stroopwafels are so delicious!
I would add kaasstengels (fried cheese sticks), kibbeling (fried fish with a tartar-like sauce), bamischijf (deep-fried Chinese noodles) – you might see a trend here – fresh haring with pickes and onions and – for dessert – tompouce (a type of pastry with cream and pudding filling). Look forward to a future visit!
Oh, yes, many fried treats! I’d love to try some of these additional Dutch treats with you soon! <3
My sister complained that can’t find tompouce. Vanilla slices just don’t cut it (not flaky enough, boring custard). Went to a “european” bakery yesterday and they had “vanilla slices”, lots of nice light layers. Grabbed a dozen. My sister and brother were ecstatic. I now have to bring the tompouce
Nww if I could find a local deli that sells De Ruijter Anijsblokjes for some anijsmelk I would be happy!
Where in the world was this European bakery?
You can buy Anijsblokjes on Amazon.
We have had luck wirh small, local importers of Dutch goods. Some that sell ours of their homes and only do business in person. Look around and talk to others who love the Netherlands, you’ll likely find one of these gems in your region. If they don’t have it, they can likely get it. I love and miss anijsmelk as well!
I love spicy and creamy food. I never tried Dutch food to this date, but this list looks like a big menu of tasty treats.
It is so, so good! Especially the French fries with mayonnaise!