21 Best Belizean Dishes and Foods

Appreciated by all Belizeans, rice and beans are a truly hearty dish comprising kidney beans, rice, and a generous amount of spicy sauce. In fact, this is Belize’s national dish.

Belizean rice and beans is served with meat (e.g., chicken, beef) or seafood and potato salad. If locals use recado (a local plant with an appealing deep red color) and garlic to cook the meat, they choose coconut milk to boil the rice and beans.

They often prepare this dish on Mondays by utilizing leftovers from Sunday lunch. It’s also a favorite treat for Christmas.

Stewed chicken is a beloved dish, often served alongside rice and beans in Belize.

This delicacy is carefully prepared with indigenous spices and herbs like cilantro and thyme, creating tender chicken in flavorful gravy.

All components are slow-cooked until tender.

In Belize, ceviche is a famous seafood dish rooted in the cuisines of Central America, including Peru and Mexico.

It includes a delightful blend of raw fish cured in lemon juice and often includes local favorites like shrimp, lobster, or queen conch. Ceviche also comes with variations, including white fish, octopus, and even chicken feet,

Belizeans savor this cool, refreshing meal alongside a Belikin beer, particularly enjoying it on the beach.

Conch Fritters are a beloved snack in Belize. It’s made from diced conch meat mixed with a seasoned batter and deep-fried until golden and crisp.

These fritters are tender inside and crispy exterior. Locals often enjoy them with a tangy dipping sauce of lime juice, mayonnaise, and ketchup that perfectly complements the sea-flavored snack.

Hudut is a traditional Garifuna dish from Belize.

This recipe combines fish cooked in a creamy coconut milk sauce with mashed plantains, offering a taste of savory and slightly sweet.

Hudut exemplifies the coastal and indigenous heritage of Belize.

Sere features ripe plantains cooked and mashed into a smooth paste-like texture called Fu-Fu and a fish coconut stew. It’s a Belizean adaptation of Hudut.

This Belizean fish dish is a true symbol of the locals’ love of water and the ocean. That explains why many nations having a coastal line always have foods comparable to sere, including Brazil and Thailand.

It is customary to offer sere on Garifuna Settlement Day, which takes place on November 19th, to commemorate the arrival of the Garinagu in Belize.

Boil-ups is a must-try dish during your Belize trip. Its main ingredients include vegetables, eggs, bread dumplings, fish, and tubers like cassava, yams, etc, creating a hearty meal.

Vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, and okra are also added, along with dough dumplings known as “boil cake.”

Boil-up is often accompanied by a flavorful sauce made from tomatoes, onions, and peppers.

Fry jacks are essential in Belizean breakfasts, featuring deep-fried dough commonly served with refried beans and eggs.

They come in a few different shapes and liquid ingredients. Certain people love their fry jacks in triangular shapes, while others prefer a circle dough sliced in quarters. Some individuals adore coconut milk, whereas others like to use full milk as their liquid contents.

Besides, you also get cheese and beans in these pillowy soft tortillas. Fry jacks is also popular in other nations, including Mexico (sopaipillas), New Orleans (beignets), and other Latin American nations (simply fried dough).

Garnache is a fried corn tortilla stuffed with refried beans, lettuce, and cheese. This delicacy is a popular Mestizo meal in Belize, where locals and tourists enjoy it as a quick meal or street food.

You can find garnaches in even extremely tiny eateries, where there is only a counter for food ordering and a few tables.

In general, this tortilla-based treat is vegetarian-friendly.

Belizean tamales are creamy and silky, wrapped in plantain leaves, and packed with various fillings, such as meat, cheese, or fruit. They are prehistoric meals that are favored by the Aztec and Mayan cultures.

The dish’s flavor may range from salty to sweet depending on the components used. The dish is inexpensive and widely accessible across Belize, particularly in public markets

If you venture to Corozol or Orange Walk districts, there is a high chance of encountering collado and tortaedo – two common tamale variations in the region.

Other versions include bollos (incredibly popular in Western Belize) and tamalitos (remarkably similar to Mexican Tamales).

Let’s picture a version of no-meat tamales, you have tamalitos, another gem in Belizean cuisine. Also known as dukunu or duckanoo, this renowned dish comprises cornmeal, coconut, batata, and brown sugar wrapped in a plantain leaf and cooked in boiling water.

It is the invention of African slaves sent to Barbuda, Antigua, and a few other Caribbean islands years ago. Yet, its true origin lies in West Africa.

Not only popular in Belize, but this gem is also a massive hit in Trinidad (as payme or paime), Barbados (conkies), Barbuda, Antigua, and many other Caribbean nations.

Pibil from Belize is a flavorful dish that involves marinating and slow-cooking meat, traditionally pork, in a mixture of achiote paste, citrus juices, and spices.

The resulting dish is tender, richly seasoned meat often wrapped in banana leaves.

Pibil features the Mayan influence on Belizean cuisine, showcasing the complexity of Central American cooking techniques.

In Belize, Johnnycake is a beloved bread made with coconut milk and flour, traditionally baked over an open fire.

Belizeans commonly enjoy them sliced and filled with butter, refried beans, and cheese. Yet, some people prefer stuffing them with chicken or beef. With the addition of stewed beef or chicken, the dish serves as a healthful and filling meal, especially as a breakfast.

Historically, Johnny Cakes are traditional cuisine in early America and are prepared throughout the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Jamaica. They are also endemic to North America’s indigenous people.

Escabeche is how local Belizeans adapt their own onion soup, often made with chicken. The chicken is marinated in coriander leaves and spices, then cooked with onion strips and lime juice.

The addition of white wine vinegar to the soup imparts extra tangy flavor. Additionally, you can use lime juice as a marinade for the chicken as well.

Interestingly, escabeche falls into the “Oriental dish” of Belize and Yucatan cuisines. The reason is that the dish originates from Valladolid, the eastern part of Yucatan. Local people often serve the meal immediately with freshly cooked corn tortillas.

“Start your morning right with some meat pies!” is a common saying among Belizeans, meaning meat pies as a popular breakfast.

These savory pies are filled with chicken or beef and a seasoned sauce. They have a crispy golden exterior and a juicy interior that you can’t resist.

While debates on the best meat pie provider continue, Dario’s, Ladyville, and Pou’s Meat Pies are top spots. Freshly baked pies are especially irresistible, with their aroma drawing in customers early in the morning.

Although cow foot soup is not for everyone, it’s a favorite delicacy in Belize. Locals love to delve into this nutrient-dense and satisfying soup during the winter months.

It comprises a cleared and shaved cow foot, including the hoof, that has been slow-cooked with spices and vegetables.

Since cow feet contain gelatin, which will transform into collagen in the body, this robust soup brings a gel-like consistency.

Serving the hearty soup with corn tortillas, white rice, or some delectable dumplings to complete the meal!

Chimole, also known as “Black Dinner,” is a traditional Belizean dish. This black soup is a tasty chunky stew inspired by Mexican and Maya heritage.

This aromatic soup is distinguished by its dark broth, made with a blend of spices, black recado, and charred chili peppers. It typically includes tender chicken pieces, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables.

Overall, chimole has spicy, smokey, and robust flavors. Locals normally enjoy the soup alongside or over white rice.

Salbutes are beloved Belizean fried tortillas topped with lettuce, chicken, or turkey, and spicy sauce. Typically accessible in the evenings.

This finger food has a slightly crunchy texture and is best when served hot in the oven. You can easily catch the dish available on menus across the nation. You should check out some fast food eateries called Panucherias to enjoy salbutes.

Panades are Belize’s take on the global tradition of filled pastries, like gyoza or empanadas. It’s popular for its tasty fillings of fish, pork, chicken, cheese, or beans encased in maize flour dough.

This dish stands out for its versatility as it is easily customizable to various tastes. They are deep-fried treats, so they are best enjoyed hot. Panades are often served with tangy cabbage or onion sauce.

Cassava bread in Belize is crafted from the cassava root. The preparation involves harvesting, peeling, washing, grating, and then drying the cassava root to produce fine flour.

The flour is then baked on a hot comal (a type of flat griddle) until it forms into a large, crispy bread, similar to a large tortilla cut into pieces. The bread can be enjoyed in various ways, commonly toasted with butter or local jam as a breakfast.

Making this bread requires a process that’s both time-intensive and laborious, typically involving collective efforts among women.

This practice has been passed down through generations, embodying the Garifuna’s connection with their roots and the land. It’s an important food during festivities like the Garifuna Settlement Day.

Belizean coconut tart is a delightful dessert made from grated coconut, condensed milk, nutmeg, sugar, and lemon extract, filled into a shortening-based dough crust. They are typically baked until golden brown.

Due to its popularity, this dessert is often sold at gas stations, fundraisers, or as a side business. It’s not just the taste but the process of making these tarts, from cracking and grating the coconut to combining the flavorful ingredients.