Experience authentic Filipino taste with these 35 best Filipino soups!
Whether you enjoy them during chili nights or make them for your Filipino-inspired get-togethers, these dishes are sure to please.
A bowl of warm soup can be just the thing to take the edge off a stressful day.
And on cold days, or even on not-so-cold occasions, nothing beats a bowlful of Filipino “Pinoy” soup recipes.
These Filipino soups capture the essence of Filipino food with their harmonious blend of sweet, sour, and briny flavors.
And the best part is, you can whip up these delicious Filipino treats right at home!
Most of the necessary ingredients can be found at any grocery, and the preparation method shouldn’t present too much of a challenge.
Today’s journey takes you on a taste of history as you learn to make some of the most delicate soups in the Philippines, soups that have become national and even international favorites.
Filipino food is an enormous melting pot of different cultures (primarily Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and American) with the cozy familiarity of home and hearth.
From the origins of these Filipino dishes to the ingredients and the unique flavor profile, you won’t miss a thing.
If you want to know how comforting classic Filipino soups are, watch out for Beef Lauya and Nilagang Baboy!
And for a Filipino recipe that is patronized even abroad, check out #35!
If you’re ready to make some of these tasty ideas for Filipino soups a reality, get out your cooking utensils now!
Tinola, a hearty Filipino soup with lots of ginger and garlic, is prepared differently around the country.
The soup asks for malunggay leaves, also known as moringa, which may be purchased fresh or frozen from Asian grocery stores.
If you want your soup to have more of a kick, feel free to boost the garlic and fish sauce.
This chicken soup can be eaten on its own, or you can pair it with jasmine rice, quinoa, or wild rice for a heartier meal.
2. Arroz Caldo
“Arroz Caldo” means “warm rice” in Spanish.
This risotto-like congee has long been a popular Filipino soup snack.
Tokwa’t baboy, a dish consisting of pig pieces cooked in vinegar and fried tofu, pairs nicely with this.
Safflower oil, toasted garlic, and scallions on top of your arroz caldo, together with the juice of lemon, can do wonders for both the presentation and flavor of your dish.
Because it is so filling, Arroz Caldo is typically eaten for breakfast.
3. Pancit Molo
Nothing beats a bowl of this traditional Ilonggo soup on a dreary day.
Pancit Molo is inspired by the wonton soups brought to the area by the vast group of Chinese settlers who settled in the town of Molo in the province of Iloilo.
Meat dumplings, shredded chicken, and a savory broth make for a hearty and flavorful soup.
Wonton wrappers are referred to as “pancit” in the Philippines, which is the same word for noodles.
Tinolang Isda, commonly known in the Philippines, is a standard method of preparing fish because of how quickly and easily it can be cooked.
The star of this dish is fish, cooked in a broth made from tomatoes, ginger, onions, scallions, and a few other aromatics before being spiced up with some lemongrass and chile.
Add moringa leaves to the mix for an added dose of goodness.
But you can use other green leafy vegetables like spinach, pechay (snow cabbage), water spinach, or even green cabbage as a replacement.
This is a classic Filipino soup that has been enjoyed for generations.
It’s got all the qualities you might want in a bowl of soup: it’s hot, filling, wholesome, and creamy.
Vegetables are commonly used, including carrots, bell peppers, celery, and cabbage.
The broth is typically flavored with chicken.
Noodle options include shell or small tube pasta like ziti, although elbow macaroni is the most common.
Mung bean thread noodles, shredded chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and a fragrant, savory mixture of ginger, garlic, and onions are the main ingredients in this soup recipe.
When it starts to pour, Filipinos turn to this Chicken Sotanghon Soup.
Shiitake mushrooms add a rich umami flavor, and the finished soup’s quality will depend on the chicken stock used to make it.
To get the most pleasing results, make your own chicken stock.
Beef shanks and marrow bones are the main ingredients in the Filipino dish, the Bulalo.
It’s a light-colored soup famous in the Philippines’ Southern Luzon region and is made rich by slow-boiling beef shanks and beef marrow bones, which take many hours.
The seasonings might range from only salt and black pepper to soy sauce, bay leaves, and even garlic depending on the cook.
But at its heart, Bulalo is just a hearty stew cooked with whatever vegetables a cook happens to have on hand.
Filipino Sour Soup with salmon is a must-try quick to prepare, hearty, and tasty.
The tamarind is a hidden gem that takes the flavor to a new level.
The umami taste of the fish sauce is a welcome contrast to the sourness of the tamarind.
Tomatoes, onions, long beans, eggplant, greens like water spinach or Bok Choy, and fiery chillis are all good additions, but feel free to use whichever veggies you like most.
On chilly days, you can’t go wrong with this broth that’s as light as it is delish.
This is a tasty and surprisingly simple soup dish.
It just takes a few essential ingredients to make, but it also tastes great.
Use this recipe the next time you’re in a hurry yet still want a delicious meal for dinner.
Eat your favorite toasted sandwich alongside your egg drop soup.
10. Beef Lauya
Beef Lauya is explicitly geared toward Filipino palates as a dish created and perfected in the Philippines.
This classic soup shares a similar preparation process with meat Nilaga.
The main distinction is the inclusion of aromatics like ginger and garlic.
The combination of beef shank, sweet potatoes, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a steaming dish is irresistible.
Soup with a reputation for being delightful and comforting, as many do.
Ginger’s subtle heat will make you feel toasty inside and out.
Similar to nilaga, but with the addition of tomato sauce and garbanzo beans, is Pork Pata Pochero.
Make it for a little get-together or a weekend snack when you just want to relax.
This soup, at its finest, is loaded with comforting and nostalgic tastes that will instantly transport you back to your childhood.
Bananas add a pleasant sweetness, garbanzo beans add a nutty, earthy flavor, and fatty pig legs make for a hearty, comforting supper.
All family members are guaranteed to become instant fans of this time-honored dish, so ensure they’re all present.
Who doesn’t enjoy a warm bowl of corn soup on a cold night?
For a delicious way to enjoy fresh corn when it’s in season, try making Suam Na Mais.
Corn kernels, shrimp, spinach leaves, and fish sauce come together in a light broth in this traditional Filipino soup.
This Filipino corn soup is perfect for the whole family during the cold winter.
This dish can be enjoyed whenever the need arises for warmth and comfort.
Another popular version of the Filipino noodle dish pancit is Pancit Lomi.
While Filipinos typically eat pancit (noodles) at parties, the rich broth in this Pancit Lomi recipe makes it a go-to dish for solace during the wetter months.
Lomi is seasoned with chicken stock, fish sauce, cornstarch, and garlic and is very similar to Pancit Molo.
The critical difference is that Pancit Molo is made using fresh, thick egg noodles, which give it a slimy yet delectable texture.
Vegan Ginisang Munggo, or Mung Bean Soup, is a plant-based alternative to the classic Filipino soup Ginisang Munggo.
Vegan mung bean soup is a low-cal delight that is both simple and filling.
Fish sauce, beef or pork fat, and heaps of pork rinds (or chicharrones) are frequently used in traditional ginisang munggo, making it unsuitable for vegans.
This dish can be enjoyed by vegans by omitting the usual animal ingredients.
Taste-wise, it offers pleasant heat without being too spicy, perfect for the cold winter months!
15. Beef Nilaga Soup
If you want to make the best nilaga, beef is the secret ingredient.
This basic soup gets its flavor from the meat, so if you’re going to splurge on something, make it high-quality beef.
Then, let the water, beef, seasonings, and whatever else you throw into the pot and simmer until the beef is fork-tender.
Lightly season it so that you may serve it with a small plate of patis and a touch of lemon.
16. Beef Pares Mami
Another traditional Filipino noodle soup is Beef Pares Mami.
Its immense popularity has catapulted it to the status of street food, despite its more traditional presentation as a soup.
Slowly braised meat is cooked until it falls apart in a flavorful liquid.
Then, fresh egg noodles are added to the pot to provide a hearty meal for the whole family.
Pork Nilaga is quite similar to Beef Nilaga, except pork is used instead of beef.
To make Nilagang Baboy, you just toss all the ingredients into a saucepan and cook on low heat until the meat is cooked.
This Filipino meal is made heartier by adding corn and ripe saba (banana plantain) while cooking.
This treat is the way to go if you want to amaze your loved ones and possible guests with a complete, authentic Filipino feast.
18. Batchoy Tagalog
Filipinos love their soups.
One of the most well-known is Batchoy Tagalog, which is traditionally made with a pig, swine offal, pork blood, and noodles that have been sautéed in onion, garlic, and ginger.
La Paz Batchoy is a popular Filipino dish that has its start in La Paz, Iloilo City.
Many different regional variations of batchoy exist, but this Tagalog version is so easy and requires just seven ingredients (no offal or noodles) that it could quickly become a go-to dish for comfort.
This is excellent with rice and some fish sauce on the side.
In Cebu, Philippines, Linat-Ang Baboy is a popular meal.
It’s no surprise that Filipinos enjoy this dish so much on gloomy days, as its flavor is wonderfully comforting, rich, and filling.
It’s a straightforward pork-based stew, with pork belly or ribs as the base, garlic, onion, and kabocha squash for taste and texture.
Whether you prefer your stews on top of rice or as a side dish, Linat-Ang Baboy can be served either way.
This Filipino shrimp soup’s sourness and deep savory flavor make it well-known.
Aside from the shrimp, the other main ingredients in this sour soup include string beans, long green chili peppers, radishes, tamarind pods (or sinigang mix), and fish sauce.
A close check on the pot is necessary to prevent overcooking due to the rapid cooking time of all these ingredients.
Kadyos Baboy Langka, or KBL for short, is an iconic Ilonggo dish with deep roots in the culture.
This dish combines pigeon peas (also known as kadyos), pork, and young jackfruit (langka) with batuan and sweet potato leaves.
You will fall in love with the soup at first taste due to its sour, smokey, and highly appetizing flavor.
When making a pork broth, the secret to the softest texture is to pre-boil or grill the pork.
The island of Panay in the central Philippines is the inspiration for the exquisite brothy soup known as binakol.
Subtle undertones of sweetness from the coconut and lemongrass are complemented by the lemongrass’ floral overtones, and the faint bitterness from the moringa leaves in this aromatic soup.
The Filipino dish consists of simple pork meatballs and warm, soothing noodles.
Warm up your body and soul with a massive bowl of Almondigas when it’s cold outside, or you feel like you might get sick.
Simmering allows all the ingredients to permeate the soup and release their warm, savory aromas and tastes.
Store any leftovers in the fridge; like most soups, it’s even better the second day.
It’s worth your time to try this Instant Pot Corned Beef Nilaga variation made using corned beef brisket; the tender beef chunks and flavorful vegetables will stick with you long after the meal is over.
Beef is boiled till tender, hence the Tagalog word, nilaga, and the vegetables are added.
The quick pot drastically reduces the time needed for cooking.
The corned beef seasoning packet and the aromatic vegetables in this Filipino recipe create a savory, hearty soup.
Despite its speedy prep time, this soup meal doesn’t skimp on flavor.
Because of how simple it is, this recipe is perfect for those just starting out in the kitchen.
It’s also a great breakfast option for those chilly winter mornings.
Prepare quail eggs by boiling them before beginning to make this soup.
Unlike classic corn soup, this version has an Asian spin and may serve as a dinner on its own.
Your taste senses will thank you for trying the Creamy Crab & Corn soup.
A pot of chowder made with this flavorful mixture of seafood and corn would be just the thing on a cold day.
This is hard to beat as an appetizer.
It goes great with a delicious sandwich for a snack.
As an added bonus, its subtle flavor will go wonderfully with lunch or dinner.
This standard recipe is for a rice porridge or congee with ox jowl and skin.
These can be eaten for breakfast or as a substantial mid-morning or late-afternoon snack.
This breakfast fare is typically enjoyed first thing in the morning after prolonged fasting.
An afternoon snack of Goto might restore lost strength and get you back on track.
Those who have been partying or working all night would appreciate this as a late-night snack.
Vegetables are the basis for the hearty soup or dish known as “bulanglang.”
This is the Batangas variant of Bulanglang, one of several dish variations.
To prepare Bulanglang, simply bring water or rice washing (water used to clean rice) to a boil, add the vegetables and cook them for as long as the package specifies.
You should start by boiling thick and hard veggies like calabaza squash (a winter squash) and green papaya, and then add soft green vegetables like malunggay leaves (moringa).
Fresh mussels in the Philippines are typically prepared using this method, which is also known as Sinabawang Tahong (Gingered Mussel Soup).
This recipe was influenced by the famous Filipino chicken soup called tinolang manok.
With few ingredients and a light and refreshing ginger-based broth, Sinabawang Tahong may be on the table in no time.
You should try this dish because it is both cheap and tasty.
30. Vegan Misua Soup
This vegan soup is a twist on the traditional misua.
It’s topped with chopped spring onions and crispy fried garlic and cooked with tofu, loofah gourd, tomato paste, vegetable broth, vegan fish sauce, and misua.
Loofah gourds, which can be used in this recipe, are ideal when used when young due to their rigid and fibrous texture when fully ripe.
Carrots, baby corn, shiitake mushrooms, and scallions, as well as fried, seasoned tempeh, are all excellent options for toppings.
This chicken soup mashup is loaded with authentic Filipino ingredients and spices.
This soup’s base is reminiscent of typical Mexican arroz caldo.
Still, the inclusion of traditional matzah balls and the incorporation of ginger and green onions into the matzah grain make it a distinctive and tasty dish.
Chicken fat is used instead of oil, so there’s no need to brown the chicken as you would for arroz caldo.
Feelings of warmth and comfort, such as those you get from a grandmother’s embrace, can be guaranteed after eating this bowl of pleasure.
Similar to Ginisang Munggo, but with some tweaks, here’s another tasty dish.
Although it takes some time to prepare, the Munggo With Pork & Shrimp meal is well worth it.
A bowl of rice, or even two, would go well with this.
Every bite of the pork and shrimp munggo here satisfies your appetite.
A combination like this will become a staple in your home.
Incorporating crab flesh into the soup with the misua noodles (wheat vermicelli) results in a rich and velvety texture.
Simple to prepare, this dish will have you working up a sweat as you eat it.
To make this dish, you’ll need crab, shrimp, misua, and a young loofah (or patola).
Together, this dish’s crab, shrimp, and green chilis produce a flavor that’s hard to resist.
In this dish for Pesang Dalag, mudfish, potatoes, and vegetables are simmered in a ginger-flavored broth and served in a scrumptious soup.
Filipinos use the pesa cooking style, a method of preparing fish or poultry in a broth flavored with ginger.
This boiled soup is commonly served with rice and miso sauce.
This dish is perfect for any season because it is both light and refreshing, as well as robust and comforting.
This dish cooks tender pieces of fish and fresh seafood in rich coconut broth.
Based on a legendary Filipino eatery in San Francisco, this Asian take on Cioppino is a must-try.
It’s not too complicated, as there are only four major classes of ingredients: seafood, mirepoix, aromatics, and liquid spices.
If you want to save time, a bag of frozen mixed seafood can be thrown into the pot all at once, and the seafood can be simmered until it is hot.
Vouvray (or French Chenin blanc) is an excellent choice of wine to pair with this dish, whether you go for the still or sparkling variety.
The bottom line
In the Philippines, soup is always an option.
From our list, you can see that Filipino soups are inexpensive to make, can feed a large group, and uses few ingredients.
These delicious Filipino soups aren’t just filling; they may also lift your mood and chase away fatigue.
So if you’re looking to spice things up at dinner, try out one of these recipes; your guests won’t be able to resist the aroma of the soups alone!
And oh, before I forget, aside from soup recipes no one could ever resist, Filipino cuisines are also rich in a lot of other delightful recipes.
- 15 Must-Try Filipino Side Dishes You’ll Thank Us For
- 17 Best Filipino Snacks: Delicious Treats For All
- 17 Exotic Filipino Dishes To Challenge Your Taste Buds
- 21 Incredibly Luscious Filipino Desserts That You Need To Try.
Let your taste buds experience what Filipino goodness really means!
Best Filipino Soups
Ingredients
- Tinola Filipino Ginger-Garlic Chicken Soup
- Arroz Caldo
- Pancit Molo
- Tinolang Isda With Malunggay Fish Ginger Soup With Moringa Leaves
- Sopas Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Sotanghon Soup
- Bulalo Filipino Beef Marrow Stew
- Sinigang Filipino Sour Soup
- Egg Drop Soup
- Beef Lauya
- Pork Pata Pochero
- Suam Na Mais Corn Soup With Shrimps & Spinach
- Pancit Lomi Recipe Lomi Batangas
- Vegan Mung Bean Soup Ginisang Munggo
- Beef Nilaga Soup
- Beef Pares Mami
- Nilagang Baboy (Pork Nilaga
- Batchoy Tagalog
- Filipino Pork Stew Linat-Ang Baboy
- Sinigang Na Hipon Filipino Shrimp Sour Soup
- KBL Kadyos Baboy Langka
- Binakol Na Manok Filipino Chicken & Coconut Soup
- Almondigas Filipino Meatball & Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Corned Beef Nilaga
- Corn Soup With Quail Eggs
- Filipino Crab & Corn Soup
- Southern Tagalog Style Goto Cheek Soup
- Bulanglang Filipino
- Sinabawang Tahong Gingered Mussel Soup
- Vegan Misua Soup
- Filipino Matzah Ball Soup
- Munggo With Pork & Shrimp
- Crab & Shrimp In Patola & Misua
- Receta Boiled Mudfish Soup With Veggies Pesang Dalag
- Filipino Cioppino Seafood Coconut Milk Stew
Instructions
- Find your favorite recipe from our Filipino Soups list.
- Gather all the ingredients needed.
- Start cooking and make us proud!
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