Colombian Snacks: 15 popular Snacks should be to Try

Colombians love a good snack: the country is full of local bakeries selling all sorts of traditional breads, cakes, sweets, and other mouthwatering snacks perfect for a quick bite between meals.

Colombians are so fond of snacks that you will find that most small towns and regions have their own traditional snack that you can try. There’s no space to list all of them, so here are 15 of Colombia’s most delicious snacks.

Aborrajado

Aborrajado is a Colombian dish consisting of cheese-stuffed sweet plantain slices that are battered and deep-fried. Although the name aborrajado means battered, the dish can also be baked or grilled. Aborrajado is traditionally served as an appetizer or a snack, but some people like to add slices of bocadillo guava paste, so this dish can also be served as a dessert.

Pan aliñado Colombiano

Pan aliñado is a Colombian bread that is usually made with flour, yeast, butter, sugar, salt, powdered milk, and queso fresco. Once kneaded, the dough should be elastic and smooth, and it is then baked until golden brown. Crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, cheese-filled and buttery, this bread can be found in almost every bakery in Colombia.

It is recommended to consume it with coffee or hot chocolate as a tasty mid-afternoon snack.

Enyucado

Enyucado is a savory-sweet dish originating from the Colombian coast. Although there are many versions of this dish, it is usually prepared with a combination of yuca, sugar, shredded or crumbled cheese, grated coconut, butter, and anise seeds.

After the cake has been baked, it is typically cut into squares, then served at room temperature or warm. Enyucado can be consumed as an afternoon snack with coffee on the side, but it is also often served as a side dish accompanying meat.

Carimañola

Carimañolas are Colombian snacks made with mashed cassava that is filled with chicken, beef, or cheese before being deep-fried. These fritters are traditionally torpedo-shaped and can be served for breakfast or as an appetizer before a bigger meal.

The meat filling is usually flavored with onions, bell peppers, garlic, cumin, and tomato paste. It is recommended to serve carimañolas warm with ají sauce on the side.

Arepa Santandereana

Arepa Santandereana is a Colombian arepa variety from the El Santander department. These arepas are made with yellow corn masa, cassava, and crispy pork belly – also known as chicharrón. They are usually grilled, and it is recommended to consume them while fresh and hot.

Arepa Santandereana is traditionally eaten as a snack, but it can also be served as an accompaniment to traditional Colombian dishes.

Arepa paisa

One of the most omnipresent local dishes in the Paisa region of Colombia is the traditional arepa paisa, made from soaked threshed corn that is shaped and grilled until golden brown. This crispy and luscious corn cake can be eaten on its own, served as a side dish, or stuffed with variable fillings such as cheese, meat, or eggs – you can eat it with whatever choice of filling you want.

The versatility of the arepa paisa is only matched by the love the locals have for it – a typical breakfast in this region is centered on it (topped with butter, salt, and slices of cheese), and sometimes the dish is part of all meals of the day! And because you can find arepa paisa at every supermarket, street vendor or restaurant, there’s always a perfect one available at all times.

Arepa de queso

Arepa de queso is a Colombian variety of arepas which have a dough that is combined with cheese such as queso fresco or queso seco. When served, these arepas are split in half, then spread with butter and filled with more cheese, according to personal preferences, although they can also be consumed plain.
In Colombia, they are often paired with a cup of hot chocolate.

Arepa de huevo

Arepa de huevo is a popular Colombian dish that is commonly sold at street stalls, especially in the Caribbean parts of Colombia. Corn arepas are filled with eggs, then fried until the eggs are fully cooked. They are often served for breakfast, but also make for a nice afternoon snack when paired with a cup of coffee on the side.

Pan de yuca

Pan de yuca is a traditional bread consisting of yuca flour, eggs, and cheese. It is usually shaped into small, round balls. The bread is popular throughout Colombia and Ecuador, although there are variations on pan de yuca throughout Latin America.

It makes for a delicious warm appetizer or an afternoon snack, preferably paired with a cup of hot chocolate, tea, or coffee.

Pan de queso

Pan de bono

A universally popular Colombian bread made of corn flour, cassava starch, cheese, eggs and, occasionally, guava paste, the Pandebono can be found in just about every bakery in Colombia and is a classic breakfast snack, best enjoyed with a steaming hot cup of coffee.

Chocoramo

The iconic orange wrapper of a Chocoramo is one of the most recognizable things to any Colombian – the tasty chocolate sponge cake is a staple Colombian sweet snack, and can be seen for sale in every supermarket and street-stall in the country! They’re cheap, tasty, and easy to get hold of: the perfect snack!

Bunuelos

Another hugely popular cheesy bread snack, the bunuelo is a tasty, fried ball of white cheese and flour which is traditionally eaten by Colombians as a Christmas snack. However, that doesn’t mean they’re hard to get hold of any other time of the year: you can pick up a few bunuelos at just about any bakery.

Bocadillo (con queso)

This typical Colombian snack is made of guava pulp and panela, which is mixed together to form a guava jelly and sold in small cubes wrapped in banana leaves (making for a conveniently biodegradable packaging as well) – the paste is often accompanied with cheese.

Achiras

Achiras are tasty little cheesy biscuits (yep, Colombians do love cheesy snacks!) which are traditionally made in the department of Huila (which is also the best place to try them). Made with the eponymous achira flour, the snacks are moulded into little biscuits and then baked.

Cocadas

A traditional coconut candy which is popular throughout Latin America, the cocada is made with eggs and shredded coconut and served at room temperature to ensure their typical chewy texture. There are hundreds of different local recipes, and you often see Cocadas on sale in the street, freshly made and served from large baking trays, particularly on the coast.

Any fruit!

Colombia has some of the most delicious and diverse fruit in the world, and a cup of fruit is a popular and healthy snack, commonly seen for sale from street-stalls in the morning as people head to work. You can accompany it with condensed milk, cheese, and many other toppings, or keep it au-naturel for maximum health points!