In this guide
Dutch food culture is practical rather than flashy. Everyday meals are simple, and bread plays a big role in breakfast and lunch. This guide describes common habits for expats. Habits differ per household and region.
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The Dutch Relationship with Food
Traditional Dutch cooking uses potatoes, vegetables, dairy and cheese, and hearty winter dishes. Through colonial history and immigration, Dutch eating habits have absorbed Indonesian, Surinamese, Turkish, Moroccan and many other food traditions. Dishes such as nasi goreng, bami and satay are widely eaten, and the Indonesian rijsttafel (rice table) is a fixture in many restaurants.
Breakfast: Bread
A common Dutch breakfast is bread (wit brood, volkoren or roggebrood) with one or more toppings:
- Hagelslag: chocolate sprinkles
- Vlokken: chocolate flakes, coarser than hagelslag
- Pindakaas: peanut butter
- Kaas: cheese slices, often young Gouda (jong Gouda)
- Vleeswaren: cold cuts such as ham, salami and filet americain (raw minced beef with seasoning, served cold on bread)
- Jam or marmalade
- Appelstroop: a thick dark apple syrup
Yoghurt with muesli or granola is also widely available.
Lunch: The Broodje
A common Dutch lunch is a boterham (slice of bread) or broodje (bread roll), typically with cheese, ham or peanut butter, often brought from home in a lunchbox (brooddoos or broodtrommel) and eaten at work, at school or in a canteen. A cooked lunch is less common on a working day.
Some practical options if you prefer something else:
- Supermarkets such as Albert Heijn and Jumbo have deli sections with sandwiches and wraps
- Broodjeszaken (sandwich shops) are common in city centres
Traditional Dutch Dishes Worth Knowing
Stamppot
Stamppot is mashed potatoes combined with one or more vegetables, served with rookworst (smoked sausage) or other meat. Common variants:
- Boerenkool (kale)
- Zuurkool (sauerkraut), often with bacon
- Hutspot (with carrots and onions), associated with 3 October, when Leiden celebrates its relief (Leidens Ontzet)
- Andijviestamppot (curly endive)
Stamppot is mostly a winter dish. Supermarkets sell ready-made kits, and making it from scratch is not difficult.
Erwtensoep (Snert)
A thick pea soup made with split green peas, smoked sausage, celery and leek, typically eaten in winter with rye bread and bacon (spek).
Haring (Herring)
Dutch raw herring is a classic “try it once” food. It is lightly cured rather than cooked, typically served with diced raw onion and pickles. The traditional way to eat it is to hold the fish by the tail and lower it into your mouth, though many people eat it in pieces or in a bread roll. Hollandse Nieuwe is the new season’s herring, available in early summer. Haringkraampjes (fish stalls) at markets and in city centres typically also sell kibbeling (deep-fried chunks of white fish) and lekkerbekje (fish in batter).
Kaas (Cheese)
Cheese is a major part of Dutch food. Common varieties:
- Gouda, available young (jong), semi-mature (belegen), mature (oud) and extra mature (extra oud)
- Edam
- Leerdammer / Maasdam: cheese with holes, mild and slightly sweet
- Boerenkaas: farmhouse cheese, sold at markets and speciality shops
Cheese markets (kaasmarkt) are held in towns such as Alkmaar, Gouda and Edam, mostly as a tourist attraction. Check the season and days before you go.
Stroopwafels
Two thin waffles with a caramel syrup filling. Many people place one on a hot cup of coffee so that the steam softens the filling. Stroopwafels are sold in supermarkets and at markets.
Bitterballen and Kroketten
Bitterballen are small deep-fried balls with a breadcrumb coating and a savoury beef ragout filling, served hot with mustard. They are a classic borrel snack. The inside is very hot, so wait before you bite. Kroketten are the larger, elongated version, served for instance in a bread roll as a broodje kroket, which you can also get from the automatiek wall of a snack bar such as FEBO.
Drop
Dutch liquorice (drop) comes in sweet (zoete) and salty (zoute) varieties. The salty kind has a very strong taste that many newcomers find challenging. Try the sweet kind first.
Dinner: The AVG Model
The traditional Dutch dinner follows the AVG model: Aardappelen (potatoes), Vlees (meat) and Groente (vegetables). Many households now cook a wider variety, such as pasta, stir-fries, rice dishes, wraps and Indonesian-influenced meals (nasi goreng, bami, satay).
Dinner time: many Dutch households eat early, often around 6pm. If you are invited to dinner, ask what time to arrive and whether dinner will be served.
The Borrel
A borrel is an informal gathering with drinks (beer, wine, jenever or soft drinks) and snacks, often in the late afternoon or early evening. It happens:
- After work on Fridays (vrijmibo, short for vrijdagmiddagborrel)
- After meetings
- At birthdays, where the birthday person typically provides the drinks and snacks
- At other informal occasions
Typical borrelhapjes (borrel snacks) include bitterballen, kaasblokjes (cubes of cheese), nootjes (nuts), ossenworst (a beef sausage served sliced), toast with prawn cocktail and crisps.
Dutch Supermarkets: The Practical Guide
Albert Heijn (AH) and Jumbo
Albert Heijn and Jumbo are two large supermarket chains found in Dutch towns and cities. Both have their own-brand ranges, prepared foods and online ordering. Compare the stores near you, since prices, store size and range differ.
Lidl and Aldi
Discounters such as Lidl and Aldi typically have smaller ranges than the large chains. Many shoppers compare prices across chains and combine stores.
Specialty and International Food Stores
- Marqt and Ekoplaza: organic and sustainable focus
- Ethnic supermarkets: Turkish, Moroccan, Asian, Surinamese and other speciality stores sell international ingredients
- Toko: Indonesian and Asian grocery stores
For a detailed comparison, see our Dutch supermarkets guide for expats.
Food Delivery in the Netherlands
- Thuisbezorgd.nl (Just Eat): meal delivery from restaurants and takeaways
- Uber Eats: meal delivery, check coverage in your area
For grocery delivery, Albert Heijn (ah.nl), Jumbo and Picnic offer home delivery in many areas. Check coverage for your postcode.
See our grocery delivery guide for the Netherlands for a full comparison.
Eating Out: What to Expect
Reservations. Popular restaurants can be fully booked at busy times, so reserve ahead if you have a specific place in mind.
Bread. Some restaurants charge for bread at the table. Check the menu.
Splitting the bill. Splitting the bill (going Dutch) is common, and splitting it exactly is usually fine.
Tipping. Appreciated, not obligatory. Round up or leave a small amount for good service.
Indonesian restaurants are found in many Dutch towns. The rijsttafel (rice table) is a shared spread of many small Indonesian dishes.
Dutch Cafés, Coffee, and the Eetcafé
A Dutch café (bruin café, or “brown café”) is a pub: a neighbourhood bar serving beer, jenever (Dutch gin) and often simple bar food. A koffiehuis or koffiezaak is a coffee shop in the English sense. A coffeeshop, on the other hand, is a place where cannabis is sold under the Dutch tolerance policy (gedoogbeleid), so do not confuse the two. An eetcafé is a pub-restaurant hybrid: more relaxed than a restaurant, serving meals alongside drinks.
Useful Links
- Dutch supermarkets guide for expats
- Best grocery delivery Netherlands
- OV-chipkaart guide — getting around to markets and shops
- Cycling in the Netherlands
- Making friends in the Netherlands as an expat
- Dutch language courses
- Moving to Amsterdam guide
- Cost of living in the Netherlands
Frequently Asked Questions
What is typical Dutch food?
Traditional Dutch dishes include stamppot (mashed potato mixed with vegetables like kale or sauerkraut, served with rookworst sausage), erwtensoep (thick pea soup), herring (haring), cheese such as Gouda and Edam, and baked goods such as stroopwafels and speculaas. The traditional dinner follows the AVG formula, aardappelen (potatoes), vlees (meat) and groente (vegetables), although many households now cook a wider variety of dishes.
What time do Dutch people eat dinner?
Many Dutch households eat dinner early, often around 6pm, which surprises expats from countries where dinner is later. Habits differ per household and region, so if you are invited, ask what time dinner is planned.
Is hagelslag really sprinkles on bread?
Yes. Hagelslag is chocolate sprinkles put on bread, usually on a layer of butter, and is a common breakfast and lunch topping in the Netherlands. Varieties include pure (dark chocolate), melk (milk chocolate), wit (white chocolate) and fruit flavours, and vlokken are the coarser chocolate flakes.
What is a borrel?
A borrel is a Dutch social gathering with drinks and snacks, often in the late afternoon or early evening. It happens, for example, after work on a Friday (vrijmibo), at birthdays and at other informal occasions. The snacks are called borrelhapjes, and bitterballen (deep-fried balls with a beef ragout filling) are a classic.
Albert Heijn or Jumbo — which supermarket is better?
Both are large Dutch supermarket chains, and prices, range and store locations differ, so compare the stores near you. Discounters such as Lidl and Aldi have smaller ranges, and ethnic supermarkets and toko shops are good for international ingredients. See our supermarkets guide for a comparison.
Is tipping expected in the Netherlands?
Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory. A common approach is to round up the bill or leave a small amount for good service. At cafés and bars many people do not tip for drinks.