Indonesia is known for its diversity with over 1,331 ethnicities. The diverse ethnicities have impacted many factors in Indonesia, especially food. With a wide range of unique cuisines and snacks from Sabang to Merauke, there are countless must-try popular Indonesian snacks that you can enjoy every day.
Here are our recommendations to snack like a local Indonesian!
1. Cassava Chips
Cassava chips is one of the most popular snacks in Indonesia. Cassava has played an important role in the Indonesian diet. In 2020, Indonesia produced around 18.3 million tonnes of cassava. It’s no wonder if the cassava chips have become common there.
You can enjoy the authentic Indonesian cassava chips from Jans. Made from non genetically modified organism (GMO) ingredients, this cassava chips has 35% less fat than regular potato chips. Mild spicy taste with jalapeno and crunchy texture make cassava chips from Jans more special!
2. Tempeh Chips
Tempeh or tempe is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans. Indonesian usually consume tempeh as a side dish eaten with warm rice and vegetables. Tempeh contains no cholesterol and is an excellent source of B vitamins, fibre, iron, calcium, and other minerals.
Not only as a side dish, tempeh has been made into healthy chips. Yum’s tempeh chips are a must-try for you who want to snack like an Indonesian. It’s crispy and rich with umami and nutty taste. The other good news is, there are no preservatives added! Sounds great, right?
3. Chocolate
Started in America, cocoa has been globally spreading, making chocolate become one of the most popular snacks in the world. In Indonesia, there are so many amazing bean to bar chocolate brands. One of the most popular chocolate brands from Indonesia is Krakakoa. The cacao seeds that Krakakoa use are organically-grown with sustainable farming methods.
You can try Krakakoa’s Arenga 60% Dark Milk Chocolate if you want a sweet touch from milik or Arenga 85% Dark Chocolate for you who want the original taste of chocolate. Psst, for you who have diabetics type II, you can try Arenga 85% Dark Chocolate as a replacement for sweets!
4. Emping
Made from melinjo or belinjo, emping is another popular snack from Indonesia. Apart from consuming it as a snack, Indonesians usually pair emping together with soto ayam, a local chicken soup with herbs and fresh turmeric. Yum’s emping chips are an easy way to enjoy it!
Yum’s Emping Chips are made in Indonesia with a natural bitter taste from belinjo and unique sweet flavors Directly imported from Indonesia with no added preservatives, it has a shelf life of 3 weeks or less when it arrives in Singapore.
5. Kacang Atom
Rich flavor from nuts coated with shell from flour and sugar make kacang atom extra crunchy. This is one of the popular Indonesian snacks that can be found in the nearest Indonesian warung or modern mart. Kacang Atom comes in a variety of flavors, from ultra spicy into slightly salty.
6. Dodol
Who would have thought Indonesia has its own take on caramel cubes? Dodol is a kind of toffee produced from sugar palm. Get ready for sweet sensation, sticky, thick texture melt in your tongue just like a caramel. It’s usually served during Eid or Ramadhan.
7. Prawn Cracker
We sure have heard about shrimp crackers aka keropok in Singapore as well as Malaysia. Well, keropok is also pretty common in Indonesia as a snack. Yum’s shrimp crackers brought you the delightful taste of Indonesian keropok with premium ingredients without anything artificial. You will see a light coral-colored cracker with small bits of prawns.
8. Cashew
Cashews are incredibly popular in Indonesia. Some people use it as a mix of cookies or just freshly bake or fry it. East Bali Cashew is an Indonesian local brand located in Karangasem, Bali. East Bali Cashews has 4 variants; roasted, sweet and spicy, garlic pepper, and sea salt cashew.
9. Potato Chips
Beside tempeh and cassava chips, potato chips are also one of the most commonly sought after snacks in Indonesia. Chitato is one of the well-known potato chips from Indonesia. One of their unique variants is Indomie flavoured! Sounds cool? Well, you can grab Chitato x Indomie at Tasty Snack!
10. Kue Mangkok
This snack is called kue mangkok because it looks like a “mangkok” or bowl in English. Kue mangkok contains steamed rice flour, wheat flour, and cassava tapai. Then, the mold is shaped in a bowl, and a flower grows at the end. Mangkok owls are commonly spotted in Indonesian traditional markets called pasar.
These popular Indonesian snacks mentioned can be consumed as a midweek boost or during a hangout with your friends. Need more snacks recommendations? Tasty Snack have huge varieties of snacks from all around south east asia with unique taste. Explore more unique Asian snacks with us!