25 Best Argentinian Recipes You’ll REALLY Wanna Try Meta Description: From asado to alfajores, here are 25 traditional Argentinian recipes worth adding to your kitchen rotation, straight from a country obsessed with good food.
I did not expect Argentina to wreck my grocery list the way it did.
Silas and I went in thinking we’d mostly be eating steak. A lot of steak. And sure, we did that too.
But somewhere between a Sunday asado that lasted five hours and a tiny bakery counter stacked with alfajores, I realized this country’s food scene runs way deeper than beef.
There’s Italian influence baked into half the menu. There’s a corn dish so good I made Silas order it twice in one week. There’s a cheese so grilled and gooey it should honestly come with a warning label.
So here are 25 Argentinian recipes worth bringing home, whether you’re chasing that trip you took years ago or just want dinner to feel a little more interesting tonight.
Side Note: If Argentina has you craving more of South America, here’s a full breakdown of Argentinian foods you need to try and a list of Peruvian dishes worth exploring too.
1. Asado (Argentinian BBQ)
Asado isn’t really a recipe. It’s more of an event.
It’s Argentina’s national dish, and it covers a whole spread of grilled cuts like vacío (flank steak), costillas (ribs), chorizo, and morcilla (blood sausage). The meat gets cooked low and slow over wood or charcoal, and nobody rushes it.
Chimichurri is basically mandatory here. Don’t skip it.
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2. Empanadas Salteñas
I could eat these daily and not feel bad about it.
These come from Salta province and are usually filled with beef, potato, and a hard-boiled egg. The dough gets a little crimped edge that seals everything in, and every region has its own version.
Tucumán’s version leans juicier and heavier on onion, if you want to compare.
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3. Milanesa
Argentina’s answer to the schnitzel, and honestly just as comforting.
Thin cutlets of beef or chicken get breaded and fried until crispy, then served with mashed potatoes, a simple salad, or stuffed into bread for milanesa al pan. Silas ordered this more than anything else on our trip.
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4. Choripán
This is street food done right.
A grilled chorizo sausage gets split open, tucked into a crusty roll, and drenched in chimichurri or salsa criolla. It’s fast, it’s messy, and it’s the thing you grab when you’re wandering a market and suddenly starving.
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5. Provoleta
Grilled cheese, but make it Argentinian.
A thick round of provolone goes straight onto the grill until the outside gets charred and the inside turns molten. It’s usually served as an appetizer before the asado even starts, which honestly feels like cheating because it’s already so good.
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6. Locro
This stew shows up a lot around Argentina’s national holidays, and once you taste it, you’ll understand why.
It’s a hearty mix of corn, beans, and meat, and no two families make it quite the same way. Some versions lean smoky, others lean spicy. Either way, it’s the kind of dish that makes a cold night feel manageable.
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7. Humita
Corn, but turned into something completely different.
Humita is made from creamed fresh corn, onion, and spices, then wrapped in corn husks and steamed. It’s slightly sweet, slightly savory, and honestly one of the more underrated dishes on this whole list.
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8. Matambre Arrollado
The name literally translates to “hunger killer,” and it earns it.
This is a flank steak that gets stuffed with vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, and herbs, then rolled up and cooked low and slow. Slice it and you get this gorgeous spiral pattern that makes it look way harder to make than it actually is.
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9. Empanadas de Dulce de Leche
Yes, empanadas can be dessert too.
Same crimped pastry shell, but this time it’s stuffed with dulce de leche and baked or fried until golden. They’re sweet, gooey, and dangerously easy to eat three of in one sitting.
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10. Dulce de Leche
Technically not a full recipe, but it’s the backbone of half of Argentina’s desserts, so it earns its spot.
It’s made by slowly cooking sweetened milk until it turns into this thick, caramel-like spread. Once you make it from scratch, jarred caramel sauce is never going to feel the same again.
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11. Alfajores
These little sandwich cookies might be Argentina’s best export, and I will fight anyone who disagrees.
Two soft, crumbly cookies get sandwiched around a thick layer of dulce de leche, then sometimes rolled in coconut or dipped in chocolate. Silas brought back an entire suitcase pocket full of these. No regrets.
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12. Facturas
Argentina’s version of the pastry case, and it’s a genuinely tough decision every single time.
Facturas cover a whole range of flaky, buttery pastries, and a lot of them get filled with quince paste or dulce de leche. Grab a few, order a coffee, and you’ve basically nailed Argentinian breakfast.
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13. Fugazzeta
Pizza, but Argentina made it its own thing.
This one is stuffed and topped with a heavy layer of onion and mozzarella, and it skips the tomato sauce entirely. It’s a direct result of Italian immigration to Buenos Aires, and it shows in every cheesy bite.
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14. Fainá
You’ll almost always see this served right alongside a slice of pizza.
Fainá is a flatbread made from chickpea flour and herbs, baked until the edges crisp up. Locals stack a slice of fainá on top of their pizza slice, which sounds strange until you try it and immediately get it.
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15. Tarta Pascualina
Think of this as Argentina’s answer to quiche, minus the fuss.
It’s a savory pie loaded with vegetables (spinach is the classic route) and usually a few layers of hard-boiled egg tucked inside. You’ll find it in nearly every bakery case, and it makes an easy weeknight dinner too.
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16. Ñoquis del 29
There’s an actual tradition behind this one.
On the 29th of every month, families across Argentina gather to eat gnocchi together, a habit that goes back generations. Some people tuck a coin under their plate for good luck. Cheesy, but I kind of love it.
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17. Carbonada Criolla
This beef stew gets a surprising sweetness from corn, squash, and dried fruit.
Traditionally it’s served inside a hollowed-out baked pumpkin, which makes for a serious presentation moment at dinner. It’s cozy, a little unexpected, and worth the extra effort.
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18. Postre Vigilante
Simple, but somehow perfect.
This dessert is just a wedge of cheese served next to a slice of membrillo (quince paste). Sweet and salty, soft and firm, all in one bite. It’s proof that Argentina doesn’t always need to overcomplicate dessert.
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19. Yerba Mate
Not a recipe exactly, but you can’t talk about Argentina without it.
Mate is an herbal tea brewed from dried yerba leaves and sipped through a metal straw called a bombilla, usually passed around a group of friends. It’s less about the drink and more about the ritual, honestly.
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20. Vitel Toné
This one surprised me the most out of everything on this list.
It’s thin slices of cold veal covered in a creamy tuna-based sauce, a dish that came straight over from Italian immigrants. It sounds like an odd combination on paper, but it’s a staple at Argentinian holiday tables for a reason.
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21. Sorrentinos
Another one straight from Argentina’s deep Italian roots.
These are round stuffed pasta pockets, usually filled with ham and cheese or spinach and ricotta, and topped with a rich cream or tomato sauce. Bigger than your average ravioli, and somehow even more comforting.
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22. Chimichurri
Technically a sauce, but it deserves its own spot because it shows up on nearly everything else on this list.
It’s a bright, herby blend of parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar, and olive oil. Once you make a batch at home, you’ll start putting it on things that have nothing to do with Argentina.
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23. Bife de Chorizo
If you only try one steak cut while exploring Argentinian food, make it this one.
It’s a thick-cut sirloin, grilled hot and fast, and it’s usually the centerpiece of any proper asado. Argentina has more cattle than people, so trust me, they know what they’re doing here.
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24. Achuras
This is where the asado gets a little more adventurous.
Achuras refers to grilled organ meats like mollejas (sweetbreads) and chinchulines (small intestine), and they’re often served as the first course before the main cuts come off the grill. Not for everyone, but worth trying at least once.
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25. Pastelitos
The perfect way to end this list, honestly.
These are small fried pastries, often filled with quince or sweet potato paste, then dusted or glazed with sugar. You’ll see them everywhere around Argentina’s independence celebrations in May, though bakeries sell them year-round too.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular food in Argentina?
Asado (Argentinian barbecue) is widely considered the country’s national dish and its most iconic meal.
Is Argentinian food spicy?
Not really. Argentinian food leans savory and herby rather than spicy, with chimichurri being about as bold as most dishes get.
Why is Argentinian food so Italian?
A huge wave of Italian immigration in the late 1800s and early 1900s shaped Argentina’s food culture, which is why pizza, pasta, and gelato are everywhere.
What should I drink with Argentinian food?
Malbec wine is the classic pairing for a steak-heavy meal, while yerba mate is the everyday drink of choice.
Can I make these recipes without a grill?
Yes. A cast iron skillet or oven broiler works for most of the grilled dishes on this list, though you’ll miss a bit of that smoky flavor.
Wrapping Up
Twenty-five dishes in, and I still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what Argentina has to offer.
Pick one from this list and give it a try this week. Maybe start with the empanadas if you’re new to all this, or go straight for the asado if you’re feeling ambitious.
Let me know in the comments which one you tried first, and if you have any questions along the way, I’m happy to help.
