You fell in love with the flavors of Bali, and now you want to recreate them in your own kitchen. These 15 simplified home recipes capture the soul of Balinese cooking with ingredients you can find at your local Asian grocery store.
Balinese cooking at its core is about fresh spices, bold flavors, and techniques that have been passed down through generations. While nothing truly replaces the experience of eating these dishes at a warung in Bali, these simplified home versions capture the essential flavors and spirit of each recipe. The spice pastes have been adapted for a food processor instead of a traditional stone mortar, cooking times have been adjusted for home ovens and stovetops, and hard to find ingredients come with practical substitutions wherever possible.
Most of the ingredients in these recipes can be found at Asian grocery stores, which carry staples like kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), fresh galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, pandan leaves, shrimp paste, and palm sugar. Many of these items are also available frozen, which works perfectly well. Online specialty shops are another great option for stocking your Balinese pantry, and the Essential Balinese Pantry section at the bottom of this page covers everything you need to get started.
These recipes are the companion to our complete food guide. Want to know more about these dishes and what makes them special? Read our complete guide to 15 Balinese Dishes You Have to Try. And if you ever want to taste the authentic versions prepared by the hands that have been making them for decades, a private driver in Bali will take you to the hidden warungs where these flavors were born.
The most famous dish in Bali, Babi Guling is a whole suckling pig roasted with an incredible spice paste. This home version uses pork belly to capture that same crispy skin and fragrant, spice saturated meat.
Babi Guling, Bali's signature roast pork with shatteringly crispy skin
The secret to crispy skin is a completely dry surface. Pat it dry, salt it, and let it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight. The cold air draws out moisture and gives you that shattering crackle straight from the oven.
This Balinese crispy duck gets its incredible texture from a two step process: braising until tender, then frying until golden. The result is impossibly crunchy skin with juicy, spice saturated meat inside.
Bebek Goreng, crispy fried duck with golden skin and tender spiced meat
The national dish of Indonesia, Nasi Goreng is fried rice elevated to an art form. The secret is day old rice, a screaming hot wok, and the unmistakable sweetness of kecap manis.
Nasi Goreng, classic fried rice with a shrimp skewer and all the garnishes
Always use cold, day old rice. Freshly cooked rice has too much moisture and will turn your fried rice into a sticky, soggy mess. Cook your rice the night before and spread it on a tray in the fridge to dry out.
The noodle sibling of Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng uses the same flavor principles but with egg noodles that soak up every bit of that sweet, savory, slightly smoky sauce.
Mie Goreng, stir fried noodles with prawns and fresh vegetables
One of the most ancient dishes in Balinese cuisine, Lawar is a fragrant salad of grated coconut, finely chopped vegetables, and minced meat. This home version is fresh, vibrant, and ready in minutes.
Lawar, a traditional Balinese salad of grated coconut, vegetables, and fragrant spices
Lawar is best eaten fresh within an hour of making it. The lime juice and coconut start to change texture as they sit, so mix it right before you plan to serve. If you cannot find fresh grated coconut, soak desiccated coconut in warm water for 10 minutes, then squeeze out the excess.
Unlike regular satay, Sate Lilit uses minced chicken mixed with coconut and spices, then wrapped around lemongrass sticks. The lemongrass infuses the meat with a beautiful citrus aroma as it grills.
Chicken Sate Lilit, hand wrapped around lemongrass sticks and grilled over charcoal
A dish unique to Bali, Sate Babi is tender marinated pork grilled over charcoal and served with a rich, spicy peanut sauce that brings everything together beautifully.
Sate Babi, grilled pork satay skewers with rich peanut sauce
For the most flavorful peanut sauce, use whole roasted peanuts and crush them yourself in a mortar or with a rolling pin. Pre made peanut butter works in a pinch, but the texture and toasty flavor of freshly crushed peanuts is worth the extra minute of effort.
A colorful, hearty vegetarian dish, Gado Gado is a generous platter of steamed vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and egg, all drenched in the most addictive peanut sauce you will ever taste.
Gado Gado, a colorful plate of vegetables and tofu drenched in creamy peanut sauce
One of the simplest and most satisfying dishes in Balinese cooking, Tempe Goreng turns humble fermented soybeans into a crispy, golden snack glazed with sweet soy sauce and garlic.
Tempe Goreng, golden fried tempeh glazed with a sweet and savory sauce
Bali is an island, and Ikan Goreng showcases the freshest catch with a simple turmeric marinade, a crispy fry, and a fiery peanut sambal that makes every bite unforgettable.
Ikan Goreng, crispy fried fish with spicy peanut sauce and fresh greens
Scoring the fish in diagonal slashes before marinating allows the turmeric and salt to penetrate deeper into the flesh. It also helps the fish cook more evenly and gives you those beautiful crispy ridges along each cut.
Another pork dish unique to Bali, Babi Panggang is ribs slow roasted with a fragrant spice paste until the meat is falling off the bone, then finished with a sticky kecap manis glaze.
Babi Panggang, tender Balinese pork ribs with a sticky caramelized glaze
From golden fried bananas to silky black rice pudding, these four traditional Balinese desserts are simple to make and bring a taste of the island into your kitchen. All you need is ripe bananas, coconut, pandan leaves, and a little palm sugar.
The most beloved street snack in Bali, Pisang Goreng is ripe bananas coated in a light, crispy batter and fried until golden. This simple recipe comes together in minutes.
Pisang Goreng, golden fried bananas that are crispy outside and caramelized inside
The elegant cousin of Pisang Goreng, Pisang Molen wraps ripe bananas in thin pastry sheets and fries them until flaky and golden. It is beautifully simple and absolutely delicious.
Pisang Molen, sweet bananas wrapped in layers of crispy, flaky pastry
Use bananas that are ripe but still firm. If they are too soft, they will turn to mush inside the wrapper. You want them sweet enough to caramelize but sturdy enough to hold their shape through the frying process.
Also known as Dadar Gulung, Kue Dadar is one of the most beautiful desserts in Balinese cooking. The vibrant green color comes entirely from fresh pandan leaves blended with water, not artificial food coloring.
Kue Dadar, green pandan crepes filled with sweet coconut and palm sugar
If you cannot find fresh pandan leaves, pandan extract or pandan paste from an Asian grocery store works as a substitute. Use about half a teaspoon of extract mixed into the batter. The color will not be as vivid, but the flavor will still carry that distinctive floral sweetness.
The perfect sweet ending to any Balinese meal, Bubur Injin is a warm, creamy black rice pudding topped with cold coconut milk. It is nourishing, comforting, and surprisingly easy to make at home.
Bubur Injin, creamy black rice pudding with coconut milk and sliced banana
Stock your kitchen with these ingredients and you will be ready to cook any Balinese recipe whenever the craving strikes. Most of these items keep well in the freezer or pantry for months.
These 15 recipes bring the heart and soul of Balinese cooking into your own kitchen, and they are just the beginning. Every dish on this page has a story, a tradition, and flavors that have been refined over generations. Cooking them at home is a wonderful way to relive the memories of a Bali trip or prepare your palate for one that is coming. For the full story behind each of these dishes, read our companion guide to 15 Balinese Dishes You Have to Try. And when you are ready to taste the authentic versions made by the hands that have been preparing them for decades, a private driver in Bali will take you to the warungs and street stalls where these flavors were born.
These home recipes capture the spirit of Balinese flavors, but nothing compares to tasting these dishes where they were born. Your driver grew up eating this food. They know the warung where the Babi Guling skin crackles like thunder, the night market stall with the best Sate Lilit, and the roadside cart where the Pisang Goreng comes out of the oil so hot it steams in the tropical air. Travel with someone who lives and breathes this cuisine, and every meal in Bali becomes an experience you will carry with you forever.
Book Your Bali Food Tour →