Panama is home to a brilliant cuisine that everybody should be enjoying regularly!

10 Best Panamanian Breakfasts You Need To Try

Seriously, the Central American country of Panama is home to a fantastically diverse and delicious range of foods the likes of which you won’t get anywhere else.

Part of the reason for this fantastic range is that Panama is itself filled with various cultural influences, with residents from Africa, China, Spain, India, and more all moving there over time.

As a result, each brought their own cuisines and styles, and they all molded together to make Panamanian cuisine: full of diverse flavors and ingredients.

Naturally, with so much great Panamanian food out there, there’s plenty of delicious breakfast dishes for you to try.

In our delicious guide below, we’ve got the 10 best Panamanian breakfasts you need to try.

Start your day off with these tantalizingly tasty treats from Panama!

10 Best Panamanian Breakfasts You Need To Try

1. Patacones

We’re starting our list off with patacones, which are also referred to as tostones.

Put simply, these fantastic Panamanian breakfast snacks are fried green plantains. If you’ve never come across a plantain before, it’s like a starchier banana.

When the plantain is green, you’ll find that it’s less sweet than a regular banana, but it grows sweeter when it’s ripe or cooked.

These fried green plantains couldn’t be easier, making them a simple and quick Panama breakfast to throw together.

All you’ll need is the green plantains, frying oil, and a little salt!

The green plantains are carefully prepared according to the recipe, then fried until they turn golden brown. Delicious! Better still, you can serve them with a dip.

2. Raspao

Who doesn’t like an ice cold breakfast? Start your day with a fruity, cooling treat courtesy of this Panamanian breakfast treat.

Essentially, this is shaved ice with a combination of strawberries and milk.

Also classified as raspado in Mexico, these Panama classics are easy to make and totally delicious.

All you’ll need is some fresh strawberries, condensed milk (if you want it), shaved ice, and some sugar.

The strawberries are heated for a while, then put into a blender and then left to cool.

The result is then poured into a glass with shaved ice, and you can add some condensed milk too for extra refreshment!

3. Churros

You’ve probably had churros before, or at least you’ve come across these deliciously sweet doughy treats.

Well, they’re very popular in Panama, and they make for a great Panamanian breakfast! Better still, they’re not too difficult to make.

Warm and crispy, these crispy dough treats are perfectly light, and they’ve been rolled in cinnamon sugar to give them a gentle hint of spicy warmth.

On top of that, the recipe will tell you how to make an easy chocolate dipping sauce for you to use with them!

4. Gallo Pinto

Gallo Pinto is a traditional breakfast meal in plenty of places, like Nicaragua and Costa Rica, but it’s also very popular all across Panama.

It’s easy to understand why, too, because it’s fabulously filling and has a delicious seasoning sauce.

Put simply, this is a mixture of black beans, rice, and various other ingredients.

You’ll need some red bell pepper, garlic, and onion for extra flavor, while cilantro adds some herbiness.

Meanwhile, you can add some Lizano sauce, but this is more of a Costa Rican twist.

5. Almojábanos

Our next pick is a tasty Panamanian breakfast dish that’s fantastically quick and easy to make, requiring just 4 ingredients.

If you’re in a hurry, but still want something flavorful and fun, then this is the ideal Panamanian dish to throw together in the morning!

Essentially, these are curly treats made out of corn and cheese.

To make them, you’ll need pre-cooked yellow cornmeal, fresh white cheese, water, and salt.

Oh, and of course some oil for frying! They should take just 15 minutes to prepare and cook, and then they serve perfectly with coffee – or extra cheese!

Kids will especially love these cheesy treats, thanks to their fun shapes. They look like little yellow snakes!

6. Carimanola

If you’re looking for something a bit larger and more filling, then these delicious meat pies are a staple of Panamanian breakfasts.

However, they’re also great as snacks for you to enjoy throughout the day!

Essentially meat pies with tender beef and vegetables, these require quite a lot of ingredients, but still only take about 10 minutes to prepare.

Besides beef (though you can use turkey instead and still get something delicious!), you’ll need filling yucca root.

Additionally, you’ll also need jalapeno peppers and chili powder to both give the pie a kick of warm spiciness.

On top of those, you’ll also be using seasonings like cumin, thyme, and salt and pepper.

7. Tamales

Everybody loves a good tamale, with its doughy outside and mouth watering filling, and Panama is no different.

Tamales make for popular Panamanian breakfasts, and this one uses chicken and pork in its filling to give you a double dose of meaty goodness.

Meanwhile, there are all sorts of other ingredients for the filling, like spanish olives, capers, raisins, green and red peppers, and more.

They all add up to create a tamale that is dripping with flavor, and will start your day in the best way!

8. Arepas

Delicious cases packed with mouth watering fillings seems to be a theme for Panamanian breakfasts, because this next recipe offers another great one!

Arepas are fried pockets of cornmeal that are packed with fillings and flavor, making for a fabulously hearty breakfast to keep you going until lunch.

You can pick your fillings, but the recipe has a recommended mix. It includes sweet potatoes, a great choice, as well as pulled pork or shredded chicken.

Meanwhile, Cotija cheese helps add some gooey cheesiness to your breakfast, and black beans add some creaminess.

Our next pick for a tasty Panamanian breakfast is cocadas, which are essentially coconut cookies (or macaroons) made with delicious coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and just a few other ingredients.

They’re very easy to make, taking just 5 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook, making them ideal for throwing together on a sleepy morning!

Besides the shredded coconut and the sweetened condensed milk, you’ll also need vanilla extract, an egg, and some macadamia nuts.

Coconut already has a pretty sweet and nutty flavor, and the inclusion of macadamia nuts gives it just a subtle added edge of nuttiness on top of that!

By the end, you’ll love these sweet, crumbly, and soft coconut cookies.