Dinner Ideas • Recipes from 193 Countries

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

Stuck on what to cook for dinner? Dinner Ideas brings easy dinner recipes from 193 countries — signature dishes with ingredients, steps, nutrition and pairings.

Countries

193

Cuisines Covered

Meal Times

4 Slots

Breakfast to Snack

Nutrition

100%

Recipes with Nutrition

Category:

Meal Time

Choose the meal you are cooking for

Region

2321 dinner ideas matching filters

Reset Filters ×

What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1093–1104 of 2321 dinner recipes

A golden half-moon fried risole on a white paper doily

Brazil 1h 15m

Snack & Tea •Brazilian Bakery Classic

Risoles

This risoles recipe makes the beloved Brazilian bakery snack: a soft milk dough rolled thin, filled with creamy shredded chicken and melted cheese, folded into half-moons, coated in breadcrumbs and fried until golden and crisp. Twelve pastries, crunchy outside and molten inside. One serving is about 340 g.

Crisp & Comforting

Golden breadcrumb-coated pastries filled with creamy shredded chicken and melted cheese.

Pairs Well With
Cold guaraná, fresh orange juice and a green salad

A golden pan de muerto loaf with sugar-dusted dough bones and a round skull on top

Mexico 3h 15m

Breakfast •Mexico City Day of the Dead

Pan de Muerto

This pan de muerto recipe makes Mexico's beloved Day of the Dead bread: a soft, golden, orange-scented loaf crowned with dough 'bones' and a small round 'skull', finished with butter and a snowfall of sugar. The crumb is tender and rich from eggs, milk and butter, and the smell of orange zest and orange blossom fills the kitchen as it bakes. One serving is about 125 g, one whole small loaf.

Festive & Comforting

A soft, orange-scented sweet bread topped with sugar, baked for Dia de los Muertos and shared with family at the altar and the breakfast table.

Pairs Well With
Hot chocolate, cafe de olla, or atole, with fresh fruit on the side.

Tubs of colourful gelato in a shop display case, with scoops of pistachio, berry and cream flavours

Italy 50m

Snack & Tea •Italian Classic

Gelato

This gelato recipe makes real Italian vanilla gelato at home: a silky, dense custard base of milk, cream, egg yolks and sugar, churned slowly so it stays soft and intensely flavoured instead of fluffy. Gelato is served a little warmer than ice cream, so the vanilla comes through and the texture melts on the tongue. One serving is about 125 g, a generous scoop.

Cool & Indulgent

A dense, silky Italian frozen dessert, churned slowly with more milk than cream and less air than ice cream.

Pairs Well With
A crisp pizzelle or wafer cone, fresh berries, or a shot of espresso poured over the top.

Six chocolate eclairs with glossy dark chocolate glaze on a tray

France 1h 20m

Snack & Tea •Paris Patisserie

Chocolate Eclairs

This chocolate eclairs recipe makes the classic French patisserie at home: crisp, golden choux shells, a silky chocolate pastry cream piped inside, and a glossy dark chocolate glaze on top. The choux puffs up hollow in a hot oven, so each eclair is light despite the rich filling. One serving is about 96 g, one whole eclair.

Classic & Indulgent

Crisp choux pastry filled with chocolate pastry cream and topped with a dark chocolate glaze — the classic French patisserie.

Pairs Well With
Black coffee or tea, with fresh raspberries to cut the richness.

A plate of assorted turron pieces, including hard almond nougat, soft nougat and chocolate turron

Spain 45m

Snack & Tea •Alicante Christmas Classic

Turron

This turron recipe makes turron de Alicante, Spain's hard almond nougat: whole roasted almonds bound in a honey-sugar syrup with whipped egg white, pressed between sheets of wafer paper until firm, then cut into bars. It snaps cleanly, tastes of toasted almond and honey, and keeps for weeks. One serving is about 35 g, one small bar.

Festive & Nutty

A hard almond nougat of roasted almonds, honey and sugar, set between wafer paper — Spain's Christmas sweet.

Pairs Well With
Cava, sweet sherry, or coffee, with a plate of other Christmas sweets.

Two white daifuku mochi on a blue plate, one cut open to show the red bean filling

Japan 40m

Snack & Tea •Japanese Heritage

Daifuku Mochi

Soft, chewy rice cakes wrapped around sweet red bean paste, dusted with starch and served at room temperature. One serving is about 120 g (two pieces). This daifuku mochi recipe makes 8 pieces in about 40 minutes, with no special equipment beyond a microwave or steamer.

Sweet & Light

Soft pounded-rice cakes filled with sweet red bean paste — a gentle, chewy Japanese sweet.

Pairs Well With
Green tea and a small plate of fresh fruit.

Thai green mango salad with shredded mango, tomato and dressing on a pink plate

Thailand 30m

Lunch •Thai Street Food

Thai Mango Salad

Shredded green mango, plump shrimp and roasted cashews in a fish sauce, lime and palm sugar dressing, with shallot, tomato and chilli. One serving is about 220 g. This thai mango salad recipe serves 4 in 30 minutes and works as a light lunch on its own.

Fresh & Light

Crisp green mango tossed with shrimp, cashews and a hot-sour lime dressing.

Pairs Well With
Jasmine rice and a cold Thai iced tea.

A charred grilled corn cob on a stick, Vietnamese street style

Vietnam 25m

Snack & Tea •Vietnamese Street Food

Vietnamese Grilled Corn

Sweetcorn grilled over charcoal until charred at the edges, then brushed generously with scallion oil made from spring onions fried in hot oil. One serving is about 170 g (one ear). This vietnamese grilled corn recipe serves 4 in 25 minutes, straight off the grill.

Street-Food Snack

Charred corn on the cob brushed with hot scallion oil — smoky, sweet and savoury.

Pairs Well With
Iced sugarcane juice and a second ear — nobody stops at one.

Zongzi rice dumplings, one wrapped in bamboo leaf and one unwrapped showing pork and salted egg yolk

China 3h 30m

Snack & Tea •Cantonese Festival Food

Zongzi

Glutinous rice seasoned with soy and five-spice, wrapped in bamboo leaves around pork belly, salted egg yolk, shiitake and peanuts, then steamed until tender. One serving is about 230 g (one dumpling). This zongzi recipe makes 8 dumplings in about 3 hours 30 minutes, most of it hands-off steaming.

Festive & Filling

Bamboo-leaf parcels of sticky rice with pork belly, salted egg yolk and shiitake.

Pairs Well With
Hot jasmine tea and a small dish of chilli oil.

A white bowl of miyeok-guk, Korean seaweed soup with beef, on a red placemat

South Korea 55m

Dinner •Korean Birthday-Soup Classic

Miyeok-Guk

This miyeok guk recipe makes the Korean seaweed soup of birthdays and quiet weeknights: dried miyeok (wakame) soaked until silky, simmered with tender beef, garlic and sesame oil, and seasoned with soy sauce. The broth stays light and clean while the seaweed turns soft and slippery, the way it should be. One serving is about 380 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Miyeok-guk is the light beef and seaweed soup Koreans eat on birthdays and as an everyday restorative bowl.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot with steamed rice and kimchi, with the soup as the centre of a simple Korean table.

Soups & Broths

Two golden fried icli kofte, bulgur-stuffed meatballs, on a plate with tomato relish and salad leaves

Turkey 1h 5m

Snack & Tea •Gaziantep & Hatay Classic

Icli Kofte

This icli kofte recipe makes the famous stuffed meatballs of southeastern Turkey: a shell of fine bulgur kneaded with a little minced beef and egg, shaped into thin cups and filled with spiced beef, onion and walnuts, then fried until deep golden and crisp outside. Twelve pieces come out of the batch, three per serving. One serving is about 260 g.

Rich & Satisfying

Icli kofte is the stuffed meatball of southeastern Turkey: a thin bulgur shell around spiced minced beef, walnuts and onion, fried until crisp.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot with lemon wedges, a tomato salad and flatbread, as a meze or a snack.

A roast leg of lamb studded with rosemary, browned and glistening after roasting

Greece 2h 55m

Dinner •Greek Sunday-Roast Classic

Arni Psito

This arni psito recipe makes the Greek Sunday roast: a bone-in leg of lamb studded with garlic, rubbed with lemon, oregano, rosemary and olive oil, and slow-roasted in the same pan as wedges of potato that drink up the pan juices. The meat turns tender and fragrant, the potatoes crisp at the edges and soft inside. One serving is about 420 g.

Hearty & Celebratory

Arni psito is Greece's roast lamb: a leg rubbed with garlic, lemon, oregano and olive oil, slow-roasted with potatoes in the same pan.

Pairs Well With
Serve carved at the table with the roast potatoes, a Greek salad and warm bread to mop up the juices.

High Protein

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Every one of the world's 193 countries has a signature dish — browse the full directory to find tonight's dinner, or jump straight to a cuisine with recipes.

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cabo Verde

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cuba

Cyprus

Czechia

Côte d'Ivoire

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Estonia

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Fiji

Finland

France

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Grenada

Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Hungary

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kiribati

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

Micronesia

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

North Macedonia

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Palau

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

São Tomé and Príncipe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Korea

South Sudan

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Tuvalu

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe Browse all 193 countries →

Dinner Ideas by Category

Soups & Broths Pasta & Noodles High Protein Fermented / Gut Health Quick Prep (<30m)

Dinner Ideas by Meal

Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack & Tea

Dinner Ideas by Region

Mediterranean & Italy East & South Asia Latin America & Caribbean Middle Eastern Nordic & European African Heritage North America Oceania & Pacific

The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

All news →

A bowl of tagliatelle with rich ragù sauce

Ingredient Guides

The Pantry Staples Every World Kitchen Shares

From a market in Bangkok to a farmhouse in Tuscany, cooks reach for the same handful of staples: rice, dried beans, good oil, salt, garlic, chillies and something sour. Stock these, and dinner in any cuisine is suddenly within reach.

November 5, 2026 • 725 words

A hearty autumn stew served in a rustic bowl

Seasonal Cooking

Autumn’s Best: Cooking with Squash and Root Vegetables

When the air turns cool, the garden answers with squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beets. Roasted low and slow, these autumn vegetables turn sweet, caramelised and deeply satisfying — here is how to cook them well.

November 5, 2026 • 597 words

Fresh herbs rolled into Vietnamese spring rolls

Kitchen Techniques

How to Store Fresh Herbs So They Last Two Weeks

Fresh herbs wilt in days when they are tossed loose into the fridge. The jar method — a little water, a loose bag, and the right shelf — keeps parsley, cilantro, mint and dill bright and fragrant for up to two weeks.

November 5, 2026 • 658 words

Food Pairing Guide

What to Eat With What

Some foods taste better — and do you more good — together. Here is what to serve with each dish, and what to skip, with the science in plain words.

Tested in the Dinner Ideas kitchen

Phở Bò (Vietnamese Beef Broth)

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

EAT TOGETHER: Fresh Lime & Sawtooth Coriander

The ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in freshly squeezed lime converts the non-heme and heme iron from thinly shaved beef into its bioavailable ferrous form (Fe²⁺), escalating iron assimilation by up to 300%. Fresh culantro supplies carotenes that ignite digestive bile acids.

AVOID IMMEDIATELY AFTER: Condensed Milk Iced Coffee

Drinking condensed milk coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Đá) directly following Phở binds active polyphenolic chlorogenic acids and milk casein directly to the beef iron molecules, forming unabsorbable insoluble complexes that severely stunt nutrient uptake. Wait at least 90 minutes.

Metabolic window: Breakfast (07:00 – 09:30) • Optimal Gut Transition: 3.5 Hours

Tomatoes & Wild Summer Greens

Carotenoid Unlocking

EAT TOGETHER: Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Aged Feta

Lycopene is an intrinsically lipophilic (fat-soluble) antioxidant compound bound tight inside tomato skin cells. Pairing ripe heirloom tomatoes with the monounsaturated fats of raw cold-pressed olive oil boosts vascular lycopene absorption by nearly 4.4-fold.

AVOID TOGETHER: Fat-Free Industrial Dressings

Consuming vine tomatoes with zero-fat or high-sugar artificial vinaigrettes prevents the body from emulsifying fat-soluble Vitamins A, E, and K, passing essential restorative nutrients unabsorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.

Metabolic window: Lunch or Aperitivo • Lycopene Uptake: +440%

Turmeric + Black Pepper

Piperine in coarse crushed pepper amplifies active curcumin bioavailability by 2000%.

Green Tea + Lemon Twist

Citric acid preserves delicate EGCG catechins through acidic stomach transit intact.

Calcium Rich + Iron Stews

Heavy dairy cheese interferes with non-heme iron absorption channels if consumed simultaneously.