The 25 best Australian recipes of all time
From prawns to pav.
Food
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It helps that Australia is home to some of the most legendary recipes of all time – here’s looking at you, pav – but we are also lucky enough to have some of the best food produce in the world.
In this list of the nation’s top dishes, you’ll find some all-time classics and some subtle twists on them that have become new firm favourites.
Green and gold pavlova
Having a second serving of the pav is always the patriotic thing to do in Australia. And hey, it’s mostly air and fruit anyway, isn’t it?
Matt Preston
Snags with onions cooked in beer
Is there really anything that epitomises Australian celebrations more than snags and beer? This brilliant recipe hits two beer cans with one stone by caramelising sweet red onions in lager and serving it nestled in soft bread rolls with a smoky snag. Cheers to that!
Amira Georgy, Digital Food Director
Anzac biscuits
Do you like your Anzac biscuits chewy, crunchy or crispy? This version of the traditional recipe allows you to take the one recipe and bake it three ways to keep everyone happy – that’s probably why it’s one of our most popular recipes of all time.
Jade Dunn, Deputy Content Director
Damper
It doesn’t get much more Aussie than this simple bread. Historically, damper was baked by drovers over an open fire to keep them sustained on long cattle drives. Although I have attempted it over a fire while camping, I most often cook it at home in the oven then serve it warm with lots of salted butter and, as is traditional, with a drizzle of golden syrup. It’s crusty on the outside, chewy and moist on the inside and delicious all the way through.
Rebecca Nittolo, Digital Editor
BBQd lamb cutlets
Nothing screams Australia like the smell of the neighbours’ barbecue and lamb on the barbie is always on my hit list. Yes, Sam Kekovich the “Lambassador”, I hear you! Cooking on the barbie on hot summer days also helps keep the heat out of the kitchen and reduces mess and washing up, so it’s a win win for me.
Michelle Southan, Food Director
Lemonade scones
Scones are beloved worldwide, but Aussies can definitely claim the super-easy scones made with just flour and a can of lemonade as their own. With a 4.7 star rating and 400+ rave reviews, this has become one of Australia’s most popular recipes of all time (so much so, that there’s now an air fryer version of the recipe).
Georgia Mahood, Content Producer
Creamy garlic prawns
When I first moved to Australia 13 years ago, I wasn’t quite prepared for just how incredible the quality of the fresh food would be. From Australian-grown fruits and vegies to seafood, the ingredients you find in supermarkets here really have the power to elevate everyday dishes. One of my absolute favourite recipes that I first discovered after moving here was creamy garlic prawns. The dish itself is incredibly simple, but there’s something about the prawns available in Australia that make this recipe taste like it’s come straight from a restaurant kitchen every time I make it. I can’t imagine it tasting this good anywhere else on Earth.
Laura Simpson, Content Director
Fairy bread lamingtons
A lamington had to be on the list – but we chose this colourful version instead of a classic because it also heroes another Aussie favourite: fairy bread. Both were my favourite party treats as a kid and this mash-up of two oh-so-nostalgic Aussie treats is absolutely iconic.
Carissa Dragatogiannis, Content Manager
Native rosemary and parmesan focaccia
I love the way Mindy Woods’ recipes inspire me to cook with more native ingredients, and focaccia makes a great shared snack at a picnic or barbecue. This delicious native (or ‘coastal’) rosemary and parmesan focaccia recipe from Mindy makes a flavourful and filling accompaniment to salads. Native rosemary has the most robust, aromatic flavour. You can grow it in your garden, as I do, or in a pot on your balcony, to bolster savoury dishes – but you could also buy it online, forage for it, or substitute it with more easily sourced rosemary.
Sonya Gellert, Recipes Editor
Best-ever sausage rolls
It wouldn’t be a top Aussie recipes list without sausage rolls – and I’m yet to find a sausage roll recipe that competes with this one. It’s the combination of veal and sausage mince with grated onion, carrot, garlic, parsley, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce that makes these sausage rolls so moreish.
Marina Karris, Senior Producer
Prawn, mango and avocado salad
Australia has some of the best seafood in the world, and what better way to make use of fresh prawns than in this bright summer salad? The combination of sweet, juicy mangoes and plump prawns tossed with a zingy lime and chilli dressing can’t be beaten. I love the addition of chilli and coriander, too. It’s a nod to our love of Asian cuisine and the diversity of Australian tastebuds.
Jade Dunn, Deputy Content Director
Weis bar cheesecake
Cheesecake simply had to be on the list and I’ve chosen the most Australian of cheesecake (and one of my own recipes) – the Weis bar cheesecake! It epitomises summer – showcasing mangoes (my favourite seasonal fruit) but also evoking carefree days at the beach when getting an ice-cream was a special treat. It looks impressive but is actually easy to make and your guests will get a kick out of it.
Tracy Rutherford, Recipe Developer
Aussie meat pies
As a grab-and-go lunch or popular kids’ treat, the meat pie remains one of the most famous dishes in Australia. Why is this one my favourite? We snuck not only Vegemite into the filling, but also BBQ sauce, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce too!
Harmony Southern, Creative Director
Cherry Ripe self-saucing pudding
This is based on a chocolate self saucing pudding that I found in an ancient country charity cookbook from Victoria’s North East and I see it as proof that those old bush cooks could teach our modern trendy chefs a thing or two about tasty, easy and in this case, slightly magical, desserts. What goes into the oven looks so unlikely to succeed – but succeed it does rather wonderfully. Giving it a spin on the uniquely Australian chocolate bar created by social reformer, style icon and confectioner Sir Macpherson Robertson in 1924 in Melbourne was a no-brainer.
Matt Preston
Spinach cob loaf dip
Good luck getting an Aussie celebration going without a cob loaf. Although we have over 50 different versions of cob loaf recipe, nothing ever beats the classic spinach cob loaf dip, one of the most iconic Aussie party-starters of all time.
Marina Karris, Senior Producer
Potato salad
It’s un-Australian to have a BBQ without a potato salad – and a homemade one is simply the best. This is the nation’s #1 potato salad, with Aussies dubbing it a “smash hit”.
Xenia Taylor, Content Coordinator and Producer
Homemade ‘Fantales’
I used to love Fantales, so was one of many disappointed Aussies when they were discontinued in 2023 after nearly a century since their invention (yes, a CENTURY!) Luckily for me, recipe creator – and fellow Fantale fan – Tiffany Page didn’t rest until she had managed to create her own version… and she nailed it! These Fantale dupes only require 7 ingredients (including condensed milk!) and 15 minutes prep time – so they’re not only as delicious as the original, but they’re extremely easy to make too.
Rebecca Nittolo, Digital Editor
Sausage sizzle
We once asked the nation to vote on what makes a great democracy sausage and they said: beef instead of pork sauces, a single slice of bread instead of a bun, tomato sauce not mustard… and onions always on top!
Jade Dunn, Deputy Content Director
Aussie burger (with the lot)
It’s long been debated whether a true Aussie burger should have beetroot, pineapple or egg and I am here to tell you that it should have ALL THREE! This recipe is proof that they all work in perfect harmony and make for the ultimate jaw-stretching, lip-smacking burger.
Georgia Mahood, Content Producer
Chicken parmi
I don’t know about you, but if I see chicken parmigiana on a pub menu, I am compelled to order it. As if a golden crispy chicken schnitzel isn’t tempting enough, when drizzled with a rich and tangy Italian-style tomato sauce and topped with gooey, melty cheese, all bets are off. No need to step out to the local with this easy chicken parmigiana recipe.
Alison Adams, Food and Recipe Writer
Passionfruit melting moments
I love nothing more than cooking with good old Aussie flavours, and passionfruit is definitely one of them. Yes, it’s good on a pav but I also love some gorgeous passionfruit pulp stirred into buttercream that I then smear onto some beautiful melt-in-the-mouth biscuits. Boom! A party in your mouth.
Kathy Knudsen, Recipe Developer
Crispy-skinned barramundi
We’re so lucky to have an abundance of incredible seafood on our shores. This is one of my favourite ways to cook our ‘national fish’ – pan-frying it to ensure it gets that same delicious crispy skin that most Aussie restaurants have perfected.
Rebecca Nittolo, Digital Editor
Vanilla slice
Along with neenish tarts, Chelsea buns and scones, vanilla slice competes to be the queen of Australian country town bakeries. And it may just win. For, unlike these other treats that are based in English culinary tradition, vanilla slice seems to be completely ours. The best news? With this recipe for custard slice, there’s no need to go on a road trip to feast upon this classic sweet.
Alison Adams, Food and Recipe Writer
Zucchini slice
I hadn’t ever come across a zucchini slice until I moved to Sydney. Quiche and frittata, yes, but zucchini slice? Never. It’s so much easier than both of these classics, and – in my book – so much tastier. Simply add your ingredients to your slice pan and bake. Laid-back Aussie cooking at its best!
Laura Simpson, Content Director
Classic rissoles
“Beautiful! What do you call these things again?” “Rissoles. Everybody cooks rissoles, darl.” “Yeah, but it’s what you DO with them.”
Darryl and Sal Kerrigan, The Castle
Originally published as The 25 best Australian recipes of all time
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