Budget travel keeps getting more popular – we save on transport, on accommodation, and on food. The good news: in Morocco, eating cheap doesn’t mean eating badly. Some of the best things I’ve eaten in this country cost less than a metro ticket in Europe.
Here is my tested list of Moroccan foods that won’t hurt your wallet and will fill up your stomach. Vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters will all find something here. The prices are what locals pay – as a rule of thumb, the same dish costs 3-4x more the closer you sit to a tourist landmark, and prices have crept up a few dirhams since I first wrote this list, but the hierarchy still holds. (Currency check: 1 EUR ≈ 10 MAD.)
If you want the full culinary map beyond the budget corner, start with my 17 traditional Moroccan dishes guide – this post is its street-level, small-change cousin.
1. Bissara
A thick soup (or rather a dip) made from fava beans, olive oil and spices. Very popular in the north, but eaten everywhere in Morocco – and it’s vegan by default. My own bissara recipe is here if you want to recreate it at home.
Price: 5 MAD in local places, up to 20 MAD in tourist places
2. Msmen
A thick, layered pancake you can eat with cream cheese, jam, amlou or honey. The perfect morning stomach filler – and the cornerstone of any proper Moroccan breakfast.
Price: around 2 MAD plain, up to 7 MAD depending on the stuffing
3. Harira
A thick, filling soup. In the Atlas Mountains it is usually white; I personally prefer the red tomato one that’s popular in Casablanca and Rabat. During Ramadan it’s the national iftar opener, but you’ll find it steaming in local eateries year-round.
Price: 5 MAD locally, around 20 MAD in touristy spots like Jemaa el-Fna
4. Snails (Babbouche)
Something you won’t find in restaurants! A winter specialty from street carts: a bowl of snails in a spicy, herbal broth that locals swear cures colds. Drink the broth – that’s the point.
Price: 10 MAD
5. Tajine
There are as many tajines as there are Moroccan households. The beauty for budget travelers: it’s a complete meal – meat or vegetables, sauce, and all the bread you need.
Price: a good one costs about 20 MAD in popular local places, around 70 in touristy ones, and 150+ in fancy restaurants
6. Omelette Sandwich
Round khobz bread stuffed with scrambled eggs, optionally with cheese or a drizzle of olive oil. Goes perfectly with a glass of mint tea or a fresh juice. Every neighborhood snack bar makes one.
Price: 5-8 MAD
7. Mkila
My forever number one. Eggs with tomatoes, shrimp (sometimes calamari too) and olive oil, scooped up with bread. A must-try in the coastal cities – I ate the best one of my life in the port of Casablanca, a story I tell in my Casablanca local guide.
Price: 12-20 MAD
8. Lentils (Aadas)
Simply lentils stewed with onion, eaten with bread. Simple, cheap, nothing fancy, very filling – and another accidental vegan classic. For the full plant-based picture, see my guide to vegetarian and vegan food in Morocco.
Price: 10-15 MAD
9. Shawarma
Döner, kebab… in Morocco it’s called shawarma: thin bread with salad and chicken or beef, served in snack bars all around the country. Not very Moroccan, but very popular and appreciated by Moroccans. (No photo, sorry!)
Price: 20 MAD
10. Avocado Juice with Dried Fruits
A very thick smoothie that can honestly replace a meal – the juice bars layer it with dates, almonds and dried fruit. One glass and you’re set until dinner. It’s part of Morocco’s whole juice and drinks universe that deserves its own exploration.
Price: 15 MAD
Ordering Like a Local
Two things multiply your budget instantly: eating where the locals eat (if the menu has photos and four languages, you’re paying tourist prices), and ordering in Darija. A simple “aatini wahed bissara, afak” works wonders – my street food Darija lesson covers the essentials.
Prefer someone else to do the navigating? A guided food tour packs twenty tastings into one evening – here’s how my Marrakech food tour went, and the Casablanca food-tour scene is criminally underrated.
FAQ
How much does street food cost in Morocco?
At local prices, a filling street meal runs 5-20 MAD ($0.50-2): msmen from 2 MAD, bissara or harira around 5 MAD, a good tajine about 20 MAD. Near tourist landmarks, expect 3-4x those numbers.
Is street food in Morocco safe to eat?
Generally yes, with the universal rules: eat where locals queue, choose stalls with high turnover so food is fresh, and be sensible with anything that’s been sitting in the sun. Millions of Moroccans eat this food daily.
What’s the cheapest meal in Morocco?
A plain msmen for 2 MAD, or bissara with bread for about 5 MAD – a genuinely filling breakfast for under 1 euro. Add a 5-MAD orange juice and you’ve had the classic Moroccan budget breakfast.
Is cheap Moroccan food vegetarian-friendly?
Surprisingly so: bissara, lentils, vegetable tajines, msmen and the juice bars are all meat-free by default. Vegans should just ask for msmen without butter.
Hungry for more? The complete 17 traditional Moroccan dishes guide, my 45-day Morocco budget breakdown (food costs included), a night of street food at Jemaa el-Fna, and where to eat lunch in Casablanca on any budget.
Rephrase in a different way as if you were a native American speaker as a content creation expert and do not talk about yourself or your experience in the text and do not show yourself as an artificial intelligence who wrote and fill the bullet point in the topic and speak the heart of the topic itself and dont take date of blog in ther first and dont take text like box of newsliter subscribe on post from content and romove all linke insert in content and and remove all affiliate disclosure phrases on content like this “This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links that allow us to earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see our Disclosure Policy for more info” and “#” put in its place bullet point, and romove name of the web site or his links we are take a content from our new creation
