What I'd Buy at a Dutch Supermarket in Amsterdam
You can learn a lot about a country by walking through its supermarket. In the Netherlands it takes about two minutes to notice a few things. There's a whole shelf just for chocolate sprinkles. Licorice gets almost as much space as chips. And people at the checkout pack their bags faster than you can find your wallet.
On some of our Streat Bites food tours in Amsterdam we walk into a supermarket with our guests for a few minutes, because you learn a lot about a place from what people buy every day. We show them a few things we think will surprise them and how locals actually eat them.
Below are my favorite supermarket finds. Some are best eaten while you're here, most also make a good food souvenir, and at the end there's a quick packing guide for the flight home.
Which supermarket?
My pick is Albert Heijn, or AH. It's usually the nicest and best organized, and it tends to have the better brands. If you're staying in or around the canal belt, you won't have to walk far to find one.
You'll see two sizes in the center. AH to go is the small one at train stations and on busy shopping streets: sandwiches, drinks, snacks. Fine for a quick lunch, but there's not much room for anything else. The regular Albert Heijn is the neighborhood supermarket, and that's where you'll find everything in this post. Most supermarkets in the center are smaller than what many visitors know from home, so if you pass a bigger AH, go in. More shelves, more to look at.
You'll also see Jumbo, the second biggest chain, and cheaper ones like Dirk and Lidl. They all work the same way, but for this list, AH is the easiest.
How it works at the checkout
Bring a bag. Plastic bags aren't free here, and most stores also sell sturdier reusable ones. A folded tote in your daybag saves you the hassle.
You pack your own groceries. Locals do it fast. Nobody expects you to break records, but it helps to have your bag open before the cashier starts scanning.
Self-checkout is everywhere. Scan, bag, pay. The self-checkouts don't take cash, and now and then an employee will rescan a few of your things. That's a random check, not a sign you did something wrong.
Paying by card. All AH to go stores and many regular Albert Heijns take Visa and Mastercard credit cards, and Apple Pay or Google Pay usually works. Some stores still don't take credit cards, so it's good to have a second way to pay.
Bonus deals. AH runs weekly deals called Bonus, things like "1+1 gratis" (buy one, get one free) or "2e halve prijs" (second one half price). To get the Bonus price you need a Bonus card, AH's free membership card, but you don't need to own one. Just ask the cashier, or the employee standing near the self-checkouts, and they'll usually scan a store card for you. It's a completely normal thing to ask.
Dutch food souvenirs from the supermarket
Hagelslag
Chocolate sprinkles on bread for breakfast sounds like something only kids get away with. Here, grown-ups eat it too. Butter the bread first, that's what keeps the sprinkles in place, then cover it completely. De Ruijter is the classic brand and Venz is the other big one. You'll find dark (puur), milk (melk), white, chocolate flakes (vlokken) and fruit-flavored ones (vruchtenhagel).
At home we keep a few different kinds for our kids. The mess they make at breakfast drives me crazy, but they love it.
Right next to the hagelslag you'll find muisjes, anise sprinkles from De Ruijter. When a baby is born, locals serve them on beschuit (a round rusk), pink and white for a girl, blue and white for a boy. A box weighs almost nothing and comes with a good story.
Stroopwafels
You can buy fresh ones at the market, but a pack from the supermarket is still a good snack. Daelmans is a well-known brand, and AH has its own. Here's the trick: put one on top of a hot cup of coffee or tea for a minute. The syrup inside goes soft and the whole thing gets better.
If you're taking them home, don't put them in your suitcase. They break easily, and you'll open a bag of crumbs at home. Keep them in your backpack, or get the tin. It's often sold together with them or right next to them on the shelf.
Ontbijtkoek
The name means "breakfast cake." It's a dense spiced cake, and locals eat it in a thick slice with butter. Peijnenburg is the brand everyone knows. It's cheap, it doesn't get crushed in a bag, and it's great on a train or a picnic.
Kruidnoten
Sinterklaas is a Dutch holiday for kids. Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) arrives by boat in the middle of November, kids put out their shoe at night hoping for a small treat, and on the evening of December 5 there are presents. Kruidnoten are the cookies that go with it.
They're small, round and crunchy, full of warm spices. Locals often call them pepernoten, but real pepernoten are softer and chewier. You'll find them in stores from early September until December 5, and people start eating them the moment they show up. Van Delft is the big name, and AH has its own. Get a bag of the chocolate-covered ones too, they come in a lot of flavors.
Speculaas
Thin, crunchy cookies made with speculaas spice: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and a few more. The classic ones are pressed into wooden molds, so you'll see windmills and little figures on them. Around Sinterklaas you'll also find gevulde speculaas, a thicker version filled with almond paste. Have a slice with coffee. The regular cookies pack easily and are a nice gift.
Tony's Chocolonely
Tony's is a Dutch chocolate brand, and the story is a big part of why people love it. It was started by a Dutch journalist as a protest against slavery and child labor in the cocoa industry. Look at the bar before you break it. The pieces are different sizes on purpose, as a reminder that profits in chocolate aren't shared equally. The bars are big, there's a whole shelf of flavors, and they travel well.
Drop
Then there's drop, Dutch licorice. Locals eat about two kilos of it per person per year, and the shelf in any AH shows it.
There are two main families: zoet (sweet) and zout (salty). It's only one letter of difference, but a big difference in taste. Salty drop gets its kick from salmiak, which tastes nothing like table salt. Each family also comes soft or hard, and then in all kinds of shapes: coins, cars, cats, little farm animals.
If you've never had it, start with soft sweet drop or Engelse drop (licorice allsorts, the colorful layered ones). Honingdrop (honey) and muntdrop (mint) are easy too. Dubbelzout, the coins stamped with "DZ", is the strongest. Save that for last, or bring it home for a friend you want to test. Venco and Klene are the big brands. Buy two or three small bags and try them side by side, then take a mixed bag home.
Pindakaas
Dutch peanut butter is called pindakaas, which means "peanut cheese." When peanut butter first came here, the law said only real butter could be called butter. So it got a different name instead. Calvé is the one most locals grew up on.
Pro tip: pindakaas on bread, with hagelslag on top.
Stroop
Stroop means syrup, and there are two kinds to know. Appelstroop is thick, dark apple syrup, and Canisius Rinse Appelstroop is the one to pick. Locals put it on bread, often with a slice of cheese (yes, yes, you read that right, sweet and savory), or on pancakes. Pancake stroop is the lighter one in the squeeze bottle. Van Gilse is the classic, and it goes on Dutch pancakes, yogurt and ice cream.
Satésaus and frietsaus
Two sauces locals put on their fries. Satésaus is peanut sauce with Indonesian roots, and it ends up on fries, chicken skewers and pretty much anything grilled. Calvé and Conimex are the brands you'll see. Frietsaus looks like mayo, but it's lighter and a bit sweeter. Remia is the classic. Take both home and you can make Dutch fries in your own kitchen.
Dutch cocoa
Cocoa powder has an Amsterdam story. About 200 years ago, the Van Houten family here found a way to press most of the fat out of cocoa beans and treat the powder so it mixes easily with milk. That's how cocoa powder as we know it was born, and it's still called "Dutch process" cocoa today. Droste and Blooker are the Dutch brands to look for. Make hot chocolate with it at home.
Amsterdam onions
These are small onions pickled sweet and sour and colored bright yellow. Look for Kesbeke. The family started in a basement on Waterlooplein, and it's the last pickle maker left in Amsterdam. Locals eat them as a snack with drinks, next to some cheese and sausage. A jar is a very Amsterdam souvenir.
Chocomel
One for here: Chocomel is Dutch chocolate milk, and people are loyal to it. Drink it cold from the carton, or order a "warme Chocomel met slagroom" (hot, with whipped cream) in a café on a cold day.
Packing for the flight home
Schiphol only allows liquids up to 100ml in hand luggage, and spreads count as liquids.
Carry-on is fine: hagelslag, muisjes, stroopwafels, ontbijtkoek, kruidnoten, speculaas, Tony's, drop and cocoa. Stroopwafels really belong in your backpack or in a tin, because they break in a suitcase.
Checked bag: pindakaas, stroop, satésaus, frietsaus and Amsterdam onions.
What about cheese?
You'll see a long wall of Gouda in every AH. It's fine if you have no other choice, but with so many good cheese shops and market stalls selling farmers cheese around the city, buying your cheese at the supermarket is a waste. Think of it as a last resort.
A supermarket shows you how locals eat at home. On our food tours we take you to the markets, bakeries and small family places where they eat when they go out.
Q&A
What's the best supermarket in Amsterdam for tourists?
Albert Heijn. A regular AH has everything in this list. AH to go is the small version at stations and on shopping streets, good for a quick lunch.
What should I buy at a Dutch supermarket?
Hagelslag, stroopwafels, ontbijtkoek, kruidnoten (September to December 5), speculaas, Tony's Chocolonely, drop, Calvé pindakaas, appelstroop or pancake stroop, satésaus, frietsaus, Dutch cocoa and Kesbeke Amsterdam onions.
Do Dutch supermarkets take credit cards?
All AH to go stores and many regular Albert Heijns accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Apple Pay and Google Pay usually work too. Some stores still don't take credit cards, so carry a second way to pay.
Do I need a Bonus card to get the deals?
The Bonus card is Albert Heijn's free membership card, and it's what gets you the Bonus prices. But you don't need to own one. Ask the cashier or the employee near the self-checkouts, and they'll usually scan a store card for you.
How do I take stroopwafels home without breaking them?
Keep them in your backpack, not your suitcase, or buy the stroopwafel tin that's usually sold with them or right next to them.
Can I take stroopwafels and peanut butter in my hand luggage?
Stroopwafels, cookies, candy and chocolate are fine. Peanut butter, syrup, sauces and pickles count as liquids, so anything over 100ml goes in your checked bag.
What Dutch licorice should I try first?
Start with soft sweet drop or Engelse drop (licorice allsorts). Leave dubbelzout for last.
What are Amsterdam onions?
Small onions pickled sweet and sour and colored yellow. Kesbeke is the last pickle maker in Amsterdam and the brand to look for. Locals eat them as a snack with drinks, with cheese and sausage.
Do Streat Bites food tours stop at a supermarket?
Yes, on some of our Streat Bites food tours in Amsterdam we pop into a supermarket for a few minutes and show guests what locals buy every day, and what we think will surprise them. The rest of the tour is about markets, small family places and the Dutch, Indonesian, Surinamese and Turkish food people here actually eat. Our Market Street Food Tour, for example, takes you in and around Albert Cuyp Market.
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