Ecuadorian cuisine is diverse, but most regions in Ecuador follow a traditional three course meal of soup, a second course which includes rice and a protein such as meat or fish, and then dessert and coffee to finish. Supper is usually lighter, and sometimes consists only of coffee or herbal tea with bread. Ecuadorians prefer to drink their coffee in their traditional way, which requires boiling the coffee down to a thick sludge known as esencia and bringing it to the table in a small pitcher or bottle. It is then blended in the cup with hot water, milk, and sugar. The final product has a distinctive taste quite different from the coffee most Americans drink.

The traditional Andean music of the indigenous peoples of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia have become popular in the United States. Many indigenous Ecuadorians perform in traditional groups, some on university campuses and in halls, but many more in the streets and subways of New York and other cities. Such groups may have a tour bus to take them to the streets of different cities where they don their traditional garb and their long straight hair, homburg hats and brightly colored ponchos create a distinctive impression.

Most Ecuadorians speak a version of Spanish which is understandable by other Spanish speakers, but with some idiosyncrasies. Many also speak indigenous languages such as Quechua. The majority of Ecuadorians are officially Roman Catholic, although there is a significant Protestant Christian minority.