Research on household food demand on a National level have received very little attention and emphasis has been laid on the need to understand the supply side rather than the demand side in the efforts to understand and improve the food security situation in the country. In this study, the demand for food in Nigeria was investigated using 2009 Harmonised National Living Standard Survey (HNLSS) data of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Data on food prices were also obtained from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).Data from 33,012 households were analysed using a Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QUAIDS). The results showed that the average age of household heads and household size in Nigeria were 47.67years and 4, respectively. Food expenditure share was highest for staples, followed by animal protein, vegetables, fats and fruits. Urban households spend more than twice (N16,430.17) the amount spent by the rural households (N7,077.88) on staples. Key determinants of the demand for any food group in Nigeria were the prices of the food group (except for fruits), the age of household head (except for animal protein), total expenditure on food, number of spouses of household head and marital status of household head (except for fats).Staples and animal protein were normal goods while fats, fruits and vegetables were luxury goods. Staples and animal proteins are demand inelastic while fats, fruits and vegetables are demand elastic. Cross price elasticity results suggest substitutability amongst most of the food groups in the country. To this end, the study suggests the need to implement food policy strategies capable of stimulating demand for food groups such as fruits and vegetables (sources of vitamins and minerals) that can strengthen the immune system and prevent nutrition-related diseases outbreak.