Iftar Recipes: Easy Ramadan Dishes from Dates and Soup to Dessert

Iftar recipes tend to follow the order of the meal itself: dates and water to open the fast, then a drink, soup, a few small plates, a main dish and something sweet. Below, our Ramadan recipes are arranged in that order, with suhoor ideas, a sample 7-day iftar menu and tips on batch-cooking and shopping. Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin in the UK on Monday 8 February 2027, but the exact day depends on the sighting of the new crescent moon, so UK mosques may start a day apart.

Breaking the fast: dates, water and drinks

Iftar usually begins with a few dates and a glass of water; our Ramadan 2027 guide explains why and compares dates for iftar. Three drinks to make for iftar:

• Arabic coffee: our guide to how to make Arabic coffee simmers lightly roasted, finely ground coffee for 10–15 minutes, adds cardamom near the end and pours it off the grounds into small cups. Madina Arabic Coffee comes plain, to spice your own way, or ready-blended with saffron and cardamom.
• Karak chai: our karak chai recipe boils black tea with crushed cardamom, then simmers it with evaporated milk and sugar until it turns the colour of caramel. Two cups take about 20 minutes.
• A jallab-style drink: jallab, a drink based on date molasses and rose water, often served over ice with pine nuts and raisins, is popular during Ramadan in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan, The National reports. For a quick glass, our date syrup guide stirs Basra Date Syrup into cold water with a few drops of rose water; our rose water guide explains how much to add, as strength can vary between bottles.

Soups for iftar

The Michelin Guide calls lentil soup a Middle Eastern staple, especially during Ramadan. Our shorbat adas recipe simmers red split lentils with onion, garlic and cumin, then blends the soup smooth and sharpens it with lemon juice; it serves 4–6, needs no soaking and takes about 55 minutes. For a soup with chicken in it, our freekeh guide includes shorbat freekeh, made with smoky cracked freekeh and chicken stock.

Small plates and starters

• Hummus: our hummus recipe starts with dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and simmered until very soft, then blended with tahini, lemon, garlic and iced water. Begin the night before.
• Falafel: our falafel recipe grinds soaked, uncooked chickpeas with onion, garlic, herbs and spices, then fries the balls until deep golden. It also covers baking and Egyptian ta'ameya.
• Ful medames: with a tin of California Garden Foul Medames, our ful medames recipe takes about 15 minutes: warm the beans, crush some and dress them with olive oil, lemon, garlic and cumin.
• Samosas: our guide to cooking frozen samosas compares the oven, air fryer and deep fryer, always starting with the pack instructions and finishing only when the filling is piping hot. Taj Mini Punjabi Samosas come 75 to a 1.5kg box, and our page suggests baking them from frozen for iftar.

Main dishes

• Chicken biryani: our chicken biryani recipe serves 6. Chicken marinated in yoghurt and biryani masala is cooked, then layered with part-cooked basmati or sella rice and steamed in a sealed pot, the method called dum. Khyber Sella Basmati Rice cooks into long, separate grains.
• Chicken shawarma: our chicken shawarma recipe marinates boneless thighs in shawarma spice, lemon, garlic and yoghurt, then roasts, pan-fries or air-fries them for wraps or rice plates with garlic or tahini sauce.
• Bamia: our bamia recipe simmers whole okra in a garlicky tomato sauce, usually with lamb or beef; frozen baby okra goes in straight from the freezer near the end. Allow about 2¼ hours with lamb, or make the meat-free version.
• Molokhia: our guide to cooking frozen molokhia melts a block of Cold Alex Minced Molokhia into simmering stock and finishes it Egyptian-style with garlic fried with ground coriander, in about 15 minutes once the stock is hot. Serve it over rice.
• Mujadara: our mujadara recipe cooks brown or green lentils with rice and cumin and piles slowly fried, deep brown onions on top. It is vegan as written and serves 4 as a main course.
• Freekeh with chicken: the freekeh guide also cooks cracked freekeh in chicken stock and tops it with roast chicken thighs and toasted nuts.

Breads and sides

Parathas go with curries, kebabs and a cup of karak. Our guide to cooking frozen paratha puts them straight from the freezer into a hot non-stick pan or tawa for 1–2 minutes a side, until crisp and golden, though the pack instructions come first. The Taj Original Paratha Family Pack holds 18 and contains wheat (gluten) and soya. For a grain side with stews and grills, our bulgur wheat guide has a Turkish bulgur pilaf with onion and tomato for 4.

Desserts and Ramadan sweets

• Kunafa: often served during Ramadan. Our kataifi pastry guide bakes buttered strands of Candy Kataifi Pastry around a soft cheese filling, then soaks the tray in orange blossom or rose water syrup; it serves 8.
• Muhallabia: this milk pudding, typically served cold and often eaten after iftar, is usually scented with rose water. The recipe in our rose water guide sets it with cornflour and takes about 3½ hours, mostly cooling and chilling, so make it ahead.
• Maamoul: our maamoul guide makes about 30 date-filled semolina cookies and compares ready-made boxes, which are handy for Eid too.
• Halva: tahini halva needs no cooking: slice it to serve with Arabic coffee, or crumble it over yoghurt. Our guide to halva explains the types, and Al Nakhla Plain Halva comes as three 320g packs. It contains sesame.
• Chocolate and stuffed dates: our chocolate dates guide shows how to fill Medjool dates with nuts and dip them in chocolate, and compares ready-made packs. For gift boxes, browse our Ramadan and Eid gifts.

Suhoor ideas

Suhoor is the meal eaten before dawn, so quick dishes, or ones made the night before, work well:

• Ful medames: eaten at suhoor in many Egyptian homes; a tin warms through in about 5 minutes.
• Paratha and eggs: cooked from frozen, with a cup of chai.
• Dates and yoghurt: with bread, or halva on warm bread.
• Lentil soup: made the evening before, chilled promptly and reheated once, until steaming hot.

A sample 7-day iftar menu

Open every evening with dates and water, then follow this plan, built only from the recipes above. On days 1 and 2, make double batches of the soup and the bamia, and freeze half in portions for day 7.

Planning, batch-cooking and shopping

• Batch-cook safely: soups and stews are the easiest dishes to make ahead. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises cooling leftovers and putting them in the fridge within two hours, eating them within 48 hours or freezing them, and reheating them only once, until steaming hot throughout rather than just warm. Freezing in single-meal portions means you only reheat what you need.
• Take extra care with rice: biryani and mujadara are rice dishes, and the FSA's advice on rice is stricter: chill leftovers as quickly as possible, ideally within an hour, keep them in the fridge for no more than one day and reheat them only once. To freeze rice, get it into the freezer within an hour of cooking, then defrost it in the fridge and reheat it until steaming hot.
• Order ahead: stock up on dry goods before Ramadan begins, and keep samosas, parathas and molokhia from our frozen range in the freezer; frozen items are delivered frozen. Our shipping policy explains the delivery options.
• Dates for community iftars: for a mosque, school or community iftar, many varieties in our dates range come in 1kg and 5kg boxes, and our bulk buys collection includes larger packs of dates, rice and lentils.
• Allergens: hummus and halva contain sesame; freekeh, bulgur and parathas contain wheat (gluten); and kataifi is normally made from wheat flour. Each guide lists its allergens; always check the pack labels.

Frequently asked questions

What do people eat for iftar?

Iftar usually opens with a few dates and water, sometimes with a drink such as jallab or Arabic coffee. Many families then serve soup, often lentil soup, a few small plates, a main dish and something sweet. Families vary it by region and taste, so mix and match from the recipes above or use the 7-day table.

What are some quick iftar ideas?

From our guides, the quickest are ful medames from a tin (about 15 minutes), molokhia from frozen (about 15 minutes once the stock is hot), and samosas and parathas cooked from frozen as the packs direct. Shorbat adas needs no soaking and takes about 55 minutes. Halva and ready-made maamoul need no cooking at all.

Can you make iftar food in advance and freeze it?

Yes, with care. The FSA advises cooling leftovers and getting them into the fridge within two hours, eating them within 48 hours or freezing them, and reheating them only once, until steaming hot throughout. Rice is stricter: freeze it within an hour of cooking and defrost it in the fridge. Soups and stews such as shorbat adas and bamia can be frozen in portions.

When does Ramadan 2027 start in the UK?

Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin in the UK on Monday 8 February 2027. The exact day depends on the sighting of the new crescent moon, so UK mosques may start a day apart: if the crescent is not seen on the evening of Sunday 7 February, the first fast is expected on Tuesday 9 February. Our Ramadan 2027 guide has the expected Eid dates too.