This year, the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is expected to begin February 17 or 18 and continue until sundown on March 19 or 20, depending on the lunar cycle. During this period, Muslims around the world fast from sunrise to sunset, spending the days in prayer and reflection and breaking their fast with iftar meals each evening. This collection includes a range of iftar foods and regional specialties from across the Muslim world, from warming red lentil soup and celebration-worthy chicken biryani to hearty stews and sweet phyllo desserts. Here are our most satisfying recipes to break the fast.
Note
Some of these recipes include cheeses that are sometimes made with animal rennet. To keep things halal, look for versions labeled “microbial rennet” or “vegetable rennet” on the ingredient list.
Shorbat Adas (Red Lentil Soup with Vegetables)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This lentil soup is beloved across the Middle East. Infused with warming spices and brightened with tomatoes and lemon, it’s light yet satiating, easy to make yet nourishing — just what the season calls for.
Yogurt Rice
Creamy and deeply satisfying, yogurt rice is known by many names across South Asia: thayir sadam, dahi bhat, dahi chawal, mosaranna, curd rice. Here, Khushbu Shah tempers urad dal, mustard seeds, dried chiles, and fresh curry leaves in hot oil to bring out their flavors, then spoons the mixture over each bowl to balance the cooling yogurt.
Turmeric Lamb Kebabs
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Made with ground lamb that’s shaped around metal skewers, these spiced kebabs from chef Louisa Shafa get irresistibly crisp on the outside but retain their juiciness.
Fattoush
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Christina Daley / Prop Styling by Torie Cox
For this bright, zesty Levantine bread salad, herbs, peppers, and two types of onion mingle with romaine, tomato, and cucumber in a tangy pomegranate-sumac dressing alongside crunchy homemade pita chips.
Chicken Biryani
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Madhur Jaffrey’s fragrant dum biryani is perhaps the most common style of this elegant rice dish served at iftar globally. Redolent with saffron, garlic, ginger, and warm spices, it’s made with dark meat chicken and studded with fried onions, slivered almonds, and golden raisins. Hard-cooked eggs top it all off.
Zeytinyağli Yaprak Sarmasi (Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves)
For these tender vegetarian parcels from Musa Dagdeviren, the tangy brightness of brined grape leaves is mellowed by a rice filling seasoned with fresh parsley, dill, and plenty of cooked onions. In Turkey, small plates such as this often serve as a bridge to the main meal during Ramadan.
Beef Mafé (West African Peanut Stew)
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Creamy peanut butter is married with beef broth, tomato paste, garlic, and ginger for the base of this cozy West African stew. Cubed beef, sweet potato, carrot, and eggplant absorb all that flavor as they simmer until fork-tender. Serve it over brown rice.
Stuffed Eggplant with Spiced Beef and Pine Nuts
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
A coriander-spiced ground beef filling turns hearty globe eggplants into dinner. They’re roasted until just charred on the outside while the insides stay meltingly soft.
Tchicha Bel Za’atar (Barley Soup with Wild Thyme)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Montiel
Earthy barley semolina simmers in a simply seasoned tomato broth with garlic, onion, and wild thyme, thickening the soup with its starches as it cooks. Served with lemon wedges, this dish is a gentle, soothing way to break fast.
Arayes
Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Caleb Clark
These meaty pitas from cookbook author Heifa Odeh are stuffed with a spiced beef or lamb mixture and cooked until crisp for a hearty snack or handheld dinner. Serve them with Greek yogurt or toum, a creamy Middle Eastern garlic sauce.
Knafeh (Shredded Phyllo and Cheese Pie)
A stretchy blend of mozzarella and ricotta is encased in buttery phyllo shreds, drizzled in sweet orange blossom–rose syrup, and crowned with roasted pistachios for this classic Middle Eastern dessert that’s on the table in just 30 minutes.
Doro Wat Chili (Spicy Ethiopian-Style Chicken Chili)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
While not a traditional Ramadan dish, this Ethiopian-inspired chili is perfect for a post-sunset feast. Sweet caramelized onions, fire-roasted tomatoes, and generous amounts of garlic, ginger, and berbere provide deep, rich flavor; ground chicken simplifies the prep.
Lamb Martabak
Cookbook author Lara Lee keeps things simple for her meat-stuffed, pan-fried appetizer by relying on store-bought spring roll wrappers instead of making her own dough. The ground lamb filling features a happy combination of garlic, shallots, ginger, spring onions, chives, and spices, but the caramelized shallot sambal dip is the real flavor workhorse here.
Nasi Goreng Jawa (Javanese Fried Rice)
Filling, flavorful, and incredibly versatile, this go-to dish made with leftover rice is a popular choice in Indonesia for breaking the fast. “Nasi goreng is a comfort food,” says Indonesian chef and TV personality William Wongso.
Chicken Yassa with Fonio
Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Colorado chef Mawa McQueen’s make-ahead version of this African staple brings together caramelized onions, garlic, and tomato into a jammy, rich base for tender braised chicken seasoned with lemon and chile.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Baklava
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
A cinnamon-scented blend of bittersweet chocolate and toasted hazelnuts sets this baklava from pastry chef Maura Kilpatrick apart. Soaked in warm honey syrup, its flaky, buttery layers deliver sweetness and crunch with every bite.
Yayla Çorbası (Turkish Yogurt Soup) with Velibah
An entire quart of whole-milk yogurt is combined with chicken broth, barley, chickpeas, and mint to make a simple, stick-to-your-ribs soup. Pair each bowl with buttery-crisp velibah stuffed with feta and potato for a well-rounded light dinner.
Thiéboudienne (Senegalese Jollof Rice and Fish)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Flavorful jollof rice is piled high with tender vegetables and flaky white fish for this take on the national dish of Senegal from chef Bintou N’Daw Young.
Aloo Samosas
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco
These baked vegetarian Punjabi-style samosas showcase cumin-spiced potatoes and peas enveloped in homemade pastry — the oil in the dough ensures they turn crisp and golden in the oven.
Chicken Hummus Bowl
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
A container of your favorite store-bought hummus is the base of this dinner bowl from F&W recipe developer Julia Levy, topped with seasoned chicken thighs, fresh veggies, feta cheese, and an herbaceous zhoug sauce.
Obe Ata (Nigerian Chicken, Tomato, and Pepper Stew)
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Chef Simileoluwa Adebajo’s fiery West African chicken stew is perfumed with fruity habanero chiles in a fragrant tomato–red bell pepper sauce — leave the seeds intact if you dare. Serve it up with sweet plantains and rice to mitigate the heat.
Kibbeh Bil Sanieh
Often dubbed “pizza kibbeh” based on the way it looks, this baked vegetarian dish layers spiced bulgur into a hearty, savory pie — a celebratory staple at Lebanese monasteries and home kitchens alike. Chef Ana Sortun learned how to make this recipe from the monks at Saint Anthony of Qozhaya in Lebanon.
Beef-and-Fonio Meatballs with Sweet Potato Stew
Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam is passionate about fonio, a nutritious West African millet, which he uses here in beef meatballs with Parmesan cheese and thyme. To finish, he simmers them in a thick, garlicky tomato broth with tender chunks of sweet potato.
Roasted Carrots with Preserved Lemons and Dates
Dates are traditionally eaten to break the fast during Ramadan; here, their sweet chew complements a bright, eye-catching side of charred carrots, fresh herbs, and citrus in a honey-za’atar vinaigrette.
Ka’ak Bi Tamer (Cinnamon-Date Paste–Filled Cookies)
These buttery, mahlab-scented cookies hide a rich, spiced date filling and are finished with sesame and nigella seeds — they’re a flaky, fragrant treat from League of Kitchens instructor Jeanette Chawki.
Saffron Chicken Tagine
Chef Andrew Zimmern’s rendition of this deeply flavorful North African chicken stew is designed for a large enameled cast-iron casserole, no earthenware tagine necessary. To make it, he marinates both white and dark meat in an aromatic blend of warm spices with preserved lemon and harissa, then braises the chicken in broth that’s bolstered with the reserved marinade.
