25 Celebratory Recipes to Make for Eid

updated May 4, 2021

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sabzi polo sits on a plate next to water glasses and a napkin — Credit: Photo: Ghazalle Badiozamani; Food Styling: Barrett Washburne; Prop Styling: Stephanie De Luca
Sabzi Polo

Those who celebrate Ramadan have been eagerly awaiting the feast of Eid al-Fitr, and now it’s here. So what’s on your table to celebrate this year? If you’re on the hunt for some new recipes to add to your spread, we’ve got you covered. We compiled our favorite dishes to mark the occasion to ensure you’ll have plenty of awesome dishes to choose from.

Hearty main dishes and sides are a must, but an Eid feast really wouldn’t be complete without a few sweets to cap off the night. You can go the traditional route with sheer kurma (a warm sweet vermicelli milk) or choose something lighter like orange slices drizzled with orange flower water. Here are 25 recipes to choose from.

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The Hyderbadi Indian fritters are slightly tangy and a bit sour, thanks to the yogurt.

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Instant Pot Kacchi Lamb Dum Biryani

Both the lamb and fragrant rice are cooked together in this Instant Pot recipe that's easy but still special.

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This crispy spicy chicken dish is just what to make if you think chicken is boring.

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Broiled Steak & Asparagus with Feta Cream Sauce

Show off spring asparagus in this one-pan dinner. The steak drips its juices onto the veggies as they cook to add extra flavor.

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Lemon Chicken with Za'atar

Here, all the work is done in advance, which means that at dinnertime there is little fuss, and happy feasting. It’s a complete winner every time.

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Lamb Chops with Creamy Mustard Shallot Sauce, Roasted Tomatoes & Pearl Couscous

Good-quality lamb is a real splurge, but celebrations call for nothing less than the best.

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Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas

The dish has so much going on — the fragrant and heavily-spiced sauce, the jammy apricots, the crunchy almonds — and yet it totally works.

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Sabzi Polo (Persian Herbed Rice Pilaf)

Sabzi polo is a cherished Persian rice dish that celebrates fresh herbs and the art of making fluffy rice with a crispy base called tahdig, all of which are signature elements of Persian cuisine.

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Grilled Lamb Chops with Herb Sauce

These flavorful grilled lamb chops come together in less than an hour and are the perfect excuse to fire up the grill.

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Pomegranate Lentil Soup

In this recipe, pomegranate juice is a sweet-tart complement to the earthy, smoky base of lentils, vegetables, and spices. A generous sprinkling of pomegranate seeds provides each bowl with wondrous little bursts of color, texture, and flavor.

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Harissa Olive Oil-Braised Chickpeas and Fennel

This simple recipe transforms a couple of cans of chickpeas into a warm, saucy, and flavor-packed dish.

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Stuffed Grape Leaves with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

Stuffed grape leaves freeze remarkably well, which makes all that hard work pay off. After cooking, allow them to cool fully, then drizzle with olive oil, place in a freezer bag, and freeze.

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Iranian Jeweled Rice

Jeweled rice is named for its gemstone colors — saffron, carrots and orange peel make gold, barberries make rubies, pistachios make emeralds, almonds make pearls.

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Aash-e Jow (Persian Barley, Rice, & Bean Soup)

This herbaceous, aromatic Persian soup is made with barley, lentils, rice, beans, and spices.

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Smashed Cucumbers with Turmeric, Coconut, and Peanuts

Turmeric-spiked coconut oil travels into the nooks and crannies of smashed cucumbers, while toasted coconut flakes and peanuts add a welcome crunch to the mix.

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Baked Chicken with Artichokes, Cinnamon, and Preserved Lemons

This is a riff on a classic Middle Eastern tagine of slow-cooked chicken, artichokes, and preserved lemon, but cooked in a regular baking dish instead of the classic tagine baking dish.

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Chickpea, Barley and Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Mint and Feta

This chickpea salad is a special one, full of tender beans, chewy barley, and crunchy zucchini, all held together with a bright, refreshing vinaigrette.

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This spice-heavy lamb curry comes together easily in the pressure cooker.

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The Best Mujadara

This classic Lebanese dish of rice, lentils, and caramelized onions is deeply nourishing and flavorful.

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Nani’s Sheer Khurma

The milky goodness of ghee-tossed vermicelli, warm saffron milk, chopped pistachios, and chewy, sweet dried dates, is a pure taste of Eid in Pakistan.

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Homemade Baklava

Baklava is one of those desserts that has a reputation for difficulty, but is actually surprisingly easy to make.

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Lavender Namoora

With only a handful of ingredients and a straightforward technique, this semolina cake is perhaps one of the easiest desserts you're not making.

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Seasonal Fruit Chaat

This fruit chaat is made with chaat masala, which brings a warm and spicy heat to fruit salad.

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Shrikhand Parfait

Shrikhand is a dessert that is popular in the Western states of India and is made with yogurt that has been hung in cheesecloth and strained until it is thick and creamy. It’s similar to labneh or Greek yogurt, but it is little bit thicker.

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