Ramadan 2023: Recipes, Menus & More

Pack on the protein with this one!

For cookbook author Durkhanai Ayubi, celebrating Eid means making sweets with her mom and sisters. Even after a hard year, food remains a powerful constant for her and her family.

Both dates and Ramadan are perceived as fairly recent additions to American life, despite the fact both have significant history in America.

Here are 10 recipes that can also be made ahead, so they are ready for you before the sun rises.

These nutrient-dense meals will help give you the energy you need for fasting.

Things might be a lot different this year, but Amanda is finding ways to make Ramadan feel festive.

Preparing and enjoying iftar dishes has been one of the major ways my family has conjured the Ramadan spirit in our home this year.

Ramadan won’t fall during summertime again for another 20 years, but chole, black chickpeas cooked with cumin and onions, is perfect for every season.

All three women, in keeping with Ramadan cultural traditions from around the world, prepare for Ramadan in ways big and small for themselves and their families.

Serving tender, aromatic lamb biryani for dinner (especially during Ramadan) just got easier, thanks to everyone’s favorite kitchen gadget: the Instant Pot. Because the popular electric pressure cooker releases steam at the end of the cook time, it mimics the traditional Indian “dum” style of cooking, in which a protein (in this case, lamb) is cooked slowly in steam.

This is for all the working parents, professionals, and everyone who appreciates prepping a healthy and delicious Iftar meal in advance.

Feast-worthy ideas to mark the end of Ramadan.

Towards the end, Ramadan can start to make me feel zapped of both energy and ideas. I tackle this fatigue by revisiting my repertoire of easy-to-cook dishes.

It can be challenging to prepare an elaborate dinner while feeling the fatigue of fasting, but with these tips you’ll have all you need to host an iftar without a hitch.

If you're an old pro at preparing iftar or this is the first time you're making it on your own, there are a few considerations that will make cooking during Ramadan smoother.

Ramadan is both a physically and spiritually intense month of fasting. The fast allows time for self-reflection and purification of mind, body, and soul. Abstaining from all food and water from just before sunrise to sunset is no small feat, but taking the time to slow down and reflect can be be immensely rewarding. This year for Ramadan I’m choosing to slow things down a bit in the kitchen. I’m giving myself more time to cook and I’m working with simple, seasonal ingredients.

Kids are not obligated to observe the Ramadan fast, but it’s important to keep them busy and involve them in the celebratory mode of the month. Here are a few suggestions to keep them interested and integrated all month long. Take the kids out with you during the day to do errands — especially those related to Ramadan activities.

The Iftar, or the breaking of the fast, is one of the most significant points in the day during Ramadan.

After breaking the fast, enjoy these extra-hearty main dishes, side dishes, starters, and desserts with your family and friends.

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Called namoora in Lebanon, basbousa in Egypt, and haressa in Syria and Palestine, this semolina sheet cake is often served throughout the Arab world and often during Eid Al-Fitr. With only a handful of ingredients and a straightforward technique, it is perhaps one of the easiest desserts you’re not making. This version from Amanda Saab, the writer behind Amanda’s Plate, is drenched in a lemon and lavender syrup, giving this already-fragrant cake a floral update.

Namoora holds a special place in my heart. This sweet semolina sheet cake speckled with almonds takes me back to my grandmother’s home in Dearborn, Michigan. Each crunchy bite of cake transports me to my childhood, when I did not understand the importance this decadent treat would have on my life. Like the preparation and planning for any major holiday, Eid Al-Fitr preparations begin a few days before the actual festivities and celebrations.

At the heart of Ramadan, the month-long Muslim holiday that runs from May 15 to June 14, is a powerful dichotomy: During the daylight hours, adherents steadfastly avoid consuming all food and drink, while at dusk, they indulge in extra-special, bountiful meals; feasts prepared without the benefit of tasting along the way.

This recipe for sheer khurma, or warm sweet vermicelli milk, is the recipe my grandmother, or Nani, made for Eid. This is a warming drink with a texture that also makes it a great dessert. 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.

The buildup to Eid, the celebratory holiday that marks the end of Ramazan (the Urdu pronunciation), begins past the 15th fast. The streets come alive with open-air markets, ablaze with colorful glass bangles, henna tattoo stalls, and festive outfits hanging in window displays. The food bazaars heave with the sweet, spiced aromas of fresh nuts, raisins, and savory snacks.

Dahi vadey, which literally translates to yogurt fritters, are fried chickpea-based fritters soaked in a savory yogurt base. The fritters are slightly tangy and a bit sour, thanks to the yogurt. They get their heat from the spices included in the batter and in the tadka, or tempering oil, that’s poured over right before serving. This dish is a classic staple of any Hyderbadi Indian iftar spread, and a requirement on my own family’s table.

As I hustle around my kitchen, I make a mental note of spices I need to buy before Ramadan. I am all out of coriander seeds, curry powder, and mustard seeds.

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink during daylight hours and spend their evenings in prayer, reflection, and shared meals. In the Arab world, Ramadan brings shortened work hours for most employees, but in the U.S. and Europe, where Muslims are in the minority, it’s business as usual.

Tackling a month’s worth of meals during Ramadan might seem similar to tackling a usual month’s meals, except for one key difference: You’re fasting for most of the time you’d usually spend doing meal prep. Trying to doing that on a nearly empty stomach isn’t exactly easy. That’s why taking the time to get ahead before Ramadan begins is so important.

Spicy, crispy, and packed with flavor, Chicken 65 is considered an Indo-Chinese recipe; a cuisine that is hugely popular in both India and Pakistan.

And it's all thanks to chaat masala.

Today Islam is no longer a religion that is just in the Middle East or Arabia. Generations have moved north, south, west, and further east. There are converts around the world; my husband being one of them, and with each person choosing Islam as their faith, another layer of culture and customs is added to the religious holiday, bringing more vibrancy, diversity, and color. Ramadan for me has changed so much from when I was younger and celebrated the month with my parents and siblings in London.

Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, begins at sundown on May 15.

With Ramadan — the month-long Muslim fasting holiday that runs from May 15, to June 14 — beginning last week, now is an opportune time to learn about the halal designation for meat, an important concept and belief associated with food for this religious community. The most logical place to start when discussing the Muslim experience of cooking and eating is with halal, the only type of meat observant Muslims are permitted to eat.

The evening of June 5 will commence the month of Ramadan, a holy month for Muslims who will spend 30 days abstaining from food and drink and 30 nights in worship. Ramadan is, by turns, a challenge and a celebration, consisting of practices for self-betterment and traditions meant to elevate the soul.

During the month of Ramadan, observers of Islam fast from sunrise to sunset. Learn more about the food associated with this practice.

Mangoes are divine any time of year, but this month they are used in a special dish for Ramadan. Do you celebrate Ramadan with any specific treats or traditions? We caught up with Pakistani food blogger Shayma for some ideas on breaking the fast.“Ramadan” refers to the ninth month in the Islamic year, and it is the holiest month on the Islamic calendar.