Iftar Ideas and Ramadan Meal Planning: How to Break Your Fast Without Cooking Every Evening

Around four in the afternoon, somebody in the house starts thinking about what will be on the table at sunset. If you are fasting, that is the hour when cooking feels hardest, and a plan takes the stress out of it.

If you are hosting, it is the hour when the oven is already full. Ramadan is 29 or 30 iftars in a row, and very few of us have thirty different dinners in us.

Most Ramadan recipes assume you want to cook every evening. This guide is for the days when you would rather not, so you will not find iftar recipes here. It is about using CurryOut ready meals for an easy iftar at home: stocking up before Ramadan, freezing what you will not eat straight away, and reheating hot food in time for sunset. It is a planning aid for iftar, the evening meal, and suhoor, the meal before dawn, is a separate topic. Every household has its own traditions, so take what is useful and leave the rest.

Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on or around 8 February, depending on the moon sighting, so it is worth placing your first order in the week or so before. You choose your delivery date at checkout, and orders placed by 12pm arrive the next day.

What iftar usually looks like

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the Islamic holy month in which Muslims fast from dawn until sunset. Iftar is the evening meal at sunset that breaks the day’s fast. A traditional iftar often begins with dates and water, then there is time for prayers, and then people sit down to eat. A typical table has a few hot starters, a main course of one or two dishes, rice or bread, and something cool and fresh on the side.

That pattern shows where the effort goes. The starters need the oven, the mains need a pan and the rice needs a minute in the microwave. The planning is mostly about getting those three things ready at the same moment, and ready meals make that far easier.

Why ready meals suit iftar

Every curry, starter, rice and bread in the CurryOut range is freshly cooked in our Batley kitchen, blast chilled and delivered cold, and all of the meat is halal. It is fully cooked, so all it needs is reheating, which means hot food at sunset without cooking after a long day of fasting.

Because it arrives chilled and can be frozen at home, it also fits the rhythm of the month. You can order ahead, enjoy some in the first few days and freeze the rest for later in Ramadan.

Stocking up and freezing for the month

This is where the planning pays off. CurryOut meals can be frozen on the day of purchase and kept for up to two months, so you can order ahead and cook almost nothing during the month itself. For an online order, freeze them on the day they arrive.

A simple routine works well. Place a larger order a few days before Ramadan begins and another mid-month to top up.

Keep what you will eat in the first few days in the fridge, within the use-by date on the packs, and freeze the rest as soon as it arrives. The evening before, move the next day’s tubs from the freezer to the fridge so they have defrosted by sunset. Reheat once, and do not refreeze anything that has been defrosted.

Order by 12pm for next-day delivery, and choose your delivery date at checkout, which helps if you want a delivery to land before a weekend. The minimum order is £30, and delivery is free over £80, which a stocked freezer for the month will usually clear. We deliver chilled across mainland UK, in insulated packaging with ice packs, or you can collect from our shop in Batley.

Reheating for iftar: working back from sunset

The easiest way to get everything hot at once is to work backwards from sunset, using the heating instructions on the packs. Here is a timetable you can copy. Sunset moves a little each day through the month, so check the time for your area each week and shift the timetable to match.

A few tips. Starters, kebabs and tikka pieces all go in the oven or air fryer together and should be served once hot throughout. They should not go in the microwave, because they turn soft.

Curries are best in a pan, because a high heat dries the sauce out. The microwave is the quick alternative for curry, with the lid half open for three to four minutes. The full method for every item is in our reheating guide.

Iftar ideas from the CurryOut range

Here is how the range fits the shape of an iftar.

Starters. Chicken Samosas, Mutton Samosas and Vegetable Samosas are the obvious place to begin. Onion Bhajees, Chicken Pakoras, Sheek Kebabs and Chicken Tikka Pieces round it out. The whole selection is on the starters page, with the vegetarian options gathered under veg starters.

Something filling. Chicken Biryani is rice and chicken in one tub, which makes it a good main when you want only one thing to heat. Chana Dhall is a lentil curry that is vegetarian, and Aloo Palak is potatoes and spinach, and both rate two chillies on our scale. Chicken Masala is the all-rounder and rates two as well.

Rice and bread. Pilau Rice, Boiled Rice, Chappaties and Garlic Naan. Boiled Rice and Chappaties are the plainer choices that let the spices of the curry come through, while Pilau Rice and Garlic Naan bring more flavour of their own.

Something cool and fresh. Indian Raita, Indian Salad, Mint & Onion and Mango Chutney are all best served chilled, straight from the fridge.

Soup, fruit chaat, dates, drinks, desserts and other sweet things are not part of our range, so add those to your own shopping list.

Three iftar menu ideas

The quantities below come from the same portion rules we use for every order, which are set out in our portion guide. Treat them as guidelines, because appetites vary, particularly after a long day. If in doubt, order one more tub than you think you need, because it can go in the freezer.

Iftar for two. One portion each of Chicken Samosas and Onion Bhajees to begin. Then two curries to share, such as Chicken Masala and Chana Dhall, with one tub of Pilau Rice and two naan, and a pot of Indian Raita.

Iftar for four. Twelve to sixteen starter pieces in total, mixing two or three kinds. Then two curries shared, with two tubs of each, two tubs of rice and four naan or eight chappaties. Chicken Masala and Chana Dhall again work well, because one is meat and one is vegetarian, and between them the table has chicken, lentils and vegetables.

Iftar for ten. Thirty to forty starter pieces, then three curries, with ten to twelve tubs between them, five tubs of rice and ten breads. Add a Chicken Biryani or two if you want something that eats like a meal on its own. Add raita, salad and chutneys for the table.

Hosting a bigger iftar

For a bigger gathering of 20 people or more, our catering packages start at £9.60 per head including VAT. It is drop-off buffet catering across West Yorkshire and the surrounding areas, as far as York. Tell us your date, your numbers and the time you need the food, and we will talk it through.

Frequently asked questions

What is iftar?

Iftar is the meal Muslims eat at sunset to break the day’s fast during Ramadan. Many people begin with dates and water, then pray, then eat a fuller meal.

When is Ramadan 2027?

It is expected to begin on or around 8 February 2027, with Eid al-Fitr expected around 10 March. The exact dates depend on the moon sighting, so check with your local mosque.

What do people eat for iftar?

It differs from household to household. A common pattern is dates and water first, then hot starters such as samosas, pakoras and bhajis, followed by a main dish with rice or bread and something cool on the side.

Can I freeze meals for Ramadan?

Yes. CurryOut meals can be frozen on the day of purchase and kept for up to two months. Defrost them in the fridge, reheat once until piping hot and do not refreeze.

How should I store CurryOut before iftar?

Keep it in the fridge, below 5°C, and eat it by the use-by date on the pack. Anything you will not eat by then can be frozen on the day it arrives.

How do I reheat starters so they are hot at sunset?

Use the oven at 180°C (gas mark 4) for 15 to 20 minutes, a little less in a fan oven, or an air fryer at 170°C for 6 to 10 minutes, shaking halfway. Serve them once they are hot throughout, and do not use the microwave.

How much should I order for iftar?

For four people, two tubs of each of two curries, two tubs of rice and four naan or eight chappaties, plus 12 to 16 starter pieces. Our portion guide has the numbers for other group sizes.

Is your meat halal?

Yes. All of our meat products are halal, and everything is cooked in our HACCP-compliant kitchen in Batley.

Do you cater iftar gatherings?

Yes, for gatherings of 20 or more, with packages from £9.60 per head including VAT. Tell us the date, the number of guests and the time you need the food when you enquire.

Order ahead for Ramadan

Plan your order from the CurryOut range, starting with the starters and a couple of curries you know everyone will eat. Order by 12pm for next-day delivery across mainland UK, with a £30 minimum and free delivery over £80, or collect from 100 Upper Commercial Street, Batley.

Hosting a bigger iftar? Ring the kitchen on 01924 359300.