By the time the adhan comes, you have been thinking about food for about four hours. Which is exactly why so many iftars go the same way: everything at once, far too fast, and then an hour of regret on the sofa.
The food itself is rarely the problem. The order and the pacing are. Here is a practical guide to what to eat for iftar, built around how your body actually handles a long fast, with ideas that work on a busy weeknight and still scale to a full table.
Start small: the first ten minutes
Tradition and physiology agree on this one, which does not happen often.
Opening the fast with dates and water is the sunnah, and it also happens to be sensible. Dates gently restore blood sugar after a long day without fat, and the water starts rehydrating you before anything heavy arrives. Many households follow the tradition of eating an odd number of dates, three being the usual choice, paired with water or milk.
Then stop, pray maghrib, and come back to the meal. That gap, even ten minutes, is the single thing that most changes how you feel afterwards. It gives your stomach a chance to register that food has arrived before you commit to a full plate.
Also good in the first few minutes: a bowl of soup, which is served across almost every iftar tradition precisely because it warms and replenishes without sitting heavily. Lentil soup and harira are the classics. Fresh fruit, or a fruit chaat of mixed seasonal fruit. A few nuts with a little honey. A smoothie or laban if you want something cold.
Worth avoiding at this stage: anything deep fried, anything very sugary beyond the dates, and large quantities of fizzy drinks. All three sit heavily on an empty stomach.
Then the meal: how to build a plate that does not flatten you
Once you have taken the edge off, the main meal has a job to do. It needs to rehydrate you, refuel you, and leave you capable of taraweeh rather than horizontal.
The formula that works is straightforward.
Protein first. Grilled or roast meat, chicken, fish, eggs or pulses. Protein is what actually holds you until suhoor, and it prevents the sugar crash that comes from a carbohydrate-only meal. Chickpeas are particularly good here, being high in both fibre and protein, which is why chana chaat turns up on so many iftar tables.
Fibre-rich carbohydrates, not just white rice and white bread. Basmati rice is fine, but mixing in wholegrains, lentils, chickpeas or potatoes gives you steadier energy through the night.
Something with real water content. A fresh salad such as fattoush or tabbouleh refreshes the palate after a day of nothing. Cucumber, tomatoes and yoghurt, a tomato-based curry or stew, or a proper soup all do the same job. Dehydration, rather than hunger, is what causes most of the headaches people associate with fasting.
Fat in moderation. It is not the enemy and it carries flavour, but a plate where everything has been fried is the fastest route to feeling awful.
Iftar ideas and recipes that actually work
For a quiet weeknight: grilled chicken with rice and a cucumber and yoghurt salad. Twenty minutes, covers everything you need, and leaves you functional. Plenty of good iftar dishes come together in well under an hour.
For a family table: a hearty main is the centrepiece in most households, and biryani is the standard answer for a reason. Grilled meats, rice, flatbreads, salads and dips in the middle, with family and friends serving themselves. It naturally slows the meal down, which is half the battle.
For a crowd, or when people are arriving at different times: things that hold well. Biryani, kabsa, a slow-cooked curry, or a one-pot meal that simplifies both the cooking and the washing up. Anything that does not punish you for serving it twenty minutes late.
For something quick on a weeknight: a chicken jalfrezi or a simple chicken curry comes together in about half an hour, which is often the difference between cooking and ordering.
For the samosa question: yes, obviously. Just not six of them before you have eaten anything else. Pakoras, samosas, spring rolls and fritters with a chutney are part of iftar for most British Muslim households and there is no sense pretending otherwise. If you want them lighter, vegetable pakoras bake perfectly well instead of frying. Put them alongside the meal rather than instead of it.
For dessert: something modest. Fruit, a small sweet, or a proper dessert on the weekend rather than every night. Our guide to ending a meal properly has the thinking on that, and is gelatine halal covers the ingredient that catches people out in shop-bought sweets.
Hydration is the bit everyone underestimates
You have roughly four or five hours between iftar and suhoor to replace a full day of fluid. Hydration needs distributing evenly across that window rather than arriving in one glass with your meal.
A glass when you open the fast, water through the meal, more between iftar and taraweeh, and again at suhoor. Milk, laban and soups all count. So does the water content in fruit and salad. Traditional Ramadan drinks exist for exactly this reason: jallab and qamar al-din are both made to refresh and rehydrate after a long fast.
Go easy on very strong coffee and tea in the hours before sleep, since both are mild diuretics and you are trying to do the opposite. A mocktail or something cold and fruity does the job without the caffeine, which is why the premium mocktails on our menu, Sunrise, Blue Lagoon, Strawberry Dream and the virgin mojito, get ordered far more during Ramadan than any other time of year.
Suhoor is not an afterthought
Iftar gets the attention, but suhoor decides how the next day feels, so keep it simple and easy to prepare.
The principle is the opposite of iftar: slow, not fast. Overnight oats, eggs, yoghurt, wholegrain toast, bananas, and plenty of water are practical staples for the whole family. Protein and fibre release energy gradually through the morning. A bowl of sugary cereal will have you flagging by eleven.
Avoid very salty food at suhoor, because salt drives thirst through the following day.
The nights you are not cooking
Here is the honest part. Thirty days is a long time, and nobody cooks a full iftar every single night. Between work, school runs and taraweeh, some evenings the meal is going to come from somewhere else.
That is normal, and it is worth planning for rather than treating as a failure. Pick two or three places you actually trust, so the decision is already made on the nights you have nothing left.
For us, the Ramadan pattern is pretty consistent: orders go quiet all day, then everything happens at once. Our stores get busy immediately after maghrib, so ordering ahead makes a real difference during Ramadan. Everything at Legends is 100% halal across the whole menu, so there is no checking involved on a night when you have no energy for it.
If you are ordering in, a few things travel better than others. The Legend Box feeds a group without anyone having to choose. Loaded fries work as a shared starter for a table. And a round of Legendary Shakes covers dessert without anyone cooking.
Just eat something light at the adhan first. Dates, water, then the food when it lands. The order still matters even when the kitchen is somebody else’s.
A simple seven-day iftar plan for the family
Useful as a starting point rather than a rule.
| Day | Opening | Main | Side |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Dates, water, lentil soup | Grilled chicken, rice | Cucumber and yoghurt salad |
| Tuesday | Dates, water | Chickpea and potato curry | Naan, salad |
| Wednesday | Dates, smoothie | Baked fish, new potatoes | Steamed greens |
| Thursday | Dates, water, soup | Lamb or beef stew | Rice, pickles |
| Friday | Dates, water | Biryani for the family | Raita, salad |
| Saturday | Dates, water | Night off, order in | Shared sides |
| Sunday | Dates, fruit chaat | Roast chicken, vegetables | Potatoes, parathas |
Where to find us during Ramadan
We have ten stores across Bradford, Leeds, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Keighley, Batley, Manchester and Liverpool, all 100% halal, all cooking to order.
Check opening hours on the stores page before you travel, since hours shift during Ramadan, and order online if you would rather have it waiting. First website orders get 20% off.
Ramadan Mubarak from everyone at Legends.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you eat first at iftar?
Dates and water, traditionally an odd number of dates. The dates restore blood sugar quickly after a long fast and the water begins rehydrating you. Leaving a short gap after that, rather than going straight into a full meal, makes a noticeable difference to how you feel.
Is it bad to eat a big meal immediately at iftar?
Eating a large, heavy or very spicy meal quickly on an empty stomach commonly causes bloating, sluggishness and indigestion. Opening with something small, pausing, then eating properly avoids most of that. Iftar does not need to be elaborate to work well.
What should you drink at iftar?
Water first and foremost, spread across the evening rather than all at once. Milk, laban, soups and fruit all contribute, and traditional drinks such as jallab and qamar al-din are made specifically to rehydrate after fasting. Go easy on caffeine and very fizzy drinks close to bedtime.
What is the difference between iftar and suhoor?
Iftar is the meal eaten at sunset to break the daily fast during Ramadan. Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal before the fast begins. Iftar should rehydrate and refuel; suhoor should release energy slowly through the day.
What are good iftar foods for energy the next day?
Protein and fibre-rich carbohydrates: grilled meats, fish, eggs, pulses, wholegrains and plenty of vegetables. Chickpeas are especially useful, being high in both. A curry or stew built on garlic and ginger and finished with fresh coriander does the job well.
Do iftar dishes vary by country?
Considerably. Traditional iftar dishes differ across the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia, though dates, a soup, savoury snacks and a hearty main appear in some form almost everywhere.
When is Ramadan 2027?
Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin with the first fast on Monday 8 February 2027, with Eid al-Fitr expected around 9 to 10 March. Both depend on the sighting of the moon, so confirm with your local moon-sighting authority.
Is everything at Legends halal during Ramadan?
Yes. Every Legends store is 100% halal all year round, across the entire menu, including burgers, chicken, fries, sauces, shakes and desserts. On the nights you are not cooking, that is one fewer thing to check.
