Daily Turkish recipes for warm, grounding iftar meals in Ramadan 2025

After fasting all day, most people want something that feels familiar and deeply satisfying. This iftar (fast-breaking dinner) menu leans into that instinct, building a table around dishes found in homes across Türkiye for generations.

From the fermented tang of tarhana soup to the smooth comfort of sakizli muhallebi (pudding with mastic), each dish holds a place. The walnut dip and bulgur pilaf come together quickly, the bean stew simmers slowly, and the dessert needs nothing more than milk, starch, sugar and mastic.

It’s the kind of meal that tastes like it belongs—and doesn’t ask much from the cook.

Ezogelin soup, a classic Turkish lentil soup enriched with bulgur and rice, served with a spicy kick, perfect to kick off your iftar menu.

Start with tarhana soup (tarhana corbasi) made with fermented yogurt and vegetables

This soup is pantry-based and full of flavor. The fermented yogurt and cracked wheat mixture (tarhana) gives it a rich tang, while tomato paste and butter create a velvety base.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons tarhana
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 7 cups water
• Salt and pepper
• Optional: dried mint for garnish

Instructions

1. Soak tarhana in 1 cup water for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a large pot, melt butter and stir in tomato paste.
3. Add the soaked tarhana and stir constantly to avoid lumps.
4. Gradually add the remaining water while stirring.
5. Simmer over low heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring often.
6. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with dried mint, and serve hot.

A rich and flavorful Muhammara dip made from walnuts, red peppers, and olive oil, served with fresh herbs and sumac. (Adobe Stock Photo)

Serve muhammara as earthy, spicy, nutty dip for iftar meal

Muhammara is one of those spreads that always surprises guests. It’s made of walnuts, breadcrumbs, and pepper paste, but it tastes bigger than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts
• 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons red pepper paste
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Blend walnuts, garlic, and breadcrumbs in a food processor until fine.
2. Add the pepper paste, tomato paste, cumin, lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses.
3. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil to form a paste.
4. Season with salt. Chill slightly or serve at room temperature.

Make lamb and white bean stew (etli kuru fasulye) for main course of iftar

This is the kind of dish you cook when you want to feed everyone well. It simmers low and slow, letting the lamb and beans soften into a warm stew.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried white beans
• 200 g lamb, cubed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 4 cups hot water
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Soak beans overnight or boil for 10 minutes and rest for 1 hour.
2. In a pot, heat oil and brown the lamb. Add onions and cook until soft.
3. Stir in tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes break down.
4. Add the beans and hot water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered for 1.5 hours.
5. Season with salt and pepper once the beans and lamb are tender.
6. Serve hot, ideally with rice or bulgur pilaf.

Add bulgur with tomatoes (bulgur pilavi) to round out iftar meal

Bulgur pilavi is quick and forgiving. It works with almost any stew or grilled dish, and it holds flavor better than plain rice.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1.5 cups coarse bulgur
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a pan and saute onions until golden.
2. Add tomato paste and diced tomato. Cook until soft.
3. Stir in bulgur and toast for a minute.
4. Add broth and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat.
5. Simmer for 15 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes before fluffing.

End with sakizli muhallebi, a smooth milk pudding scented with mastic

This dessert is cold, creamy, and fragrant. The addition of mastic resin gives it a distinct flavor—a little floral, a little piney—that cuts through the sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 liter milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons rice flour
• 2 pieces mastic gum, ground with a pinch of sugar

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, combine milk, sugar, cornstarch, and rice flour.
2. Whisk continuously over medium heat until thickened.
3. Add the ground mastic and cook for 1 more minute.
4. Pour into small bowls and cool to room temperature.
5. Refrigerate until set. Serve cold.

This is an iftar that gives you what you need—protein, warmth, softness, flavor—without making a spectacle.

The dishes are humble and balanced, but the meal as a whole is more than enough. It’s the kind of table that works whether you’re alone or feeding a crowd. You can prep some elements early, rest while things cook, and arrive at Maghrib with everything in place.