8 Delicious and Simple Pakistani Iftar Recipes for Vegans

Last Updated on April 20, 2021 by Nina Ahmedow

As I mentioned in my post on quick iftar recipes, a friend of mine has put together some basic Pakistani iftar recipes for me that are suitable for vegans. Although Amna isn’t vegan herself she fully understands what vegan means as her brother has been vegan for a long time. She’s cooked vegan for me before so I can attest to how delicious her food is.

Amna was kind enough to let me share these quick and easy Pakistani Ramadan recipes with you.

Pakistani Iftar Recipes

Whether you’re looking for starters, mains, or desserts, that’s all included in these eight Pakistani iftar ideas based on recipes of the Puri family. You could even prepare all of these at once for the ultimate Pakistani iftar menu.

Pakistani Appetizers for Ramadan

Simple appetizers are a convenient way to add more variety to your dinner table. And perhaps you’ll even grab another plate after iftar while you’re watching your favorite Ramadan series.

Vegan Pakoras

Pakoras are obviously a delicious appetizer all year round so if you want to prepare Pakistani snacks for Ramadan they’re a great option.

• choice of vegetables (for example, onions, cauliflower, potato, eggplant)
• 2 cups chickpea flour
• water
• ½ teaspoon chili
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• salt
• oil

1. Cut vegetables into bite-sized chunks and thinly slice onions.
2. Mix all the ingredients except vegetables into a thick batter (use as much water as you need).
3. Dip vegetables into batter, making sure they’re fully covered.
4. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown and floating on top.

Easy Samosas

If you think samosas are too much work this simplified version is an absolute must when making Pakistani Ramadan recipes for iftar. So, so yummy!

• curry leftovers (preferably potato and pea)
• filo dough
• oil

1. Reheat your leftovers until thick or dried out.
2. Let cool completely.
3. Cut filo into large triangle.
4. Place a spoonful of curry in the middle of the triangle.
5. Wet the corners of the triangle.
6. Then fold in the corners to fully close the samosa.
7. Deep fry in hot oil.
8. Let cool.

Chutneys

Pakistani iftar dishes like pakoras and samosas are best enjoyed with an accompanying chutney. Here are two different options.

Easy Tomato Chutney

Add the juicy flavors of tomatoes, cilantro, and mint to your Pakistani iftar food with this simple and delicious chutney.

• 1 tomato
• 1 green chili
• 1 bunch of fresh mint
• ½ bunch cilantro
• salt

1. Blend all the ingredients into a chutney.

Easy Mango Chutney

• 1 chopped mango
• oil
• chili flakes
• garam masala
• sugar
• lime juice
• salt

1. Mash all the ingredients into a jam-like consistency.

Main Dishes

Here are three different dishes that all start with the same base with only minor changes. You can add any additional vegetables you like.

Base for Vegan Curry

You can’t make great Pakistani dishes for Ramadan without a great curry base.

• 1 sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (or a thumb-sized piece of grated fresh turmeric)
• 2 glasses of water (separated)
• ½ glass oil
• 2 finely diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 chopped green chilis (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves/meethi (optional)
• vegetables of choice

1. Heat half of the water in a pot.
2. Add onion, garlic, and ginger with chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and salt and cook until water has evaporated.
3. Add oil and sauté base until golden.
4. Add tomatoes and continue to fry until you get a soft gravy-like consistency.
5. Add the rest of the water, garam masala, chilis, and herbs and simmer.
6. Add your choice of vegetables.

Tofu Curry

The addition of tofu instantly brings these easy Pakistani recipes for iftar to the next level. You could also use vegan halloumi!

• 1 sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (or a thumb-sized piece of grated fresh turmeric)
• 2 glasses of water (separated)
• ½ glass oil
• 2 finely diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 chopped green chilis (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves/meethi (optional)
• tofu

1. Heat half of the water in a pot.
2. Add onion, garlic, and ginger with chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and salt and cook until water has evaporated.
3. Add oil and tofu and sauté until golden.
4. Add tomatoes and continue to fry until you get a soft gravy-like consistency.
5. Add the rest of the water, garam masala, chilis, and herbs, and simmer.

Basic Vegan Daal

A good daal cannot be missing from any collection of Pakistani recipes for Ramadan iftar. I did make a red lentil daal last year as part of my Ramadan recipes from the Muslim world. This time, we are working with the versatile curry base which we’ve already used in the previous dishes.

• 1 cup split pulses (such as red lentils, yellow split peas – anything that doesn’t need soaking)
• 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (or a thumb-sized piece of grated fresh turmeric)
• 6 cups water
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 chopped green chilis (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves/meethi (optional)

1. Add water, pulses, garlic, and ginger with chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and salt to a pot and cook until your pulses are done.
2. Add garam masala, chilis, and herbs and simmer, adding more water if needed.

Dessert

When it comes to a nice iftar menu you can’t forget about dessert.

Pakistani Fruit Salad

So let’s finish off with a lovely fruit salad with a Pakistani twist.

• seasonal fruit
• ¼ cup orange juice
• ½ tablespoon chili flakes
• kala namak (black salt)

1. Chop and mix fruit.
2. Mix dressing.
3. Mix fruit and dressing.

What do you think of these simple Pakistani iftar recipes? Which one are you most looking forward to trying?