32+ Pakistani Eid Recipes (Traditional & Easy-To-Follow)
Looking for traditional Pakistani Eid Recipes? This post explains which food is typically eaten for both Eid-Al-Fitr and Eid-Al-Adha. Plus you’ll find my collection of 32+ easy-to-follow, tested and perfected Pakistani recipes for your next Eid table!
What is Eid?
There are 2 Eids in the year: Eid-Al-Fitr and Eid-Al-Adha.
- Eid-Al-Fitr, often referred to as ‘choti Eid‘ (translated to ‘small Eid‘) is the Eid celebrated on the 1st of the Islamic month of Shawwal after fasting during the month of Ramadan.
- Eid-Al-Adha, often referred to as ‘bari Eid‘ (translated to ‘big Eid‘), is held around the 10th to the 13th days of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah and is meant to honor Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son.
What can I cook on Eid-Al-Fitr?
Eid-Al-Fitr is marked by the end of Ramadan. Typically, people don’t eat breakfast but a date, Sheer Khurma (or Doodh Seviyan), or Phirni before leaving for Eid prayer.
What can I cook on Eid-Al-Adha?
Most people cook from their sacrificed meat (qurbani ka gosht) on Eid-Al-Adha so you’ll find lots of meat-heavy (goat/lamb or beef) dishes on this Eid.
What can I cook for a Pakistani-style Eid Dawat?
Pakistanis often host brunch or dinner on Eid. Here’s what’s typical of Eid feasting:
- For brunch, people often serve brunch-related menu items or snacks such as Dahi Baras, Chicken Pastries, Samosas, Chana chaat, Nihari, and Halwa Poori. For dessert, Kheer or Sheer khurma is very popular. Lassi and Chai (of course) are popular drinks.
- For dinner, celebratory dishes such as Haleem, Nihari, Pulao, and Biryani are the norm.
Top 32+ Pakistani Eid Recipes
NAVIGATION
🍗 Appetizers & Sides (including kebabs)
🥣 More Resources + Browse all Eid Recipes on the blog
Eid Appetizers & Sides
Chicken Puff Pastry
25-Minute Salmon Tikka (Fish Tikka)
The Best Chapli Kabab
Easy Pakistani Aloo Ki Tikki – Potato Cutlets
Pakistani Seekh Kebab (Ground Beef Skewers)
Easy Dahi Bhalla (Dahi Bara) – Foolproof!
Easy Shami Kebab (Instant Pot and Stovetop)
5-Minute Kachumber Salad (with Variations!)
Easy Cucumber Raita (15 Minutes!)
10-Minute Mint Raita (Restaurant-Style)
Traditional Eid Drinks
Authentic Pakistani Chai
Easy Masala Chai (Tea) Recipe – Spiced Chai
20-Minute Kashmiri Chai (Pink Tea)
The Best Mango Lassi (Restaurant-Style)
The Perfect Sweet Lassi Recipe
Main Dishes for Eid
Rice Main Dishes
Pakistani Chicken Biryani (The BEST!)
Mutton Pulao (Goat/Lamb Pulao)
Pakistani Chicken Pulao (Yakhni Pulao)
Matar Pulao (Peas Pulao) – 20-Minute Prep!
Instant Pot Pakistani Chana Pulao (Chickpea Pilaf) – 20-minute prep!
Instant Pot Chicken Pulao
Beef, Mutton, and Lamb Main Dishes
Easy Pakistani Haleem Recipe (Instant Pot)
Aloo Gosht (Mutton/Lamb and Potato Curry)
Easy Nihari (Pakistani Beef Stew)
Easy Instant Pot Nihari (Pakistani Beef Stew)
Easy Instant Pot Pakistani Beef Curry
Instant Pot Goat Curry
Aloo Keema (Ground Beef and Potato Curry)
Chicken Main Dishes
Chicken Manchurian (Crispy with Gravy!)
Chicken Jalfrezi (Easy and Authentic)
Authentic Chicken Curry (Easy Chicken Salan)
Pakistani Chicken Karahi
The BEST Authentic Chicken Korma
Easy Achari Chicken
Pakistani Beef Kofta Curry (Meatball Curry)
Instant Pot Butter Chicken (Easy and Authentic)
Baked Tandoori Chicken Curry (Easy & Authentic)
Vegetarian Main Dishes
Easy Sarson Ka Saag (Stovetop & Instant Pot)
Cauliflower and Potato Curry (Aloo Gobi Recipe)
Easy Mixed Vegetable Curry
Authentic Chana Masala (Indian Chickpea Curry)
Aloo Baingan – Eggplant and Potato Curry
Easy Baingan Bharta (Oven Roasted/Broiled Eggplant Curry)
Punjabi Kadhi Pakora (Stovetop and Instant Pot)
30-Minute Aloo Palak (Spinach and Potato Curry)
Classic Eid Desserts
20-Minute Seviyan (Sheer Khurma)
Zarda (Meethe Chawal – Sweet Rice) – Foolproof!
The BEST Instant Pot Kheer
Easy Instant Pot Carrot Halwa (Gajar ka Halwa)
Sooji ka Halwa (Semolina Halwa) – 20 Minute Recipe!
Easy Jaggery Rice in the Rice Cooker – Gur Wale Chawal
More Resources
Did you know?
You can browse all the Ramadan and Eid Recipes on my blog!
Also check out:
- 40+ Pakistani Ramadan Recipes
- Freezer Friendly Make-Ahead Ramadan Recipes & Guide
- And if you’re into gifting, don’t miss my my Foodie-forward Eid Gift Guide!
32+ Pakistani Eid Recipes Including The BEST Pakistani Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lbs bone-in, cut up, skinless chicken, cleaned and excess skin removed (~567 g)
Marinade
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt (~115g)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tbsp biryani masala (recipe in original post), or sub store-bought biryani masala
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2-1 tsp red chili powder, start with 1/2 tsp if using store-bought biryani masala
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
- pinch cane sugar, omit if using store-bought biryani masala
- 2 tsp kosher salt, start with 1 ¼ tsp if using store-bought biryani masala
Whole Spices
- 3 medium dried bay leaves, (tez patta)
- 5-6 whole cloves, (loung)
- 4-5 whole black cardamoms, (badi elaichi)
- 6 star anise, (badiyaan)
- 6 green cardamom pods, (elaichi)
- 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks, (daarchini)
- 3/4 tsp cumin seeds, (zeera)
- 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns, (kaali mirch)
Parboiled Rice
- 1 3/4 cups aged, long grain basmati rice (~350g)
- 1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
Biryani
- 1/4 cup neutral oil, plus more as needed
- 2 tbsp ghee, or sub butter
- 2 medium yellow onions (~400 g), thinly sliced or finely chopped
- 6-8 garlic cloves , crushed (1 tbsp heaped)
- 1- inch ginger, crushed (1 tbsp heaped)
- 1 small tomato (~75-80 g), finely chopped
- 1-2 small green chili peppers (such as Thai or Serrano), chopped
- 5 dried plums , (alu bukhara)
- 1/3 – 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garam masala, may omit if using store-bought biryani masala
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes, optional
- 1 tsp kewra essence, depending on strength
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Layering/Topping
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala or garam masala
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1-2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped (or sub more cilantro)
- 1/8 tsp yellow/orange food coloring mixed with 1 tbsp milk or water
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced (5-7 slices)
For Serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with the ingredients listed under ‘marinade’. Cover and set aside or refrigerate (ideally) up to overnight. When ready to use, allow the chicken to come to room temperature.
- Thoroughly wash the rice and soak it in water. Set aside.
- Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over high heat. Add the oil, ghee, and onions and sauté until the onions are golden (~15-20 minutes). Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup water. Once the water dries up, add the whole spices, garlic, and ginger and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken with its marinade and sauté until it changes color (~2-3 minutes). Add the tomatoes, green chili pepper, and dried plum (alu bukhara) and stir to coat. Add ½ cup water (the water should cover about 1/3 of the chicken) and bring to a gentle boil.
- Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer (this is low heat on my stovetop), cover, and allow the chicken to cook for 30 minutes, stirring midway. While the chicken is cooking, proceed to the next step. Turn off the heat once the chicken has cooked.
- Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Place a medium pot over high heat and bring 7 cups (1.75 quarts) of water to a boil. Add salt, oil, and lemon juice/vinegar and stir. Once the water comes to a boil, drain and add the rice. Stir, and bring it back up to a boil. Once it comes to a boil again, boil for 5 minutes (no more than 5 minutes and 30 seconds), or until the rice is just cooked with a bite to it. It shouldn’t get mushy when pressed between your fingers.* Drain and set aside.
- Uncover the chicken. Raise the heat to medium-high to sauté out any excess water for 2-3 minutes. Add salt, garam masala, and red chili flakes for more heat (if desired). The oil will have separated from the ‘masala’. Turn off the heat. Add kewra water and lemon juice and stir to combine.
Steaming ('Dum')
- If needed, lightly oil the bottom of a dutch oven or stock/soup pot. Layer half of the drained rice. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp of the chaat/garam masala on top of the rice. Add in all the chicken, and top with the remaining rice. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 tsp of chaat/garam masala. Drizzle in the colored milk and oil. (Optional: Sprinkle a pinch of food coloring directly for more variation in color.) Sprinkle the cilantro leaves, mint leaves, and arrange the lemon slices on top.
- If your pan isn’t heavy bottomed, place a heat diffuser, flat griddle, or tava underneath the pan to diffuse the heat. Layer the lid with a kitchen cloth (or aluminum foil) and seal tightly.** Turn on the heat to medium and allow the biryani to develop steam for 4-5 minutes. You’ll be able to feel the steam starting to escape the sides. Then turn down to the lowest heat and allow it to cook in its steam (‘dum’) for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the biryani to rest with the lid on for 10 minutes. Do not stir or mix. To serve, gently move on to platter with rice paddle or small plate. Serve hot with yogurt or raita.
4 Comments on “32+ Pakistani Eid Recipes (Traditional & Easy-To-Follow)”
Hi Izzah,
Can you please share your sheer khurma recipe? Thanks! xox
Working on it, iA! I had planned to share kheer but couldn’t get it perfect in time. IA soon!
Thank you for compiling this handy list.
You’re welcome, Fatema!