Guides · 3 min read ·
Ramadan Grocery List for a Pakistani Family (With Quantities)
A practical month-long Ramadan shopping list for a family of 4–5: iftar staples, sehri essentials, drinks, what to buy before Ramadan, what to buy weekly, make-ahead freezer prep, and tips to keep costs down.
Ramadan changes how a Pakistani household eats, and how it shops. Iftar brings pakoras, chaat and sherbet every evening, sehri needs filling food before dawn, and prices of fruit and some staples often climb as the month goes on. A clear list, split into what to buy before Ramadan and what to buy weekly, saves money, time and a lot of last-minute trips to the shop while fasting.
The quantities below are a rough guide for a family of 4–5 for the whole month. Adjust them to your own household and how often you have guests.
Buy before Ramadan (dry staples)
These keep well, so buy them in the last week of Sha’ban, before demand rises.
| Item | Rough quantity for the month |
|---|---|
| Dates | 3–4 kg |
| Besan (gram flour) | 4–5 kg |
| White chickpeas (kabuli chana) | 2–3 kg |
| Black chickpeas (kala chana) | 1 kg |
| Moong and masoor daal | 1–2 kg each |
| Cooking oil | 5–8 litres extra (for frying) |
| Sugar | 4–5 kg |
| Rooh Afza or other sherbet | 2–3 bottles |
| Tea leaves | 1 kg |
| Rice (for khichdi and pulao) | 3–5 kg |
| Atta | your normal monthly amount, plus 10–20% |
| Vermicelli (seviyan) | 1 kg (for sehri and Eid) |
| Basil seeds (tukh malanga) | 250 g |
| Imli and aloo bukhara | 500 g each |
| Spices: chaat masala, red chilli, cumin, ajwain | refill all |
Buy weekly (fresh items)
- Fruit for fruit chaat: bananas, apples, guava, seasonal fruit. Buy twice a week so it’s fresh.
- Yogurt: 1–2 kg every few days for dahi bhallay, raita and lassi; or set your own at home.
- Milk: extra for sherbet, sehri and tea.
- Vegetables: onions, potatoes, spinach and green chillies for pakoras; tomatoes, cucumber, coriander and mint.
- Eggs: 2–3 dozen a week for sehri.
- Bread or parathas: as needed.
- Meat and chicken: for the main meals after iftar.
Make-ahead freezer prep
One or two days of cooking before Ramadan make the whole month easier:
- Samosas and spring rolls: fill, fold and freeze on a tray, then bag them.
- Shami kebabs: shape and freeze.
- Boiled chickpeas: cook in batches and freeze in portions for chana chaat.
- Ginger-garlic paste: freeze in ice cube trays.
- Pakora mix: keep a jar of besan mixed with salt, chilli, ajwain and spices, so you only add water and vegetables.
- Dahi bhallay: fry the bhallay ahead and freeze; soak in water on the day.
Iftar essentials, day by day
Most Pakistani iftars rotate a few dishes:
- Dates and water
- Pakoray
- Fruit chaat
- Chana chaat or dahi bhallay
- Samosa or roll
- Rooh Afza or another sherbet
Our Ramadan iftar menu planner has a full make-ahead timeline.
Sehri essentials
Sehri should keep you full: protein, slow-digesting carbs and enough fluids.
- Eggs for khageena or omelettes
- Parathas and yogurt
- Daal or leftover salan
- Oats or meetha dalia
- Bananas and dates
- Milk or lassi
See sehri ideas that keep you full for more.
Tips to keep costs down
- Buy staples before Ramadan, when prices are usually steadier.
- Fry less. Baking or air-frying samosas and rolls saves a lot of oil, and the family won’t feel sluggish.
- Don’t cook for twice the people you have. Iftar food is often wasted because everyone fills up on dates and pakoras.
- Make your own sherbet from imli and aloo bukhara, lemon, or gül şerbeti, instead of buying bottled drinks.
- Use the cost panel on each recipe to see what your favourite iftar dishes really cost with your local prices.
- Plan for guests. If you host an iftar, add those quantities separately using our dawat planner.
Don’t forget Eid
Set aside the ingredients for Eid early in the last week: seviyan, dry fruit, milk and sugar for sheer khurma, and whatever you plan for Eid lunch. Our Eid ul Fitr menu has ideas.
