29 Persian Recipes for Holidays and Everyday
There’s just something magical about Persian cuisine. When you think about the food of Iran, classics like tahdig—that deep, golden brown crust that forms on the bottom of the traditional steamed rice—immediately come to mind. Classic Persian recipes often call on bold ingredients: aromatic spices like cardamom and saffron, floral rose water, and tangy pomegranate molasses. It’s no secret that Persian food is packed with big flavors, but thanks to the region’s abundant use of fresh herbs, it has a way of feeling both comforting and fresh.
Whether cooking a feast to celebrate Nowruz (the Persian New Year) or you’ve simply arrived here looking to expand your dinner horizons, these Persian recipes deliver incredible flavor and satisfaction.
Bobbi Lin1/29Roasted Black Bass With Orange-Flower Water
Feel free to use any flaky white fish you like (such as branzino, red snapper, or trout) in this celebration-worthy Persian recipe. The fish is butterflied, stuffed with a spicy, garlicky herb mixture, and brushed with saffron-infused orange-flower water before being roasted. When eaten during Nowruz, the fish represents life, and when served alongside Persian rice, it is believed to bring good luck.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown2/29Kateh Gojeh Farangi
This buttery cinnamon-spiced rice dish is total comfort food thanks to the jammy tomatoes and warm spices. Serve bowls with a spoonful of plain whole-milk yogurt for a cool, creamy contrast.
Photo by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio3/29Yogurt-Marinated Chicken With Borani
Photo by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio4/29Ghormeh Sabzi
Bobbi Lin5/29Kuku Sabzi
This herb-filled, frittata-like egg dish is a staple of the Persian New Year. While some versions go slightly sweet with dates and rose petals, this one is all savory. Serve it warm or room temperature with flatbread and a platter of toppings like crumbled feta, barberries, chopped dates, toasted walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and even more herbs like fresh chives and scallion greens.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown, Ceramics by Meilen Ceramics7/29Khoresh Bademjan
This spiced eggplant and tomato stew is typically made with lamb or beef, but it’s faster and just as savory without meat. Don’t skip the dollop of cool, creamy yogurt and sprinkle of fresh parsley leaves over the top, both of which add a bright finish. And if you can’t resist the meat, it’s also a great side dish next to kebabs.
Alex Lau9/29Pomegranate-Glazed Chicken With Buttery Pine Nuts
Inspired by fesenjan, a Persian chicken braise with pomegranate and walnuts, this streamlined dish sees the bird halves glazed in pomegranate molasses and garnished with toasted pine nuts. Serve beside an herb-loaded shirazi salad to celebrate the new year.
Bobbi Lin10/29Saffron–Rose Water Brittle With Pistachios and Almonds
This snappy brittle recipe is a riff on an Iranian candy known as sohan. (Watch former BA staffer Andy Barghani make it here.) It’s just sweet enough, meaning it’s the ultimate complement to bitter tea or coffee and can be made up to a week ahead of time.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua11/29Cucumber Sekanjabin Sharbat
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li12/29Beans and Green Soup With Salted Yogurt and Sizzled Mint
Inspired by ash reshteh, a thick Persian stew made with chickpeas, lentils, herbs, and noodles, this recipe skips the noodles for a lighter yet just as satisfying variation. If you don’t have time to soak the chickpeas and beans overnight, bring them to a boil in separate pots of water, then turn off the heat, cover the pots, and let them sit for 1 hour before proceeding.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Andy Baraghani13/29Bejeweled Rice
This riff on morsaw polow, popularly served at Iranian American weddings, uses golden raisins and dried cherries instead of the more common currants and barberries. It also adds scallions to give the typically sweet-leaning dish a savory edge.
Photo by Yasara Gunawardena14/29Shirmal
This cloudlike bread is fluffy and tender thanks to the inclusion of tangzhong, a cooked milk and flour paste that gives Japanese milk bread its springy texture. Saffron and a pinch of turmeric add a vibrant color and a subtly sweet, honey-like scent.
Photo by Alex Lau15/29Hot-Pink Pearl Onion Pickles
These sweet and very tangy neon pickles pair best with grilled meats, stews, and braises. But you could also put them out on a cheese board—or pop one into a Gibson martini.
Photo by Yasara Gunawardena17/29Kofteh Tabrizi
These hardy fruit-and-nut-stuffed meatballs are slow-braised before being spooned over pools of a tomato sauce spiked with dried Persian limes and garnished with tart dried barberries or currants.
Photograph by Graydon Herriott, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk.18/29Kuku Kadoo
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks19/29Kuku Sibzamini With Lemon Yogurt
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio23/29Tangy Vinegar Chicken With Barberries and Orange
Bobbi Lin24/29Barbari Bread With Nigella and White Sesame Seeds
This thick and chewy flatbread is the ideal accompaniment to just about any and all Persian main dishes. Reach for a pizza stone and preheat it in the oven to successfully achieve its signature deep golden brown bottom crust at home.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen26/29Salted Chocolate–Tahini Bliss Balls
Photo by Justin Bridges, Food Styling by Tyna Hoang29/29Lemon-Saffron Salmon With Dill Rice
This Persian recipe teaches an important lesson in handling expensive saffron. First, gently grind the threads, then dissolve the resulting powder in water to create a potent saffron liquid that will more evenly distribute its intense color and aroma.
