How to Prepare Halal Meals in Your Hotel During Umrah

Umrah is a spiritually fulfilling experience. The main goal of every pilgrim during the pilgrimage is to spend most of their time in the remembrance of Allah Almighty. But this is only possible if your health is in its prime and you keep your energy levels up.

Therefore, food plays a vital role in ensuring a smooth pilgrimage. Not everyone can eat outside regularly because of health concerns. This might make you question how to prepare halal meals in your hotel during Umrah. 

It is challenging to monitor your meals when travelling, especially if you follow a strict diet or have any medical concerns. But we all know how important it is to have a balanced diet or abstain from particular foods to avoid any health inconvenience during your Umrah journey. One of the best options is to prepare your food. Here is a perfect blog to help you understand how to prepare your halal meals during the pilgrimage. 

You will be preparing your meals at the accommodation. So, when browsing through Umrah deals 2026 from Canada, look for a hotel with the basic amenities you need to prepare your food. You must look for a hotel that allows light cooking and provides amenities like a hot water boiler, an electric kettle, a microwave, a mini fridge, and permission for portable appliances like a pressure cooker or a travel cooker. You must also be given access to a shared kitchen or kitchenette. 

There are various accommodation options in Makkah and Madinah. Some hotels don’t allow cooking appliances, so ask the hotel about their policies beforehand. If you plan to cook all the meals from scratch in the country, you should stay in a serviced apartment or an Airbnb. 

Before you embark on your journey, meal prepping will make your cooking process much easier. Meal prepping, in this case, doesn’t mean that you have to cook full-fledged meals beforehand. You can carry some species that you use, bring instant noodles and soup packs, and pack vacuum-sealed snacks or dehydrated food. If your accommodation has a refrigerator, you can carry small portions of pre-made frozen meals or marinated meat. 

If you plan to prepare your meals, you must carry your portable cooking essentials. There are many lightweight cooking essentials options in the market that travellers prefer taking on their trips. These cooking essentials are helpful but compact and lightweight, ensuring your luggage isn’t too heavy. Some cooking essentials that you must carry with you on your Umrah include:

• Travel rice cooker or electric multi-cooker
• Electric kettle or immersion heater
• Reusable containers, utensils, and a cutting board
• Can opener, foil, and ziplock bags

Prepare Simple Yet Nourishing Meals

While travelling, you will have to make sure that you prepare nourishing yet straightforward meals that will not take much of your time or effort. During Umrah, you must spend most of your time in worship without worrying about your meals. You should learn to make nourishing meals with minimal ingredients that will give you energy to travel around and perform your pilgrimage.  Here are some meal ideas. 

For Breakfast

• Eggs 
• Oats with milk
• Arabic bread with toppings like olives and cheese

For Lunch and Dinner

• Rice with chicken, pre-made sauces, and vegetables
• Instant soups with lentils and vegetables
• You can also cook pre-marinated Halal meat in a pressure cooker. 

For Snacks

• Dates, nuts, dried fruits
• Hummus and crackers
• Youghurt 
• Fresh fruit

As you prepare your halal meals at your hotel, you must shop for all the ingredients locally. If you don’t know about the local markets or have no one to guide you, you can ask your Umrah travel agency to guide you.

They can tell you about some of the best spots to shop for groceries while you are in the country. Some excellent options you will have in this case are the local convenience stores and supermarkets. They usually have all the ingredients that you might need. 

Also, you must know that almost all the items sold in Saudi Arabia are halal. Therefore, you will not have to worry about such things while shopping for the ingredients for your halal meals. You will find various halal meat options, fresh fruits and vegetables, diverse spices, Arab and South Asian groceries, bread, bottled water, and even pre-cooked halal meats at the supermarkets here. Some local stores you can shop at include Panda, Bin Dawood, and Carrefour. 

If you plan to prepare your food, you must learn some essential tips to make your experience much easier. Here is how to ensure the smoothest pilgrimage while keeping yourself full and energetic. 

• Make sure not to compromise on cleanliness. Clean your cooking utensils and the kitchen area regularly. 
• Don’t leave the food out of the fridge for extended periods. As you might already know, Makkah and Madinah have a hot climate. So, if you leave your food out for more extended periods, it will go bad. 
• You must keep all the perishables in a bag with ice or a refrigerator. 
• Try to use bottled water for drinking and cooking. 

If you have already applied for an Umrah visa, you might have started preparing for your pilgrimage. You might have started thinking about and planning your meals if you want to prepare halal meals at your hotel while in the country. After reading this blog, you might now have a clear idea about how to prepare halal meals in your hotel during Umrah. So, it is time to pack your portable cooking essentials and plan everything.