Daniel Fast 2027
Start dates, a 21-day calendar with a reading for every day, and what to have in the kitchen before the first morning.
Most churches will begin the 2027 Daniel Fast on Sunday 3 January or Monday 4 January 2027. Twenty-one days later the fast ends on Saturday 23 or Sunday 24 January. If you start on New Year's Day, Friday 1 January, your last day is Thursday 21 January.
When does the Daniel Fast start in 2027?
There is no single official date. The twenty-one days come from Daniel 10:2-3, where Daniel ate "no pleasant bread" for three full weeks, and most congregations start on the first Sunday or Monday of the year so the fast lines up with their January services. The ten-day column is for the shorter fast of Daniel 1:12, a good first step if this is your first time.
| If you start on | 10-day fast ends | 21-day fast ends |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 Jan | Sun 10 Jan | Thu 21 Jan |
| Sun 3 Jan | Tue 12 Jan | Sat 23 Jan |
| Mon 4 Jan | Wed 13 Jan | Sun 24 Jan |
| Mon 11 Jan | Wed 20 Jan | Sun 31 Jan |
Day by day
The 21 Days of the 2027 Fast
Every day of the fast has a theme and a passage, three weeks that move from the decision to fast, through hunger, to being heard. Choose your start date and the calendar moves with it.
Dates for a start on Monday 4 January 2027, ending Sunday 24 January 2027.
| Day | Date | Theme | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1: Set apartDaniel 1:8 | |||
| Day 1 | Mon 4 Jan | The decisionDaniel 1:8 | Daniel 1:8 |
| Day 2 | Tue 5 Jan | Ask for pulseDaniel 1:12 | Daniel 1:12 |
| Day 3 | Wed 6 Jan | Ten days inDaniel 1:15 | Daniel 1:15 |
| Day 4 | Thu 7 Jan | Turn with allJoel 2:12 | Joel 2:12 |
| Day 5 | Fri 8 Jan | The fast He choseIsaiah 58:6 | Isaiah 58:6 |
| Day 6 | Sat 9 Jan | Not for showMatthew 6:16-18 | Matthew 6:16-18 |
| Day 7 | Sun 10 Jan | A clean heartPsalm 51:10 | Psalm 51:10 |
| Week 2: Hunger and breadDeuteronomy 8:3 | |||
| Day 8 | Mon 11 Jan | Not by breadDeuteronomy 8:3 | Deuteronomy 8:3 |
| Day 9 | Tue 12 Jan | Every wordMatthew 4:4 | Matthew 4:4 |
| Day 10 | Wed 13 Jan | Bread from heavenExodus 16:4 | Exodus 16:4 |
| Day 11 | Thu 14 Jan | My soul thirstethPsalm 63:1 | Psalm 63:1 |
| Day 12 | Fri 15 Jan | The bread of lifeJohn 6:35 | John 6:35 |
| Day 13 | Sat 16 Jan | Taste and seePsalm 34:8 | Psalm 34:8 |
| Day 14 | Sun 17 Jan | Whatever you eat1 Corinthians 10:31 | 1 Corinthians 10:31 |
| Week 3: HeardDaniel 10:12 | |||
| Day 15 | Mon 18 Jan | Set your faceDaniel 9:3 | Daniel 9:3 |
| Day 16 | Tue 19 Jan | No pleasant breadDaniel 10:2-3 | Daniel 10:2-3 |
| Day 17 | Wed 20 Jan | Thy words were heardDaniel 10:12 | Daniel 10:12 |
| Day 18 | Thu 21 Jan | We fasted and askedEzra 8:23 | Ezra 8:23 |
| Day 19 | Fri 22 Jan | Renew their strengthIsaiah 40:31 | Isaiah 40:31 |
| Day 20 | Sat 23 Jan | TemperanceGalatians 5:22-23 | Galatians 5:22-23 |
| Day 21 | Sun 24 Jan | Ten times betterDaniel 1:20 | Daniel 1:20 |
These are the readings of the Daniel Fast Plan & Recipes app, which pairs each day with breakfast, lunch and dinner. The list works with any Bible.
The week before: 28 December to 2 January
Most people decide in the last days of December, and the first morning goes better with a little done in advance.
- Clear the cupboard of what the fast sets aside, or move it to one shelf so it is out of the way.
- Shop for the first week: brown rice, oats, lentils, chickpeas and beans, frozen and fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, olive oil, lemons and herbs.
- Cut back on coffee across the last week of December. The fast keeps to water, and the first days without caffeine are the hardest.
- Cook one big pot the day before, such as a lentil soup, so the first lunch is already there.
- Decide now what you will do if you miss a day, so a slip on day five does not end the fast.
- If you manage a medical condition, are pregnant or nursing, or take medication that depends on food, talk to your doctor before you start.
Fasting with others
With Your Church or a Prayer Challenge
Many people keep the January fast together: a church's 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, a small group, or a prayer challenge in an app. Those carry the prayer and the reading. The kitchen is where most questions come up in the first week, so these are the pages to keep at hand.
Start here
The food list
Everything the fast includes and everything it sets aside, in one table, from grains and bread to sweeteners and drinks.
Week one
Can I eat this?
A searchable list of 131 foods people stop and wonder about, from vinegar and decaf to eating out.
Planned for you
The first seven days
A week of breakfasts, lunches and dinners with a grocery list, made from recipes on this site.
For pastors
Running it with a church
What to hand a congregation, and plain answers to the questions that reach the pastor in week one.
The 21 days on your phone
Daniel Fast Plan & Recipes walks through the calendar above one day at a time: the reading, what to eat at each meal, a grocery list that adds itself up for the days ahead, and a scanner that reads the ingredient list on a label. Days one to three are free. One payment of $24.99 opens the rest, with no subscription.
iPhone with iOS 17 or later, Android 8.0 or later. More about the app.
After the fast: Lent 2027
Lent 2027 begins on Ash Wednesday, 10 February, less than three weeks after a January fast ends, and runs to Easter on 28 March. Some people keep a second, shorter Daniel Fast then, and the Lenten recipes on this site stay within it.
Questions
Daniel Fast 2027 Questions
When does the Daniel Fast start in 2027?
Most churches will begin on Sunday 3 January or Monday 4 January 2027, the first Sunday and Monday of the year. Some start on New Year's Day, Friday 1 January. There is no single official date.
When does the 2027 Daniel Fast end?
Twenty-one days after it starts. A fast that begins on Sunday 3 January ends on Saturday 23 January, and one that begins on Monday 4 January ends on Sunday 24 January 2027.
Can I start the Daniel Fast later in January?
Yes. Any twenty-one consecutive days keep the pattern of Daniel 10:2-3. Starting on Monday 11 January, for example, takes you to Sunday 31 January.
Are Sundays part of the 21 days?
For a January fast, yes: the twenty-one days run straight through, Sundays included. Leaving Sundays out is a Lent custom, where the forty days are counted without them.
What if I miss a day of the Daniel Fast?
Pick it up again at the next meal. Most churches simply carry on with the calendar. Some add the missed day to the end. Starting over from day one is rarely what anyone asks of you.
How long is the Daniel Fast?
Twenty-one days, from Daniel 10:2-3. A ten-day version from Daniel 1:12 is a common first step, and on a 3 or 4 January start it ends on Tuesday 12 or Wednesday 13 January.
Free Download
A Full Daniel Fast Week, Done for You
Our free 4-week Biblical Meal Plan includes a complete Daniel Fast week: every breakfast, lunch and dinner mapped out, with a combined shopping list and a Scripture for each day.