With a growing trend for food experimentation as well as convenience, the market for ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-cook (RTC) foods in India is seeing a significant boom. As per an October India’s Ready-To-Eat Market Report of 2025 by Redseer, the addressable consumer base for these products has grown from 5 crore in 2023 to 7-8 crore, which is an over 40% growth in two years. According to a 2025 report published by IMARC, the Indian market stood at $6.65 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach $11.88 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 6.14%.
Companies in the convenience foods business are charting steady growth in demand and foresee a sustained growth as independent living and urbanisation accelerate. “While many believe the ready-to-eat market is already at its peak, I feel India is still in the early stages of this category,” affirms Amit Murarka, founder of Noida-based Spice Up Foods, which offers meal kits and frozen foods.
What started with instant noodles has now expanded into a segment where RTE and RTC foods cater to multiple cuisines, affordable prices and limited preservatives, from momos and rice and rajma meals, to parathas and kebabs, as well as curry masala mixes. New and novel in the market include pre-cooked rajma and chana, among others, being produced by Freshcon, an RTE foods company.
Beyond Instant Noodles
As per the Redseer report, 5% of overall retail sales of offline retailers was attributed to this category.
Ashu Phakey, vice-president and business head, frozen snacks & fresh foods, ITC, commenting on the growing popularity of RTE and RTC foods under the brand, said, “Over the past few years, Indian consumers are increasingly adding such products to their grocery baskets. This is being driven by high disposable incomes, more women in the workforce, and a clear preference for convenient, fresh-tasting food that can be prepared at home quickly.” He added: “Health-conscious cooking methods, such as air frying, baking, and the use of high-quality ingredients further enabled the adoption of RTC and RTE products.”
Among their more recent launches, ITC Foods introduced piri piri fries, chicken malai seekh kebabs and piri piri prawns. “We are seeing strong demand nationwide, with particularly high traction in metros and urban cities. The rise of quick commerce has further boosted demand by improving accessibility, visibility and discoverability,” Phakey shared.
Prasuma, one of India’s fastest growing frozen foods brands, has for their part seen 30% year-on-year growth, and has beaten category growth every year, as per a spokesperson for the brand. According to Prasuma, these RTE and RTC brands provide much-needed food solutions to urban consumers. “Consumers moving to larger cities for work do not have either cooking skills or time to cook. That’s where we come in,” said the spokesperson.
Devendra Meel, chief business officer of quick commerce platform Zepto, speaking of the segment, said: “The ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat segment has seen a major evolution. Consumers today have access to a wider, healthier variety than ever before. On Zepto, we’ve seen strong growth across categories like rava idli mix, instant poha, and instant meal mixes, with leading brands such as MTR, Hocco and Gits driving momentum. We are also seeing rising demand for travel-focused heat and eat meals as more users look for nutritious options on the move.” He added, “Festival specials perform strongly too. MTR’s vermicelli payasam mix, for instance, was sold out during Onam.”
“For Spice Up Foods, the last 1.5 years have been particularly strong and we recorded steady growth of over 10% year-on-year,” said Murarka.
Given the conversation around healthy and balanced diets, brands are also taking measures to guard against preservatives and unhealthy ingredients.
Health Pivot
“Our RTC range is devoid of any added preservatives and contains required nutrients without having to compromise on taste or texture. We follow high quality standards and individually quick freezing technology which locks in the food’s nutrients and taste,” said Phakey of ITC. As Meel of Zepto attested as well, customers are far more conscious of their food choices than they were before. They are now keeping track of their calorie intake and prioritising a balanced diet.
Sangeeta Bansal, professor of economics, Centre for the Study of the World Economy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, said companies that develop and evolve along these lines are the ones that can be expected to scale up in a sustainable way.
Murarka of Spice Up Foods said the perception that RTE and RTC foods are inherently unhealthy is one of the biggest gaps the company aims to address.
“Many consumers assume these foods contain preservatives because that is how the category traditionally operated. Our philosophy is the opposite — every product we make is 100% preservative-free,” he said.
The spokesperson for Prasuma also shared how the brand has brought their dependency on preservatives to a minimum. “We follow strict process guidelines. This also allows us to ensure quality is high and preservatives are minimum.”
“South India, Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR, Gujarat, and Rajasthan contribute significantly to our sales,” said Murarka.
