India is a land filled with a third of its population actively following vegetarianism. Not just in overall numbers, even in terms of percentage, India has a much higher vegetarian demography than most countries in the world. Hence, it is natural to find thousands of vegetarian recipes in Indian cookbooks.
Though the practice of non-meat-based foods has been followed for centuries in India, one of their major beliefs is fruits, vegetables and dairy products are all gifts of nature. Thus, milk-based products like ghee, cheese, butter, milk, curd, etc., are often used in various Indian recipes.
It is difficult to find vegan-friendly Indian dishes you can relish, but not all foods in the Indian cuisine need dairy products. We have provided you with a list of twenty-five well known vegan Indian dishes below. Although we have provided their authentic Indian names, we have tried to mention the closest dish resembling them in the western food culture.
Idli
Idlis are a South Indian version of a rice cake. A batter made from grounded rice and lentils is first fermented and is then steamed in a mold.
These mild flavored white spongy rice cakes are generally served with some chutney, sambhar and other spicy Indian sauces, depending on the region. Though the normal idlis are completely vegan, avoid the wheat idlis, locally called “Rawa idlis”, which use curd for its preparation.
Vada
Vada is a South Asian fried snack which comes in all shapes and varieties. There are multiple kinds of vadas you can prepare, depending on the origin of the dish, or the type of ingredients used. It generally comprises of legumes, potatoes or other vegetables.
Two of the more famous recipes are the “Uddin vada” and the “masala vada”. The former is a soft doughnut-shaped savory dish, usually served along with breakfast foods like idlis, dosas, and Pongal or are served in a bowl of sambhar.
The masala vada is a harder, crispier, spicier version which resembles a dumpling. These are usually made during festivities or are relished as an evening snack.
Vada Pav
Vada Pav is the Indian version of a burger. Originating from the state of Maharashtra in India, this has a special type of potato-based vada, which serves as the patty, and is stacked between a bread bun(pav).
Served with some spicy chutney and some tiny fried green chilies on the side, this hot and spicy delicacy makes for a perfect snack on a cold, breezy evening.
Dosa
Dosa is probably the most favorite breakfast food of South Indians. It is a thin rice pancake, made by heating a fermented batter of rice flour and pulses (finely grounded) over a pan.
There are over a hundred different types of dosas you can enjoy, like plain dosa, rawa dosa, ragi dosa, onion dosa, masala dosa, set dosa, cauliflower dosa, etc, the simplest of them being plain dosa and masala dosa.
In a masala dosa, the dosa is rolled into a roll, and the inner side is smeared with spicy chutney. A little amount of aloo matar fry is placed in the center of the roll.
Almost all the various types of dosas are traditionally served with some chutneys or sambhar on the side, which act as a dipping sauce.
Chutney
Chutneys are authentic Indian Dipping sauces. There are multiple types of chutneys made from spices, herbs, vegetables like tomatoes and onions or even groundnut.
The major difference between each is the main flavoring ingredient used, but a majority of them are creamy. This is thanks to the coconut kernel grounded along with the other ingredients.
There is no hard and fast rule of which chutney goes as a side with which dish, but generally all the spicier chutneys are relished with breakfast foods, while sour ones like tamarind chutney are used as a dipping sauce for fritters and other fried snacks.
Sambhar
Sambhar is a south Indian stew made using lentils, mixed vegetables, spices and herbs. It is served with dosas and idlis and also used as a curry with steamed rice.
A typical Indian lunch meal has multiple aspects to it, in the form of vegetable fries, sambhar rice, rasam rice, papad, pickles, vegetable curries, rotis, sweets and so much more. But even the simplest form of this south Indian meal will have three aspects: rice, rasam and sambhar.
The south Indian kitchens have come up with a variety of sambhars, based on the kind of vegetables you add into it. Some of the common vegetables added to the sambhar are potatoes, radishes, raw mangoes, drumsticks, lady’s finger, beans, eggplant, pumpkins, and so much more.
All these versions taste equally good, and the choice comes down to the availability of the vegetable.
Kuzhi Panniyaram
Kuzhi Panniyaram, also known as Paddu, GuLiyappa, Yeriyappa or Gunta Ponganalu (in different Indian Languages), is a famous south Indian dish made from steaming the batter prepared using rice and black lentils. They are soft, spongy bite-sized delicacies and come in two variants- sweet and spicy.
The spicy ones are served with some chutney on the side. Closely associated with Idlis due to their texture, and batter used, the composition of the batter differs, and so does the ingredients.
The spicy variant has chopped onions and Indian herbs, while the sweeter panniyaram is made using grated bits of jaggery and coconut, along with cardamom powder mixed with the batter. It is steamed using certain metal molds, specifically used for making this dish.
Rasam
Rasam is another south Indian spicy, soupy dish made from spices, tomatoes, garlic and tamarind. It is not a separate course on its own. It is served with some boiled rice. It is a type of tangy curry but has a much thinner consistency than most curries or stews.
Not all rasams are made into a spicy puree. Some versions of rasam made during festive seasons, called “obbatu rasam” is sweeter, due to the addition of lentils.
Rasam is generally consumed at the end of a wholesome meal as it helps you digest the food and prevents the formation of gas, and flatulence. It is rich in antioxidants and helps boost immunity.
Lemon Rice
Lemon Rice is another rice-based dish. It is very simple to prepare and at times served with some chutney on the side. It is made by cooking a bowl of steamed rice with some squeezed lemon juice, some spices, herbs, onions and groundnuts.
Poha is a spicy Western Indian dish. Poha is similar to Lemon Rice in taste, but uses flattened rice flakes in its ingredients, as it has lesser calories, healthier, and easier to make.
Upma
Upma is another easy to make Indian breakfast food. Known by many names like uppittu, uppindi, etc., it is a porridge type savory dish made from roasted semolina, whole wheat or coarse rice flour.
All types of the upma are cooked similarly, by roasting the main ingredients with an assortment of vegetables and seasoning. This healthy and quick to make dish is completely vegan and is filled with nutrients.
Puliogare
It is a South Indian rice-based dish made using tamarind, spices, groundnuts and other optional garnishing. Tangy, spicy and rich in flavor, it is served as an offering in South Indian temples.
One of the advantages of this dish is it doesn’t spoil easily, even if it kept for a day or two. Hence, people often tend to prepare the dish at a larger quantity at the beginning of the day and relish the same for even lunch or dinner.
People also prepare and pack this dish, to carry along with them for a day-long journey. A filling meal which doesn’t need any other side dishes, it is easy to prepare and consumes little to no time.
Chana Masala
Indians have both dry fry version or a curry version for many vegetables. Of the many Indian Vegetable curries, you can find, Chana Masala is one of the most well-known dishes.
It is a spicy curry or a gravy made from boiled Chickpeas, spices, herbs, onion, tomatoes, etc. It is a vegan-friendly and gluten-free dish and tastes lovely.
Aloo Matar Fry
Aloo Matar Fry is a spicy vegetable fry made using potatoes (Aloo) and peas (Matar). It is served as a side in both South Indian and North Indian Meals, as it goes very well with the Indian Flat Breads.
There is no hard and fast rule about which curry should be eaten with which dish, in the Indian Cuisine. Most of the food combinations we mention are conveniently tried and tested.
A much more under processed version of this is used as the stuffing for Masala Dosas. Potato is the most common ingredients in many of these Indian fries and curries. A few recipes of aloo matar also add some cauliflowers (gobi) into the mix.
Beetroot Fry
This is a simple and flavorsome beets fry, made by roasting diced cubes of beets with some seasoning. It has great taste and has all the nutritional goodness of beetroot. It is slightly spicy, juicy fry, and is a must-try.
Chole Bhature
It is a combination of a fried plain flour bread (Puri/ Bhature) served with a side of Channa Masala. An extremely popular combination in North India, Chole Bhature is a whole meal by itself.
Sometimes, it is also garnished with some chopped onions and some pickle in the side. Many small hotels and bakeries in India serve Chole Bhature as an evening snack.
Hara Bhara Kabab
Hara Bhara Kababs are a crispy vegetarian grilled kabab, popular in Northern parts of India. It is a healthy snack which made using spinach, green peas, potatoes, coriander leaves and spices.
They are served as an evening snack with some tamarind chutney acting as a dip.
Spinach Fry
Most of the Indian recipes try to establish a fine balance between taste and health. One such example of this is the Spinach fry. The spinach is sautéed with some herbs, seasoning and some lentils.
They add little to no water as the moisture from the spinach leaves is released when fried on the pan, and the leaves, in turn, absorbs the flavors of the various spices.
The spinach Fry, like most other Indian curries and Vegetable-based fries, goes well with flat loaves of bread and boiled rice.
Indian Flat Bread
There are several flat slices of bread used in Indian cuisines, like rotis, naan, kulcha, etc. Most of these flat slices of bread are made from whole wheat flour or refined plain white flour, with the variations popping in due to method of preparation, or ingredients used as a leavening agent (baking powder, yeast) while making the dough.
Two major ways of cooking them are either frying the flat bread discs over a pan or using a special device called Tandoor. It is a cylindrical clay or metal oven, native to south-east Asia and it’s main purpose is to bake these flat breads.
Apart from the various categories mentioned above, it also has different subcategories based on the type of vegetable stuffing it can consist of.
Dal
Dal is the simplest of vegetable curries, and are often served with either boiled rice or some rotis. It is like a stew made from lentils, kidney beans or peas, garnished with Indian spices and herbs.
Mixed Vegetable Kurma (curry)
The method of preparation for most Indian vegetable curries is similar. They use similar ingredients and seasoning. But the ingredient which gives it a distinct taste and flavour are the vegetables.
In the mixed vegetable curry, there is a mix of several tasty vegetables, each enhancing the taste in its way. The most popular choices for the vegetables to be used in the mixed vegetable curry are-. Potatoes, carrots, peas, onions, tomatoes and cauliflower.
Vegetable Biryani
It is spicy vegetable rice made using authentic Indian spices and herbs. It is aromatic, rich in flavor and is a filling one-pot meal. Usually, the rice, spices and vegetables are added to a pot of boiling water and steamed until the rice is cooked.
The rice meanwhile absorbs the flavors of the spices and herbs. The vegetables used to make a vegetable Biryani range from tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, beans, cauliflowers and so much more.
You can mix and match or even add all these veggies, to make a delicious meal of the Indian vegetable Biryani.
Eggplant Curry
Brinjals or Aubergines or Eggplant is one of the most delicious berries, which behaves a lot like a vegetable. Hence, they are used in a lot of Indian kitchens to make curries or fries.
The eggplant curry is not only rich in flavor but is also very nutritious. This spicy delicacy is served with some flat beards or even with some boiled rice.
Pakoras
Pakoras or Pakodas are the Indian equivalents of fritters. It is found in both restaurants in India as well as Indian cuisine restaurants in other parts of the world. The batter is made from chickpeas.
Different types of vegetables like onion, capsicum, mashed potato, are dipped in the batter and feel fried in oil.
Samosa and Kachori
Samosas and Kachoris are savory Indian fried snacks. They are fried dumplings, served with some sour tamarind chutney. Kachori is a round saucer-shaped snack where the filling is made of gram flour, lentils and spices.
Meanwhile, a samosa is a pyramid-shaped snack with a savory filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, or even peas. The vegetable samosa, along with the kachori, is one by far the most loved Indian evening snack, to enjoy with the beverage of your choice.
Chaats
Chaats or Chats are a savory snack, where generally, tiny fried doughs called puris are filled with vegetable stuffing and are served with a wide choice of sauces or gravies on top. The range of Chaats available is so vast, that you one variant of it, in all taste spectrum.
Some are sweet, some spicy, a few of them tangy, some sour. Though most of the chaats you would find in a chaat shop are vegan, avoid one specific version called “Dahi puri”, which used curd as a filling (“dahi” in the Hindi language means “curd”).
There are even chaat versions of samosas and kachoris available where they are used in the place of the puris (crispy fried dough).
There are quite a few amazing Indian dishes we missed out in the list, like Pav Bhaji, Paneer Butter Masala, etc. because there is a high chance these dishes are non -vegan. However, there are vegan alternative recipes that you can try for these.
In simple snack foods like Pav Bhaaji, many hotels use butter to fry the bun or the pav. Other dishes like Paneer Butter Masala, use Paneer which is nothing but fresh Indian Cheese. You can replace paneer with tofu instead, and avoid the use of ghee and butter. If you could avoid these ingredients and replace them with a vegan alternative, you can relish many more Indian dishes as well.