Indian cuisine is a gift from God to vegetarians. From thick, buttery stews to sweet mango chutney, here are 30 Indian vegetarian recipes just for you.
If you have decided to go meatless, Indian cuisine will be your new best friend.
While Indian food usually features lamb and chicken, there is also no shortage of vegetarian dishes this colorful cuisine has to offer
.
With their abundance of aromatic spices, Indian recipes create some of the tastiest vegetarian dishes known to man.
So if your diet consists mostly of boring salads, this collection of recipes is calling your name.
Delight your taste buds with a wonderful culinary journey with these Indian vegetarian recipes!
From curry to lassi, this list has everything you need to create a delicious Indian feast.
1. Palak Paneer
Let’s get the ball rolling with the delicious palak paneer. My love for Indian cuisine started with this dish.
Cottage cheese cubes swim in a thick cream made of spinach puree.
Indian spices such as garam masala, cumin and cardamom give it a wonderful touch.
Palak paneer is best eaten with naan, a soft, buttery flatbread.
2. Chana masala chickpea
curry
is a curry-based soup filled with
creamy chickpeas.
Aside from curry, coconut milk and spices make this dish wonderfully creamy and spicy
.
It is a comforting dish that will warm you up on a cold night
.
Chickpea curry is also surprisingly easy to make. It is ready to serve in less than an hour.
Get ready, your kitchen is about to smell like a sky!
3. Jeera rice
Jeera rice is the
side dish you need if you feel hungrier
.
This hearty dish is made of fluffy and starchy basmati rice flavored with aromatic spices
.
Jeera, which is Indian for cumin, gives the rice a pleasant earthy taste
.
Ghee or butter adds a rich flavor, while cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaf give it spices.
The
best part? The dish only takes less than 10 minutes to make!
4. Jeera
Aloo Jeera
is Indian for cumin, while aloo means potatoes. That just tells you how amazing this vegetarian dish is.
Creamy and tender potatoes are sautéed in cumin. Other spices are also added, such as turmeric and chili powder.
A splash of lemon juice contrasts with the spicy, resulting in pleasant and well-balanced flavors.
The dish is very easy to make: 30 minutes, and you’re done! It is also gluten-free and vegan.
5. Dal
The word has many different spellings: dahl, daal, dhal, but they all refer to the same amazing dish: spicy lentils
.
It sounds simple, but wait until you hear what comes on the plate
.
Ghee (a clarified form of butter), cayenne chilies, cloves, ginger, curry, cumin, tomato, the list goes on and on!
Pour dal into a bed of basmati rice for a hearty lunch or dinner
.
6. Malai Kofta Malai
kofta, which means “buttery spiced balls,” is a rich curry stew loaded with potatoes and paneer (cottage cheese). The balls and
curry sauce are delicious on their own, but together, they create magic
.
With this dish, you will be delighted with one delicious taste after another!
Salty, salty, spicy, rich, creamy, crunchy: every bite is truly heavenly
. 7. Jalfrezi
Mixed Vegetable Recipe Jalfrezi
is made from 90% vegetables and 10% spices. It’s 100% amazing.
With this dish, you will enjoy a mixture of peppers, corn, carrots, green beans, peas, tomatoes, onions, the works!
In addition to flavor are turmeric, cumin, garam masala and ginger, to name a few.
From vibrant colors to delicious flavors, jalfrezi gets a 12 out of 10.
8. Bhindi Masala Bhindi masala is a dish made of okra, tomatoes and onions. Bhindi
means “okra,” while “masala” refers to a curry base flavored with onions, tomatoes, spices, and herbs. Bhindi
masala
is then basically okra curry
.
Because it is quite spicy, bhindi masala is best enjoyed with rice
. The starchy garnish helps reduce
heat. Roti and naan pan work, too.
9. Aloo
Chaat Aloo
chat is a dish of roasted potatoes. The potatoes are cooked in ghee for a buttery flavor and topped with spices for a little heat.
Cumin powder, chaat
masala, mango powder, and salt are just a few of the flavors you can expect from this addictive treat
.
Aloo chaat is best eaten with tamarind chutney, which gives a sweet and syrupy contrast with the dry and spicy snack
.
10. Pakora Pakora
Vegetable is another crispy potato chip snack. Warning: this snack is highly addictive!
The potatoes, along with another vegetable, are cut into strips and seasoned with turmeric, chili and more spices, and fried until crispy.
Think chips, but much tastier!
However, instead of ketchup, pakora is dipped in sweet chutney, giving you a wonderful sweet and savory bite.
11. Onion Bhajis Onion bhajis
are crispy fried fritters enjoyed as an appetizer or appetizer. Think of them as onion rings, only better.
These treats are crunchy as they can be. Spiral onions are covered with chickpea flour and seasoned with Indian spices and fried to perfection.
They are incredibly addictive but surprisingly vegan and gluten-free!
12.
Matar Paneer
peas and
cottage cheese (paneer) are cooked in a tomato-based sauce flavored with aromatic spices
.
While I can’t get enough of palak paneer, this similar dish is also just as delicious
.
The crispy, chewy peas plus the smooth, creamy cheese create such a fun texture contrast. The tasty sauce is simply delicious, too.
13. Gobi 65
(Cauliflower
65) Gobi 65 is
an Indian snack with cauliflower
.
Gobi means cauliflower, so part of the name is pretty straightforward.
What is not clear, however, is the “65”. Some believe the dish was invented in 1965, while others say it refers to the amount of chili peppers added to the dish.
Regardless of what you choose to believe, we can all agree that this dish is excellent
.
Cauliflower florets are battered and fried and flavored with herbs and spices
.
14. Samosas
Vegetable Samosa is the Indian version of the Mexican empanada
.
While it usually has a salty meat filling, there are also vegetarian fillings, as
in this recipe.
For this recipe, the filling is made from potatoes and peas flavored with garlic, ginger and Indian spices.
You can form the bark in different shapes: triangles, crescents, cones, but they will all taste the same – delicious.
15. Vegetable Kabab with Potato and Cauliflower
These plant-based kebabs are vegan, gluten-free, and incredibly
delicious.
Finely chopped potatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, green peas and carrots are seasoned with spices and balls formed
.
Then they can be baked or fried, no matter, they are delicious either way
.
16. Indian Tomato Soup
Sweet and refreshing tomatoes are infused with cream and seasoned with cayenne, ginger, garam masala and turmeric
.
It’s like their regular tomato soup, but on steroids
.
The sweetness of the tomatoes plus the richness of butter and cream and the warmth of the spices make this soup very special.
Ready in less than an hour, this Indian tomato soup is very easy to make!
17. Papdi
Chaat Papdi
chaat is a popular Indian street food. I like to think of it as the Indian version of Mexican tacos.
Crispy papdi or flour cookies are topped with potatoes, onions, chickpeas, chutney and yogurt.
It is a true mixture of colors, textures and flavors! It is sweet, salty, spicy, sour and lip-piercing in every bite.
18. Chutney Mango
Chutney is a sweet, spicy and spicy condiment
made from fruits or vegetables.
It can be used as a spread, sauce or sauce to add flavor to a variety of dishes
.
This chutney recipe combines ripe mangoes, ginger, garlic and onion to create a wonderful combination of flavors
.
I love how it changes from sweet to spicy to spicy as you eat it!
19. Pan Naan
Who doesn’t love naan bread? The popular Indian flatbread is as soft and buttery as it can be.
It’s great with curry and stews, but it’s also great on its own
.
While naan is very similar to chapati and roti (which are the same thing), it is a bit fluffier and more padded because it is made of yeast
.
20. Aloo Paratha Paratha
is the Indian word for flatbread. Like naan, it is an Indian staple that is usually eaten for breakfast.
Classic parathas are great, but potatoes make everything better. Aloo paratha refers to flatbread stuffed with potatoes.
Potatoes are seasoned with cilantro, ginger and spices to add flavor
.
If you need to load carbs, this is the recipe for you!
21. Aloo
Puri Aloo puri
is a breakfast dish of boiled potatoes and tomato puree seasoned with spices
.
This rich potato sauce is served with fried bread called puri.
The tandem of hearty soup and crispy puffed bread will blow your taste buds! The texture contrast is purely striking.
No wonder it is a popular combination in India
.
22. Rava Pongal Pongal refers
to rice, which is a staple in Indian cuisine. Rava Pongal is a rice alternative made from dal (lentils) and sooji (semolina).
The best thing about this dish is that it does a good job of imitating the texture of rice!
Because its ingredients are healthier, you’ll get a healthier dish.
Serve rava Pongal with coconut chutney and ginger tea for a hearty and refreshing meal.
23. Uttapam Oats
Oatmeal Uttapam is a unique dish made from ground oatmeal, yogurt and grits
.
The dough is pan-fried to create crispy, fluffy pancakes. Served with coconut chutney, it’s a hearty breakfast.
You can add more color, flavor, and texture to your uttapam by loading it with vegetables.
24. Aloo
Gobi Aloo
means
potatoes, while gobi means cauliflower. Aloo gobi is a delicious dinner of steamed cauliflower and potatoes.
Potatoes and cauliflower aren’t exactly full of flavor, but don’t worry, that’s what Indian spices are for!
Sautéed with seven different spices: ginger, turmeric, and cumin, to name a few, aloo gobi is anything but bland.
25
. Paneer Soup
Paneer soup is rich, creamy and wonderfully spicy. Paneer
,
as you now know, is Indian cottage cheese. It is achieved by combining milk with an acid based on vegetables or fruits.
The result is a rich cheese with a pleasant curd consistency
.
While the paneer is definitely the star, the broth is also quite amazing
.
A mixture of coconut milk, curry, ginger and garlic, is definitely a lip snap
.
26. Cauliflower Curry Soup
This
cauliflower soup is not only vegetarian, but also vegan, so plant-based dieters, rejoice! This
vibrant, creamy soup has curry and coconut milk as a base. It also features cauliflower, as you might have guessed.
However, apart from cauliflower, the soup also tastes like sweet apples. It seems like a strange combination, but it absolutely works.
27. Palak Soup
The spinach puree makes this palak soup green and cool!
Spinach alone has no taste, but this soup is nothing more than that
.
Flavored with heavy cream and spices, don’t be surprised if you find yourself licking the bowl. It’s Indian homemade food at its best.
28. Rice Kheer (Indian Rice pudding)
There’s always room for dessert! However, this Indian rice pudding is not only sweet.
Cardamom gives it a touch of warmth and spices
.
The pudding is soft and creamy, while the crushed nuts give it an impressive crunch
.
An optional splash of rose water also gives it a mild floral flavor
.
29. Mango Lassi Mango lassi
is
similar to a mango smoothie, but it is a thousand times
better.
I can’t get enough
of how thick this drink is!
It uses not only milk but also yogurt, so the result is a much thicker and creamier drink
.
Best of all, this recipe couldn’t be easier to make.
Just throw mangoes, milk, yogurt, sugar and cinnamon in a blender and puree.
30
. Phirini
Phirini or firni is an Indian pudding typically served on holidays. That just tells you how special this dessert is.
Phirini is mainly made from basmati rice. Aromatic spices such as saffron, cardamom and rose water give it flavor.
The secret to achieving a smooth and creamy phirini is to slowly cook the rice in milk. Patience is key, and the result is rewarding.
