Vegan Indian recipes

Indian cuisine adapts to a vegan diet more easily than most, because so much of it is already built on pulses, grains, vegetables and oil rather than on animal products. A great deal of South Indian food, most sabzis, all the dals and much of the street-food repertoire is either already vegan or becomes so by leaving out the ghee.

What genuinely changes is nutritional planning, and there are two items on that list that are not optional.

Vitamin B12 occurs reliably only in animal foods. A vegan diet has no meaningful dietary source, and deficiency develops slowly with neurological consequences that are not fully reversible. Supplementation is required, not optional, and B12 status is worth testing rather than assuming.

Calcium loses its most convenient source when dairy goes. Ragi is the standout replacement and is genuinely comparable to dairy, alongside sesame, drumstick and amaranth leaves, and almonds. See calcium-rich Indian foods.

These recipes are general nutrition education, not personal medical advice. If you are managing a diagnosed condition, are pregnant, or take regular medication, confirm any dietary change with the doctor treating you.