12 recipes
Vegan Indian recipes
Vegan Indian recipes exclude dairy alongside meat, fish and eggs, which is a smaller change than it sounds because pulses, grains and vegetables already carry most Indian cooking. Vitamin B12 must be supplemented, and calcium and protein need deliberate planning.
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.
Every vegan recipe
Each one carries its method, its nutrition note and the reason it belongs here.
Bengali Shukto (Mixed Vegetable Bitter Curry)
Shukto is a traditional Bengali mixed vegetable curry from West Bengal, built on bitter gourd and a medley of seasonal vegetables in a light…
Vegetarian · VeganRecipePakhala Bhata (Odisha Fermented Rice)
Pakhala bhata is a traditional Odisha dish of cooked rice soaked in water and left to ferment overnight, then served cold with a tempering o…
Vegetarian · VeganRecipeAloo Gobi (Potato & Cauliflower Dry Curry)
Aloo gobi is a North Indian dry curry of potatoes and cauliflower cooked together with turmeric, cumin and a light blend of spices until ten…
Vegetarian · VeganRecipeAssamese Khar (Alkaline Raw Papaya & Lentil Dish)
Khar is an Assamese main course, and also the name of its defining ingredient: a filtered alkaline water traditionally made from banana-peel…
Vegetarian · VeganRecipeNaga-style Bamboo Shoot Curry
Naga-style bamboo shoot curry is a Northeast Indian side dish from Nagaland, made by simmering fermented or fresh bamboo shoot with minimal…
Vegetarian · VeganRecipeSikkimese Gundruk Soup (Fermented Leafy Green Soup)
Gundruk soup is a Sikkimese side dish made from gundruk, sun-dried and fermented mustard or radish leaves, simmered into a thin, tangy broth…
Vegan · Gut-healthRecipeFruit Chaat (Spiced Mixed Fruit Salad)
Fruit chaat is a mixed fruit salad tossed with lemon juice, chaat masala and a little black salt, giving sweet seasonal fruit a tangy, savou…
Vegan · Kid-friendlyRecipeSprouts Salad (Moong or Chana Sprout Salad)
Sprouts salad is a fresh, no-cook dish made from sprouted moong beans or chickpeas tossed with chopped onion, tomato, cucumber, lemon juice…
Vegan · High-proteinRecipeChettinad Vegetable Kurma
Chettinad vegetable kurma is a South Indian main course from Tamil Nadu's Chettinad region, in which mixed vegetables are simmered in a spic…
Vegetarian · VeganRecipePesarattu (Whole Green Gram Dosa)
Pesarattu is an Andhra Pradesh breakfast crepe made from a batter of whole green gram (moong dal), ground with ginger and green chillies and…
Vegan · High-proteinRecipeKokum Sherbet (Cooling Kokum Fruit Drink)
Kokum sherbet is a chilled Western Indian beverage made from the tart, dried rind of the kokum fruit, sweetened and spiced with roasted cumi…
Vegan · Gut-healthRecipeUndhiyu (Gujarati Mixed Winter Vegetable Casserole)
Undhiyu is a Gujarati main course of mixed winter vegetables, including purple yam, sweet potato and surti papdi beans, slow-cooked together…
Vegetarian · VeganRecipe01Protein without dairy
Curd and paneer are the convenient concentrated protein sources in Indian vegetarian eating, and removing them makes the volume problem sharper rather than creating a new one.
The answer is soya, which is the highest-protein vegetarian food in an ordinary Indian shop and is complete in amino acid profile — soya chunks, tofu and soya flour. Alongside it, whole grams and sprouted pulses, peanuts and other nuts, and besan preparations. Sources and quantities are in vegetarian protein sources in Indian food.
02Plant milks, honestly
Soya milk is the closest nutritional substitute for dairy milk, being comparable in protein. Almond, coconut, oat and rice milks are generally low in protein and are not nutritionally equivalent, whatever the packaging suggests — they are a beverage rather than a dairy replacement.
If you use them, choose fortified versions where available, and do not assume they supply calcium or B12 unless the label says so.
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.
What people ask about vegan Indian food
Expand any question to read the answer in full.
Is Indian food easy to make vegan?
Unusually so. Most dals, sabzis, rice preparations and much of South Indian cuisine are already free of animal products or become so by substituting oil for ghee. The adjustments are mainly around dairy-based dishes and sweets. What requires more thought is not the cooking but the nutritional planning, particularly vitamin B12 and calcium.
Do vegans in India need B12 supplements?
Yes. Vitamin B12 occurs reliably only in animal foods, so a vegan diet has no dependable dietary source. Deficiency develops slowly and silently and causes neurological damage that is not fully reversible, so supplementation is necessary rather than optional. Have your B12 status tested and follow medical advice on dosage.
How do vegans get enough calcium on an Indian diet?
Ragi is the strongest plant source available in Indian cooking and stands comparison with dairy. Sesame seeds, particularly ground, drumstick and amaranth leaves, almonds and fortified plant milks all contribute. Absorption depends on adequate vitamin D, which is widely deficient in India regardless of diet and worth testing rather than assuming.
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Knowing why a dish works is the professional skill
Anyone can follow a method. Building a plan around a household's budget, kitchen and condition — and knowing when it stops being your call — is what a qualification teaches.