If you’ve been reading our blog for any time at all, you’ll know that we’re obsessed with vegan Indian dishes!
Maybe it’s down to my West Midlands upbringing, or just the fact that Brits love curry and all things Indian food, but it's just the best.
That’s why we cook so many vegan Indian recipes. The flavours are amazing, it's a comforting food and often so much easier to make than you might think. And yes, we even eat curry in the summer!
However, it’s not just curries on offer. There's Indian style breads, chutneys, raita, and even snacks like pakoras and samosas. The list of vegan Indian dishes to try is basically endless.
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Before we get into the best ever vegan Indian dishes on the internet, here are some of our pro tips:
🔪 How to make vegan Indian food: pro tips
Of course, every vegan Indian recipe is different. But if you follow the tips below, you’ll have all the basic ingredients needed to make a lot of vegan Indian dishes, just waiting for you in the pantry! You can then add niche ingredients as and when you need them.
Spices
We’d recommend keeping a load of spices – whole and powdered – in your spice drawer.
Not just because having a full spice rack makes us happy like you wouldn’t believe, but they’re very useful too, of course! And you’d be surprised at how quickly they run out when you’re cooking vegan Indian recipes. Here are the basics:
Ground spices:
Cumin powder
Coriander powder
Chilli powder (spicy and mild)
Curry powder
Turmeric powder
Garam masala powder
Cayenne Powder
Whole spices:
Cumin seeds
Black peppercorns
Mustard seeds
Whole coriander
Cardamom pods
Cloves
Once you have these in your cupboard, you can start adding to your collection as and when recipes call for different spices.
Things like fennel powder, star anise and cinnamon sticks (to name just a few) are great to have in your spice rack, but aren’t as commonly used. Managing your spices like this also helps to spread the cost!
🍅 Core ingredients
It’s also worthwhile mentioning a few more core ingredients. These are items that will be used again and again in a number of different recipes. We recommend keeping them in the cupboard (or pantry) and adding them to your weekly shopping list!
- Passata – canned tomatoes can be a little bitter sometimes. Using passata instead of chopped tomatoes creates a sauce that’s smooth and delicate. We’re not saying tinned tomatoes aren’t good – they are (read the next point below) – but if you want a sauce that’s smooth and creamy, go for passata instead. This is my favourite curry ‘trick’! If it can be called a ‘trick’ that is...
- Tinned tomatoes – the base of so many curries! We recommend buying chopped tinned tomatoes, as they spread out in the sauce a lot easier than whole tomatoes. If you want a chunky sauce with bits of tomatoes throughout, go for tinned tomatoes. It's a key ingredient in so many vegan Indian dishes.
- Tomato puree – enhance the flavour of your sauces, and it creates deep richness in sauces. Lots of supermarkets now offer double strength tomato puree, so the tube goes twice as far!
- Cashews – not a traditional ingredient, but when soaked and blended up, it makes the most perfect cream alternative. A shop bought vegan cream also works well, but if you can’t find that, cashews are the next best thing, or better, some might say.
- Vegan yoghurt – used to make creamy kormas, cooling sauces and fluffy naans, so you’ll need a good (plain and unsweetened) vegan yoghurt on hand.
- Onions – the base of many great vegan Indian dishes. If you’re not in a hurry, cooking onions down for around 20-25 minutes until brown creates the greatest base for curries.
So here it is, our favourite vegan Indian dishes from the internet. Featuring bloggers from all over the world!
🍛 Main Dishes
1. Vegetable Tikka Masala
2. Easy Vegetable Bhuna
3. Jackfruit Curry in under 60 Minutes
4. Zero Waste Quorn and Veg Jalfrezi in 30 minutes
5. Matar Dal
6. Deliciously Creamy Mushroom Korma
7. Red Lentil Curry
8. Vegan Cauliflower Curry with Madras Sauce
9. Falafel Curry
10. Creamy Vegetable Pasanda
11. Vegan Butter Chicken
12. Vegan Dahl with Red Lentils
13. Palak Tofu
14. Vegan Chicken Tikka Masala
15. Kothu Parotta in 30 Minutes
16. Aubergine and Cauliflower Curry
17. Seitan Curry in 20 Minutes
18. Vegetable Rogan Josh In 30 Minutes
19. Mixed Veg Curry [Zero Waste]
20. Simple Mushroom Biryani In 40 Minutes
21. Perfect Biryani Gravy in 7 Easy Steps
22. Creamy Vegan Korma In Under 45 Minutes
23. Palak Chana
24. Masoor Dal
25. Pea, Tofu & Tomato Curry
26. Whole Masoor Chickpea Dal
27. Dal-Tadka
28. Ginger Dal
29. Punjabi Chole
30. Pumpkin Coconut Curry
31. Mushroom Matar
32. Garlic Urad Dal Fry
🍚 Sides
It's all about the sides! When it comes to vegan Indian dishes, there's got to be sides. Let's not forget the bhajis, pakoras and rice!
33. Aubergine Bhaji
34. Vegan Saag Aloo in 25 Minutes
35. Mushroom Bhaji
36. Air Fryer Onion Bhajis (Onion Pakoras)
37. How To Make Easy 15-Minute Pilau Rice
38. Potato & Pea Pakoras
39. Cabbage Stir Fry
40. Bombay Aloo
41. Batata Vada (Indian Potato Fritters)
42. Aloo Pakora
43. Onion Pakoda
44. Potato & Pea Samosas
45. Masala Grilled Cheese (Vegan)
46. Bread Pakora
47. Vegetable Pakora
48. Leek & Celeriac Pakoras
49. Aloo Tiki
50. Onion Pakoda
🇮🇳 Indian Bread
The ultimate dipping item for vegan Indian dishes! A lot of Indian bread – like naan or roti, would use some form of dairy item. None of these do though!
51. Ultimate Vegan Naan Bread
52. Easy 3 Ingredient Vegan Roti
53. Indian Chapati
54. Chickpea Flour Pancakes
55. Poori
🥭 Chutneys and Condiments
It's not just curries and dals when it comes to vegan Indian dishes! Let's not forget about the all-important condiments. What would you dip your poppadoms in otherwise?
56. Simple Vegan Raita In 5 Minutes
57. Mango Chutney
58. Tomato Chutney
59. Coconut Chutney
60. Coriander Sauce
61. Sweet Tamarind Chutney
There you have it! A jam packed list of over 50 vegan Indian dishes to inspire you to cook vegan Indian food. It has been an absolute joy to compile this list.
If we've missed your favourite vegan Indian recipe, let us know in the comments below! And don't forget to pin this list for later if you're on Pinterest. You never know when you'll need some fresh dinner inspiration.
Bhawna Brennan
These recipes are truly authentic and reminds me of the good old fashioned cooking my mum did Gujarati style .
Very impressed and the recipes and instructions are so easy to follow.
Well done
adiraj
My brother's western white wife loves many of these recipes and prepares them very well. But my western GF does not like much spices. She is into sweet things.
Choclette
What a very splendid feast. I adore curry and there’s plenty here to keep me happy for some time to come.
Robyn
These all look amazing recipes, I can't wait to try so many of them very soon!