If you are looking to make some Indian food, look no further. This collection of 8 easy vegan Indian recipes has something sure to please every tastebud. From lentils, chickpeas, spinach, peas, and potatoes, there is a full collection of delicious curry flavor!
8 Easy Vegan Indian Recipes
1. Aloo Mutter
Aloo mutter is Hindi for curried potatoes and peas. This vegan dish is a delicious yet satisfying dish. It is commonly seen on many Indian buffets and packed full of flavors. Throw it together and serve with a side of roti or naan.
2. Bhindi Masala
Bhindi masala is another name for curried okra. This vegan dish uses equal parts okra and onion to make a flavor packed dish that is light on calories and super healthy.
3. Dal Tadka (Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker)
Dal tadka is another name for curried yellow lentils. This dish is made in the instant pot or pressure cooker and is one that is quite simple to make. It is a staple meal in many Indian households and is also a common dish found on buffets.
4. Chana Masala with Sautéed Greens
Chana masala is a curried chickpeas dish that is very common in North India. Typically it is served with rice or some sort of bread (chapati or naan). This recipe includes a sautéed greens to up the vegetable intake, but is delicious!
5. Aloo Gobi
Aloo gobi is a curried cauliflower and potato dish. This vegan dish is a favorite among my family and it’s packed full of vegetables. Serve it along with some bread and you have well rounded meal.
6. Pinto Bean Rajma Masala
Rajma masala is typically made with kidney bean, but this twist uses pinto beans instead. It’s really easy to make if you have a can of pinto beans at the ready and goes great with a side of bread or white rice. This is vegan friendly and packed with protein!
7. Chapati (Roti)
Chapati or roti is the name of the day to day bread served with most Indian meals. While naan is the more commonly known bread, it is higher in carbs and fat than chapati. Chapati are thinner and can be made with whole wheat flour to get higher fiber! They’re simple and require no time to rise.
8. Chana Palak
Chana palak is a curried spinach and chickpeas dish that is vegan friendly. The wilted spinach is ground up prior to the addition of the chickpeas. It can be ground to your liking (really well ground versus partially ground as pictured below). This is a great way to get in lots of veggies and serves well with roti or white rice.
While this is not all of our Indian recipes it is a list of some of our favorites. Indian food is great because most of the vegetable dishes are inherently vegan or can be easily made vegan by swapping out cream for cashew cream or coconut milk (even almond milk for that matter). The bread is also quite simple to make, just mix up the dough and roll it into flat circles. Then heat on a skillet.
Another pro of Indian food is it’s relatively cheap to make. Once you have all of the spices, you just need whatever the heart of the dish is (usually onions and either another vegetable or peas/lentils/chickpeas/beans). That makes your trips to the grocery store cheaper! Many of these recipes can be made in an Instant Pot, which I highly recommend.
Let me know what you thought of these easy vegan Indian recipes in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you. 🙂
-Cassie