Indian Vegetarian Dishes for Daily Meals
Looking for healthy additions to your daily meals? We’ve listed some Indian vegetarian dishes to try below. (You can look for top local eateries that serve these dishes in an online business directory.)
- Dal Tadka
Originating from northern India, dal tadka is a comforting dish containing yellow split pigeon peas (tuvar dal) or various lentils. Any of these ingredients are cooked until creamy and infused with a tasty tempering of oil, ghee, cumin, garlic, red chillies, and herbs. Once this vegetarian dish is fully cooked, it’s served hot with rice or roti.
Many Indian cooks have made different variations of dal tadka. They use various ingredients, including lentils, as well as spices and herbs that are fried for the dish. But in general, widely available spices and herbs are used.
- Aloo Gobi
If you ask Punjabi or North Indian natives for their top dish among Indian vegetarian recipes, expect aloo gobi as an answer. It’s a simple yet well-loved dish among all Indian people, from the north to outside the country.
Aloo gobi combines tender potatoes (aloo) and fresh cauliflower (gobi) with a blend of spices and herbs. Like dal tadka, this Indian vegetarian dish is a staple eaten every day and prepared in various ways. It’s mostly served dry, but some cooks can make semi-dry and curried variations.
You can eat aloo gobi with any of the following side dishes:
- Roti
- Rice
- Plain Paratha
- Flavored rice
Additionally, the gravy can be paired with butter naan or tandoori roti.
- Vegetable Pulao
Vegetable pulao, also known as Indian pilaf, is a fragrant rice dish featuring colorful vegetables such as peas, carrots, beans, and potatoes. It can be enjoyed on its own or paired with yogurt-based raita, tangy pickles, and a crispy, thin-roasted papad for added texture and flavor.
Many pulao recipes begin by sautéing a mix of spices, vegetables, and rice in oil and ghee. This flavorful base is then cooked in a pressure cooker for convenience and speed. Lightly toasting the spices brings out a mild, aromatic flavor that makes the dish both comforting and satisfying.
- Bhindi Masala
Bhindi is the Hindi word for okra or lady’s fingers. It’s cooked with aromatics, including onions, tomatoes, and some Indian spices and herbs. These ingredients make up the masala, the dish’s sautéed and cooked base.
The key to making the perfect bhindi masala is less sticky okra. After rinsing, drying, and chopping the okra, sauté or fry it for a flavorful dish with a dry texture.
Must-Try Regional Specialties
Besides daily vegetarian meals, people in India’s different regions enjoy dishes unique to their area. Here are some regional vegetarian dishes to try for your next meal.
- Undhiyu
This Gujarati dish is made with fresh produce that is available during the winter in India. You’ll need plenty of time and patience to cook undhiyu, as the vegetables used are cooked or fried in batches.
The meal is traditionally prepared in earthen pots, known as “matlu” in Gujarati and “matka” in Hindi. Cooks close these pots and put them inside a fire pit dug into the ground. Undhiyu is slow-cooked to achieve an earthy, rich flavor.
Undhiyu recipes usually include kand (purple yam), regular yam, sweet potatoes, and baby potatoes. They also feature small brinjals, raw or ripe banana, ivy gourd, Indian flat beans, and fresh pigeon peas. Common side dishes include:
- Pooris
- Aamras
- Shrikhand
- Soft phulkas
- Jowar roti
- Bajra roti
- Avial or Aviyal
While this next dish on our list of meatless Indian recipes comes from Kerala cuisine, it’s also cooked in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It’s included in Sadya, a joyful vegetarian meal served on a plantain leaf.
The Kerala-style avial combines mixed vegetables with fresh coconut, curry leaves, coconut oil, and curd (yogurt). The subtle flavors of curry leaves and coconut oil give this dish its distinctive taste. Steamed rice, sambar, pickle, and some papadoms complete the traditional avial.
- Baingan Bharta
Another well-known staple of Punjabi cuisine, baingan bharta, is made with roasted eggplant, onions, tomatoes, herbs, and a variety of spices. The eggplants are roasted or grilled on a stovetop or over hot charcoal, giving them a smoky flavor.
This North Indian dish shares a similar method of roasting eggplant to that of baba ganoush. However, both need different ingredients to taste amazing. Baingan bharta’s many variations highlight various kinds of spices and herbs, with some cooks adding boiled or steamed green peas or yogurt. Others skip the tomatoes altogether.
Coriander leaves add the finishing touch to baingan bharta. This Indian vegetarian dish can be enjoyed with phulka, chapati, or paratha on the side.
Delicious Dishes for Special Occasions
- Paneer Butter Masala
This tasty, delightful, and rich paneer (cottage cheese) dish features tender paneer cubes immersed in a creamy, tomato-cashew-based sauce. Butter, cream, and flavorful spices are combined in the sauce, which harmoniously unites mildly sour tomato and slightly sweet cream. In turn, you get a sumptuous meal for festive celebrations.
Paneer butter masala goes well with naan, roti, or jeera rice. It’s well-loved because of this combination.
- Vegetable Biryani
Many cooks prepare traditional biryani with pieces of whole, bone-in chicken. However, in this version of the popular Indian dish, any solid vegetable can be used, including carrots, sweet corn, cauliflower, peas, green beans, potatoes, and more.
Along with your choice of vegetables, vegetable biryani also contains long-grain basmati rice, saffron, milk, and infused waters. The last ingredient creates diverse aromas and flavors with whole spices, both of which are enhanced by warm rice.
- Dhokla
India is fond of this Gujarati vegetarian dish, which is made from besan, or gram flour. It’s steamed for a spongy texture and fermented with baking powder and sour ingredients. Bubbles formed during the latter make the batter rise.
Finally, the steamed cake is generously topped with the sweet and sharp syrup called chashni, resulting in a richer-tasting treat.
Dhokla is perfect for any meal, whether it's breakfast, snack time, or larger meals like special feasts. With its sweet-sour-spicy combination, this vegetarian cake showcases the simplicity and savory flavors of Gujarati cuisine.
- Malai Kofta
The tasty malai kofta consists of fried potato and paneer balls, soaked in a decadent, creamy, and mild gravy made with sweet onions and tomatoes. Try this crispy yet creamy dish with roti, paratha, naan, or roomali roti at a celebratory feast.
