Vegan Recipes | List of 140 Indian Vegan Recipes

Indian Vegan Recipes – We often associate vegan food with eating raw fruits and vegetables. However, there is a much greater variety in vegan cuisine than it initially seems. This holds even more true in Indian cuisine, where most dishes are inherently vegan or can be made so with simple substitutions.

What is a vegan?

Veganism is a way of living that attempts to exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty be it for food, clothing or any other purpose.

Vegan recipes are a subclass of vegetarian food. Apart from the consumption of meat and fish excluded in vegetarian food, a vegan diet also excludes eating diary products, eggs etc.

Vegans avoid meat and animal agriculture products for many reasons.

Foremost is because they believe in an animal’s freedom and equal right to life.
Also many believe that a vegan diet improves health, prolongs life or helps to lose weight or lower disease risk.
In addition to above many vegans believe that avoiding the consumption of animal products, will lead to a reduced environmental footprint.

What are some vegan dishes?

Indian cuisine consists of a wide variety of vegan dishes. Indian vegan recipes include a plethora of vegetable based curries, lentil dishes, flat breads like rotis & parathas etc, rice, salads & desserts. A majority of the recipes on this blog are in fact vegan.

Other cuisines also include a wide variety of vegan dishes like nachos with salsa and guacamole, veggie burgers, tomato onion capsicum pizzas, bean burritos, hummus veg wraps, veg sandwiches, vegan frito pie, vegetable hakka noodles, variety of soups etc. to name a few.

In general many vegan recipes lay emphasis on including a variety of whole grains as well as a wide range of fruits and vegetables from health point of view and vegan range of food is catching up with new recipes springing up fast.

Common vegan substitutes

Eating vegan food does not means munching only raw carrot sticks or salad. There are plenty of mouth watering dishes that can be made without use of any animal products.

While there are many delicious dishes which are inherently vegan, many other dishes can easily be made vegan by simple substitution of animal products with other items.

Meat-based ingredients are generally swapped for plant based proteins like beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds, seitan, tempeh, jackfruit etc. in vegan recipes.
Similarly dairy products may be replaced with plant milks like soya milk, almond milk etc.
Eggs can be substituted by tofu, flaxseeds or chia seeds depending on the recipes.
Honey can be substituted by molasses, maple syrup etc.

Vegan substitutes for Indian ingredients

While many Indian recipes are already vegan, most of the other vegetarian recipes can be made vegan with very simple substitutions. Here is a list of vegan substitutes for commonly used ingredients in Indian vegetarian recipes.

Paneer – Paneer is a very important part of Indian vegetarian cuisine, and is used for making various gravies & appetizers. You can use tofu as a vegan substitute for paneer in most dishes.
Cream – A lot of Indian curries call for addition of cream to add richness to the gravy. Cashew cream is the best vegan substitute for cream. It can be made by soaking cashews in warm water and blending into a smooth paste. In some recipes, coconut cream can also be used, however that will slightly change the taste of the dish.
Milk and yogurt – Milk can be easily replaced with soy milk or almond milk. Similarly any non-dairy yogurt made from soy, almond or coconut milk can be used in recipes.
Ghee & butter – Butter & ghee can be replaced with vegetable oils, shortenings, vegan margarines or oil based butters.

Suggested recipe collections

List of Indian Vegan Recipes

Here we cover some of the popular Indian vegan recipes, including a variety of delicious snacks, curries, rice, breads, salads and desserts. The post is divided in sections based on the type of dish.

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What is a vegan?

What are some vegan dishes?

Common vegan substitutes

Vegan substitutes for Indian ingredients

Suggested recipe collections

List of Indian Vegan Recipes

Indian Vegan Snacks Recipes

Indian Vegan Curries & Dal (Lentil Dishes)

Vegan Rice Recipes

Vegan Indian Breads

Vegan Accompaniments – Salads, Chutneys, Dips & Pickles

Vegan Desserts

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