Vegan in India: navigating ghee, paneer, and curd (2026 guide)
India's vegetarian heritage is huge, but vegan eating means avoiding ghee, paneer, curd, and honey. Dishes to order, dishes to skip, and Hindi phrases.
May 29, 2026 · 6 min read · By VeggieOS Editorial
India has the world's highest share of vegetarians and a vast plant-based culinary heritage — but strict vegans need to navigate ghee, paneer, curd, and honey, which appear in many "vegetarian" dishes by default.
Naturally vegan Indian dishes
- Chana masala, chole bhature (confirm without ghee)
- Aloo gobi, baingan bharta, bhindi masala
- Dal tadka / dal fry — most are vegan, some use ghee
- Sambar, rasam, idli, dosa (plain or masala) — South Indian staples, almost always vegan
- Pav bhaji — request without butter on top
- Roti, chapati, puri — usually vegan; naan often contains yogurt or milk
Supermarkets & city tips
- BigBasket, Blinkit, Zepto: filter by "Vegan" — huge ranges in metro cities.
- Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi: dedicated vegan restaurants and cafés (Imagine Meats, GoodDot, Plantmade).
- South India is the easiest region — most temple food and Udupi cuisine is naturally vegan.
Watch out for
- Ghee — clarified butter; the default cooking fat in much of India. Always ask "bina ghee ke".
- Paneer, curd (dahi), butter, malai, khoya — in countless gravies and sweets.
- Honey (shahad) — common in lemon-honey drinks and some pickles.
- Cashew/cream-based gravies (kaju, makhani) often contain cream — ask before ordering.
Useful phrases
- Main vegan hoon (Hindi) — "I'm vegan"
- Bina ghee, bina makhan, bina doodh, bina paneer, bina dahi
- Kya aapke paas vegan options hain? — "Do you have vegan options?"