Indian dinner recipes for the home cooks that can be made easily and efficiently. With this vast collection of vegetarian Indian recipes you will experience the authentic flavor of Indian cooking at your home, better than any takeout or restaurant. Many of the recipes are so easy to make for beginners too with ingredients available in your kitchen.
Please scroll through for a super large collection of dinner recipes from Indian cuisine ranging from curries to pilafs to flatbreads to one pot comfort food recipes. The recipes are mix of north and south Indian cuisine.
So what are you waiting for? Take your pick, grab the recipe and happy cooking!
While breakfast and lunch are most often eaten in a hurry either at office or home, dinner is a more relaxed affair enjoyed as family. Also given to our busy life most of the get togethers and parties we host tend to be dinner parties.
This list of veg recipes contain bot light as well as hearty dinner ideas that you can make for the family as well as guests. You can make these main course recipes both for dinner and lunch. I have also mentioned what you can serve with each recipe.
The list includes dinner recipes from north Indian as well as south Indian cuisine. The list includes some rice recipes as we do serve rice for dinner in south India. You can however choose rotis over rice and make rice recipes for lunch if you wish.
In south India we even serve some breakfast specials like idli, dosa for dinner as they are super easy to make. Variety rice like lemon rice, curd rice, coconut milk pulao are also prefered for dinner especially when we have guests.
while dinner eaten at home is mostly light and comforting, we do make specials like biryani, dal makhani, naan types for guests. This list includes a good mix of both restaurant style and home style, rich and light dinner recipes. You might also like to check
North Indian Dinner Recipes
Rajma Recipe– Classic Punjabi rajma masala or kidney beans curry often served for dinner or lunch. Rajma chawal is a comfort food for many north Indian folks. Piping hot steamed basmati rice or jeera rice, rajama and a salad is so good and filling. This curry is one of the best choices for entertaining. This recipe will yield you one of the best tasting rajma curry.
Paneer butter masala is the most popular restaurant style paneer curry that is loved not only in India but across the globe. It is actually a very easy to make one. This is best paired with butter naan, kulcha, jeera rice. It is the vegetarian version of popular butter chicken or murgh makhani. With this recipe you can make absolutely delicious, restaurant style paneer butter masala at home in less than 45 minutes. Also check out this paneer makhani and more paneer recipes.
Chole Recipe– Yet another Punjabi special curry you can serve with roti, naan and poori. If you feel chole might be a bit heavy for dinner, you can make this chana masala for lunch. It is a dish made by simmering cooked chickpeas in a flavorful onion tomato masala. You can also check out this amritsari chole, spinach chickpea curry recipes. You can also check out this easy instant pot chickpea curry. My keeper recipe will help you make best chole masala. Vegan recipe.
Kadai Paneer is one more popular restaurant style paneer curry made with fresh spice blend called kadai masala and Indian cottage cheese. This recipe yields best restaurant style kadai paneer made at the comfort of your home. Serve as side dish with rice, naan, roti. Also check this veg kadai.
Veg Makhanwala– Restaurant style mixed veg curry dish made in the lines of paneer butter masala. You can make tis ric curry as a part of menu for dinner party and serve with jeera rice, naan and a salad.
Dal makhani is a rich, creamy and wholesome north Indian dal with whole black gram. It is one of the most popular north Indian lentil curry that goes very well with jeera rice, butter naan, kulcha, steamed basmati rice. This slow cooked curry is always a crowd favorite and a wonderful option for a special dinner menu.
Palak Paneer is yet another super popular Indian paneer curry with spinach gravy or sauce as base. It is made with very less ingredients and quite easy to make. This recipe is my keeper one for more than a decade and gives you one of the best palak paneer curry.
Dal Fry is the most popular, sought after, light everyday lentil curry made in most north Indian homes. It is a healthy, flavorful and most comforting dish with rice, phulks. You can also check this instant pot dal recipe and this dhaba dal for a robust version with Indian spices. Tastes yum with steamed rice and ghee, makes for a comforting Indian dinner. Also check dal tadka, moong dal, chana dal recipes.
Shahi paneer is a rich and comforting paneer curry with delicate flavors. Unlike many spicy Indian curries, this dish is rich, delicate and very very mild in taste. It does not use Serve with naan bread or peas pulao for lunch or dinner.
Aloo paratha is a delicious, hearty and wholesome Indian whole wheat flatbread with spiced potato filling. It is a complete meal in itself that tastes very good with just some pickle or curd.
Bhindi masala is a tasty, popular and easy to make okra curry with onion tomato base. You can quickly make this with pantry staples. It tastes very good with phulka, jeera rice or even biryani rice.
Veg pulao is a delicious, hearty, quick and easy to make one pot meal filled with veggies. You can serve this rice with a simple onion raita, veg raita or any rich paneer curry. Also check paneer pulao.
Naan is a super popular, fluffy, light and outright delicious Indian flatbread. It is a leavened flatbread that is best for scooping up all those delicious Indian curries. Serve with a pat of garlic butter and your fav curry. Also check butter kulcha recipe, garlic naan, vegan naan.
South Indian Dinner Recipes
Veg korma is a south Indian curry made with mixed vegetables and fresh spice paste with almonds, coconut etc. It tastes very good with chapathi, rice when served hot.
bisi bele bath is an easy, tasty and comforting rice and lentils dish from Karnataka. It is made with rice, toor dal, vegetables and special spice powder called bisi bele masala. It is an easy dish that you fix for crowd and goes very well with potato curry, potato chips, raita and papad. Also check vangi bath, masala rice recipes.
lemon rice is a super easy to make quick fix dinner if you have cooked rice. It takes just 10 minutes to make lemon rice and one of the best suited choice for entertaining. Tastes good even at room temperature. Best served with potato chips, potato fry, okra fry, arbi fry.
Tomato rice is yet another easy to make dish with cooked rice. If you have leftover rice from lunch, you can easily convert it to tomato rice for dinner in 20 minutes. Serve with potato curry or raita.
Sambar is a popular south Indian dish made with lentils, mixed vegetables, tamarind and a spice blend called sambar powder. This recipe yields you a very tasty traditional sambar with authentic flavors. You can serve this with rice, ghee and any vegetable side like okra fry, cabbage fry, raw banana fry. If you have leftover sambar from lunch you can serve it with idli, dosa or upma for dinner. Also check idli sambar recipe.
Veg stew is a wonderful, light and easy to male veg curry that is not overly spicy. This is one of those easy Indian dinner recipes you can make for a large gathering and serve with rice or string hoppers. It is best suited for entertaining.
Veg biryani is a popular, classic and delicious rice dish from Hyderabadi cuisine. This dum veg biryani is vegetarian variation for popular chicken biryani and one of the most loved and preferred dish for entertaining. Best served with bagara baingan, mirch ka salan. Also check paneer biryani, biryani rice, saffron rice recipes.
More Popular Indian Dinner Recipes
Fried rice is one of the most sought after indo chinese restaurant style dish preferred by ail. It can be very quickly made at home with my classic recipe and tastes so good. It is easy to make fried rice for a crowd and takes very less time. If you have leftover cooked rice from the day, you can easily make this dish for dinner. Tastes so good on its own but for special dinner you can serve with gobi manchurian, veg manchurian too.
Aloo gobi is a very easy to make classic punjabi curry with potatoes and cauliflower. It is again one of those easiest Indian food to make yet taste very special and gourmet. This recipe gives you one of the best home style aloo gobi with Indian spices like garam masala. You can also make aloo gobi matar, gobi matar, aloo matar, gajar matar recipes.
Dum aloo is one more restaurant style potato recipe popular through out India. It is made in various ways and tastes excellent with naan, jeera rice. Also check malai kofta.
Paneer tikka masala is a special, exotic paneer curry that is very popular across the globe and one of the most loved restaurant style curry. You can serve this with naan, jeera rice or plain basmati rice too. This is a vegetarian variation for chicken tikka masala. You can also check vegan tofu tikka masala, veg tikka masala recipes.
Hotel style kurma is a very popular south Indian veg korma made with a coconut base. It tastes very unique, flavorful and hearty meals choice with dosa, poori or chapathi.
Hakka noodles is a popular, loved by kids indo Chinese noodles with vegetables or meat. Children are usually very fond of this so you can include it in a dinner party menu for kids birthdays. Tastes good on its own. Also check drunken noodles, sesame noodles, pad thai recipes.
Red Curry- Although not an Indian recipe, I have included it here because a good curry never caused any harm 🙂 This is a vegan thai red curry recipe for most delicious, restaurant style curry to serve with rice. Also check yellow, green, panang curries.
Light & quick dinner recipes
khichdi is a quick, easy to make comforting light dish that you can make in 20 minutes. It is one of the best Indian dinner recipes when you want something light and quick on the table. Refer this masala khichdi recipe for instant pot instructions. You can serve with pickle or curd or kadhi
Idli has to be the most popular and winning dish when it comes to comforting and light Indian recipes, be it dinner or breakfast 🙂 On days when I want dinner on table in less than 10 minutes I simply resort to idli, only thing is you should have batter handy. Just serve with sambar, idli podi or coconut chutney or tomato chutney or mango chutney
Rasam- Satiating and comforting dinners are made of rasam, rice and potato fry. Okay, that is my idea but if you want a light, kind of detoxing dinner after a heavy lunch or brunch look no further than rasam. It is a clear soup made with or without lentils eaten with rice. It has immense health benefits too. Check jeera rasam, garlic rasam, milagu rasam, pineapple rasam recipes too.
Rava dosa is a crispy, flavorful and delicious instant dosa recipe made with semolina or sooji, rice flour and onions. It is always a delight to get a rava dosa for dinner from your favorite Indian restaurant after exhausting yourself with never ending shopping trip 🙂 Serve crispy rava dosa with tomato onion chutney, pudina chutney. Also check wheat dosa, oats dosa recipes.
Akki roti is a healthy, easy to make unleavened flatbread with rice flour and vegetables from Karnataka. Tastes wonderful with ennegayi or any chutney.
Indian Dinner Menu Ideas
Here I have given you few ideas and combinations to plan your menu for any dinner party or even a special dinner at home. Feel free to mix and match though.
Menu 1
- Bisibelebath or sambar rice
- curd rice
- potato fry or cauliflower fry
- corn vada or masala vada
- pickle, chips
Menu 2
- butter naan or kulcha
- paneer butter masala
- veg salad like kachumber
- bhindi fry
Menu 3
- Jeera rice or basmati rice
- palak paneer or kadai paneer
- dal fry
- onion salad
- raita
Menu 4
- Hyderabadi veg biryani
- curd rice
- mirch ka salan
- onion raita
Menu 5
- Bhature or poori or kulcha
- chole masala or chana masala
- aloo gobi
- -pickle or onion salad
Menu 6
- Any thai curry
- jasmine or basmati rice
- carrot salad
Menu 7
- fried rice or noodles
- gobi manchurian
- sweet corn clear soup
Indian Dinner Recipes- FAQs
What is the best Indian food for dinner?
It really depends on the occasion, what was your previous meals etc. On a general note dishes like chapathi, dal, khichdi, idli, curd rice, jeera rice, palak paneer, noodles, veg fried rice are some of the most popular Indian dinner recipes.
What are the pantry staples for cooking Indian food at home?
An indian pantry is a well stocked with rice, wheat flour, rava toor dal, red lentils, moong dal and few spices like red chili powder, turmeric powder, curry powder, oils like coconut oil, peanut oil etc.
Please refer this Indian pantry staples list for more details.
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