Trending Vegan Indian Recipes for 2025 — What I’m Cooking, Craving, and Low‑key Obsessing Over#
So I’m standing in my tiny kitchen last week, mangoes ripening like they’re on fast forward, and I catch this whiff of toasted cumin and it just hits me. Like, wow, vegan Indian food in 2025 is having a real moment right now. Not just the usual chana masala on repeat. It’s smarter, lighter, kinda nerdy with technique, and honestly… more fun. I grew up on dal and khichdi that my nani made when we visited in the summers, and now I’m riffing with an air fryer and a spice grinder that sounds like a small airplane. Me and it, we’ve been through things.¶
What’s actually trending right now (from my stove to my feed)#
Quick heads up. I don’t have a crystal ball or, like, a newsroom in my apron pocket. I’m pulling from my own cooking, what I keep seeing chefs post, and what friends are texting me from their kitchens. 2025 feels like the year of millets staying mainstream instead of a one‑off challenge. Air fryer everything but smarter marinades. Mushroom keema and jackfruit as legit mains, not just “oh it’s vegan so here’s a salad” energy. Plant yogurts and vegan ghee that actually cook right. Oat‑milk chai that doesn’t curdle because we finally learned the order of operations. And a ton of regional comfort food going plant forward without losing soul. I’m here for all of it.¶
Millet Masala Khichdi 2.0 — cozy but glow‑up#
I remember the exact bowl that made me fall back in love with khichdi. It wasn’t the sick‑day mush we all know. It was foxtail millet with moong, peppery, gingery, finished with a smoky tadka that made me shut up mid‑sentence. If you’re easing into millets, start here. Rinse 1 cup foxtail millet and 1/2 cup split moong, soak 30 minutes, then pressure cook with 4 cups water, turmeric, salt. While it sits, bloom mustard seeds, cumin, a pinch of hing, green chiles, and a handful of curry leaves in hot oil. Pour that drama over the pot. Squeeze lime. Boom. It tastes like the monsoon rolled through your kitchen and left you a blanket.¶
- Toast your millets dry for 2 to 3 minutes first. The nutty flavor wakes up and they don’t clump as much
- For a richer finish, swirl in a spoon of coconut oil or a neutral vegan ghee. Don’t @ me, it’s good
Air‑Fryer Tandoori Tofu Tikka — weeknight hero#
Okay I know, tofu tikka is not new. But the 2025 twist is in the marinade and heat management. Whisk unsweetened plant yogurt with grated garlic, ginger, kashmiri chili, garam masala, coriander, a little besan, lemon, and crushed kasuri methi. Salt generously. Toss extra‑firm tofu cubes, bell pepper, onion. Air fry at 390°F for 10 to 12 minutes, shake once, then brush with a tiny bit of oil and go 2 more. It gets that blistered edge without drying out. Serve on romaine with mint‑cilantro chutney and pickled onions. I made a tray for friends and honestly thought I under‑salted, but everyone demolished it and asked for the “recipe” which is hilarious because I eyeballed everything like a gremlin.¶
Kathal Dum Biryani — jackfruit that actually slaps#
Young green jackfruit is meat‑ish without trying too hard. Rinse well if it’s canned. Parboil 5 minutes to remove brine, then marinate in ginger‑garlic, turmeric, chili, coriander, vegan yogurt, and a glug of mustard oil if you like drama. Par‑cook basmati with whole spices. Layer rice and jackfruit, sprinkle mint, cilantro, fried onions, a few saffron strands in warm plant milk or just turmeric‑rose water if you’re out of saffron, dot with vegan ghee. Seal the pot with dough and do a gentle dum. When you crack it open the steam punches you right in the feelings. I swear I don’t even talk for five minutes, just plate, inhale, repeat.¶
Mushroom Keema Pav — street‑style, plant‑style#
This one’s pure joy. Finely chop mushrooms or pulse in a processor with walnuts for bite. Sauté in hot oil till deeply browned, then bhuno with tomato paste, ginger‑garlic, green chili, turmeric, chili powder, pav bhaji masala, and a splash of water so it doesn’t catch. Finish with lemon and cilantro. Toast soft pav in vegan butter and go to town. It’s messy in the best way. I had a version years ago at a tiny place that didn’t look like much, and wow, never judge a book or a storefront. I can’t not order it when I see it, even if I just ate. Some habits are happy ones.¶
Plant‑Based Makhani that doesn’t feel like a compromise#
Butter chicken vibes, zero dairy, even zero chicken if you want. Roast tomatoes, onions, and garlic till charred. Blend with soaked cashews or even white beans for a silkier, lighter sauce. Simmer with bay, cardamom, chili, a bit of jaggery, then finish with kasuri methi and a knob of vegan butter. For protein, I love soy curls or cauliflower florets roasted dark. The trick is to cook the tomato down enough so it’s sweet and deep. I used to rush and the sauce tasted tinny. Learned my lesson. Also, don’t skip straining if you want that restaurant gloss. It’s not cheating, it’s just being nice to your tongue.¶
Dosa + Chilla, the weekday breakfast tag team#
Two words that saved me on a deadline morning. Batter. Prep. For dosa, I soak idli rice and whole urad with a few fenugreek seeds, blend, and ferment warm. Cold apartment hack? Tuck the batter in the oven with the light on or use the yogurt setting on your Instant Pot. A spoon of soaked poha makes it softer. For moong dal chilla, quick soak split green moong 3 to 4 hours, blend with ginger, chili, cumin, salt. Thin to a pourable batter. Stuff with tofu paneer bhurji (crumbled tofu, turmeric, pepper, onion, tomato) and a swipe of green chutney. I roll them like crepes and eat as I answer emails, which is chaotic, but we move.¶
Vegan chai that doesn’t split and make you question everything#
I get spicy about chai discourse. Here’s what works for me. Start with water, ginger slices, a couple green cardamom, a clove, maybe a tiny cinnamon if you must, and black pepper. Boil 8 to 10 minutes. Add black tea, simmer 2 minutes. Kill the heat. Now add oat milk, stir, warm gently without boiling hard. Sweeten how you like. That order usually stops the dreaded curdle. If your milk is delicate, add a teaspoon of almond butter for body. Sounds weird. Tastes like you know what you’re doing. I actually cried once when a whole pot split right before guests came, so yeah, I care a lot about this tiny step.¶
Little sides that make the table feel full#
- Tadka popcorn. Hot oil, mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaf, chili powder, toss with hot popcorn and salt. Movie night but crunchy Indian auntie approved
- Aquafaba onion pakoras. Whip the chickpea water till foamy, fold with besan, onions, ajwain, fry or air fry. Crispy clouds. Zero egg, zero problem
- Jaljeera spritz. Lime, cumin, black salt, mint, top with plain soda or kombucha if you’re feelin fancy
- Achaari cucumber salad. Pickle spices bloomed in oil, tossed over cool cukes with a hit of jaggery and vinegar
Why millets and mushrooms and all this… now?#
It’s not just trend chasing, promise. Millets cook fast, they’re nutrient dense, and in my body they feel lighter than a big rice bomb on a Tuesday. Mushrooms bring umami like whoa without needing to fake meat. Plant yogurt got way better at behaving in hot pans. And air fryers mean I can get that edge without smoking out the whole apartment. Sustainability’s totally part of it too. More plants, more variety, less waste. I keep leftover tadka oil in a jar and drizzle it on literally everything. Bread. Tomatoes. Popcorn. Don’t judge me.¶
Pantry and swap notes from my 2025 kitchen#
A few things I keep getting asked. Do you need vegan ghee. No, but a coconut‑sunflower blend with a dash of turmeric and nutty flavor does add aroma. Read labels on asafoetida, a lot of commercial hing is cut with wheat — you can find pure resin and powder it yourself if you wanna go full spice nerd. Plant yogurt that’s unsweetened and higher protein will not split as easy in marinades. For millets, I’m on a foxtail and kodo kick, but little barnyard millet makes a great upma too. And whole spices are your best friend. Grind small batches, store in tiny jars, and you’ll basically feel like a wizard every time the pan hits hot oil.¶
- Bloom spices in hot oil till they pop and smell nutty. If it’s not fragrant, it’s not ready
- Balance is queen. Acid at the end — lime, amchur, tamarind — wakes everything up
- Don’t cook your plant milk to death. Warm it through and be nice
- Salt a little early and a little late. Layers make life better
Places I’m loving and looking for next#
I’ve got a messy notes app list of vegan‑friendly Indian spots and pop‑ups I’m dying to try, and a couple neighborhood kitchens doing millet bowls and kathal biryani that friends keep raving about. I’m double‑checking the newest 2025 openings before I shout them out, cuz I hate sending folks somewhere and it’s closed on Tuesdays or the menu changed and the one vegan thing vanished. If you’ve got a favorite new thali cart, a dosa night that slaps, or a bakery doing plant‑based naan that actually puffs, tell me. I will literally cross town for good pav. No one who knows me is surprised.¶
Food is memory with a little heat and a lot of hope. If it makes you close your eyes for a second, it’s doing its job
Final bites#
If you try one thing from this ramble, make it the millet masala khichdi or the tofu tikka. They’re weeknight doable and they won’t make you feel like you gave up anything to eat plants. And if a dish flops, shrug, add chutney, move on. That’s cooking. I’m gonna keep testing, burning a few things, learning tricks from aunties on the internet and friends in my building who always know when the tadka hits because it smells like home in the hallway. If you want more of this kind of messy‑honest cooking chat, I drop longer notes and new finds over on AllBlogs.in — come hang, bring snacks.¶