33 Vegan Indian Street Foods

If you often sigh at the lack of vegan options at restaurants or while dining out, you probably need to get better acquainted with desi street food. From chaat to chhole bhature, masala dosa to momos, there’s a huge spread on offer – and many are by default vegan (and nutritious to boot!)

For all those foodies who think chaat and namkeen deserve to be their own foodgroup, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of vegan street foods found all over India – and they are all delicious!

1. Gol Gappe/Pani Puri/Puchka

It goes by different names in different regions, but they’re unmistakable – puffed hollows filled with khatta-meetha tamarind water, chana and aloo. This dish is inherently vegan and you can dig into it greedily without having to worry about milk solids!

2. Bhel Puri

Another tasty sweet-sour-spicy snack, bhel puri has puffed rice, onion, a two kinds of chutney and heady sprinkling of coriander and lime. Another inherently vegan dish that hits the spot!

3. Sev Puri

A crispy, crunchy snack with a melange of chutneys and flavours, and a little potato to make it extra filling. While it is inherently vegan, some stalls offer it up with dahi, so make sure you tell them you don’t want any yoghurt on yours.

4. Samosa, Samosa-pav, Samosa chaat

Who doesn’t love a good samosa? Crispy on the outside and filled with spicy aloo and veggies inside, it’s a great pick-me-up when you’re feeling hungry and need something that’s filling. Variations like samosa chaat (smashed samosa with chutney and toppings), and samosa-pav are also vegan – just ask them to hold the butter on that pav!

5. Aloo Tikki/Aloo Chaat

Move over French fries! This is crispy potato-ey goodness. Aloo tikki and aloo chaat (cubed and fried aloo tossed in spicy chutney) are both inherently vegan, so no worries here!

6. Bhutta

A summertime favourite, roasted corn on the cob is can be found on street corners everywhere in season. It’s healthy, tasty and pure vegan!

7. Parantha

A parantha is technically vegan – it’s the butter that plays spoilsport. And of course, the filling. Just ask your paranthawala to avoid butter and eat yours with a side of pyaaz or pickle instead of dahi and butter. While many stalls serve up paneer, anda and cheese paranthas, there are much more vegan fillings to choose from, like aloo, pyaaz-tamatar, mooli, matar, gobi and many more! So, keep this in mind and enjoy a wholesome and filling vegan snack.

8. Chhole Bhature

Street food in Delhi and Punjab isn’t complete without mention of this classic, and it’s one of those universal favourites that can be found over India. This one’s a ready vegan dish, waiting to be tucked into!

9. Vada Pav

Loved and relished by millions of Indians and the late Anthony Bourdain with equal gusto, this spicy potato patty between bread is a technically vegan - you just have to ensure that the pav doesn't contain milk solids. 

10. Dabeli

Originating in Kutch, this one can be considered a cousin of the Mumbai favourite, vada-pav. Spicy potato mixture is stuffed into a pav, grilled on a tawa and topped with sev and pomegranate seeds. The pav can be buttered, so make sure you ask for butter-free pav when you order - and watch out for milk solids in the pav, just like with vada-pav.

11. Pav Bhaji

A spicy veggie gravy with some pillowy pav on the side. Pav bhaji is notorious for large gobs of butter, so you need to let them know that you would like yours without. And, like the two items before this, look for plain pav that doesn't contain milk solids.

12. Kachori

A crisp disc-shaped dumpling that’s fried and stuffed with spices and lentils or vegetables. This too, is naturally vegan so you can pick it up with your eyes closed!

13. Ghugni Chaat

A Bengali street food staple, ghugni chaat consists of a soupy curry made of dried yellow peas, that's served like a chaat, with chutneys and garnishes.

14. Jhal Muri

Another mainstay of the streets of Kolkata, jhal muri is a spicy puffed rice snack that consists of puffed rice, raw mustard oil and spices. Naturally vegan and a safe option!

15. Veg Momos

Momos come in different shapes and sizes, but the good news is, veg momos happen to be naturally vegan, too! And since they’re steamed, they can be a healthy and filling snack.

16. Veg Roll/Veg Kathi Roll

Kolkata is well known for rolls – and if you pick a veg roll, then you’ve picked yourself a portable vegan snack! Just be sure there’s no egg in the roll or batter.

17. Dal Pakore/Ram Laddoo

Known by different names, these lentil fritters are crispy, soft and fluffy on the inside and served with green chutney. They’re also naturally vegan, making for a protein-packed teatime snack.

18. Poha

A popular dish across Maharashtra and other parts of central and north India, this dish is vegan – beaten rice flakes sautéed with spices. Variations include kaanda (onion) poha and batata poha (with potatoes).

19. Bombay Veg Sandwich

Probably as iconic to the Maximum City as the Gateway of India, the Bombay sandwich is grilled sandwich with veggies, spicy coriander chutney, dry masalas and more. Many vendors tend to slather on the butter though, so ask them for an untoasted version or to skip the butter. Also, opt for plain bread vs milk bread. Some vendors stock brown bread, too. 

20. Onion Pakora/Kanda Bhaji/Bajji

We all romanticize chai-pakore on a rainy afternoon, but these onion rings fried in chickpea flour batter are great in any weather, and happen to be vegan too!

21. Mirchi Ke Pakode/Mirchi Bhaji/Mulagu Bajji

Mirch ke pakore in Delhi, mirchi bhaji in Mumbai and mulagu bajji in Kerala, these are similar to onion pakore and consist of whole chillies dipped in a chickpea flour batter and deep-fried. They are vegan, so you can blindly eat them.

22. Misal & Usal Pav

This Maharashtrian dish of sprouts curry with puffy pav is a breakfast staple. It’s also pretty healthy, and contains no dairy or animal products. Win!

23. Sabudana Vada

Another Maharashtrian favourite, these are made of tapioca pearls and potatoes and a few simple spices. Again, a naturally vegan snack. Several places pair the vada with a sweetened curd, so ask for yours without it.

24. Poori Bhaji

Probably the closest thing that comes to pan-Indian comfort food, there are all kinds of variations of this dish – from dry aloo sabzi to spicier versions in a tomato “rassa”; from large pooris to tiny ones, each region has a special way of preparing it. But they are all vegan!

25. Dosa

What used to be a breakfast staple in Southern India has now grown to become a favourite for Indians all across the country, at any time of day. Plain dosas are vegan – lentil and rice batter made into a crepe with oil – but ghee and butter roast dosas are common on menus everywhere. Steer clear of the ghee varieties and you’re good to go!

26. Idli

Made from the same batter as dosa, idlis are fermented and steamed, making them a healthier counterpart to the crispy dosa. Devoid of butter and ghee, these light dumplings are vegan – and tasty to boot! Enjoy yours with some sambar and chutney.

27. Medu Vada

Also called uzhunu vada in Kerala, these are fried, spiced urad dal fritters with no trace of ghee or butter. Dig in!

28. Parippu Vada

You may find these labelled “dal vada” in some menus. They are similar to medu vada, but made from a combination of urad, moong and chana dal and are served with coconut chutney. Variations include “rasam vada,” where the vada is submerged in piping hot spicy rasam. Give it a try if you get a chance.

29. Ragda Pattice

Popular in Gujarat and Maharashtra, this dish consists of a “ragda” or gravy made from dried white peas, and potato patties or “pattice”, garnished with coriander, onions and green chutney. Another one that’s naturally vegan, tasty and filling!

30. Khaman Dhokla

Dhokla is a popular Gujarati snack, a steamed and fermented cake made from gram flour and spices. Light, fluffy and mildy tangy and sweet, this is a great snack for any time of day that tastes great with chutney.

31. Banana Fritters

A popular tea time snack in Kerala, this consists of ripe plantain/banana slices that have been dipped in a simple maida and deep fried. Also called “pazham pori” or “ethakya appam,” make sure you give it a try when you visit God’s Own Country.

32. Unniyappam

Another snack from Kerala, these are sweet fried dumplings made from banana, coconut, ground rice, jaggery and spices. Since the balls of dough are fried in coconut oil, the dish is ghee-free and naturally vegan.

33. Jalebi

It makes sense to end on a sweet note, and yes, jalebis are vegan! At the root of it, a jalebi is a coil made from wheat flour that is ddeep-friedand doused in a sugar syrup. Very much vegan! Variations include imarti, which is a thicker version of the jalebi found in Varanasi.

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