29 Best Indian Recipes

Indian cooking spans an enormous range of regional traditions, spices, and techniques. This collection pulls together 29 of my favorite recipes, from curries and biryanis to snacks and chutneys.

A few to start with if you’re not sure where to begin: Tandoori Chicken, smoky and char-grilled with a yogurt-spice marinade; Kerala Fish Curry, a tangy, coconut-based curry from the south; and Palak Paneer, a creamy spinach curry with soft cubes of paneer cheese. From there, the rest are organized by category below.

HOW TO MAKE TANDOORI CHICKEN AT HOME

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Tandoori chicken is one of my favorite Indian dishes. I always order it when I see it on a restaurant menu.
Get the Recipe: How to Make Tandoori Chicken at Home

KERALA FISH CURRY

Kerala Fish Curry combines tender, flaky fish with a rich, fiery sauce. Its flavor comes from a combination of earthy and hot spices and creamy coconut milk.
Get the Recipe: Kerala Fish Curry

EASY PALAK PANEER RECIPE

This palak paneer recipe is easy and it is one of my favorite vegetarian meals. The Indian cheese paneer is simmered in a sauce of fresh spinach, curry spices, and aromatics.
Get the Recipe: Easy Palak Paneer Recipe

CHICKEN BIRYANI

Chicken biryani fills my whole kitchen with the smell of toasted spices and saffron before I’ve even lifted the lid. Tender marinated chicken layered with fragrant basmati rice, slow-cooked until the flavors meld together into one perfect bite.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Biryani

AIR FRYER CHICKEN TIKKA WRAP

This Air Fryer Chicken Tikka Wrap is a delicious change up to boring sandwiches. Chicken tikka kebabs are infused with a flavorful marinade and then quickly cooked in the air fryer, keeping them tender and juicy.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Chicken Tikka Wrap

SAMOSA DOUGH

Samosas are delicious pastries, similar to hand pies, made by filling a savory Samosa Dough with a variety of fillings and then deep frying, baking, or air frying them. This dough recipe is easy to make and easy to roll out and fill.
Get the Recipe: Samosa Dough

EGG CURRY—SIMPLE, SAVORY, MAGICAL

Egg Curry isn’t fussy; hard-boiled eggs are bathed in a quick spiced tomato sauce. There’s no sous vide, no reduction, no obscure ingredients that you can only find in a specialty shop three zip codes away.
Get the Recipe: Egg Curry—Simple, Savory, Magical

SAMOSA CHAAT

Samosa Chaat is the kind of snack food I crave in the middle of a shopping or sight-seeing afternoon, late at night after a few drinks, or as a pre-meal appetizer. It’s a combination of flavors and textures that is deeply irresistible.
Get the Recipe: Samosa Chaat

GARLIC CHUTNEY

Garlic Chutney is an intensely flavored Indian condiment made of kashimiri chili and fresh garlic. It is a great partner to Samosas, Onion Samosas, Chicken Pakora, Paneer Pakora, and Air Fryer Samosas.
Get the Recipe: Garlic Chutney

CILANTRO YOGURT CHUTNEY

Cilantro Yogurt Chutney is high on my list of favorite condiments. This recipe first appeared in my book The Lazy Gourmet.
Get the Recipe: Cilantro Yogurt Chutney

CHANA ALOO MASALA

Chana Aloo Masala is a classic chickpea and potato curry seasoned with ginger, garlic, and heady spices. It’s a hearty dish that is absolutely loaded with flavor.
Get the Recipe: Chana Aloo Masala

CRUNCHY CHICKEN PAKORA

Chicken Pakora—crunchy fried chicken pieces with ginger, garlic, ground chile, and chaat masala coated in a chickpea flour batter—are an easy appetizer and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Pakora are a favorite Indian street food snack.
Get the Recipe: Crunchy Chicken Pakora

EASY HOMEMADE CUCUMBER RAITA

Cucumber Raita, that refreshing and cooling staple of Indian cuisine, is the perfect finishing condiment for an Indian meal. I love to serve it with spicy food like curries and crisp foods like Samosas.
Get the Recipe: Easy Homemade Cucumber Raita

PANEER PAKORA

Bite into a crispy, hot Paneer Pakora and it’s not hard to see why this north Indian snack is so popular. Pieces of tender paneer are batter fried to a crispy, crunchy golden brown.
Get the Recipe: Paneer Pakora

CHICKEN KATHI ROLLS

Chicken Kathi Rolls are one of my favorite street foods. Flavorful marinated and pan-seared chicken is wrapped in soft roti and dressed with egg, spicy cilantro-mint chutney, crisp red onions, and tangy-spicy Indian pickles (achar).
Get the Recipe: Chicken Kathi Rolls

SAMOSAS WITH SPICY POTATO FILLING

Samosas—filled with a savory mix of potatoes, peas, chiles, and spices—are always a hit at any party, or even just for snack time. The outer pastry crust is deep fried to a heavenly golden brown crisp.
Get the Recipe: Samosas with Spicy Potato Filling

BUTTER GARLIC NAAN

Buttery Garlic Naan Bread is pillowy soft, chewy with crispy edges, and full of flavor. It’s perfect for sopping up delicious curry sauces and soups, or as a snack on it’s own or on its own as a snack, dunked into chutney or raita.
Get the Recipe: Butter Garlic Naan

CILANTRO MINT CHUTNEY

This flavorful Mint Coriander Chutney is a fresh, tangy green chutney that is bright with the flavors of fresh mint, cilantro, pungent garlic, heady ground cumin, and spicy green chili. Cilantro Chutney is one of my favorite Indian chutneys.
Get the Recipe: Cilantro Mint Chutney

INSTANT POT CHICKEN BIRYANI

Instant Pot Biryani is a quick way to make the classic Indian dish, which normally takes many hours to slow cook over a low flame. This is far from the most authentic biryani, but this Instant Pot Chicken Biryani can be made in just an hour from start to finish.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Chicken Biryani

INSTANT POT PALAK PANEER

Instant Pot Palak Paneer is a flavorful Indian curry dish of Paneer (Indian farmer’s cheese) simmered in a delicious sauce of spinach and aromatic spices. It’s a delicious and satisfying a delicious vegetarian meal when served with rice, nan, paratha, or roti.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Palak Paneer

INDIAN SPICED LENTIL SOUP (DAL SOUP)

Indian Spiced Lentil Soup, called Dal Soup or Dahl Soup, is a simple and deeply satisfying vegetarian soup. With heady Indian spices, this hearty vegetarian dal soup recipe is loaded with flavor.
Get the Recipe: Indian Spiced Lentil Soup (Dal Soup)

TAMARIND CHUTNEY

Tamarind Chutney is a sweet and sour Indian dipping sauce. It pairs brilliantly with many Indian appetizers and snacks like Chicken Pakora, Paneer Pakora, and Samosas and Air Fryer Samosas.
Get the Recipe: Tamarind Chutney

INSTANT POT SHRIMP BIRYANI

Instant Pot Shrimp Biryani is quick to make and full of authentic Indian flavor. Traditional biryani recipes usually slow cook for hours but this Instant Pot version can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Shrimp Biryani

EASY HOMEMADE PANEER

Paneer is a soft, fresh South Asian cheese made by curdling milk with an acid like lemon juice or vinegar, resulting in cheese that doesn’t melt when cooked and has a tender yet slightly firm texture that’s ideal for curries, sandwiches, and frying. Homemade paneer is surprisingly easy to make.
Get the Recipe: Easy Homemade Paneer

PANEER ROLLS

Paneer rolls are a favorite Indian street food snack. Soft roti is wrapped around marinated and baked paneer, crunchy cabbage and red onion salad, and spicy and fresh Cilantro Mint Chutney with yogurt.
Get the Recipe: Paneer Rolls

INSTANT POT CHICKEN KORMA

Instant Pot Chicken Korma is a super-fast way to enjoy this spicy, rich Pakistani-style curry. It’s quick to make, but the recipe doesn’t sacrifice flavor for speed.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Chicken Korma

ONION SAMOSAS

Onion Samosas are a delicious twist on the more common Punjabi style Potato and Pea Samosas. This Onion Samosa is a popular recipe that’s quick and easy to make.
Get the Recipe: Onion Samosas

RAW MANGO CHUTNEY RECIPE

Raw Mango chutney is tart, tangy, sweet and spicy. It’s one of those condiments that is just so versatile and delicious, it can be used in a variety of dishes.
Get the Recipe: Raw Mango Chutney Recipe

MANGO CHUTNEY

If you have ripe, or even overripe mangos, there is no better way to use them up than this Mango Chutney. It only takes about 30 minutes to turn the fruit into a tangy, sweet-savory chutney that adds the perfect flavor counterpoint to samosas or curry and rice.
Get the Recipe: Mango Chutney