Are you looking for some delicious Indian side dishes? We’ve rounded up 23 of the best Indian food sides that we could find for your right here.
Indian food is very distinct in its flavors and presentation.
Indian cuisine revolves around seasonal vegetables and knowing how to flavor and prepare them in multiple ways to bring out their natural taste.
The key with vegetables and side dishes is to constantly rotate them so your plate and your palate do not find them boring.
Nowadays there are so many different ways to prepare side dishes, everyone has options for their preferred method whether baking, boiling, steaming, blanching, roasting, stir-frying, sauteing, air-frying or Instant-Potting, if that is even a word!
Fun fact, India’s national vegetable is the pumpkin.
We all know we need to eat more vegetables and lucky for us, many Indian side dishes do indeed include quite a variety.
Some spices that you may have been introduced to through Indian foods include turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, coriander, cardamom, and saffron.
Indian food also tends to mix flavors that are very different from each other resulting in unique original flavor combinations.
So let us explore 23 Indian side dishes and see what catches our fancy!
We can’t decide which one is our favorite but we are loving the Bombay potatoes and the Indian creamed spinach.
Oh and keep your eye out for #14: Quick Masala Peanut Chaat!
Indian side dishes can be oh so flavorful and comforting!
Turmeric rice is easy to make and any side that starts with butter, onion and garlic being sauteed is a winner in my book.
The rice is then added with the turmeric and chicken broth which results in such a rich taste!
Green beans are popular Indian vegetable side dishes and here you can see why.
Start by steaming them for five minutes, pop those mustard seeds in the pan, add green beans, turmeric, and salt, and lastly coconut and red better and finish off with stir-frying for five more minutes.
All these ingredients and steps are clearly explained so you will feel like an expert!
One of the most popular Indian sides would be potatoes!
So many, many ways to prepare them.
This recipe does have a lot of steps so preparation before you begin is crucial, but once completed, the steps will become second nature and only take 20 minutes or so.
Indian side dish recipes are recognizable by their ingredient list.
If you favor potatoes over rice, this might be the winner for you.
Also gotta love a video that shows you the steps of the spice preparation.
This one has a tomato which adds that saucy flavor.
Super simple.
Indian food side dishes certainly are aromatic and awaken the senses!
This salad is best the day you make it and you can certainly adjust the “heat” by how much or which parts of the green chili are used.
The splash of lemon juice at the end is perfect!
Vegetable Indian side dishes abound and here we have cauliflower coming to the counter!
Roasting cauliflower florets with turmeric, cumin, coriander, and paprika highlights its natural sweetness.
The cool part is that you can serve them freshly roasted with cilantro sprinkled on top or you can batch prep them and use them in other recipes!
This may be one of the easiest Indian vegetable side dishes I have come across!
Slice up the freshest large tomatoes in lovely round wagon wheel slices!
Whisk together the marinade of olive oil and spices and then pour it over the tomatoes!
Cover and chill for a couple of hours before serving.
Street corn most assuredly is well known among Indian sides, this recipe hailing from Mumbai!
The secret is in the grilling with ghee, garam masala, and a squeeze of lime.
It could also be cut off the cob and served in a bowl if you prefer.
Authentic Indian side dish recipes are using words I am not as familiar with!
Here I am interpreting the title to be a potato, cauliflower, and green peas stir fry.
This is the dry version.
Time to step away from the potato-based Indian food side dishes to make way for this recipe with celery root as the main ingredient which significantly lowers the carb count.
It also calls for garlic, ginger, chilies, and spices.
Well-written instructions!
11. Easy Raita
Raita is actually a condiment that can moonlight with Indian side dishes or stand on its own.
There are many variations of this yogurt using different main add-ins or spices.
This one is creamy and cool with cucumber!
Baby spinach starts with some Indian vegetable side dishes, and then traditional spices are added.
After cooking down, the secret here is to squeeze excess water out of the spinach before adding the sauteed spices.
The last step of adding heavy cream makes it SO amazingly, but not surprisingly, creamy!
Bread accompanies most Indian sides at mealtime or sometimes the bread IS the side!
This recipe for unleavened flatbread is super quick to make and cooked without oil.
Only five ingredients but you may need to seek out that Atta flour.
This popular street food, chaat, can be a snack or have a place on our list of Indian side dish recipes!
The reason this is so easily enjoyed is that it is flavorful, crunchy and the toppings can vary from fruits to vegetables.
If you see it in a restaurant or bar it might be called chakna.
It’s as easy as dice, chop, mix, toss, and serve!
Baked cabbage is one of my personal favorites of the Indian food side dishes we are highlighting.
Cabbage is so easy to slice and season, bake and serve!
Yummy, fantastic texture, low-carb, and low-cost.
Easy to personalize based on what you have on hand.
I mean, what else can a girl ask for?
Spiced onions might not be the first of Indian side dishes that come to mind when meal planning, but this one is unique.
It complements many entrees with the mild onion taste with brilliantly added spices.
Great pictures!
If raw broccoli is not for you, this entry on our list of Indian vegetable side dishes might help!
Stir-frying is so quick and adding the right seasonings can take any vegetable from bland to bright in just minutes!
The uniquely Indian ingredients in this broccoli stir fry are Garam Masala powder and Chaat Masala powder.
Indian sides are sometimes simple and sometimes complex in their creation.
This one is basically a turmeric rice meets potato and veggie dish mashup!
Keep in mind it runs spicy.
Easily customizable as well!
Indian side dish recipes served cool are treasures to find.
This one leans that way and is great to pair with something spicy.
Sear the eggplant circles adding tomato paste and onion, then make the yogurt and cilantro and seasonings mix.
Put the eggplant back in the pan and mix well. It is ready to serve at room temperature.
These little pakoras are like vegetable fritters which are tasty Indian food side dishes.
Oven baking, or air-frying, gives them a crispy outside and excellent choice to serve with a curry.
It is as easy as chopping up the cauliflower and spinach, making the paste to mix them in, and dropping by tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet.
Flip halfway through and watch carefully to prevent burning.
Beautiful and tasty!
Paneer, Indian cottage cheese, is a most versatile recipe of Indian side dishes.
Typically it is served with a flatbread of some kind.
Certainly will challenge the best chef to be on their toes with their spices and spice preparation!
Salads are always a welcome category of Indian side dishes and this one is unique in that it is straight up labeled spicy from the start!
Good to be prepared before you start in!
Gather up lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, red chillies, coriander, and lemon juice.
Now you see where the spicy part comes from!
23. Puri
Puri is an Indian deep fried bread that puffs up. It is light and airy.
It is always found at festivals and events. It is an Idian classic side dish.
Now, when you make this bread keep in mind that you need to buy the proper kind of wheat flour.
This is a special kind of flour that is generally not found at your average American grocery store.
You will want to go to a speciality store for this extra fine wheat flour called (Chapati atta).
The Bottom Line
Indian side dishes are flavorful and include a variety of vegetables.
Seasonings can make or break a recipe, so enjoy the time of experimenting with those unique to Indian recipes.
23 Indian Side Dishes
If you are looking for the best Indian sides then check out our list that we have put together for you here.
Ingredients
- Turmeric Rice
- Sauteed Green Beans with Coconut
- Indian Spiced Potatoes
- Easy Bombay Potatoes
- Kachumber | Indian Cucumber Salad
- Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower
- Easy Marinated Tomatoes
- Masala Street Corn
- Aloo gobi matar recipe | Punjabi
- Celeriac Bhaji - A Low Carb Indian Side Dish
- Easy Raita
- Easy Indian Creamed Spinach
- Indian Chapati (Roti) Flatbread with Cumin
- Quick Masala Peanut Chaat
- Easy Baked Cabbage
- Masala Onion Salad Recipe | Masala Pyaaz
- Indian Style Broccoli Stir Fry
- Easy Vegetable Biryani
- Easy Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce
- Baked Spinach Cauliflower Pakoras
- Easy Kadai Paneer
- Indian Spicy Little Side Salad
- Puri
Instructions
- Choose one or more options from our list of Indian Side Dishes here!
- Create your new favorite dish.
- Pat yourself on the back for making food at home for you to enjoy!
- Share and comment! Did you make any tweaks, so it’s all your own?