Celebrate Diwali With These Delicious Vegan Eats
Diwali—aka “the festival of lights”—is one of the most important days of the year for Indians around the world and involves spending time with family, enjoying delicious foods, and performing traditional activities.
It’s customary for food eaten during Diwali to be prepared at home, rather than purchasing it ready-made. So what is eaten during the five-day festival? Sweets! And lots of them, too. Here are some popular Indian sweet dishes (veganized) that you simply must try at home. If you scroll down this page, you’ll see we’ve created a savory vegan Diwali menu so that you can try some deliciously spiced dishes before moving on to the best course: dessert.
Vegan Indian Dessert Recipes
Gulab Jamun
Like most Indian sweet dishes, gulab jamun is traditionally made with dairy ingredients. However, this dessert is a must-have during Diwali, and like we all know by now, any dish can be made without harming animals. Vegan Richa’s recipe for vegan gulab jamun creates an indulgent dessert and is bound to impress guests at your Diwali feast.
Toasted Coconut Ladoo Balls
Fudgy soft balls of coconut heaven! These ladoo balls are made with coconut milk, cardamom, and coconut sugar.
Brown Rice Kheer
Every Indian household will be indulging in kheer this holiday season. It’s a sweet, creamy rice pudding topped with nuts and raisins. Usually, it contains white rice, but this recipe calls for brown rice, so you can make your treat a little bit healthier. We won’t say no to that second helping, then!
Mango Shahi Tukda
Mango Shahi Tukda. And a happy Diwali! https://t.co/e2Mn70QGjT pic.twitter.com/3bWWAwnQaO
— Vaishali Honawar (@HolyCowVegan) November 12, 2015
This is an exotic version of bread-and-butter pudding, featuring a mango and cashew cream sauce. Not only does mango make this dish look vibrant, it also gives it a distinctive flavor. We love how blended cashews make the best milk alternative.
Date Balls
This is the quickest and easiest sweet you can make for Diwali this year, and it’s healthy and gluten-free, too.
Vegan Savory Diwali Menu
Quinoa Chivda
https://www.facebook.com/VeganRicha/posts/1709423602451958
We love nibbling on food, like this spicy, crunchy mix of cereal, nuts, and spices. You can serve it as a side with your Diwali dinner or as a standalone snack. Warning: Once you start munching on this mix, it’s difficult to stop.
Vegetable Samosas
Samosas are traditional and tasty and make excellent appetizers. Make them with potatoes, onions, lentils, and shredded mixed vegetables, and to be really fancy, add some pine or pistachio nuts.
Chili Tofu Paneer
Chili paneer is a very popular Indo-Chinese dish, but this veganized recipe by Vegan Richa, which uses tofu, is much healthier and tastes delicious. It’s highly recommended for those who like their food to have a little kick.
Lentil and Okra Curry
This hearty curry should be poured over steaming hot rice. We love this nutritious recipe, because you need only one pot to cook the curry.
Mushroom and Green Peas Curry
Mushroom Mutter Masala: Indian Mushroom and Green Peas https://t.co/Q69FKegahR #vegan pic.twitter.com/GYfHK9wghD
— One Green Planet (@OneGreenPlanet) August 22, 2016
Now here’s a quick dish that you can make for your Diwali dinner that’s packed with protein. Bake some naan bread to go with this main course. (See the recipe below.)
Naan Bread
We love making naan and eating it, too, so how can we celebrate Diwali without a fresh batch of the hot oven-baked bread? Sprinkle on some fresh garlic before baking to add extra flavor. Enjoy it with a delicious warm curry, dipped in hummus, or with some fresh guacamole.
Masala Chai
Chai is a hot tea made by brewing black tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices. Drink it alongside your savory meals during your Diwali feast or pair it with any or all of the aforementioned vegan desserts.
Wishing you a joyous and happy Diwali!
If you try any of these recipes, tell us about it on Facebook.
Written by PETA Asia intern Kristen Fay
