Looking for a crowd-pleasing Indian Vegetarian Dinner/Lunch Party Menu Ideas? for a casual or festival occasion with family and friends? Here is a list of popular recipes for drinks, appetizers, entrees, and desserts, with some tips to plan for your next party. Many of the recipes shared below are prepared in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, or Air fryer making life even easier.
India's geographical and cultural variety is wonderfully reflected in its cuisine and may be the primary factor in why Indian food is superior to that of other nations. There is a veritable rainbow of cuisines and ingredients available in every Indian state. Even the spices they use are homemade and of their creation.
From a usual dinner to an extravagant party, Indian cuisine is known to have dishes that are just delectable. The mouthwatering curries, spicy fries, biryani, and parathas all perform wonders to entice you under their spell. So be ready to explore the world of Indian cuisine, which is full of spices, flavors, and aromas.
Every meal, whether it is paneer makhani, masala chaap, rajma masala, veg biryani, and more, is a unique fusion of spirited ingredients and various cooking methods. So, what are you waiting for? We have shortlisted a few Indian dinner recipes that are just perfect to spruce up your party menu! Read about the recipes below.
Table of contents
What to Consider in the Indian Dinner Party Menu
A bit of planning is key to having everything under control. Gather the following information from your guests 8-10 days before the party:
- Keep it simple - do not try to experiment with new dishes on the day of the party.
- Pick a date and inform you at least 7-10 days ahead of your guests.
- Make a guest list, and calculate the total count of adults and kids, including elderly people.
- In Advance, politely check with your guests if they have any dietary restrictions (gluten-free, vegan, no onion-garlic for elderly people, etc.) or any food allergies.
- Also, make sure you are not duplicating the same menu with the same set of people.
- Also, decide what items you are planning to cook by yourself or plan to order some food from outside are?
Indian Drinks Recipes (Pick 1 or 2)
Here are a few drink options to serve with a delicious Indian Meal. You can also serve soda/alcohol, make some cocktails/mocktails, and fruit juices for kids.
- Mango Lassi
- Sweet Lassi
- Mango Milkshake
- Strawberry Orange Punch
- Strawberry Lassi
- Rooh Afza Drink
- Nimbu Pani (Indian Lemonade)
- Fresh Lime Soda
- Jal Jeera
- Mango Mojito
- Masala Chai
- Adrak Wali Chai (Ginger Tea)
- Coffee
- Masala Chaas
- Juice for kids
Indian Appetizers/Snacks (Pick 2 or 3)
List of appetizers or snacks to choose from:
Tandoori
- Paneer Tikka
- Tandoori Gobi
- Malai Broccoli
- Tandoori Broccoli
- Tandoori Aloo Tikka
- Tofu Tikka
- Tandoori Paneer Naan Pizza
Indo-Chinese
- Gobi Manchurian
- Hakka Noodles
- Chili Paneer
Chaats
- Pani Puri (Golgappa)
- Dahi Papdi Chaat
- Avocado Pani Puri
- Bhel Puri
- Dahi Puri
- Sev Puri
- Corn Bhel
- Avocado Papdi Chaat
- Makhana Bhel
- Boiled Peanut Chaat
- Dahi Balla Chaat/Dahi Vada
- Samosa Chaat
Soups
Others
- Bombay Potatoes
- Makhana Chivda
- Barbeque Nation Cajun Potatoes
- Onion Pakoda
- Spinach Corn Pakoda
- Podi Idli
- Air Fryer-Roasted Chickpeas
- Rava Dhokla
- Khaman Dhokla
- Veg Puff
- Fresh or Frozen Samosa
- Fresh or Frozen Spring Rolls
You can also buy appetizers available in Indian grocery stores, like cocktail samosas, kachori, and vada. You can deep fry or air fry before serving.
Accompaniments
Many Indian finger food appetizers need dipping sauces or chutneys to go with them, especially green chutney and tamarind chutney. Also, while Indian meals are spicy, you will need raita (yogurt dip) as an accompaniment to cool off.
Chutneys or Dips for Appetizers (Pick 1 or 2)
- Cilantro Mint Chutney
- Tamarind Chutney
- Tandoori Mint Yogurt Sauce
- Chili Garlic Chutney
- Greek Yogurt Dip
- Sour Cream Dip
Chutneys for a South Indian Meal (Pick 1)
Raitas (Pick 1)
Also, check out the list of 12+ Raita Recipes for you to choose from my blog.
Salads (Pick 1)
- Simply chopped carrots, cucumbers, tomato, and onions
- Kachumber
- Boiled Peanut salad
- Sprouts Salad
- Chickpea Cucumber Salad
- Watermelon Salad with Mint
- Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing
Indian Flatbreads (Pick 1)
Curries (Pick 3-4)
Typically, I serve at least one dal (lentil) dish, one bean curry, and one paneer or vegetable side dish/curry.
Lentils Based Curries (Pick 1)
Bean Based Curries (Pick 1)
Paneer or Vegetable Side Dishes/Curries (Pick 1-2)
Here are some Indian Paneer and Vegetarian curries to pick from:
- Paneer Butter Masala
- Palak Paneer or Palak Tofu
- Matar Paneer
- Paneer Makhana Curry
- Paneer Jalfrezi
- Vegetable Kurma
- Aloo Gobi
- Aloo Matar
- Bombay Potato Sagu
- Vegetable Sagu
Rice and Biryani (Pick 1-2)
Here are some Indian vegetarian rice and biryani recipes to select from
- Basmati rice
- Jeera rice
- Vegetable Pulao Karnataka style
- Paneer Matar Pulao
- Ghee Rice
- Peas Pulao
- Bisi Bele Bath
- Vegetable Biryani
- Paneer Biryani
- Chickpea Biryani
Dessert (Pick 1-2)
Here are some Indian desserts to choose from
- Rice kheer
- Semiya kheer
- Badam Halwa
- Carrot halwa or Beetroot Halwa
- Shrikhand
- Besan Ladoo
- Instant Coconut Ladoo
- Gulab Jamun
- Rasmalai
- Vermicelli Kheer
- Fruit Custard
- Rava Ladoo
- Paneer Kheer
You can also include store-bought desserts like cakes, brownies, cupcakes, cookies, and ice cream.
You Might Also Enjoy These Recipe Collections
- 15+ Indian Salad Recipes
- 15+ Indian Chaat Recipes
- 30+ Indian Instant Pot Rice Recipes
- 25+ Indian Instant Pot Curry Recipes
- 20+ Indian Air Fryer Recipes
- 10+ Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
- 18+ Instant Pot Indian Dessert Recipes
- 10+ Paratha Recipes
- 10+ Halwa Recipes
- 70+ Indian Vegan Recipes
Indian Party Menu Ideas (Vegetarian)
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Varsha dongre
each and everything is perfectly described thanks 🙏
Bhavana Patil
Thank you so much Varsha
Varsha dongre
each and everything is perfectly described thanks
Anonymous
Amazing ideas! I've been looking for some new dishes to serve at our yearly Indian party, this menu was perfect. Keep doing India proud ❤️
-Shakti
Jennifer
Thank you for your tips! I would like to cook for 35 people, how can I calculate how much food I need?
Meera
What an awesome idea! Glad to try a few of things!I cherish you also including dishes that are Andhra style in nature.
Henry Jones
Nice post. Thank you so much for posting such an informative post.
Daniel
Nice post. It looks yummy.
Bhavana Patil
Thank you so much.
Mayuri Kubal
Beautifully written and we'll described starters to platers all in one post... I have tried paneer chilli, potato fries and some store bought recipes.
Henry Jones
Nice post. keep posting. Your menu is delicious.
Bhavana Patil
Hi Henry, I appreciate your kind words.