Indian Dinner Party Menu Ideas

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.

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
• Tandoori Broccoli
• Tandoori Aloo Tikka
• Tofu Tikka

Indo-Chinese

• Gobi Manchurian
• Hakka Noodles
• Chili Paneer

Chaats

• Dahi Papdi Chaat
• Avocado Pani Puri
• Bhel Puri
• Corn Bhel
• Avocado Papdi Chaat
• Makhana Bhel
• Boiled Peanut Chaat
• Dahi Balla Chaat/Dahi Vada
• Samosa Chaat

Soups

• Creamy Tomato Soup
• Sweet Corn Soup
• Broccoli Spinach Soup

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

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
• Greek Yogurt Dip
• Sour Cream Dip

Chutneys for a South Indian Meal (Pick 1)

• Coconut Coriander Chutney
• Coconut Chutney
• Onion Tomato Chutney
• Peanut Chutney

Raitas (Pick 1)

• Boondi Raita
• Cucumber Raita
• Onion-tomato Raita 
• Avocado Raita
• Beetroot Raita

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)

• Rotis (homemade or store-bought)
• Parathas
• Pooris
• Plain or Garlic Naan (store-bought)

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)

• Dal Tadka
• Moong Dal Fry
• Raw Mango Dal
• Rasam
• Sambar

Bean Based Curries (Pick 1)

• Chana Masala
• Rajma
• Dal Makhani

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

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
• 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

You can also include store-bought desserts like cakes, brownies, cupcakes, cookies, and ice cream.

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DID YOU MAKE ANY OF THESE INDIAN DINNER PARTY MENU IDEAS?
I’D LOVE TO KNOW HOW THEY TURNED OUT! LEAVE A COMMENT AND A ⭐️ RATING BELOW? SO WE CAN SEE IT AND OTHERS CAN ENJOY IT TOO! THANK YOU ♥

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