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Indian Vegetarian Breakfast: 5 Classic Recipes

These five Indian vegetarian breakfasts are classics from across the country. Kanda poha takes 27 minutes, besan chilla 29, rava upma 30 and rava uttapam 48, all serving 2. Idli with coconut chutney needs about 16 hours for soaking and fermenting but only about 1 hour of hands-on work. All five contain no meat, fish or egg.

Indian breakfast changes every few hundred kilometres, but a handful of vegetarian dishes show up in homes and at street stalls across the country. They are quick to make, built on pantry staples such as rice, semolina and gram flour, and flavoured with mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilli.

These five recipes include a Maharashtrian poha, a South Indian upma, a North Indian gram flour pancake, and two South Indian staples, idli and uttapam. Each lists exact quantities, timings and what to look for at each step.

How to choose

  • Short on time: kanda poha, besan chilla and rava upma are all ready in about half an hour.
  • Want something to plan ahead: idli needs soaking and overnight fermentation, but the batter keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge.
  • No fermentation, but want something substantial: rava uttapam is thick and filling and needs only a 20-minute rest.
  • Looking for a gluten-free base: besan chilla and idli use no wheat. Check the pack of gram flour and the chutney ingredients if you need them certified.

  1. Maharashtrian flattened rice with onion, peanuts and curry leaves, ready in 27 minutes in one pan.

  2. Savoury semolina porridge tempered with mustard seeds, dals and cashews, a quick South Indian staple.

  3. Thin gram flour pancakes with onion and tomato that need no fermentation and cook in 2 minutes a side.

  4. Soft steamed rice and urad cakes with coconut chutney, for when you can plan ahead for the soaking and fermenting.

  5. Thick instant semolina pancakes topped with onion, tomato and capsicum, with no fermentation.

Frequently asked questions

Which Indian vegetarian breakfast is the quickest?

Kanda poha takes 27 minutes and besan chilla 29. Rava upma takes 30 minutes. All three serve 2 and are cooked in one pan.

Which of these need no fermentation?

Kanda poha, rava upma, besan chilla and rava uttapam all use ingredients that are ready to cook. Only idli needs a batter fermented for 8 to 12 hours somewhere warm, plus 4 to 6 hours of soaking.

Which is the most filling?

Idli with chutney (about 500 kcal and 14 g protein per serving) and kanda poha (about 520 kcal) are the largest. Besan chilla has the most protein for its size, about 12 g and 280 kcal for two chillas.

Can I make any of these ahead?

Idli batter keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge, so you can steam fresh idlis each morning. Besan chilla and rava uttapam batters keep for 1 day, though the vegetables and raising agent go in just before cooking. Poha and upma are best made fresh.

Which of these are gluten-free or vegan?

Besan chilla and idli with chutney are vegan as written. Kanda poha is vegan as written if your sev contains no dairy; check the label. Rava upma and rava uttapam use wheat semolina, and the uttapam contains yoghurt. Each recipe lists gluten-free swaps where they exist.