23 Healthy Indian Recipes to Make for Dinner

If you want to incorporate nutritious meals into your weekly routine, you can’t go wrong with these healthy Indian recipes. 

Indian fare is healthy by default (unless it’s deep-fried). And there are so many colorful and scrumptious dishes to choose from.

20+ Easy and Healthy Indian Recipes

Authentic Indian food relies heavily on veggies and mouth-watering spices without cheese and butter. 

From simple curries and masala to hearty Indian soups, these healthy Indian recipes are low on calories without sacrificing flavor.

Check out some delicious recipes below to set those neglected tastebuds on fire!

1. Chickpea Curry 

If you’re new to Indian cooking, this chickpea curry is a fantastic place to start.

It’s a simple, fool-proof recipe that doesn’t require a trip to the Indian market. 

It pairs simple pantry staples like chickpeas (super affordable!), simple spices, and coconut milk. 

The curry sauce is so creamy and light with just a gentle touch of heat from cayenne pepper. 

2. Aloo Gobi 

Aloo gobi is a hearty vegetarian dish that infuses filling veggies with rich spices.

Look no further if you are on the hunt for a filling, bone-warming meal for a meatless Monday. 

It pairs hearty winter veggies like cauliflower and potatoes with bright herbs and spices. 

The trick to perfecting aloo gobi is ensuring the veggies have a crunch. No one wants a soggy and sad aloo gobi! 

Serve this flavorful dish alone or with a bowl of fluffy white rice. 

3. Naan Bread 

Soaking up curry sauce with a piece of naan bread lands high on my list of favorite things to do in life. 

Sure, you can buy a small bag of prepared naan at the supermarket, but making your own at home is surprisingly easy. 

This simple bread bubbles up to perfection using a cast iron skillet, and those char marks deliver a ton of flavor. 

4. Chicken Saag 

Chicken saag infuses tender pieces of chicken with healthy spinach for a meal that will leave you too stuffed for midnight snacking. 

It’s lean, green, and one of the healthier curry dishes on this list. 

The delightfully green sauce boasts rich, earthy flavors thanks to pureed spinach and rich Indian spices. 

It’s creamy, spicey, and sure to warm your bones at the end of a cold winter’s day. 

5. Chicken Curry 

It doesn’t get much easier than this chicken curry.

It’s a simple dish that pairs tender chunks of white meat chicken in a curry sauce.

 No veggies are needed, which makes it perfect for all those picky eaters in the family. 

Whipping up this chicken curry is as easy as throwing chopped chicken breasts and spices into a pot.

Then, you simmer them low and slow until the chicken absorbs all those rich flavors. 

Serve it with a bowl of white rice; it will soon be your family’s next favorite weeknight meal!

6. Chana Tikki 

Chana tikki is Indian street food at its finest. Think of these delicious chickpea patties like Indian crab cakes. 

And just like crab cakes, the dipping sauce makes all the difference.

These patties incorporate warm Indian spices that pair well with a dollop of cool yogurt. 

They’re incredibly popular Indian snacks. Better yet, they’re healthy, nutritious, and pack a lot of flavor in every bite. 

7. Indian Red Lentil Dal 

In the health food hall of fame, red lentils are the MVP.

They’re high in protein and fiber, and ensure that one bowl of this red lentil dal will keep you from snacking between meals. 

The long recipe list seems intimidating, but most ingredients are pantry spices.

And each spice ensures that every bite of this delicious dal is rich, fragrant, and flavorful. 

This recipe has a little bit of everything. It’s earthy, tart, slightly sweet, spicy, and herbaceous. 

8. Chicken Tikka Masala 

Chicken tikka masala is a staple of Indian takeout because it’s filling and delicious.

Give your local Indian takeout restaurant the night off and whip up your own. It’s easier than you think!

One of the things that I love most about chicken tikka masala is its beautiful red coloring.

The bright red color pops against a garnish of creamy yogurt and bright spices. And yes, it’s just as scrumptious as it looks. 

It’s rich and hearty thanks to the secret ingredient: garam masala.

If you don’t have this spice in your spice rack, you can swap it out for curry powder, but it won’t be as fragrant. 

9. Healthy Butter Chicken 

Healthy and butter don’t often go hand in hand.

While this recipe may taste creamy and buttery, it doesn’t actually contain butter. 

It earns its addictively creamy butter-like consistency from yogurt.

With a tomato base, rich Indian spices, and a cooling kick from yogurt, you won’t miss the butter. 

The sauce for this recipe is a little soupy, so make sure you have some naan on hand to sop up all that delicious sauce!

10. Mughlai Egg Korma 

Looking for a vegetarian recipe that just as filling as a meat dish?

Mughlai egg korma is a wonderful vegetarian dish that celebrates the simplicity of the hard-boiled egg. 

The flavorful tomato and yogurt spiced curry sauce are fragrant and aromatic and pairs perfectly with hard-boiled eggs. 

Serve it with fresh naan or a bowl of white rice to soak up that fragrant and decadent sauce. 

11. Homemade Tandoori Chicken 

Tandoori chicken is 100 percent picky eater-approved.

It pairs delicious drumsticks in a flavorful marinate that soaks into every bite of the chicken. 

Traditionally, you need a tandoori oven for authentic tandoori chicken.

However, with a good marinate and a hot oven, you can recreate this Indian classic without one. 

The chicken’s marinade is potent and spicy.

Be sure to tame those bold flavors with a gentle squeeze of lemon juice and a side of cool yogurt for dipping. 

12. Indian Butter Chickpea 

Unlike the butter chicken recipe above, this Indian butter chickpea recipe doesn’t omit butter.

Since chickpeas are super healthy, adding butter to this rich sauce won’t undo your diet. 

Besides, it only adds a bit of butter to give the sauce a rich and decedent consistency.

Even though butter’s in the recipe title, it’s not the star of this show. 

Rich Indian flavors like garam masala, cumin, and ginger take center stage in this amazingly delicious chickpea dish. 

13. Pakistani Zucchini (Courgette) Curry 

This Pakistani zucchini dares to be different in a world of cauliflower, chicken, or chickpea curry. 

It pairs hearty zucchini with simple pantry staples to create a truly unique and mouth-watering curry that comes together in a snap. 

The best part? It’s simple and affordable.

This simple curry is a great way to use up extra if your garden exploded with zucchinis this growing season.

14. Vegan Indian Sweet Potato Soup 

It doesn’t get much healthier than soup for dinner.

And this vegan Indian sweet potato soup is one of the most nourishing soups you can make at home. 

It’s sweet, spicy, and surprisingly filling for soup. It’s thick, rich, and creamy, thanks to pureed sweet potatoes. 

It has rich Indian spices and a splash of creamy coconut milk.

It’s the perfect waistline-friendly dinner option that your whole family will love. 

15. Indian Cauliflower Bowls 

Healthy dinner options don’t have to be bland and boring.

If you have had your fill of salads, it’s time to give these Indian cauliflower bowls a try. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. 

They’re brimming with unique textures and flavor profiles that will make your tastebuds sing. 

With crispy and hearty cauliflower, tender tofu, and crunchy cashews, this is a flavor explosion. 

Top them with an Indian avocado dressing, and dig in!

16. Instant Pot Coconut Chicken Curry 

Time to break out those Instant Pots! Take a break tonight and let your handy Instant Pot do all the heavy lifting. 

This coconut chicken curry is meaty, creamy, spicy, and pretty addictive. You’ve been warned. 

It creates a thick and hearty stew-like sauce that infuses every bite with rich Indian flavors and comes together in 30 minutes. 

17. Tikka Masala Meatballs 

Italians don’t have the market cornered on meatballs! 

Opt for lean meat like ground turkey or chicken for a healthy take on the classic meatball.

Besides, the meatballs are only a vehicle for the delicious tikka masala sauce.  

It’s rich and creamy thanks to a blend of full-fat coconut milk and tomato base infused with bright sauces.

Serve it alone or with a bed of white, fluffy rice. 

18. Hariyali Chicken 

Hariyali translates to green.

This green chicken recipe infuses bright green herbs for a creamy, herbaceous green sauce that pairs well with tender chicken. 

The hariyali sauce delivers subtle earthy and herbal notes with a creamy coconut sauce that tastes out of this world. 

Since this sauce is thin, be sure that you soak up the excess sauce on your plate with a piece of naan or white rice.

Leave no sauce behind!

19. Masala Lamb Chops 

Think of masala lamb chops like elevated Indian BBQ.

They’re full of aromatic Indian flavors in a rich marinade and then grilled to crispy perfection. 

The flavors of the lamb chop marinade infuse simple pantry spices and earn a spicy kick from crushed chilis. 

The recipe is rich and spicy and pairs perfectly with steamed veggies to keep dinner light and healthy. 

20. Indian Turmeric Yellow Rice 

Serving curry with white rice is excellent, but you can add even more nutrition by incorporating turmeric.

Turmeric gives the rice its classic yellow coloring.

It also hosts a boatload of positive health benefits, like improving heart health and relieving inflammation. 

This recipe also includes tons of Indian spices that take your rice game to a new level. 

21. Frankie 

Frankie (aka Bombay burrito) is unlike any burrito you’ve ever had. 

Seriously, you have to try these burritos. 

They incorporate hearty veggies like cauliflower and protein-rich chickpeas with a fragrant mashed potato spread. 

Rolled up in a burrito shell, it’s magic. 

22. Indian Stir-fry Vegetable 

Why roast your veggies for dinner when you can give them an Indian stir-fry treatment? 

With bold Indian spices and very little oil or fat, you’ll never go back to roasted veggies ever again. 

They’re so rich and aromatic and go great with a bowl of steamed rice. 

23. Easy Salmon Curry 

Heart-healthy salmon, crushed tomatoes, and bright spices make up this recipe.

This easy salmon curry checks all the boxes for a deliciously healthy meal. 

The salmon absorbs all those rich curry spices like a champ and ensures that every bite delivers massive Indian flavors. 

The best part? It comes together in just 15 minutes!