8 Easy Indian Food Recipes You Can Totally Make at Home

Freshly baked naan will always be worth the effort. But on days when you don’t have the time or patience to mess with yeast and kneading, make rava dosa instead. It’s like the Indian version of crêpes, usually made with semolina, rice, and white flour. For this recipe, you’ll stuff them with masala-spiced chickpeas, tomatoes, and squash.(Indian Food)

Get the recipe: Rava Dosa (Indian Crêpes) with Summer Squash and Tomato Chickpea Masala

This creamy veggie korma takes just 30 minutes to make and is hard to mess up. It meshes with all vegetarian, paleo, and gluten-free eating plans, and it can easily be adapted for vegans as well.

Get the recipe: Creamy Coconut Vegetarian Korma

Effort-wise, this recipe rests somewhere between ordering takeout and making real homemade chicken tikka masala. Shredding a rotisserie chicken instead of roasting your own saves a lot of time and work. From there, you can easily tweak this recipe for your dietary preferences. Sub in cauliflower rice to add an extra serving of veggies or swap out chicken and butter for faux meat and coconut oil to make it vegan.

Get the recipe: Quick and Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

Honestly, every meal can be improved with the addition of samosas—a triangular pastry (usually fried) filled with spiced vegetables or meat. But if you’re cooking a few courses, you don’t want to focus all your energy on a highly involved appetizer. This recipe puts an easier, healthier spin on the authentic recipe: Frozen puff pastry eliminates the trouble of making your own dough, and baking instead of frying cuts down on excess fat.

Get the recipe: Flaky (Shortcut!) Samosas

If you find mango lassi overly sweet, adding matcha powder can temper the fruit-forward taste. (Plus, matcha has been shown to boost energy and help burn fat.) This recipe calls for frozen fruit instead of fresh, so it’s extra refreshing and you won’t have to bother with any chopping.

Get the recipe: Matcha Peach Lassi

If you’re a cheese lover, then paneer (a fresh cheese made by adding an acid like lemon juice to hot milk) should be your protein of choice in Indian dishes. Taking the time cook, strain, and press milk isn’t always feasible, though. For this recipe, you’ll bake and sauté tofu for a similar effect that’s easier and vegan-friendly.

Get the recipe: Methi Malai “Paneer”

For a quick and easy starter or side, throw together this cucumber salad in 10 minutes. The no-cook recipe can complete a meal that’s lacking in vegetables. (To sneak some veggies into your dessert, try these healthy cake recipes filled with vegetables.)

Get the recipe: Kachumbar Salad

The next time you’re feeding guests, serve this cauliflower dip with naan, roasted chickpeas, and veggies. Not only will it earn you more hosting cred than ranch or onion dip, but it’s also a healthier option. Greek yogurt adds protein, olive oil adds healthy fat, and cauliflower contains choline (a nutrient that most Americans are lacking).

Get the recipe: Tandoori Roasted Cauliflower Dip