30 Easy Pantry Recipes – Vegetarian and Vegan

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Here I give you 30 Easy Pantry recipes which are cheap and you don’t have to spend much time in your kitchen to make it. From accompaniments to desserts you will not miss anything in this list. These recipes are perfect for college students, bachelors and during emergency situations.

Ready for a picnic? Check out 25 easy picnic recipes.

Pantry staples Essentials

Dry goods

• Rice
• All-purpose flour
• Whole Wheat Flour
• Besan ( Chickpea flour)
• Rice flour
• Pasta
• Lentils
• Sugar
• Kidney Beans
• Chickpeas
• Urad dal

Oil, Jam and sauces

• Any cooking oil 
• Jams or fruit preserves or nut butter
• Tomato sauce
• Soy sauce

Spices

• Turmeric powder
• Red chili powder
• Coriander powder
• Cumin powder and seeds
• Black pepper powder and seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Fenugreek seeds

Refrigerator goods

• Milk
• Eggs
• Butter
• Yogurt
• Cheese
• Tortilla
• Tomato

Freezer goods

• Mixed vegetables
• Mixed fruits
• Corn kernels
• Green peas

Canned goods

• Tomato paste
• Coconut milk
• Pumpkin puree

Vegetables that stay long

• Potatoes
• Sweet potato
• Pumpkin
• Carrot
• Beetroot
• Onion
• Garlic
• Tapioca/ Yuca/ Cassava

Recipes using Pantry staples

Accompaniment

Alu Kangmet – This dish needs just 4 basic ingredients. This is a potato dish made with mashed potatoes. Alu /Aloo means Potato. But it tasted great with rice. This is Vegan and Gluten-free.

Cauliflower pepper fry – This is a simple & easy starter. You can have this at Teatime. I’m sure kids will love it. It’s Vegan and Gluten-free.

Cauliflower capsicum stir fry – Cauliflower Capsicum stir fry is an easy side dish you can make with minimal ingredients. It goes well with rice or makes it a filling for your wraps. This is vegan and gluten-free.

Cumin Roasted potato – This is an easy way of making Jeera aloo I do. This can be had with simple rasam rice or curd rice. This is an accompaniment kid will love to have.

Plantain fry – Vazhakai fry/ Raw Banana Tawa Fry is a South Indian side dish to have with rice. Let’s see how to make this easy vegan, gluten-free side dish.

Breakfast

Chia Pudding – I here give you my new found love for breakfast – Chia Pudding with Coconut Milk. Not one but in 2 ways. I know what you think. It’s cool, right? This is Vegan and Gluten-free.

Sweet potato Roti – Sweet Potato Roti / Sweet Potato Indian Flat Bread is an easy, fuss-free, vegan flatbread.

Tapioca Stir fry – This is one staple food in Kerala. It can be had in different ways. Plain cooked, stir fry, with fish or chicken or we can even make biryani. Vegan and Gluten-free.

Idli/ Dosa batter – Idli and dosa are the staple food in any South Indian house. So they have idli/ dosa batter in stock at any given time. Having batter in stock is so much relief for both stays at home moms or working moms. With this batter, we can make many dishes like Idli, Dosa, Uthappam, Paniyaram.

Want to try a variation ? Try this Ragi Dosa

Blender Pancake – Dump all ingredients in the blender and pulse it till all uniformly mixed. Take a portion of batter and pour it in a heated pan. Cook both sides till done.

Want to plan weekly breakfast and dinner? Please check out – Weekly Indian breakfast meal plan

Curry

Simple dal – Whatever heavy meals we eat, a simple dal with a bowl of hot rice and a dollop of ghee can be the most comforting dish in the world. Rich in protein and mild spices can be soothing for your tummy any given day.

Palak Paneer – This Palak Paneer is a gravy with whole goodness of spinach along with yummy paneer. This goes well with some hot Roti.

For vegans just swap Tofu for Paneer. You can also use kale instead of Spinach or a mix of both.

Zunka – Zunka is a traditional dish that is usually made with roti. Zunka is made with Besan/ Chickpea Flouras the main ingredient. This is so delicious, spicy, easy to make a dish with lots of onions and green chili. I also served this with Dosa which tastes great.

Pineapple Rasam – Pineapple rasam has a mixed taste from pineapple and tomato. Unlike other rasam recipes, we don’t use tamarind extract in this. This is Vegan and Gluten-free.

Do not forget to check our 42 best Indian curry recipes for more ideas.

Main

Lentil Rice – Lentil Rice is one of the popular rice varieties made in South India. This is an easy lunch recipe and perfect for the lunch box too.

Vegan Wraps – These Vegan Wraps with curried chickpeas are the best you can make with the things you have in your pantry.

Roasted Veggie bowl – This simple roasted veggie bowl is an easier dish to have accompanied by any grilled protein.

Lemon Rice – South Indian Lemon rice, as the name suggests is rice mixed with lemon. It has a nice tangy flavor which makes the dish taste better. We also add chopped ginger which not only enhances the flavor but also helps digestion. It’s Vegan and Gluten-free.

Vegan Pumpkin Carrot Soup – I made this soup in Instant potto make the work easier. This is a smooth and delicious soup. I haven’t used any cream but you can always go ahead and use cream to make this soup rich. In addition, you can also cook the vegetables in vegetable broth. 

Instant pot Vegetable Pulao – This Vegetable Pulao is so easy to put up and the Instant pot makes the job easy for you. As I said earlier, I made this using boiled ponni rice. You can make this recipe using Basmati rice too. The only thing you need to note is the water ratio. If using Basmati rice, use1: 2 rice and water ratio.

To plan Lunch meal like a pro, check out the Weekly Lunch Meal plan.

Snack

Oven Roasted Potato wedges – You need only 5 ingredients including potato. I know there will be no haters for potato. Right? This is our favorite snack at tea time. Even kids are loving it.

Air fried Sweet potato fry – I give you healthiest air fryer Sweet Potato fries which you can indulge guilt-free. It is vegan, a gluten-free snack you can enjoy any time of the day. Feel free to customize as per your taste.

Banana Fritters – These banana fritters are the best way to use up your overripen bananas or just to whip a quick snack. This is so easy and needs just basic ingredients. You can make this within 30 minutes from start to end. And this is vegan.

Peanut Stir fry – This Peanut Sundal/Stir fry is a simple Gluten-free, Vegan snack. It’s so simple and healthy too. You need less than 30 minutes if you remove the soaking time.

Honey Roasted Almonds – Making a healthy snack is always a tough job. But not anymore. Try this Honey roasted Almonds which you can have as a go-to snack or pack it in your loved one’s snack box.

3 Ingredient Shortbread cookies – Here are my easiest 3 ingredient shortbread cookies. This is not a frosted cookie as the usual one.

Dessert

Baked Pineapple Burfi – As I said, you need just 3 ingredients to make this fabulous dessert. Yes, Just 3. Sour cream, Condensed milk, and crushed Pineapple. That’s it. Mix everything and bake till done.

Grilled Pineapple – This is so easy to make with no fancy ingredients. The warm pineapple with Ice cream is heaven to taste for sure.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding – There is a secret ingredient in this chocolate pudding. That ingredient is Sweet Potato. Yes, I used Sweet Potato to give the pudding a rich creamy texture.

Rice Pudding – Rice Kheer or Indian Rice Pudding is a creamy and luscious dessert made during special occasions. .It is made easy now by making it in Instant pot. No cream, no condensed milk, just rice, milk, and sugar.

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