Vegan Indian Food in Denver: A Cherry Creek Guide

Indian food has one of the oldest and richest plant-based traditions anywhere. Whole regions of India have cooked vegetarian for centuries, and a lot of the best dishes on any menu happen to be vegan already.

Even so, plenty of restaurants treat vegan as an afterthought: one vegetable curry, one dal, and a shrug. We give it its own section of the menu.

The catch: ghee and cream

Traditional Indian cooking uses a lot of ghee (clarified butter), cream, and yogurt, including in dishes that look vegan. A vegetable curry can be vegetarian without being vegan. That's why our vegan section is separate from our vegetarian one, and why it's worth asking about any dish that isn't clearly labeled.

Our vegan curries

• Dal tadka: yellow lentils tempered with cumin and garlic. Simple and deeply comforting.
• Chana masala: chickpeas in a tangy tomato gravy.
• Tofu palak: tofu in a spiced spinach sauce. Think saag, without the paneer.
• Chole palak: chickpeas and spinach together.
• Aloo gobi: potato and cauliflower with turmeric and cumin.
• Mix-veg curry: a mixed vegetable curry.
• Dal vegetable vindaloo: the one with heat.

All of them are also gluten-free.

Vegan starters and more

• Vegetable samosas with mint and tamarind chutney.
• Onion bhaji: crisp onion fritters in chickpea batter.
• Gobi Manchurian: crispy cauliflower in a sweet garlic-chili sauce.
• Tandoori jerk mushroom: button mushrooms with jerk seasoning, cooked in the tandoor.
• Himalayan bamboo curry: a sour, earthy Nepali curry.

Questions worth asking anywhere

1. Is it cooked in oil or ghee?
2. Is the dal finished with cream or butter?
3. Is the naan brushed with butter?
4. Are fried items sharing a fryer with meat?

A first vegan order

Onion bhaji and samosas to start, then chana masala, dal tadka, and aloo gobi with basmati rice. That's three very different flavors: tangy, earthy, and spiced.