Break your fast, the most important meal of your day, with these fantastic Indian breakfast recipes. Explore the best and easiest recipes that include traditional South Indian dishes like idli, dosa, and upma, as well as North Indian poori, chole bhatura, and paratha, along with classic milk tea (chai) and coffee.

Easy Vegetarian Breakfast Ideas
Indian breakfast recipes are traditionally vegetarian and broadly classified into 2 categories: North Indian and South Indian. Again, there are variations in the eastern and western parts.
South India: Being a south indian from the Mangalore region of Karnataka, my breakfast was vegetarian and started with idli (khotte, moode), dosa, appe (paniyarma, paddu), upma, vermicelli, masala dosa, poha (avalakki), mangalore buns, undi (pundi), puri bhaji, etc.
North India: Traditional north indian breakfast includes paratha, chole, poori, poha, cheela.
West India: Here, you will find a mixture of sweet and spicy breakfasts based on your state, like sabudana khichdi, batata poha, vada pav, pav bhaji, misal pav, dhokla, fafda, thepla, jalebi, etc.
East India: Aloo poori, momos, pitha, and litti choka are some breakfast dishes from this region.
South Indian Breakfast Recipes
South Indian breakfasts are mainly made with rice, lentils (urad dal, moong dal), and sooji rava (semolina). Our popular list of south indian breakfast items includes idli (steamed rice lentil cakes), dosa (crepes and pancakes), upma (semolina porridge), pongal (lentil and rice porridge), adai, appe (paniyaram), pesarattu, bisi bele bath, butter masala dosa, rava kesari (kesari bath), avalakki etc.
If you come to coastal regions like Mangalore, coastal Kerala, and Udupi, you will find shevai (idiyappam), appam, banana buns, pundi (undi, steamed rice dumplings), neer dosa (pan polo), mushti dosa, set dosa, surnali (sweet and spicy), cucumber dosa, crispy plain dosa, and more.
South Indian dosa, idli, and other breakfast items can be served with coconut chutney, sambar, garlic chutney, tomato chutney, hing chutney, vegetable stew, veg korma, and more.
1 Dosa Batter 7 Different Recipes
Butter Masala Dosa | Davangere Benne Masala Dosa
Idli - Traditional Recipe
Chutney for Dosa, Idli
Sambar
Pesarattu or Green Moong Dal Dosa
Sprouted Moong Usli (Sundal)
Mangalorean Neer Dosa
Mangalorean hotel style ghee dosa
2 ingredient Indian Dosa Recipe
Hotel Style Uttapam
Lemon Pepper Rice
Vangi Bath
Set Dosa
Undi - Steamed Rice Dumplings
Soft and Fluffy Banana Buns
Sponge Dosa (Surnoli)
Vegetable Kurma
North indian Breakfast Recipes
North Indian breakfasts are mainly wheat-based dishes and dairy-based items like aloo paratha, paneer paratha, chole bhatura, poha, bedmi puri with aloo sabzi, methi thepla (fenugreek flatbread), etc
Aloo Paratha
Paneer Paratha
Chole Bhatura
Dalia Moong Dal Khichdi
Sandwich without Bread
East and West Indian Breakfast
From east and west Indian regions you will find some of the popular breakfast items that include misal pav, pav bhaji, vada pav, sabudana khichdi, sabudana vada, thepla, batata poha, khandvi, dhokla, fafda and jalebi, patal bhaji and puri, aloo dum, ghugni, thekua, dal or rice pitha.
Sabudana Khichdi
Misal Pav
Crispy Sago Vada
Batata Poha
Aloo Rasedar | Aloo Tomato Curry without onion and garlic
Dhokla
Vada Pav
Pav Bhaji
Batata Patal Bhaji
Tomato Curry, Gojju
Sabudana Appe
Millet Breakfast
Millet-based recipes are nutritious and good to kick-start your day and keep you full for a longer time. Check out ragi dosa, millet khichdi, millet idli, ragi roti, and more.
Ragi Dosa, No Rice
Ragi Roti
Idli without Rice, millet or Quinoa Idli
Millet and Sago Dosa
Sprouted wheat dosa recipe
Quinoa Pongal
Millet pulao
Breakfast Drinks
Indian breakfasts are generally accompanied by milk tea, masala chai or adrak wali chai, filter coffee, lassi, badam milk, nimbu pani (lemon water), herbal tea, sattu drink, kokkam sharbat, kanji, ragi malt, etc.
Traditional Indian Tea
Layered Filter coffee
Ragi Malt
Mango Lassi
Herbal tea
5 minute breakfast recipes Indian
If the batter is ready, dosa can be made in less than 5 minutes. You can also try mango smoothies, sweet and spicy poha, fruit toast, and omelets, all of which can be made instantly.
Instant wheat dosa
Avocado Toast
Bread and Fruit toast
Omelette
Bread Upma, Bread Usli
Spot Idli with leftover batter
Spring Dosa with Leftover Batter
Plan your breakfast
- Some recipes can be made ahead of time, some are instant, and some require batter preparation.
- Indian breakfasts like dosa, appe (paddu, paniyaram) and idli are healthy choices, easy to make at home, and they are mostly vegan and gluten-free. You can make the batter on weekends, and your breakfast on busy mornings is ready in less than 5-10 minutes. All can be made with one batter like dosa idli batter, 7 in 1 dosa batter, etc.
- Breakfasts like poha, upma, and vermicelli can be prepared in less than 20 minutes.
- Most indian breakfasts are served with accompaniments like a pickle (achar), chutney, sambar, raita, etc. You can prep for it the previous night, and preparing hardly takes minutes.
- Most of the indian breakfast recipes are vegetarian. You can also add boiled eggs or an omelet for extra protein (quick and easy).
Recipe FAQs
Dosa, idli, paratha, dhokla, thepla, and batata poha are popular and healthy breakfast foods in India.
Idli, poha, upma, cheela, pesarattu, and sprouted sundal (usli) are healthy and protein-packed.
More Indian Recipes
Recipe card
Easy Indian Breakfast Recipes
Ingredients
7 Day Indian Breakfast Menu
- Idli with chutney and sambar
- Aloo paratha with curd and pickle
- Batata poha or sabudana khichdi
- Dosa, cheela or pesarattu with chutney
- Misal pav or pav bhaji
- Rava upma or vermicelli upma
- Masala dosa with chutney
Instructions
- The above given is a sample indian breakfast menu.
- Serev it with your favorite chai, filter coffee, lassi or any other drink.
- Pick the breakfast items from the post abve and plan your week accordingly.
Nutrition
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Note: We originally posted this list of North & South Indian Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes in Nov 2021. It has now been modified in Jan 2025 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.
LisaLisa
Each one of these Indian breakfast recipes look so good, I would surely try the Sambar, it sounds delicious and hearty.
Karen
These Indian breakfast recipes look absolutely delicious! And love that they dont take much time to prep. I'm a big mango fan, so that Mango Smoothie recipe is calling my name!
Marysa
The dosas and paratha sounds really good, and they look like they have a great fluffy texture. I have had dosas before, but not for breakfast.