Vegan

Spinach Paratha Flatbread (yeast-free)

Soft, flavorful spinach paratha is a delicious breakfast, snack or side! This North Indian-style flatbread is packed with spinach! You can also stuff it with a flavorful tofu filling. (nut-free with gluten-free and soy-free options). This post was originally published on may 18,2015.

spinach paratha on a plate with raita and Indian pickle

Parathas are this quintessential Indian flatbreads that are unleavened ie don’t usually have yeast or baking powder. They’re easily available all over India and differ based on the region. North Indian Parathas are different than the South Indian Parathas.

You also see parathas from other countries — like Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Fiji — that have adapted them from Indian cuisine. Some places use whole wheat flour, some places use all-purpose flour, and there are other variations. North Indian parathas usually use 100% whole wheat flour.

In India, the wheat for paratha and roti is a bit different from the wheat you find elsewhere. It is closer to a white wheat, and it gives you really soft flatbreads. They also grind this flour a little bit more finely compared to the whole grain flour in the US. The whole wheat flour in the US comes from harder wheat and is more coarsely ground, so when you make roti flatbreads or paratha flatbreads with that, the flatbreads tend to be a little stiffer and not as soft. If you can get your hands on Indian roti flour, chapati flour, or Indian 100% whole wheat flour — called atta flour — use that.

You can also add various fillings to parathas, like an aloo paratha, which is a potato-stuffed flatbread. Gobi paratha is spiced cauliflower stuffed in a flatbread, and there are many more. In India, we ate parathas for breakfast or brunch or served them as a side with curries and dals. Stuffed parathas are usually the parathas of choice at breakfast, and we’d serve them with some Indian pickles or some yogurt or raita(spiced yogurt dip). The recipe below includes a raita recipe in the notes section.

hand dipping a piece of spinach paratha into raita

This spinach paratha is hearty and delicious. There is protein from the whole wheat flour and in the non-dairy yogurt, if you’re making a raita dip. To up the protein even more, you can use higher protein fillings, such as tofu, or add some hemp seeds and so on.

For today’s spinach paratha, I am taking the flour and adding pureed spinach into the flour as the wet ingredient to make these vibrant, green parathas. They are nutritious, delicious, and easy. You can stuff them or make plain parathas and serve these as is or with some chutney, Indian pickles, or yogurt. This recipe works with frozen spinach or fresh spinach. If you’re using fresh spinach, you will have to blanch it before you blend it.

Spinach Paratha flat bread | Vegan Richa

Why You’ll Love Spinach Parathas

soft, flavorful flatbread, no yeast required
easy to make and packed with veggies and spices
versatile! Use the flavorful, protein-rich tofu filling, choose your own favorite filling, or make them plain.
naturally nut-free with easy soy-free and gluten-free options

More Parathas on the Blog

Masala Paratha
Multigrain Aloo Paratha
Lauki Paratha
Deconstructed Gobi Paratha

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Vegan

South Indian Marry Me Lentils

These marry me lentils are a vegan version of South Indian wedding curry. They have a rich flavor from the sauce from Hyderabadi wedding Chikin, made easier and in a single pan. (gluten-free with soy-free, nut-free, coconut-free, and oil-free options)

plate of South Indian marry me lentils with rice

This is a super delicious and decadent lentil curry. I use my Hyderabadi wedding chicken curry sauce and add lentils to it. That sauce is just incredibly delicious with an amazing combination of spices and herbs, and great textures from coconut and almond flour. And it comes out just perfectly every single time.

Don’t get intimidated by the long list of ingredients. Most of the ingredients get added to the pan almost at the same time. So it’s just about three steps to get a fantastically delicious, one-pan, lentil curry.

South Indian marry me lentils in the pan with herbs on top

Marry me lentils are great over rice or quinoa or with some naan or flatbread or even toasted sourdough or garlic bread. Or you can serve these over baked potato or roasted vegetables.

If you don’t like lentils, you can change up the protein by adding chickpeas, white beans, kidney beans, crisped up tofu, soy curls, or seitan, or any other plant-based protein that you like. Some crisped up vegan chicken will work as well.

South Indian marry me lentils in the pan with a swirl of non-dairy yogurt

Basically, all of the deliciousness in these marry me lentils is in the sauce. Use this sauce and let me know if you try it!

If you like this recipe, also try my marry me pasta which has the classic smoky, creamy, addictive sauce!

hand scooping up South Indian marry me lentils with flatbread

Why You’ll Love Marry Me Lentils

delicious, 1-pan dinner loaded with South Indian flavors
simple, whole food ingredients
flexible recipe. Use lentils, as written, or substitute your favorite plant-based protein.
delicious of rice, quinoa, naan, flatbread, toasted sourdough, garlic bread, or roasted vegetables
naturally gluten-free with easy soy-free, nut-free, coconut-free, and oil-free options