How to order vegan food in various Indian languages

Exploring India should be on everyone's bucket list, and for vegans it’s one of the most exciting destinations in the world! From breathtaking temples and striking monuments to stunning beaches, some of the best adventures are trying amazing new street foods or refueling with a wholesome vegan meal at a local restaurant. 

Every region has a different cuisine using different cooking techniques, herbs, spices, and of course languages. But we won't let a language barrier stop you from trying everything on your to-eat list, so that’s why we’ve put together 10 common Indian language translations to help you order popular vegetarian dishes without butter, milk, curd, or ghee!

Write it down on your notepad, make a list, share with someone who needs it, or bookmark this page because it’ll definitely be useful to anyone who comes across it!

1. Hindi

मुझे मक्खन नहीं चाहिए

Mujhe makhan (butter) nahi chahiye

मुझे दूध नहीं चाहिए

Mujhe dhood (milk) nahi chahiye

मुझे दही नहीं चाहिए

Mujhe dahi (curd) nahi chahiye

मुझे घी नहीं चाहिए

Mujhe ghee nahi chahiye

Top 5 must try veg dishes in Delhi:

1. Aloo tikki chaat
2. Veg momos
3. Ram ladoo
4. Chole kulche
5. Paranthas

2. Bengali

আমি মাখন চাই না

Ami maakhon (butter) chaina

আমি দুধ চাই না

Ami doodh (milk) chaina

আমি দই চাই না

Ami da'i (curd) chaina

আমি ঘি চাই না

Ami ghi (ghee) chaina

Top 5 must try Bengali veg dishes:

1. Shukto
2. Dhokaar dalna
3. Sonje dantar chorchori
4. Aloo posto 
5. Ghoogni 

3. Marathi

मला दूध नको आहे

Mala dudha (milk) nako ahe

मला लोणी नको आहे

Mala Ioni (butter) nako ahe

मला दही नको

Mala dahi (curd) nako ahe

मला तूप नकोय

Mala tupa (ghee) nako ahe

Top 5 must try veg dishes in Maharashtra:

1. Pitla
2. Usal
3. Batata vada
4. Bombay sandwich
5. Bhelpuri

4. Telugu

నాకు వెన్న వద్దు

Naaku venna (butter) oddhu

నాకు పాలు వద్దు

Naaku paalu (milk) oddhu

నాకు పెరుగు వద్దు

Naaku perugu (curd) oddu

నాకు నెయ్యి వద్దు

Naaku neyyi (ghee) oddu

Top 5 must try veg dishes in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana:

1. Pulihora
2. Koora
3. Pappu
4. Sarva pindi
5. Garijalu

5. Tamil

எனக்கு வெண்ணெய் வேண்டாம்

Enakku venne (butter) vendam 

எனக்கு பால் வேண்டாம்

Enakku paal (milk) vendam 

எனக்கு தயிர் வேண்டாம்

Enakku tayir (curd) vendam

எனக்கு நெய் வேண்டாம்

Enakku ney (ghee) vendam

Top 5 must try veg dishes in Tamil-Nadu:

1. Dosa with sambar and chutney
2. Ven pongal
3. Idli-sambar
4. Rava upma
5. Medu vada

6. Gujarati

મારે માખણ નથી જોઈતું

Mane maakhan (butter) nathi joitu 

મને દૂધ નથી જોઈતું

Mane dudh (milk) nathi joitu

મારે દહીં નથી જોઈતું

Mane dahi (curd) nathi joitu

મારે ઘી નથી જોઈતું

Mane ghi (ghee) nathi joitu

Top 5 must try Gujarati veg dishes:

1. Gujarati samosa
2. Dholka
3. Handvo
4. Thepla
5. Undhiyu

7. Kannada

ನನಗೆ ಬೆಣ್ಣೆ ಬೇಡ

Nanage benne (butter) beda

ನನಗೆ ಹಾಲು ಬೇಡ

Nanage haalu (milk) beda 

ನನಗೆ ಮೊಸರು ಬೇಡ

Nanage mosaru (curd) beda

ನನಗೆ ತುಪ್ಪ ಬೇಡ

Nanage tuppa (ghee) beda

Top 5 must try veg dishes in Karnataka:

1. Masala puri chaat
2. Belgaum kunda
3. Rava idli
4. Puliyogare 
5. Badanekayi ennegayi

8. Malayalam

എനിക്ക് വെണ്ണ വേണ്ട

Enikku venna (butter) venda

എനിക്ക് പാൽ വേണ്ട

Enikku paal (milk) venda

എനിക്ക് തൈര് വേണ്ട

Enikku tair (curd) venda

എനിക്ക് നെയ്യ് വേണ്ട

Enikku neyy (ghee) venda

Top 5 must try veg dishes in Kerala:

1. Idiyappam with curry
2. Erissery
3. Puttu and kadala curry
4. Appam with ishtu 
5. Ela sadya

9. Punjabi

ਮੈਨੂੰ ਮੱਖਣ ਨਹੀਂ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ

Mainu makhaṇa (butter) nahi chaida

ਮੈਨੂੰ ਦੁੱਧ ਨਹੀਂ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ

Mainu dudh (milk) nahi chaida

ਮੈਨੂੰ ਦਹੀਂ ਨਹੀਂ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ

Mainu dahi (curd) nahi chaida

ਮੈਨੂੰ ਘਿਓ ਨਹੀਂ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ

Mainu ghio (ghee) nahi chaida

Top 5 must try Punjabi veg dishes:

1. Dal makhini
2. Aloo matar
3. Aloo gobhi
4. Baingan bharta
5. Pindi chole

10. Urdu

مجھے مکھن نہیں چاہے

Mujhe makhan (butter) nahi chahiye

مجھے دھود نہیں چاہے

Mujhe dhood (milk) nahi chahiye

مجھے دہی نہیں چاہے

Mujhe dahi (curd) nahi chahiye

مجھے گھی نہیں چاہے

Mujhe ghee nahi chahiye

Top 5 must try veg dishes:

1. Lobia ka salan
2. Aloo matar ki sabzi
3. Kaali dal
4. Zeera aloo sabzi
5. Aloo kebab

Of course, the best (free) option for broad language translation is -you guessed it- Google Translate, which can work on any iphone or android anywhere in the world. We also recommend you check out our best tips and tricks  for ordering out and our top vegan travel tips  in our Indian beginner’s guide to veganism. 

The world of India is at our fingertips, so pack your bags and get ready to explore all kinds of tastes, smells, and sights. If you’re going on a trip, tell us where! And happy vegan travels to you!