India
Level 1 for vegetarian infrastructure and city variety, less forgiving if you assume vegetarian automatically means vegan.
Level 1 is built on India's deep-rooted vegetarian culture. Ghee, dairy, and the vegetarian does not equal vegan gap are the operating challenges throughout, not the overall food environment.
The Ranking India ranks #999 overall. Major metros including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune score considerably higher at city level, driven by a fast-growing dedicated vegan restaurant scene and well-stocked health food shops. Goa scores particularly strongly, with a density of plant-based cafes that rivals many Western European cities.
Vegetarian Does Not Mean Vegan India has one of the world's highest proportions of vegetarians, but vegetarian cooking in the Indian context routinely includes ghee, dairy cream, butter, curd (yoghurt), and paneer. A dish labelled vegetarian tells you nothing about its dairy content. Always specify "no dairy" explicitly, and name ghee, milk, curd, and butter individually, because "no dairy" alone is not consistently understood to include ghee.
The Green Dot India's FSSAI green dot on packaged food indicates vegetarian, not vegan. Vegetarian under this system includes milk, ghee, curd, paneer, and butter. Dairy ingredients including milk powder, ghee, and whey appear routinely in green-dot products. Always read the ingredient list in full regardless of the dot colour, and check labels on any packaged product before buying.
Bread and Naan Naan is typically made with yoghurt in the dough and brushed with ghee or butter after baking. It is rarely vegan unless confirmed with the kitchen. Plain roti from a tandoor is a safer option; still ask about ghee at the finish. Milk rolls and enriched breads at bakeries and hotel buffets also use dairy.
Regional Variation North India is generally the most challenging: ghee and dairy cream dominate the cooking base. South India uses more coconut oil and coconut milk, and the cuisine contains more naturally vegan dishes; however, ghee still appears in dosa preparation and filter coffee is always made with milk. Goa, Rishikesh, and the major metros have the strongest dedicated vegan infrastructure.
Pure Veg and Eggless Are Not Vegan Two terms cause consistent confusion. "Pure veg" on a restaurant sign or menu means no meat or fish. It does not mean dairy-free; ghee, paneer, cream, and curd are all standard in pure veg kitchens. "Eggless" simply means no egg. Neither term is a shortcut for vegan-safe dining. Always ask explicitly.
What Not to Rely On Do not rely on vegetarian menus without checking for ghee and dairy. Both are invisible on the menu and present throughout traditional Indian cooking.
Say This at the Restaurant
English works well at hotels, tourist restaurants, and modern city venues across all eight hotspot cities. Hindi phrases are essential at local dhabas, street food counters, smaller towns, and anywhere outside major urban centres. In South India, Hindi is not widely spoken; English is often the most reliable fallback at city and tourist venues there. Showing written Hindi to kitchen staff is consistently more reliable than spoken transliteration. Full phrasebook: Hindi ordering guide.
Say this first at every new venue; name each ingredient individually for clarity
Ask for every dish including dal, rice, and bread; ghee is often added after cooking as a finish
Say before the kitchen starts; ghee is added as a finish and can be left out if asked first
Essential before any curry, marinade, smoothie, or lassi order
Ask for any korma, makhani, or shahi-named dish where a cream base is likely
Naan uses yoghurt in the dough and is typically brushed with ghee after baking; ask specifically
Ask for baked goods, pastries, and any batter-based preparation
Use when staff say a dish is "vegetarian" and assume that answer is sufficient
If cross-contamination matters to you: ask about shared tawa at street stalls and shared kadai at restaurants
Final confirmation at any venue where you are uncertain about the full ingredient list
What Actually Works
Nature's Basket, Reliance Smart, DMart, and Health & Glow in major cities carry oat milk, tofu, vegan spreads, and a growing range of plant-based products. Selection varies considerably by branch and district; stock up at larger city stores before travelling to smaller towns or rural areas. Allergen labelling on packaged goods is useful, but does not cover restaurant cooking methods or bakery counters.
Breakfast: South Indian idli or plain dosa; ask about ghee on the griddle and confirm coconut chutney has no ghee in the tempering. Drinks: assume milk in chai; order black tea or ask for no milk. Street food: grilled corn, fresh coconut water, sugarcane juice. Restaurant: chana masala or aloo gobi; specify bina ghee before ordering. Rural: fresh fruit, plain rice, and packaged goods are the most reliable fallback.
The single most effective strategy in India is saying the three-part phrase before every meal: bina ghee, bina doodh, bina dahi (without ghee, without milk, without curd). Showing written Hindi is consistently more reliable than spoken transliteration, particularly at non-tourist venues. Repeat it directly to the cook where possible; front-of-house staff and kitchen staff do not always communicate the request.
Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa, and Delhi have established dedicated vegan restaurant scenes where dairy-free is the default and the explicit ask is built in. HappyCow returns strong results in all eight hotspot cities. In Rishikesh, the yoga-retreat cafe culture makes plant-based menus common; confirm honey exclusion separately, as it is a very common default sweetener at wellness venues across India.
Where It Gets Harder
India's Level 1 ranking reflects its urban vegan infrastructure. Move outside the major cities and the landscape changes quickly: dairy and ghee become harder to avoid, not easier. Outside the main centres, assume supermarket first, restaurant second.
In smaller towns and rural areas, dedicated vegan options at restaurants are extremely limited and the explicit ask is frequently misunderstood. Ghee and curd are used in virtually all cooked food at local eateries. Bring packaged plant-based staples from city stores before travel days, and rely on fresh fruit, plain rice, and coconut-based South Indian dishes where available.
Traditional mithai is built on khoa (reduced milk solids), ghee, and cream. The sweets look grain or nut-based but are very rarely plant-based at traditional shops. Street snacks including puri and fried dough items are often cooked in ghee. Safe street food options exist (corn, coconut, sugarcane juice) but require selective navigation rather than open browsing.
Hotel breakfast buffets apply ghee to parathas, butter to toast, dahi to smoothies, and cream to cooked dishes, often without labels or visible indication. Even "continental" buffet items use dairy at most mid-range hotels. Speak directly to kitchen staff before loading your plate, ask about each dish individually, and default to whole fresh fruit and plain cooked items you can inspect.
Wellness cafes, juice bars, and Ayurvedic health shops concentrated in Rishikesh, Mysuru, and resort towns use honey and ghee as standard ingredients in products marketed as "natural" or "pure." Smoothies, herbal tonics, health bowls, and Ayurvedic preparations may contain honey as a primary sweetener and ghee as a base ingredient. Confirm exclusion separately at every wellness venue before ordering.