Are you looking for a quick and easy Jain recipe to try out at home? Or a more complicated one to impress your friends? We’ve compiled a list of great resources for you to check out. Also, take a look at our growing list of secret ingredients to watch out for in the grocery store. We’re always open to input, so send us your suggestions at [email protected]. Bon Appetit!

Jain Friendly Chefs on the Web

Tarla Dalal: Jain Style

Are you a fan of the renowned Indian cook Tarla Dalal? Here you’ll find almost 600 of her recipes specifically for Jains, all from a variety of Indian and international cuisines.

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Jain World

This famous Jain website has its own recipe section, too. Find dishes in a variety of categories – be sure to check out the “Paryushan Recipes” section for the Paryushan/Das Lakshan season.

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Laxmi Jain's Quick Meals

Author of several books, including one on Jain Food and Indian Cuisine Made Easy (Any ABCD can make), Laxmi Jain has her own website with recipes with step by step photos of delicious, fast, and microwaveable meals.

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Sanjeev Kapoor: Jain Style

No onion? No garlic? No problem. Famous chef Sanjeev Kapoor has almost 50 recipes for the strict Jain. Please note that some recipes still contain non-Jain ingredients, such as potatoes.

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Vegetarian Gastronomy

Looking for Jain, vegan, or gluten-free easy-to-make recipes from a variety of cuisines? Check out SoCal native Anjali Lalani’s food blog, Vegetarian Gastronomy, complete with categories ranging from breakfast to scones and delicious pictures.

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Jain Rasoi

This website contains a variety of recipes for all cooking levels. In addition to beautiful pictures, you can search for recipes based on category, cooking experience, taste, cuisine, and tithi. From sour to sweet, breakfast to soups, Kashmiri to Thai, there’s something for everybody.

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Cooking By Instinct

Cooking by Instinct is inspired by the belief that all of us are chefs at heart and we just have to find our creative self. Instinctive cooking has been the norm for generations and creating, improvising, and innovating is all guided by the five senses. Let your heart rule your kitchen!

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Jain Foodie

If the delicious pictures don’t win you over, there’s lots of other stuff on this site that might. Search for a recipe based on the category or cuisine, or read up on Jainism by visiting the FAQs section. There’s also a section on Jain stavans and pachkans (vows) in English, Hindi, and Gujarati. Not sure exactly what Jain food restrictions are? There’s a section on that too!

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Ingredients Watch List

It’s always a good idea to read the ingredients before buying something in the grocery store or ordering something at restaurants, because even products you’ve been eating for a long time may add new, non-Jain ingredients. We’ve compiled a list of common ingredients to watch out for.

Send us your input if you find something that’s not on this list!

  • Potato starch in shredded cheese packets
  • Chicken broth
  • Rennet
  • Gelatin (found in products such as marshmallows, Rice Krispie treats, and Starburst)
  • Fish and oyster sauces in Pad Thai
  • Lard in refried beans
  • Carmine (color produced from crushed beetles) in red food coloring and red velvet cake
  • Eggs in certain chocolates
  • Beet powder and potato in Taco Bell brown beans
  • Gelatin in Taco Bell sour cream
  • Eggs in pizza pie dough crust
  • Domino’s sugar packets – only those manufactured in Orlando and New York are acceptable for Jains (do not contain crushed bones)
  • l-cysteine in baked goods (such as bagels)
  • Glycerides (mono-, di-, and triglycerides): animal fat mostly found in melted cheese (nacho cheese, except Velveeta brand)
  • Beta Carotene: food coloring from beets (most juices and butter contain this)

Benefits of Vegetarian/Vegan Diet (Videos)