11 Healthy Vegetarian Indian breakfast options below 500 calories

Wish your body a great morning with a healthy, tasty breakfast.

 Our Indian food is commonly linked with lots of oil/ghee and spices. We have the most excellent dishes to offer, originating from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh. Our cuisine is indeed the spiciest and is seldom loaded with ghee or oil. But, referring to our Indian cuisine as only as spicy and greasy is a bit unfair. We have lots of healthy and delicious dishes to offer that are super-easy to cook and are also low in calories.

Most of our Indian dishes provide lots of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that can be a part of our regular diet. We need to identify what to eat, how to eat, and how much to eat. 

• What to eat is when we pick what we will consume, the best tasty option we have, etc. 
• How to eat is when we determine how we want to cook our food. E.g., Deep frying, sauteeing, grilling, etc. It depends on our weight goals.
• How much to consume is when we decide our portion size and how we handle it depending on our weight and calorie requirements.

Let’s begin with our first meal of the day – Breakfast: 

A good breakfast is all your need to have an energetic start to the day.

A wholesome breakfast provides us the energy to carry out our daily activities. People who choose their breakfast wisely are more physically active than those who grab anything on their way to the office/school. So, a breakfast rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals should be your priority to enjoy the long term health benefits. Avoid rushing to work/college and keep some time aside to start your day right with a healthy meal.

Why should we choose a low-calorie healthy breakfast? 

Starting the day with a high-calorie breakfast is a bad option as you’ll not feel fresh and active for the rest of the day. Also, you’ll end up making more bad food choices. Eating too many calories at breakfast will disturb your daily calorie intake. A low-calorie wholesome breakfast will keep you energetic. Also, you’ll be able to maintain a healthy weight. 

Let’s check out some low-calorie breakfast options that are super tasty and are easy to cook:

A healthy start helps us make the right food choices throughout the day and limits our chances of unnecessary snacking.

These are our favorite picks below 500 calories 🙂 

1. Idli: Idli is the trendy South- Indian fermented breakfast loved by almost everyone. Idli is prepared using a fermented batter of rice or urad dal. It is low in calories, making it one of the best options under 500 calories. Fermented foods: improves digestion, increases nutrients absorption, improves immunity, aids weight loss, and are excellent for gut health. You can transform the recipe according to your preferences by adding oats, vegetables, etc., without bothering about the calorie-overload as they are cooked under steam. There are other light options too, like ragi or Rava idli. The protein and fiber content changes with the ingredients used in the recipe. Idlis usually are served with coconut chutney or sambhar. Make sure to have them in moderation, as they can instantly add up the calories without you even realizing it. 

 Calorie Count: 1 Idli – 39 ( Calories change with the amount of chutney or sambhar you consume with it. ) 

2. Poha: This Maharashtrian dish is super light and delicious. The crunchy texture of peanuts enhances its taste. It is easy to cook and highly nutritious. You can modify the recipe by adding peas, potato, corn, etc., according to your preferences. Poha is low in calories and helps in controlling weight.  

Calorie Count: 258 calories (364 gm)

3. Dhokla: This famous Gujarati dish has besan (chickpea flour) as its key ingredient and a good protein source. The protein content of dhokla keeps us full for longer and thus prevents mindless snacking and helps maintain/lose weight. Dhokla is low in calories as their preparation requires steaming. 

 Calorie Count: 384 calories( 214 gm) 

4. Upma: Upma is another South Indian recipe that is eaten in almost every house in India. It is low in calories and contains a decent amount of protein. The preparation of upma needs Rava as the main ingredients and other ingredients like nuts, vegetables, etc., to improve the taste.

Calorie Count: 250 calories( 120 gm) 

5. Parathas: Yes! Paratha lovers, it can also be a member of your healthy breakfast menu. Just add some vegetables or multigrain flours available in the market and give them your touch. Go for the seasonal veggies to enjoy the benefits of your favorite parathas. Your added ingredients will modify the number of carbs, protein, fiber, vitamins, and calorie content. The calorie consumption depends on what you have with them – curd, butter, ghee, etc. And, also on the amount of oil you use while cooking. Add them while doing a total calorie count.

 Calorie count: 159 (1 piece – plain paratha)

6. Vegetable Sandwich: Veg sandwich needs significantly less preparation time, and you can have it while leaving for work or school. It will still provide more health benefits than the junk food available in the market. Take your favorite bread (brown, white, or multigrain) and the vegetables you like. Nutritional benefits and the calorie content varies according to your bread and vegetable preferences and your cooking methods. 

 Calorie Content: 225 calories( 1 sandwich)

7. Cheela: There are many ways of preparing this tasty dish, and all of the varieties are known for their excellent protein content. Besan (chickpea flour) cheela or the moong dal cheela are the most commonly found variation of cheela. Indian pulses and lentils are known for their incredible amount of protein and nutrients. Their nutritional values and calorie content makes them the ideal breakfast option. Enjoy them with mint chutney, and have a good start.

Calorie count: 250 calories( 1 cheela)

Moong daal cheela : 128 calories( 1 piece)

8. Sprouts: For all the salad lovers who look for something super easy to have every morning, sprouts can be your breakfast option. Sprouts aren’t only a good salad option but can also be used in sandwiches, or as a side dish with boiled eggs( for non-vegetarians). You can give them a desi tadka and make sprout sabji. 

Calorie count: 31 calories(1 cup) 

9. Oats: Oats is an excellent choice for breakfast, and this low-calorie dish is highly nutritious. There are different ways of preparing it. Someone who loves to have something sweet can add milk, fruits, and nuts to cook oats. And, the one who loves having something savory can cook it by adding vegetables too. Oats are a good source of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. 

Calorie count: 

Oats with milk: 124 calories ( 1 bowl cooked)

Masala oats: 152( 1cup) 

10. Paneer: For all the paneer lovers, paneer can be a part of their breakfast in different ways. You can saute it with your favorite veggies, add them in paratha or give it a desi tadka to make bhurji and have them with paratha or chapati. Paneer is an excellent protein source and can help you stay fuller for longer.

Calorie count: 

Paneer Paratha : 265 calories(1 paratha)

Paneer bhurji : 423 calories( 1 cup)

11. Dalia: Also known as cracked wheat, it is an excellent source of protein and fiber. There are various techniques for preparing this nutritious dish. You can cook them in milk with dry fruits. Another option is to chop some vegetables and give them a desi tadka. 

Calorie count:

Vegetable Dalia: 143 calories( 1 cup)

Milk Dalia: 120 calories (1 Katori cooked with 2% milk)

Quick Tips : 

• Nutritional values and calorie content of the dishes depend on their cooking methods. 
• What you consume with your main dish also counts in total calorie consumption. E.g., sauce or chutney with a sandwich, coconut chutney or sambhar with idli, etc. Add them while calculating overall calorie intake. 
• There are many other options you can try. All the nutrient contents and calories depend on your ingredients used and methods of cooking.

Have a great start!