My recipe for classic curd rice or thayir sadam, the ultimate Tamil comfort food, swaps out yogurt or curd with cultured vegan cashew yogurt. It tastes just as delicious as my mother-in-law's version did, and it's better for you!
Vegan curd rice
Curd rice is a simple south Indian dish of yogurt and rice tempered with spices, nuts and curry leaves. It is a gut-friendly, cooling dish that's eaten every day in Tamil homes, usually as the final course of a meal, with a side of poppadum and a spicy pickle like mango thokku.
Tamil cuisine has so many delicious vegetarian dishes like sambar, dosa, idli and pongal. But there is something about curd rice or thayir sadam (thayir=yogurt and sadam = cooked rice in Tamil) that holds exceptional allure for every Tamilian, including my husband Desi. I remember a Tamilian friend's father in Mumbai telling me, with impish glee yet in all seriousness, that no matter where he was traveling in India, he wouldn't eat until he'd found a south Indian restaurant that served curd rice.
To understand why this simple dish holds an entire state's population in thrall, you will have to make curd rice the way a Tamilian does.
Curd rice or yogurt rice is a familiar concept around all of India. But in most of the country, including in my childhood Maharashtrian home, it is simply a mix of yogurt and rice with salt added for flavor when you need a meal in a hurry or have an upset tummy.
When I first ate curd rice in my in-laws' Chennai home, it was a revelation.
My mom-in-law, the best Tamil cook I've ever known, mashed the rice into the yogurt with her hands, then married them with a sizzling tadka of mustard seeds, asafetida, red chili peppers, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds and peanuts. This curd rice was not an afterthought but a celebratory event: a creamy, luxurious mélange of tastes and textures. The mustard seeds and peanuts added the perfect pop and crunch and the asafetida and curry leaves made each mouthful explode with flavor.
Not surprisingly, curd rice is often the last barrier that stands between a South Indian vegetarian and a dairy-free life. When I first started writing this blog, one of the most frequent queries in my mailbox from aspiring vegans and those with lactose allergies was for a vegan version of curd rice.
I first shared this curd rice recipe in 2010 but vegan yogurt was still a relatively hard product to find on store shelves in those days, especially in India. So I made up my own with silken tofu and lemon juice. This vegan curd rice tasted delicious, but it did not include any gut-friendly bacteria, like regular curd rice does.
This updated version, made with my cultured cashew yogurt recipe, is not just probiotic, it is also loaded with healthy protein and devoid of cholesterol found in dairy yogurt. Desi declared it the best curd rice he'd ever eaten.
You can tweak this curd rice recipe to nut-free diets - I'll have more on that for you in the FAQs below. It comes together in under 10 minutes if you have cooked rice on hand and it packs 14 grams of protein in each serving, making it a delicious and nutritious choice on a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Recipe card
Vegan Curd Rice (Thayir Sadam)
Ingredients
- 3 cup cooked basmati rice (from 1 cup raw rice)
- 2 cups vegan yogurt (see notes below)
- Salt to taste
For the tadka (tempering)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida or hing
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 2 dry red chillies
- 1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
- ¼ cup raw peanuts
- ¼ cup raw cashew pieces
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (optional)
- 1 tablespoon urad dal (black gram dal)
Instructions
- Place rice and yogurt in the bowl with salt to taste.
- Make the tempering by heating the oil in a small skillet. Add the mustard seeds and when they crackle, add the asafetida and the curry leaves followed by the red chili peppers, Sauté for a few seconds, then add in the ginger, peanuts, cashew nuts and optional fenugreek seeds. Finally, add the urad dal.
- Toast the nuts and lentils over medium-low heat until the dal and peanuts turn a light golden-brown.
- Immediately pour the tadka over the curd rice in the bowl and mix. Check salt and add more if needed.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Rice: Use any medium-grain or long grain rice to make curd rice, including sona masoori and basmati rice. I use basmati rice because it has a lower glycemic index, especially when I cook it like this.
- Sesame oil: Sesame oil used in south India comes from raw sesame seeds, unlike sesame oil used in Chinese cooking, which is made by pressing toasted seeds. If you can't source Indian sesame oil, which is easily found at Indian grocery stores, just use any neutral oil with a high heat point, including avocado oil, sunflower oil or peanut oil.
- Fenugreek seeds: Fenugreek seeds, when toasted in the tadka, add a nice crunch and a slight note of bitterness to compliment the spicy, savory, tangy flavors of the curd rice. You can leave them out.
- Nuts: I go a little heavier on the nuts than most Tamilians would, with half a cup of nuts in this recipe. You can use less if you want to, or use either peanuts or cashew nuts.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
How to make vegan curd rice
Make tempering
- Place the rice and vegan yogurt in a large bowl and add salt to taste.
- Get all the tempering ingredients together, then heat a tablespoon of sesame oil or any neutral oil over medium high heat.
- Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop and crackle. You will know you heated the oil enough if they sputter immediately after you add them, otherwise wait a few seconds until you hear them pop.
- Immediately add the asafetida, curry leaves and chili peppers and sauté for a few seconds.
- Add in the ginger, peanuts, cashews, fenugreek seeds and, finally, the urad dal. The urad dal goes in last because it will take far less time to toast than the nuts will.
- Toast the ingredients until the cashews and peanuts are a light golden-brown. Immediately take the tadka off the heat.
Mix tempering with yogurt and rice
- Add all of the tempering ingredients to the bowl with the curd and rice.
- Mix thoroughly with a ladle or with your hand.
- Serve.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. You want plain, unsweetened yogurt for this recipe with no inherent or added flavors.
Blend a 16-oz brick of silken tofu with two tablespoons of lemon juice and use it instead of the yogurt. Add a bit of non-dairy milk if needed for a creamier consistency.
Just skip the nuts and double up on the urad dal lentils. Also be sure to use a nut-free, unsweetened yogurt.
You can, just make sure you cook the brown rice until soft.
I sometimes grate cucumbers or zucchini and add them to thayir sadam. The vegetables make the dish even more cooling and add valuable fiber.
Curd rice is usually served after sambar-rice and rasam-rice in Tamil Nadu, but you can serve it as the main dish for lunch or dinner, or as a snack.
Desi loves eggplant and okra sabzis with curd-rice, and that's how I usually serve it, with a side of baingan masala or sauteed okra. You can also simply serve curd rice with lime pickle or mango thokku.
Because the yogurt I use is cultured with live probiotic bacteria it will tend to get tangier the longer it stands at room temperature. If you have leftovers, them in the fridge for a couple of days. For longer storage freeze the thayir sadam in a freezer-safe container for up to two months. Thaw to room temperature before eating but don't heat it because you don't want to kill the beneficial bacteria.
Add some cashew milk or any unsweetened nondairy milk to the curd rice to make it less tangy. You can also do this if the curd rice appears to dry up after standing for a while.
First posted August 26, 2010. Updated and re-published on March 18, 2026.
Anonymous says
Hii..it's unbelievably good and similar to dairy curd rice...thank you so much for this receipe. 😍
Vaishali says
So happy you loved it!
Mounica says
Excellent recipe! Easiest vegan curd rice recipe I've ever seen. I was skeptical about it since it is not how traditional curd is prepared but adding lemon for the tang is genius and is what makes the tofu taste similar to curd. Tofu curd by itself has a soy smell to it, which can easily be masked by the aromatic tadka. The recipe as-is gets a 5/5 from me but in comparison to real curd rice, I'd give it 4.5/5. Must try!
Stefan says
I just wanted to say thank you for this incredible recipe. I live in Australia and I've been vegan for a few years now. The thing I've missed the most is my Dad's go-to dish - what he called "Yoghurt Rice". He told me that he used to eat it frequently growing up in Madras, and he made it for me all the time when I was growing up in Sydney. Having stopped eating dairy, I had thought that I would never be able to have it again, until I came across this recipe of yours. I made it and it was absolutely incredible. So much like my Dad's! Thank you so much for this gift. I've also been having a go at some of your other recipes, particularly the bread ones - you're a wonderful talent. Thank you
Vaishali says
Hi Stefan, I am so happy the curd rice recipe brought back nice memories for you. Thanks for sharing them with me. This recipe is definitely a well-loved one at our home too, and Desi, my Tamil husband, prefers it to the one with dairy yogurt. 🙂 Thanks for the lovely message and the kind words.
Radha says
Hi Vaishali,
Can you use any other non dairy milk instead of soy like almond or cashew milk?
Janani says
As a plant based recipe developer of South Indian origin, I have been struggling for a really long time to find a good vegan yogurt to work in thayir saadam. It really does run in my veins. The commercially available ones just don’t cut it over rice. Thank you Vaishali for this! I can’t wait to try it out and take that final step towards veganism!!
Anonymous says
Delicious curd rice!! Thank you very much for posting thus receipe
Mahadevan says
Hey Vaishali, just saw this post today when looking for alternatives for curd, do you have any alternative similarly for buttermilk?
I am at Mumbai, is tofu and soymilk available freely? what brand would you recommend?
An alternative for buttermilk would be Godsend and help me go off dairy totally.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Mahadevan, you can just dilute the tofu yogurt -- like the one I use in my thayir saadam (tofu and soymilk/water, salt, and lemon) to make buttermilk-- kinda like we dilute regular yogurt with water for buttermilk. I use this for my mango lassi all the time. Add lemon juice per taste.
I haven't lived in Bombay for years and I am not aware of what tofu and soymilk brands are available there, but there definitely are a few. I will ask this question in a forthcoming post, in case there are other Mumbai readers who might be able to help. Cheers.
Mahadevan says
Thank you for your response.
Ganesh says
Brilliant ,at home my wife makes me peanut curd, I will try this too. Thanks
Amy says
Hi Vaishali,
I love your recipes. I am trying to be a vegan from past month as suggested by my doctor to get my thyroid function straightened. But unfortunately as someone else also mentioned in the comment, NO SOY or SOY products allowed in my diet 🙁 Also, I read so much about the bad effects of SOY, I would recommend no one to eat or use soy products. It is unfortunate how the marketing works. Another thing is Microwave literally kills ALL the nutirents. I am proud to say, I have not used microwave in a month!
Anyways, if you have any suggestions for curds with no SOY, please share with me. Also, I would like to know the other ways to parboil brown rice (not using microwave).
Thanks,
Amy
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Amy, thanks for your kind words and for the suggestions, and I hear you. I would find it hard to give up the convenience of the microwave, but I have definitely been trying to cook less with soy. I do think that some soy in moderation is fine. I don't have a soy-free curd recipe, but I will definitely try and think of one. The versions I have seen with nuts tend to be too high in fat, like cashew nut curds and peanut curds. Maybe there's a happy medium somewhere?
And you can definitely parboil the rice on the stovetop. Bring to a boil, turn off, and let it stand.
NR says
I've been diagnosed with Hashimoto's as well. I'll add that soy in moderation isn't terribly harmful so long as you're not taking it with your medication. However, I too would LOVE a recipe that doesn't use soy. Any creative experimentation you can do to help would go a long way to patients with autoimmune disease!
Vaishali says
Hi, I've been meaning to update this post for a while and will do so soon with a soy-free recipe. Stay tuned!
vidhya says
Hi vaishali,
Thanks for writing back to my comment on your post on tofu curry and thanks for recommending this wonderful recipe.
I haven't had thayir sadam in abt 6 months now (since going vegan) but couldn't quite get it off my head and craved for it often! Tried your recipe and am amazed at how close it is to the real thing..finally cravings satisfied 🙂
It was so good my husband and I finished up the entire portion...but am wondering , how well would this 'yoghurt' and the 'yoghurt rice' keep in the fridge?
Thanks for sharing this super easy recipe in your lovely blog ..it is so much easier than all these complicated recipes to make nut yoghurts!
Am so glad I tried this!
Regards
Vidhya
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Vidhya, so thrilled you tried the thayir saadam. We crave it a lot here in our home too, particularly Desi. And yes, ease is a very important factor in my cooking. 🙂
The thayir saadam would keep in the fridge for a couple of days, although you might want to give it a good stir before serving.
akila says
This recipe is a winner. I have moved away from all forms of dairy but I couldn't give up the craving for curd rice. The recipe is perfect and my husband couldn't find the difference. Thanks for coming up with this.
Vaishali says
Akila, so happy to hear that. This vegan curd rice is a favorite in our home too, especially with Desi. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Sudha says
hi V
as every south indian vegetarian says, my hurdle to turn vegan - yogurt and curd...i can skip tea and i dont drink coffee (yes am a misnomer for a tam bram :P)...but unf, i am allergic to soy and all soy based products (thanks to my thyroid malfunction)..coud u recommend something else less time consuming pl.. i feel guilty about the curd i eat.. 🙁
Vaishali says
Sudha, your question got me thinking, and I have something in mind I'd like to test. I will share with you soon.
Vaishali says
Kamini, glad you found it. 🙂 Desi loves this version as much as he ever loved the real thing, and I hope your husband will too.
Kamini says
I have gone thru your site a million times for recipes, but never discovered this till today!!! Duh! You're right, curd rice is the final hurdle for a South Indian vegan to cross over. Oh my husband will be so thrilled...I'm going to make this for him as a surprise on Friday. He has resigned himself to never having curd rice again....
Vaishali says
Gayatri, thanks very much! I recently got Google to take down another post that this site had copied, but they seem to have copied many more of my recipes.
I appreciate the heads-up.
Gayatri and Kalyani says
Hi Vasihali,
I am a silent follower of your blog. When I was searching for curd rice with non-dairy products in google, I cam across a site that has copied your recipe and photos word by word. Please check it out.
Thanks
Gayatri
Vaishali says
Hi TJ, Welcome, and thanks for your kind words 🙂
I haven't refrigerated the curd by itself, but it does thicken a lot in the curd-rice itself, which makes me think it would set. If you try, let me know!
TJ says
hi vaishali!
this is tina, a vegan from bangalore =)
absolutely adore your blog!! =)
the vegan curd-rice recipe is lovely!
I wanted to know whether the vegan curd sets like regular curd if refrigerated...
Thanks a ton!
New Baker says
Great recipe.Both my husband and myself are vegan.In India, we do not get non-dairy starters to make vegan yogurt at home.I make soymilk at home(using Soyquick).This recipe is the perfect solution to satisfy our cravings for curd-rice!Thanks Vaishali, for all the recipes you have posted.I am a regular follower of your blog but this is the first time I have posted a comment.
Anu