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May 4, 2022 Breakfast

Vegetable Upma Recipe – Healthy South Indian Breakfast

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Vegetable Upma recipe with easy-to-follow instructions. Rava upma is a simple Indian breakfast dish made with semolina, spices, roasted nuts and lentils. Many like to add vegetables to it to make it wholesome and that’s how I like it too. This recipe is going to be a staple in your home if you make it! By using rice rava or polenta, it also can turn gluten-free!

Rava upma served on a plate with a spoon taken out of it

What is Upma?

Upma is a fragrant, savoury South Indian breakfast made from rava/sooji or cream of wheat aka semolina. You can also make this with rice lava or polenta to make it gluten-free. It is dry roasted rava in water that has been flavored by mustard seeds, curry leaves, chana dal (husked chickpeas), cashews, peanuts, urad dal (lentils), onion, ginger, green chilli peppers and garnished with herbs. It tastes savoury and nutty and is also nutritious!

To make it more wholesome, we can also add vegetables, the way I did. Usually, you can add carrots and peas, finely chopped potatoes, finely chopped green beans, chopped bell pepper, etc.

Tips and Tricks to make amazing Vegetable Upma

  • Roasting rava: Toast/roast your rava by stirring often on a low or medium-low heat in a pan. Keep a look out for a change of colour accompanied by a toasted aroma, but be careful not to burn it.
  • Oil/vegan ghee: Vegetable upma can be made with coconut oil or vegan ghee (if you have access to it). If you have neither, you can also use any cooking oil. 
  • Rava to water ratio: For a softer rava upma, you can use the proportion of 1:2.5 or 3 for rava and water respectively. Which means that for 1 cup of fine rava you can add 2 cups water. 
  • Addition of rava to water: Add the toasted rava to the hot water in installments. Stir in the rava to the water, then add the next batch. This ensures even mixing, texture of the upma.
  • Serving suggestions: Serve it hot or warm. I love serving mine with a generous garnish of coriander leaves and some of this Indian snack called sev. You can also serve vegetable upma with coconut chutney, Indian pickle or chutney podi. 
  • Storing Vegetable Upma: Make the quantity you need by doubling, tripling or halving the ingredient quantity. Refrigerate leftover vegetable upma for 2-3 days. You can also freeze it in a freeze-safe container.
Rava upma served on a plate, close up shot

Let me know if you try this easy Vegetable Upma recipe and I would love to see what you paired it up with. Tag @beextravegant on Instagram.

Try other breakfast/snack items from the blog:

  • Khaman dhokla recipe
  • Paniyaram recipe- shallow fried, spiced rice and lentil balls
  • Vegan Yoghurt Toast – Spicy
  • Tofu masala sandwich
  • Baked Aloo Tikki – Crispy and Healthy
Rava upma served on a plate with a spoon taken out of it

Vegetable Upma Recipe

Make this easy vegetable rava upma for a simple Indian breakfast. It uses semolina, spices, roasted nuts and lentils and a few veggies to make it wholesome. This recipe is going to be a staple in your home if you make it!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 8 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 23 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup coarse semolina/Rava/Sooji polenta could work too
  • 1½ tbsp coconut oil or vegan ghee
  • 2 tsp mustard Seeds
  • 7-9 curry leaves use a sprig of leaves if you have that
  • 1 tbsp chana daal
  • 1 tbsp peanuts
  • 1 tbsp cashews
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot finely chopped, brunoise
  • 1/3 cup green peas
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 cups water water to semolina ratio 2:1
  • fresh coriander/cilantro leaves to garnish

Instructions
 

  • Dry roast semolina, on medium heat, until golden. About 5-7 minutes and set aside.
  • Add oil/vegan ghee to the pan on medium heat. Fry mustard seeds, chana daal and peanuts until the peanuts turn golden and everything is fragrant.
  • Add cashews and curry leaves and toast for another 2 minutes.
  • Add the chopped onions and cook until it turns translucent.
  • Then add the chopped carrots and peas and salt. Then cover and cook until soft.
  • Then add water and bring to boil, and reduce the heat.
  • Slowly incorporate the roasted semolina in parts while whisking with a spatula.
  • Add water if necessary. You want all the water to be soaked by the semolina.
  • Cover for 2-5 minutes and serve hot with some fresh chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.
Keyword Rava Upma, Upma, Vegetable Upma
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Related

Categories: Breakfast Tags: gluten free indian breakfast, rava upma, semolina upma, sooji upma, upma, vegan upma, vegetable upma

Previous Post: « Khaman Dhokla Recipe – Steamed Gram Flour Cake
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. August says

    May 18, 2022 at 2:40 am

    5 stars
    this was wonderful, especially first thing in the morning! everything smelled amazing as it was cooking too

    Reply
    • Beextravegant says

      July 9, 2022 at 11:42 am

      I’m so happy to know that!! Yes, it’s super flavourful❤️

      Reply
  2. Bjørg says

    July 8, 2023 at 8:19 am

    What if you don’t have access to curry leaves?

    Reply
    • Beextravegant says

      October 29, 2023 at 7:09 am

      You can skip it! (or grow the plant at home or try ordering online)

      Reply
      • Bjørg says

        December 16, 2023 at 9:19 am

        How many curry leaves? I still haven’t found them, but just in case I do at some point.

        Reply
  3. Apoorva Rawat says

    January 11, 2024 at 12:25 am

    Hii beextravegant!!
    I literally love your vlogs on recipes and hacks
    And I spend time endlessly on watching your videos .
    Love,
    Apoorva.

    Reply
  4. Fotini Kyroglou says

    March 5, 2024 at 10:10 pm

    Hi! What could I use in place of semolina?

    Reply

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about me

I’m a full time Instagram/TikTok/YouTube content creator, recipe developer, and freelance food videographer and photographer, specializing in short format videos (reels, tiktok, shorts etc).

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