Do Indian curries contain nuts?

Many do, especially kormas, makhanis and pasandas, which often use cashew or almond paste. Shared base gravies can spread nuts to other curries.

Is ghee a milk allergen?

Yes. Ghee is clarified butter and must be declared as milk.

Is Indian food gluten-free?

Many curries and rice dishes are made without gluten, but breads, samosas and some spice blends contain wheat.

Does Indian food contain mustard?

Often. Mustard seeds and mustard oil are common in tempering, pickles and regional dishes.

Does naan contain egg?

Some naan recipes contain egg as well as yoghurt, milk or ghee, and wheat. Ask the restaurant.

Is dal safe for a nut allergy?

Dal is usually made without nuts, but check whether it is cooked in a shared base or garnished with nuts.

Does Indian food contain sesame?

Some dishes and breads use sesame seeds, and sesame oil is used in some regional cooking.

Is papadum gluten-free?

Papadums are usually made from lentil or gram flour, which is gluten-free, but check for added wheat and shared fryers.

Indian Food Allergens: where allergens hide and how to order safely

By the Menulta editorial team · Facts checked 15 October 2026 · Updated 15 October 2026

The short answer

Indian food commonly contains nuts (cashew and almond pastes in kormas and makhanis), milk (ghee, butter, cream, yoghurt, paneer), mustard (mustard seeds, mustard oil), gluten (naan, chapati, samosa pastry, some asafoetida blends), peanuts (some regional dishes and snacks), sesame and celery in spice mixes. Ghee and nut pastes used across many sauces make cross-contact and hidden allergens common.

Allergens in Indian cooking

Many North Indian restaurant curries are built on rich bases: onion and tomato gravies thickened with cashew or almond paste, finished with cream, butter or ghee. These bases are often shared across several dishes, so one nut paste can put nuts into half the menu. South Indian and coastal cooking relies more on coconut, mustard seeds, curry leaves and lentils.

Spices themselves are generally not Annex II allergens, but spice blends can contain mustard, celery seed or wheat. Asafoetida (hing) is often compounded with wheat flour.

Common Indian dishes and their usual allergens

Recipes vary between kitchens, so treat this as a guide to where to look, not a substitute for each restaurant's own allergen record.

Typical allergens in common Indian dishes
Dish	Usual allergens	Watch for
Korma, pasanda	Nuts, milk	Cashew or almond paste, cream, ghee
Butter chicken (murgh makhani)	Milk, often nuts	Butter, cream, cashew paste
Palak paneer	Milk	Paneer, cream, ghee
Tarka dal	Milk (ghee), mustard	Tempering in ghee with mustard seeds
Naan, paratha	Gluten, milk, sometimes egg	Yoghurt and ghee in dough
Samosa, pakora	Gluten (samosa); shared fryer	Pakora uses gram flour but may share oil
Biryani	Milk, nuts	Ghee, yoghurt, fried cashews or almonds
Raita, lassi	Milk	Yoghurt
Kulfi, barfi, gulab jamun	Milk, nuts, gluten	Pistachio, almond, milk solids

Indian allergen hot spots

Shared gravies and nut pastes are the biggest risk. A restaurant may make one base gravy with cashew and use it across many curries. Ghee is used for tempering, frying and finishing, so milk is far more widespread than the menu suggests.

Mustard oil and mustard seeds in tempering, pickles and fish dishes.
Peanuts in some Gujarati and Maharashtrian dishes, chaat and snacks.
Asafoetida compounded with wheat flour.
Shared fryers for samosas, pakoras and bhajis.

Saying it in Hindi

In Indian restaurants abroad, staff usually speak the local language, but these phrases help in India:

'Mujhe … se allergy hai' – I have an allergy to…
moongphali (peanuts), kaju (cashew), badam (almond), pista (pistachio)
doodh (milk), ghee (clarified butter), dahi (yoghurt), paneer (cheese)
ande (eggs), gehun (wheat), sarson / rai (mustard), til (sesame)

Vegetarian and vegan Indian food

India has a long vegetarian tradition, and Indian restaurants often have the widest vegetarian choice on a high street. Vegetarian does not mean milk-free, however: paneer, ghee, yoghurt and cream are central to many vegetarian dishes. For milk-allergic or vegan guests, dishes such as chana masala, aloo gobi or dal cooked in oil rather than ghee are often possible, but the restaurant must confirm that the base gravy and tempering are free from milk and nuts. South Indian dishes such as dosa and idli, made from rice and lentil batters, are often free from gluten, but check for shared griddles and for ghee.

For the kitchen

Record the base gravies and pastes as components and link each curry to them, so nuts and milk are flagged wherever they appear. Name the nut (cashew, almond, pistachio). Check spice blends and asafoetida for wheat and mustard. Be clear about shared fryers.

Bought-in spice blends, pickles and chutneys vary between brands and can contain mustard, sesame, nuts or wheat. Keep their labels with your allergen record and recheck them when a supplier changes.

For guests with allergies

Ask whether the sauce base contains nuts, whether ghee or butter is used, which nuts are in desserts and biryani, and whether naan and fried snacks share equipment. Guests with nut allergies should ask about every curry, not just those described as creamy.

Sources

This guide is general information, not medical or legal advice. Guests with an allergy should follow their doctor's advice. Operators should confirm their own setup with their food safety adviser or local authority.