Coconut Lentil Curry
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This easy-to-make creamy coconut lentil curry is a vegan recipe that makes a perfect meatless Monday dinner. It takes less than an hour (mostly hands-off time) to make and is packed full of delicious Indian flavors. Make extras, and you’ll have a giant smile on your face at lunch the next day.
One reader, Rae, says, “This is one of my staple recipes. So easy to make and delicious. Everyone likes it! ★★★★★”
This lentil curry recipe has been a reader favorite for years. And with almost 1500 reviews, you can bet it will be your favorite, too! It’s a flavorful vegan recipe made with kitchen-staple ingredients.
You guys, this is what curry dreams are made of. This beauty is made in one pot, and it’ll take less than an hour for you to be in coconut curry heaven!
We eat this curry year-round. No matter how hot it is outside, it’s always a good time for a bowl of hot curry. It’s stinkin’ hot in India, and peeps there eat curry all the time. They must be onto something.
Years ago, while backpacking around India for a few months, the locals would always say that eating hot food on a hot day would cool you down. Whether or not that’s true, if you put a bowl of hot curry in front of any of us and it’s a bazillion degrees outside, we’ll still eat it. And really, how could you not?
The original lentil curry recipe
The original recipe comes from a well dog-eared cookbook called, Vij’s at Home. We’ve made a few changes to the original recipe so it suits our taste:
- Coconut oil replaces the cooking oil (and we use MUCH less of it)
- Coriander seeds replace ground coriander as we love the little pop of crunch they give.
- Crushed tomatoes replace fresh tomatoes (so we can be lazy and not blend them)
- Harder to find mung beans take a hike and are replaced with brown lentils
- Cilantro gets piled on high.
- Cherry tomatoes get thrown in during the last few minutes of cooking (because heck, why not?)
Ingredients to make curried lentils
- Coconut oil – for sautéing the flavor components.
- The flavor – cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, and sea salt.
- Crushed tomatoes – just open a can and pour it in!
- Lentils – the star of the show! We use brown lentils, but green lentils work just as well.
- Coconut milk – this is what makes the lentil curry wonderfully creamy.
- Cherry tomatoes and cilantro – these get stirred in at the end for even more flavor.
Lentil curry variations
While my family loves this recipe exactly as written, it’s also very versatile and easy to play with. Here are some additions that we’ve tried, and a few that our readers have tried:
- Add some more veggies: Sweet potatoes, mushrooms, red peppers, or broccoli are great. And spinach stirred in at the end is nice, too.
- More protein: Cubed chicken or tofu is a wonderful addition.
- Skip the coconut: iI you’re not a coconut fan, you can use whipping cream instead.
- Make it into soup: Add some extra water or some chicken or vegetable stock to turn this into soup.
What to serve with lentil curry
Like most curry recipes, this one is great served with basmati rice. You can also serve it with cauliflower rice to get some extra veggies on your plate!
And while this is absolutely a one-pot dinner, if you’d like a side dish, try one of these:
Store, reheat, and freeze
This is one recipe that tastes even better the next day AND it freezes excellent. We’ll often make a double batch just so we can freeze half of it. And if you have little ones at home, freezing small portions of this curry is a great way to have quick meals on hand.
In the fridge – This curry will keep well for up to 4 days in a sealed container in your fridge.
In the freezer – Transfer the cooled curry to freezer-proof containers and keep it in your freezer for up to 4 months.
To reheat – We like to reheat this curry on the stove over low heat, adding a splash of water as it thickens overnight. But you can also warm this up in the microwave.
Watch the lentil curry video
This coconut lentil curry recipe is ridiculously simple to make. Five bucks says that you’re going to look at the recipe and think, “No way THIS recipe could be one of the BEST curry recipes.” But it is. For real. It’s so simple to make that we made you a video so you can see just how easy it will be for you to sit down in front of a big bowl of lentil curry.
Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 head garlic (chopped (10-12 cloves))
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons ginger (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 cup dried brown lentils (see notes)
- 1-2 teaspoons cayenne powder (optional)
- 2 cups water
- 15 ounce can coconut milk
- A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet (I love using my braiser) over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and toast until they start to brown, about 45 seconds. Add the garlic to the pot and let it brown, about 2 minutes.1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 head garlic, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- Add the can of crushed tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, and sea salt to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the lentils, the cayenne powder (if using), and water to the pot and bring it to a boil.28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons ginger, 1 tablespoon turmeric, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1 cup dried brown lentils, 1-2 teaspoons cayenne powder, 2 cups water
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Stir the pot a few times to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom. If the curry starts to look dry, add an extra ½ – 1 cup of water.
- Once the lentils are soft and the curry is thick, add the coconut milk and cherry tomatoes and bring the pot back to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cilantro.15 ounce can coconut milk, A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, 1 cup chopped cilantro
Last step:
- After you make this recipe, take a picture with your phone and share it in the comments section below. I love seeing it when you make my recipes!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Omg this was so easy, so cheap but tasted amazing. All 4 kids and hubby asked for seconds. This being our first lentil meal gives me the confidence to try more lentil recipes.
Amazing recipe! I’m a vegetarian and an engineering student. I make this on sundays and just like that my lunches are made for the week! Great filling meal prep for students and people who don’t have much time to cook during the week. I just heat it up and pop it on a bed of spinach and add some crumbled feta on top and i’m full 🙂 thanks i love your recipes!!!
That makes me so happy to hear! And good call on the feta. That sounds amazing!
Really great and easy to make. I added onion chopped carrots and threw in some bok Choi right at the end. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Great call on the bok choi!
Loved the recipe except for the coriander seeds. They don’t soften, which I expected, and crunching into one was a little too overpowering and yet we lOVE all spices! Will use powdered coriander next time because it’s a super flavoursome outcome. Looking for more of your recipes.
Yes, they pack a punch! I love them but my man prefers when I make this using ground coriander. 🙂
I have just finished making this, It is so tasty. Great dish!
I’m really happy you like it!
Loved this! My meat-eating hubby was reluctant to try it but went back for seconds! I added chopped kale & spinach I needed to use up – easy way to get some more greens. And I used an extra half cup of coconut milk as I think I added too much cayenne for my taste.
That is such a great compliment! Hoot hoot!!
What would I do differently if I have lentils already cooked?
I wouldn’t add any water and won’t need to simmer them. Simply add them with the tomatoes, add the coconut milk, and heat until hot. 🙂
This recipe was delicious!! My 4 year old gobbled it up! I will definitely be making this again, thank you!
It’s the best when the kids gobble up dinner isn’t it?!!
This turned out pretty well! I threw in a whole head of cauliflower that I roasted with turmeric, cumin, and paprika for a little textural variety. I also finished the dish with a teaspoon of garam masala near the end, continuing to simmer for another minute.
I made it with split red lentils and found that the finished dish had too much liquid for my liking (even after it cooled and thickened). If using split lentils, I’d recommend maybe cutting the water by at least a cup, which would still provide plenty of liquid for the lentils to soften in.
The coriander seeds REALLY come through in the dish; it’s a good thing I love both the spice and herb!
Good call on the cauliflower!
Will this work green lentils?
Thanks!
It sure will!
Brilliant recipe. I doubled it so our household has leftovers for the next day. I also added two onions and some mushrooms to bulk it out.
Definitely going into our permanent rotation!
Thank you
Hooray!!
Do the step change if you use powdered cumin/coriander?
Nope … keep the steps the same. 🙂
Hi Kristen! Thank you for posting this recipe. I am very excited to make it tonight. Quick question- are we supposed to cook the lentils apart from the crushed tomatoes and garlic/coriander/coconut milk, and then combine all in step 3? I’m a little confused by the steps listed.
Nope! It’s a one pot meal. Add the lentils to the same pot you’ve cooked the garlic etc in then add the coconut milk right at the end. 🙂
Sounds amazing to make! How long does this keep for lunches afterwards?
It will keep for at least 5 days in your fridge! It also freezes very well. 🙂
I feel like mine is WAY too salty. And i dont mind salt! i mean, like throw it out salty! Such a bummer. Ill keep recipe bc i can tell it is good but so disappointed with the ratios…
I’m sorry to hear you found it too salty. I wonder if your can of tomatoes was really salty? If anything, I will normally add a little extra salt at the end of cooking.
Loved this recipe! I’ve made it twice. Most recently I didn’t have crushed tomatoes so I used petite diced can. Still great! My husband doesn’t like cilantro, so I omitted it but I bet that would make it even better. Thanks for a great quick meal!
I’m so happy to hear you like it! You can always sprinkle the cilantro on top of yours after you plate it. That way you don’t have to miss out!
This was a great find! Thank you for posting this. I made it last night, tweaked it a little bit to add some vegetables I needed to use from my garden. Was quick, easy, and delicious!
Good call on the extra veggies!