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 and is one of my family’s favorite dinner recipes.
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 to reach coconut curry heaven. The flavor starts with toasted cumin and coriander seeds, along with plenty of garlic, ginger, turmeric, and a touch of cayenne. Brown lentils (though you can also use green) simmer in tomatoes and coconut milk until tender and creamy, then fresh cherry tomatoes and cilantro are stirred in at the end to brighten everything up. It’s simple, satisfying, and the kind of recipe you’ll find yourself making on repeat.
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 that’s true or not, 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?)
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 excellently. 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 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 a video so you can see just how easy it will be to sit down with 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.
So delicious and super easy!
Thank you!
This was very good. I try to do “meatless Mondays” weekly for my husband. He is a “meat and potatoes” kind of guy but went back for seconds! The only thing I will try next time is serving it with coconut rice.
Happy to hear the recipe was a hit! And that rice sounds delicious!
I made this and fell in love with it. My husband went back for seconds. Will absolutely be making this again! Definitely a keeper
Hooray!!
I really want to make this recipe but only have ground cumin/coriander and don’t want to buy more spices since I am moving in a few weeks. Will the ground work well?
It will!
I was nervous to make a curry because it seemed complicated- but this was super easy to make, and the recipe was so large that we ate leftovers for several days in a row.
Aren’t the leftovers great? It’s one of the things I like most about this recipe!
This was exactly what I was craving! I added some spinach and zucchini while it was simmering and then tossed in a couple of shredded carrots when I added the coconut milk to bulk it up even more. I topped mine with cilantro, zatar, and a side of baked crispy tofu. Hubby went in for seconds he loved it so much. Thank you for a winner recipe that will for sure be in the rotation.
Good call on the crispy tofu! Yum!
I wanted to start adding some vegetarian dishes into my family’s diet but most of the lentil recipes I have tried didn’t go down well. That is until I came across this. It now makes a weekly appearance and my meat loving hubby, 3 year old and 2 year old absolutely love it. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
That’s fantastic! Hooray!
No hyperbole here! This is fantastic and SO easy, even with pretty much just pantry ingredients! I honestly thought this was going to be like compost, with brown lentils and all that tomato, but no! We loved this, including my 10 year old who initially declared yellow curries made with red lentils superior to this red one — she came around on her second bowl. I will be including this in our curry rotation and can’t wait to try the slow cooker version.
Yay! That’s so wonderful!
This was very good. The whole family loved it.
Thank you so much!!
Note to self
If your using lentils from a can, dont add the 3 cups of water. It will take forever to boil down.
Great recipe super yummy!
Yes! Canned lentils are already cooked so no water is needed. 🙂
I made this dish and it came out delicious a little bit more soupy than creamy for some reason but delicious pretty good for my first time making coconut curry sauce lentils.
I’m so happy you liked the recipe! Next time, if you cook it a little longer it will thicken up. 🙂
Is it possible to use 2 spoons of regular salt or do I have to adjust?
Boxed salt can be quite a bit saltier tasting than sea salt. I would suggest waiting until the end and then salting to taste. 🙂
I have traveled all over Over the world and I have had some amazing curry. I have never been able to personally make a recipe that holds up to my high standards until this one. First time I’ve ever made curry that tastes like it should.
What a great compliment! Thank you so much!!
I was very happy with the way it turned out. Especially my husband!!! I am 100% vegan now, my husband 95% but my children unfortunately not due to in-law issues. My daughter is very influenced by her grandparents so whenever she tastes coconut she knows its vegan. So I wanted to ask if it was possible to substitute the coconut with cashew?
I haven’t tried it but cashew cream would probably work. Just blend 1/4 cup of raw cashews with 1 cup of water in a high powered blender to make it. Add it to the curry a little at a time though as it does thicken as it cooks. 🙂
My husband and I love this dish. I sauté sliced onion in with the oil and then add the spices. We also add roasted chopped sweet potato and sometimes roasted eggplant. We add them in when we add the lentils. Instead of adding a tin of crushed tomatoes I hand crush a tin of whole tomatoes. Amazing! Thank you for the recipe. I easily make this dish every other week.
I love the idea of adding eggplant! Yum!
I love this recipe so much. So easy and *so* delicious. Does it freeze well, do you know?
It does! I love having some in the freezer to take out when I don’t feel like cooking. 🙂
This meal was absolutely fabulous! I didn’t have the seeds so I improvised and used curry powder. This meal is out of this world! Thanks for sharing such an easy and tasty meal.
Horray! I love hearing that it was a hit!
I’ve just made it and oh my it is so good! My parents love it and I love it. I’ve added some more salt and cayenne because who doesn’t love more spice, right?! Added some rice, naan, and greek yogurt on top and was super satisfied!
Super easy to make and I am very happy with the result, even though it took a long time to make the result and the deliciousness is worth it!
Yay! So happy to hear everyone liked the recipe!