Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry
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This easy-to-make creamy coconut lentil curry is a healthy vegan recipe that makes a perfect meatless Monday dinner recipe. 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.
If you love lentils, also try our black lentil curry and our crockpot lentil curry!
You guys, this is what curry dreams are made of. This beauty is made in one pot and it'll be less than an hour until you are in coconut curry HEAVEN!
We eat this curry year-round. It doesn't 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 one of us and it's a bazillion degrees outside, we'll still eat it. And really, how could you not?
Ingredients needed
- Coconut oil ā for sautĆ©ing the flavor components.
- The flavor ā cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, and sea salt.
- Crushed tomatoes ā just open a can and pour it in!
- Lentils ā the star of the show! We use brown lentils, but green lentils work just as well.
- Coconut milk ā this is what makes the lentil curry wonderfully creamy.
- Cherry tomatoes and cilantro ā these get stirred in at the end for even more flavor.
This coconut lentil curry recipe is ridiculously simple to make. Five bucks says that you're going to look at the recipe and think, āNo way THIS recipe could be one of the BEST curry recipes.ā 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.
Watch the lentil curry video
The original 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 withĀ brown lentils
- Cilantro gets piled on high.
- Cherry tomatoes get thrown in during the last few minutes of cooking (because heck, why not?)
Storage and freezing
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 and healthy meals on hand.
In the fridge ā This curry will keep well for up to 4 days in a sealed container in your fridge.
In the freezer ā Transfer the cooled curry to freezer proof containers and keep it in your freezer for up to 4 months.
To reheat ā 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.
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:
Recipe FAQs
Can I use red lentils to make this curry?
Red lentils cook much faster than green lentils. If you'd like to use them instead, reduce the water to 1 cup and simmer the lentils for half the time.
Can I use canned lentils?
Since canned lentils are cooked, you can simply add them to the recipe, omit the water, and warm them up.
What do the whole cumin and coriander seeds taste like?
We don't notice the cumin seeds, but you can definitely taste the coriander seeds. They give a little pop of flavor in your mouth when you bite into them. If you're worried that the flavor will be too strong, you can use ground cumin and ground coriander instead.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
After getting several requests, we've now created aĀ crockpot coconut lentil curryĀ recipe for you! While this original version still wins (in our books) the crockpot version is delicious and so great to come home to after a long day at work.
Can I add some vegetables to the curry?
Absolutely! Many people who have made this recipe have commented that they've cooked their favorite veggies right in the pot of lentils. You can try potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, or spinach.
Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon each: cumin seeds and 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
- 1-2 teaspoons cayenne powder (optional)
- 2 cups water (see notes)
- 15 ounce can coconut milk
- A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil in a large pot or skillet 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 each: cumin seeds and coriander seeds, 1 head garlic
- Add the can of crushed tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, and sea salt to the pot and cook, stirring the pot a few times, for 5 minutes. Add the lentils and, if using, the cayenne powder, and the water to the pot and bring it to a boil. 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 Ā½ ā 1 cup of water.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
- 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
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
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For more inspiration, check out all of our curry recipes!
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.
Just made this for dinner and it was delicious!!!
So happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for stopping by to comment!
This recipe is delicious and easy and pretty Ā hard to mess up. I started with brown lentils and about 25 minutes in it seemed too soupy so I added about 1/4 a cup of red lentils for the last 15 minutes. It was perfect! Thank you!
Hooray! Iām so happy that you love the recipe!
I followed the recipe to the T until I got to add ācayenne powderā I had ground cayenne pepper – so in it went. Donāt know if there is a difference. Served over sprouted brown rice – so yummy!Ā
Same thing! It’s one of those ingredients that can go by more than one name. š
This was so delicious, I fell in love at first bite! The family loved it too. Thank you for a beautiful dish.
Hooray! Iām so happy that you love the recipe!
Love this recipe! I do it in my slow cooker and add in a pile of other veggies. My boyfriend who generally doesnāt think a meal is a meal unless thereās meat always go back for seconds!
Love that it’s a hit with everyone!
Can I sub for canned lentils? Would I have to do anything different?
They should work just fine. Since the lentils are already cooked, I would skip adding the water and only add some if the curry looks dry. š
Smelt Devine cooking. I think next time I will swap to ground coriander though. Also needed a bit of zing so might add some fresh lime right before serving.
Fresh lime would be lovely!
Can I make this recipe with more lentils without changing anything else?
If you add more lentils you’ll need to add more water. You add more as needed as the recipe cooks. š
This look delicious and I so want to make it. However, I have never seen brown lentils here in my country. Green, red, puy and beluga are all lentils I can easily get my hands on, though. Which do you think would work best as a substitute?Ā
Green lentils would work well!
Can the brown lentils be switched to a different lentil? Brown ones are hard to find locally, and buying in bulk online to try a recipe my family might not like is possibly wasteful (what do I do with the lentils if my family doesn’t like them).
Green lentils work well, too!
I just made this and I like the flavour but there is way too much liquid? I made it exactly as instructed but they didnāt have crushed tomatoes at the supermarket so I used canned chopped tomatoes which did come with a lot of liquid in the can, After simmering it seemed about right but the coconut milk is a lot so that made it really liquidy again. I still think it could be great so next time I will just make some adjustments so that the finished product is thicker.Ā
The extra liquid from the chopped tomatoes might have done it. š
This recipe was absolutely delicious and so easy to make (I’m a very average cook). I served it with cauliflower rice and it was a big winner with the non vegans too. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit with everyone!
I live in Bangkok and eat this spicy deliciousness regularly. This recipe is perfect and has become a staple for my breakfast, lunch, and dinners. Thank you!!
Fantastic! I’m so happy it was a hit!
So delicious and super easy!Ā
Thank you!
This was very good. I try to do “meatless Mondays” weekly to decrease my husband’s cholesterol levels. 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 by Cooking Classy.
https://www.cookingclassy.com/grilled-lime-salmon-avocado-mango-salsa-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! Ā Definitely a keeperĀ
Hooray!!
I really want to make this recipe but only have ground cumin/coriander and donāt want to buy more spices since I am moving in a few weeks. Will the ground work well?Ā
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!