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.
I make this regularly. Excelent recipe!
Thank you so much for letting us know!
Delicious! Though, having read the previous remarks I only added one cup of water and kept an eye on it, adding more as necessary and I’ve only added half of the coconut milk, again keeping an eye on it in the event it thickens too much. I also didn’t cover the pot as this would cause it to be too liquid. I’m very happy with the results
That’s wonderful to hear. Thanks, Angela!
Great recipe! Success with wife and kido
Love it! Thank you for letting us know!
This was FANTASTIC! What type of rice do you recommend making with this meal? Do you have a recipe to share?
I like to serve it with basmati rice cooked simply in a pot. 🙂
Hello, I made this but mine came out looking like soup. What could have I done wrong?
I would recommend raising the heat to rapidly boil the lentils for several minutes to let some of the excess water evaporate. 🙂
I love this recipe. Super simple to throw together and makes a warm and hearty meal. I like to add a chopped red yam for extra flavor. This tastes even better the next day.
Great call on adding yam. I bet that’s delicious!
I am cooking this soup right at this moment. It smells great, but I am noticing there’s isn’t actually any curry in this curry recipe. Am I missing something?
Nope, you’re not missing anything! Curry powder is simply a blend of spices. The coriander and cumin are used instead. 🙂
I haven’t cooked yet. Just wondering can I use dried red lentils or does it have to be brown? Would it effect recipe or cooking time?
Red lentils cook a little faster than brown so you can reduce the cooking time a little. 🙂
This was incredible. My husband (meat eater) just added some grillled chicken on top. He was reluctant, but looked at me after a few bites and said “wow babe this is really good” yay!!! I used 1 tsp cayenne and it was a bit too spicy for my 9 year old so next time I’ll leave that out. I imagine I’ll make this many times in the future.
I’ve never thought of adding grilled chicken but that’s a really great idea. I think I’ll do that at some point, too!
I made this tonight. It was a hit! So much flavor. Paired with Basmati rice.
So happy that it was a hit!
Perfect! Light and comforting! I used an instant pot to cook for 13 minutes and came out well- probably more soupy than using a regular pot though. Also substituted with a lite coconut milk.
Awesome to know that it can be made in an instant pot!
Fantastic! The leftovers make the most comforting warm lunch on a cold day, too!
I think so too! So warm and cozy. 🙂
Incredible. Super easy and quick. I used beluga lentils and it came out great. Also a major hit with my toddler.
Thank you for letting us know that this recipe works with beluga lentils!
Very very good! I just like to add grounded spices instead of the whole seeds!
Thanks, Marianne!
Love the flavours. But it never thickened so it’s a soup. Followed the recipe so don’t know what happened. Suggestions?
I know that it’s happened to a few people. I would suggest bringing it to a rapid boil and boiling it with the lid off to let some more liquid evaporate.
This curry is amazing!! I used ground Cumin and Ground Coriander because the shop I went to didn’t have the seeds and it turned out absolutely delicious! I did add the Cayenne which gave it the perfect amount of heat. I ate this with whole wheat naan bread instead of rice.
Thanks, Megan! So happy you liked the recipe!