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.
ABSOLUTELY THE BEST CURRY I’VE EVER HAD! Been enjoying curry dishes for many years and the flavors and textures in this recipe are so yummy!
That’s amazing to hear, Brenda!
So I tried this but didn’t have half of the ingredients the first time. I used sesame oil instead of coconut oil, no coconut milk, tomato concentrate instead of tomatoes… Delicious!
Since then I’ve made this about 6 times, each slightly differently, and each amazing. Special mention to adding a touch of tandoori masala.
So great to hear that you’ve made this so many times!!
Loved it for winter. Instead of cayenne, I added Pete’s hot sauce. Also when I served it, I added some Greek yogurt to smooth it out even more.
Good call on the Greek yogurt!
There is no curry in the ingredient list?
No. Rather than using curry (a mix of different spices), we use individual spices. 🙂
The best curry I’ve ever made! I only had tinned lentils so just used those and much less water but it was absolutely delicious. Thank you!
That’s so great to hear that this worked out well with tinned lentils. Thank you for letting us know!
I only have canned lentils. How would the recipe need to be amended?
You’ll need to omit the water. And since the lentils are already cooked you will only need to warm them. 🙂
I recently made this and it was excellent and so unique. I tweaked it by adding shrimp and next time I will add chicken. The hubby loved it so it’s a total win win here ?
Good call on adding shrimp!
Excellent! Thank you.
You are very welcome!
It’s pretty good and tasty. Love it and will definitely make it again.
So happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
I used canned lentils and I had no dried ones.. I found 3 cups of water to be way too much, as it was still very liquidy after 30 minutes.. I will give it another 15 mins and see how I go…
Oh yes, if you use canned lentils then you should use barely any water at all. The water is there to cook the dried lentils. 🙂
I’m a new vegan and very thankful to find the AMAZING recipe!!!! The flavor is so, did I already say AMAZING❤️ Recipe like this makes my new vegan lifestyle just like this dish, easy to make and very Delicious! I like the addition of the Cherry tomatoes! The only thing I would do differently, use ground cumin instead of the seeds. I love the Flavor just not the seeds.
Thank you for letting us know that you enjoyed the recipe, Kimberly!
This was sooo good!! I followed the recipe as written.. I will be making this again for friends and family. Thank you for this recipe
You are very welcome!!
I could live on this.
Love it!
Can’t wait to try!
I hope that you love it as much as I do!
I see that the original recipe used mung beans… I happen to have some and have been looking for a chance to try them! Can I just substitute them directly for the brown lentils? They are whole dry mung beans.
That’s what I did!
How much curry powder should be used in lieu of individual spices?
I would start with 2 tablespoons and add more as needed. 🙂
i LOVE this recipe SO MUCH. thank you. it’s a staple in my kitchen — i make it monthly, sometimes more. question: will it double well for a big group i’m hosting friday? or do i need to adjust anything to double it? thanks again. so much love.
It doubles very well!