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.
Loved this recipe. Used Canned lentils, but other than that followed the recipe and it turned out perfect!
Great to know that canned lentils work well!
My family loves this recipe! It is so delicious and fragrant! It is now part of our comfort food repertoire!
Thank you!
Thank you for letting us know that the recipe is well loved!
Hey, tasted much better the next day 🙂 can I freeze this? And if so, how long for? Thank you!
Yes it freezes very well! It will keep for at least 3 months. Longer if it is sealed well to avoid freezer burn. 🙂
I’ve started introducing at least 1 veggie based meal to our weekly menu, so I’m constantly on the look out for new ideas. I have never made a lentil curry so was looking forward to trying it out! The flavours and smell are divine! My husband had a histamine allergy which means a lot of the times I have to substitute tomatoes with an alternative sauce(beetroot, celery, carrots..) I was so chuffed that it worked well with this. Will definitely be keeping this one ?
Thank you for sharing x
That’s wonderful to hear, Mercia!
This is a winner. My husband doesn’t like cilantro, so I stirred in some spinach instead, which was wonderful. I did follow the recommendation to cook it with the lid off for a while at the end, to thicken the curry. Delicious. Will definitely make again!
Good call on the cilantro!
This vegan gluten-free recipe is so amazing that I have to keep making it because my meat-eating husband keeps eating my vegan food. It’s even really good with half the coconut milk, if you want to cut calories. I leave out the cilantro because it taste like soap to me. Freezes great. This is one of the best recipes during my four years of being vegan that I have ever made
That is really wonderful to hear! Yay!!
I liked this recipe, but I really felt like it needed more coconut milk to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. I ended up adding a dollop of Greek 2% yogurt once plated to help with that. Otherwise, it’s Pretty good. Definitely needed to be creamier though!
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t find the recipe a winner.
Delicious. A Meatless Monday staple. Thank you
You are very welcome!
I made these the other day because it’s Ramadan and I was short on ideas. Didn’t have cumin or coriander seeds, but had ground powder of both, so I improvised. Ask used heavy cream as I had no coconut milk. This dish was soooo good! I am about to make it again, but I only have yellow split peas, so I need to figure out how to adjust the time/liquids. Thanks so much for this recipe!
You are very welcome!!
Sadly we didn’t love this. Too much of a tomato taste for me, but that may just be my family. But all your other recipes look delish.
I’m sorry to hear that it wasn’t a hit.
Made this for the first time last night using green lentils. They are still a little chewy so I’ll let it simmer some more today. But the broth is SUPER thin – it’s a soup and not all lush and thick like the picture depicted. I followed the recipe exactly. I could bulk it up if add some chickpeas or cubed up potato. Thoughts??
I would simply boil it for a few minutes to reduce the liquid. 🙂
Hello! I followed this and very nice but the lentils remain very thoroughly al dente and barely got soft at all – looking at other lentil curry recipes all of them say to boil separately first (because apparently spices and salt stop them from breaking down?) and yours is almost the only one to put dried ones directly in?
Thanks and still tasted great 🙂
You could definitely try adding the salt later. I would leave the spices in at the beginning as it is best to cook off their raw flavor first. 🙂
So tasty! Such a deep, spice filled flavor while being so light and delicious. I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it’s one of my new Go-To’s.
I’m so happy to hear that the recipe as a hit!
Hi,
Since I don’t have seeds I’ll have to use ground cumin and coriander. Would you recommend a different amount than the whole seeds?
Thanks!
Simply use the same amount. 🙂
I’ve used this recipe about 10 times now, it is divine! Thank you for sharing! X
That’s wonderful to hear. Thanks, Elie!
Hi,what can i serve with this curry lentil instead of rice?
I usually have mine with cauliflower rice. Some naan bread is delicious, too. 🙂