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.
Easy to make, very flavourful & enough servings to last the week – a new staple in my menu!
Yay! Love hearing that!
As a vegetarian I was very disappointed with the lack of flavour, thought it was very bland!.
I followed the recipe completely but in the end I needed to add many extras to give it a better flavor for my palet.
Sorry… won’t make this one again…?
I’m sorry to hear that this recipe wasn’t a hit for you.
Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa 🙂
This dish is delicious, flavourful, easy to make and budget-friendly. I’ll be making it often from now on, thanks so much!
I never even thought to cook with whole spices and it’s great!
You’re very welcome!
This turned out really well. I used red lentils and I added carrots with the lentils and bell peppers towards the end. I took the suggestion of serving it over rices cauliflower and we had naan. It was a nice smooth flavour with a bit of heat-very pleasant.
That’s so great to hear, Nikki! Thank you for letting us know!
Tried this recipe last week and loved it. Even my meat eating husband liked it. I could not find brown lentils so used red lentils, used ground spices as didn’t have the whole ones and also used only 2 1/2 cups of water. Paired it with cauliflower rice and naan bread. Perfect!
Great to hear that it was loved!
This recipe is a delicious meat-free addition to our dinner rotation, thank you for sharing
You’re very welcome!
OH MY GOODNESS! Absolutely lovely lovely lovely! I enjoyed making and of course eating this delicious meal. Thank you Kristen for sharing it!
Love it! You’re so welcome!
Hello!
What amount=one serving?
Great recipe!
I really need to measure next time I make this! I would guess about 1 ½ cups.
I never usually comment but this is such a great recipe. I chuck in a can of chickpeas at the end and if I’m feeling particularly virtuous, some kale, then pan fry some paneer and stir it in before serving. It freezes really well and has become a weekly dinner for us, even my 18 month old loves it. Thank you.
Great call on the paneer!!
Love your recipe, its part of our favorites now I have been making this recipe a least everyother week and it doesnt get old. ??
That’s wonderful, Vanessa! Thank you for the comment!
We’ve made this about 500 times, probably and I figured it was time for a review. Hands down BEST meal. We omit the oil (or reduce significantly) and use less water for a thicker curry. I also use the measurements as listed for coriander and cumin but I’m powder form. It gives SO much flavor! Definitely 100x better the next day!
Best way to freeze it?
We portion it in Stasher bags (these ones) then pop them into the freezer. Any freezer-friendly bag will work. 🙂
The simplest and BEST curry recipe I’ve tried. I had red lentils on hand instead of brown, so cut the water and the cook time by about 1/3. Rave reviews all around, thank you Kristen! Bookmarking your blog 🙂
You’re so welcome, Kate!
Can I use dried green or red lentils as a substitute for brown? I can’t seem to find brown lentils.
Yes! But you’ll want to reduce the cooking liquid and time as red lentils cook faster.
I made this today ready for dinner tomorrow. Unfortunately it just happened to pass our lips for a taste and then somehow it ended up being eaten tonight with freshly made chapattis. Thanks for a great recipe!
I love it! That’s the best!
Loved the creamy coconut and lentil curry! I added the tomatoes a lot later so that they did not completely disappear in the cooking.
Have made it another time with mung beans and was also good.
Have always used ground spices but this recipe used whole coriander and cumin and that made a real difference so will make again, often!
Thank you for the comment, Joan! So happy that you liked the recipe!
New follower here. Delicious! I did add some cardamon pods as I like them and had them on hand. Also added a sweet potato as another commenter mentioned and used more lentils as it seemed soupy. Love the taste and browsing your recipes, they look delicious. Can’t wait to try more!
Welcome! I hope that you find lots of recipes you love!
Really quick and easy. I used precooked lentils as was in a hurry but it was delicious ?
That’s great to hear, Jude!
I loved this curry! I made it exactly as written, except that–to my dismay–I realized too late that I had ran out of ginger. I subbed with powdered (ground) ginger and it was still fantastic. I look forward to making it again with fresh ginger.
I can see myself adding other favorites, like kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, or new potatoes to the pot. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! (PS–I only used 1 teaspoon of cayenne and found that to be the perfect level of spicy for us: present and noticeable, but not too much.)
That’s so great to hear!
We love this recipe, I make it again and again. I’ve never added the tomatoes, will have to try it that way sometime.
Definitely do try adding them. It’s delicious!