Coconut Lentil Curry
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
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 for you to be in coconut curry heaven!
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 or not that’s true, 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?)
Ingredients to make curried lentils
- Coconut oil – for sautéing the flavor components.
- The flavor – cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, and sea salt.
- Crushed tomatoes – just open a can and pour it in!
- Lentils – the star of the show! We use brown lentils, but green lentils work just as well.
- Coconut milk – this is what makes the lentil curry wonderfully creamy.
- Cherry tomatoes and cilantro – these get stirred in at the end for even more flavor.
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 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 meals on hand.
In the fridge – This curry will keep well for up to 4 days in a sealed container in your fridge.
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 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.
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.
Amazing! My kids loved this (older ones) and I will definitely make again, thank you!
PRO TIP: ADD ALMOND BUTTER. We finished making it.. and it was there, but there was still something missing. A creaminess. And there it was, the almond butter jar looking right back at us. Also.. more salt.
I love that trick, too! I actually use it in my butter chicken recipe. Great idea to use it in this recipe!
How much? TBSP?
Hi, thanks so much for this recipe. Cooked it yesterday and it tasted just amazing! I presoked the lentils for better digestion. I also left the pot only half covered while boiling, since the presoked lentils didn’t absorb much water.
Can I use ground cumin/Coriander in place of the seeds? And what would be the conversion?
Yes you can! Just use the same amount. 🙂
We just love it!!! Creamy and yummy. Thanks for sharing ☺️
Lovely flavourfull recipe! Really love this Lentil Curry! Will make this a regular dish in my home! Thank you!!!❤❤❤
My four year old raved about how delicious this lentil curry was.
Really simple and delicious……a recurring favourite Thank-you
Think I could make this in an instant pot? New to cooking and I have no idea how to convert things to instant pots
I don’t have an Instant Pot so I’m not very familiar with how they work. But I know lentils can be cooked in an IP. I would look for another lentil recipe for the time and then use this one for the ingredients. 🙂
This recipe is truly GOLDEN and today I made it in the Instant Pot and it totally worked! I used the Sauté function for the recipe’s first step, toasting the cumin, coriander, and garlic in the coconut oil. I kept using the Sauté setting when I added the crushed tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, and sea salt and cooked for 5 min as the directions state. Then I hit CANCEL when I added the lentils, cayenne, and water, covered the pot and cooked it for 12 minutes at High Pressure. I quickly released the steam when it finished and opened the pot to find the lentils beautifully and flavory cooked and the curry nice and thick! I used the a low Sauté function to simmer the curry as I added the coconut milk, removed it from the heat, and added the cilantro! SO DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for this incredible recipe!
Amazing recipe. Incredibly easy to follow and helpful for people on the go. I love one-pots and this was perfect.
Since my daughter shared this recipe with me about six months ago, I have made it at least once a month. It makes such a good, quick lunch. My husband loves it! I usually add an extra half cup of lentils to make it meatier.
Most flavor packed lentil curry I’ve had, delicious!!
Excellent curry! I cooked 1 large chopped onion in the oil until translucent before adding the cumin and coriander seeds crushed with a mortar and pestle. Otherwise, kept everything else the same. I will be making farro to go with the rest of my doubled batch (as I’m allergic to rice), and that will thicken things up nicely! I’m so looking forward to leftovers!
Before making this I read some of the comments-about being the best and I gotta say, this is a very tasty meal. I loved it. Am making it again today. Thanks for sharing it with us.
This recipe has become a staple in our house. We have it at least once a month. It’s so easy to have the ingredients on hand, and so freaking good. I’m making it again tonight, but I’m going to do one less cup of water. I can’t seem to get it thickened up enough and it’s always a bit soupy (which is still totally fine). My mouth is watering already. Ugh so good.
(If you need it thickened slightly try adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of ground almonds… they’re my goto for thickening curries.)
Regards, Mark.
So easy & tasty! Thank you.