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.
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.
I so agree … there’s just something about winter and curries!
Made this last night to have today and I must say, never having eaten lentils before and never having cooked any type of curry, this was amazing! I did not follow the exact recipe, I used powedered versions of all the spices and not measuring anything because I’m a lazy cook, this was still so very good! Can’t wait to bring to work to share with my curry loving coworkers.
That makes me so happy to hear! I actually like that you didn’t measure anything. When I’m not making recipes for the blog, that’s exactly how I cook, too. 🙂
I️ was really exited for this and when I️ tasted it was bitter. I️ can’t explain why. I️ measured everything. But I️ also used everything in powder form.
That is strange! My best bet is that it was the spices. Did you taste yours to see if the ones you used had a bitter note?
Mine was bitter too. Could it be the sauce that was in the cab of crushed tomatoes?
That’s definitely possible. Have you found the brand of tomatoes you use to be bitter?
The small green stems you sometimes find in garlic tend to be very bitter. I imagine if you happen to use a head that has a lot of these stems, your curry would end up being rather bitter in taste.
Oh, and some people find turmeric to be bitter. I forgot about that one. 😀
Do you really use a whole bulb/head of garlic?
Yep! I know it sounds crazy, but it’s really good. Somehow it manages to not be too garlicky and just full of flavor.
I made this for supper last night and it was DELICIOUS! My husband said that he could hardly wait for lunch the next day, thank you this recipe, it will become a staple at our house.
That’s such a great compliment. Thank you!
Hi! This looks wonderful. I made too many lentils and was wondering if there’s a way to adjust the recipe so I can use already cooked lentils? Put them in later on in the recipe? Please let me know what you think! I don’t want them to go to waste!
I think you can definitely make it work with cooked lentils. I would add them after you cook the onions, tomato paste, etc then add the coconut milk and see how much of a gravy there is. Only add water until it is as thick or thin as you’d like it since you don’t need the water for cooking the lentils. It should work great!
Is the coriander and tumeric really necessary? My family hates coriander and there is no place to buy tumeric where i live
Definitely leave out the coriander if your family doesn’t like it. Is curry powder available where you live? Maybe add some of that instead of the turmeric. You can leave it out, just know that it might not be quite as flavorful.
this is the meal my brother and I chose to cook together,
and it turned out delicious.
i expected a failure since i’m not really a cooking pro,
but wow. amazing, strong flavors. i’m cooking it again this sunday,
to take it to school for lunch next week 😀
Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear you and your brother liked the recipe!!
Ok lots of other people have already said this, but THIS IS AWESOME!!! I didn’t have the seeds, so I just used powdered spice. I have made this three times in the last 6 or so weeks. The flavor is delicious, and it’s very easy. I serve mine over a little brown rice. I don’t know what else to say other than, if you’re reading this recipe and these reviews, just go buy the stuff and make this. You won’t be disappointed.
Thank you so so much! It makes me so happy to hear you liked the recipe!
Thank you so much for recipe! Absolutely delicious and you are right about the big handful of cilantro!!! So much flavor.
You are so welcome!!
I only have ground ginger on hand. How much should I use instead of regular ginger?
I’ve honestly never made this dish with ground ginger so I can’t say for sure. Maybe start with a teaspoon or so and add more to taste. 🙂
Hi, I only have powder cumin and coriander, are the quantities still the same?
Yep! Powdered will work just fine in the same amounts. 🙂
One head or one clove of garlic? Excited to try this!
Thanks!
A whole head! It seems like a lot, but it makes the curry. 🙂
This has become my family’s favorite meal, we have made it once a week since discoving it…we even brought it as our dish to a potluck.
Looking forward to trying your other recipes!!!
That makes me so happy to hear! Horray!!!
OMG that was amazing, I have just started base eating in the last week. I have always been fairly good with my meals but want to take it to the next level. This dish was so delicious and full of taste and flavour. I served mine with brown rice and kale. My favourite vegan dish so far.
This makes me so happy!! Horray!!
I was wondering what to do with the huge bag of lentils I bought….and this turned out to be the recipe I tried! It turned out so well and super yummy too! I used red lentils and diced tomatoes as that’s what I had. Will definitely be making it again.
I’m so happy to hear the recipe was a hit!!