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.
Pretty good meal-prep option, but I would make a few changes next time.
Skip the coriander seed and add powder coriander when adding the turmeric. Coriander seed has an intense flavor and I found it distracted from the rest of the dish rather than complimented.
I didn’t find the chunks of minced garlic and chopped ginger very pleasant. Crush the garlic and grate the ginger with a microplane. Sautee both for a minute, just to get the raw edge off and then proceed to step two.
Changes I made:
Replaced the cayenne with equal parts of garam masala to give it a more Indian flavor.
After the coconut milk was fully incorporated, I added a shot of apple cider vinegar to wake up all those spices.
Instead of water, I used vegetable stock I had in the pantry.
Consider cooking this early in the day and heating it up for dinner. This allows the flavors to develop more fully.
Absolutely delicious! I added a large chopped Visalia onion after the spices. The toasted spices make such a difference. I also doubled the recipe to have leftovers. Family loved this. Thank you!
I added cinnamon, I felt it needed a sweet note at least for me. I’m excited about eating this it’s dairy free and I’m a chef so I love trying new things!
I make this recipe on the regular. I add tofu cubes for more protein (I’m a powerlifter) and spinach, just cause. LOL lovely and I share the link all the time!
Absolutely gorgeous. Quick and easy
Didn’t have much flavor.
Kristen,
Thank you for a this yummy and comforting recipe! The only changes I made were fire roasted tomatoes and since I was serving a varied crowd, I skipped the cayenne but served harissa on the side so folks could make their bowls as spicy as they liked. It was a total hit! Thank you so much!
Jen
Perfect recipes for us in Australia – June 1st is our Winter!
The five star is for the instant love for this dish from the first taste, well deserved. I change the oil as it’s a bit fancy and don’t think sunflower oil causes any problems and i love the flourish of fresh tomatoes in the end so i had two medium tomatoes (chopped), i would have been fine with even more :-). .
Great recipe.
Delicious dish! I did a couple of things differently for my own taste. Mine was pretty watery and I had presoaked the lentils so I simmered it with lid off. I added a tablespoon of peanut butter( inspired by another comment recommending almond butter) . I mashed the cherry tomatoes because I’m pretty picky with texture. At the end, along with the cilantro I added half of a lemon’s juice. Very delicious and comforting meal!
I cannot find a 15 oz can of coconut. I only have 13 oz cans. I really do not want to open another can for 2 ounces. I shall see what happens with 13 ozs.
I had so looked forward to making this. Unfortunately, I was mightily disappointed. I won’t be making it again.
You left a negative review but did not say what was wrong with the recipe….?
A great rich simple and delicious quick curry!
The Recipe was Awesome!
Thank You
Phenomenal! I keep a list of my favorite recipes, only a couple dozen on their total, and this very quickly made it on there!
This was delicious! I’m trying to incorporate more meat free dishes into my diet and this one is a win. This will be a regular in my repertoire going forward. Thank you