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 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.
Second time making this recipe . The coconut curry lentils came out delicious once again. Not as creamy as I would of liked but by tomorrow those lentils will thicken right up. I didn’t measure anything and just threw the spices in pretty good it still came out great I added a little extra spices a little more of everything including the cayenne and a few dashes of curry powder this pot was a little spicier but not too hot. And sooo yummy. 😉
This looks delicious but does it really take 20-24 cloves of garlic?!
If you double the recipe! Otherwise 10-12 cloves – or 1 whole head of garlic.
I made this curry last night. It was a hit! Everyone loved it!! No leftovers for tonight… Now I am inspired to get another curry going for tonight!
Yummy flavors. Easy to make. This is a keeper
I didn’t care for it. The amount of tomatoes seemed to much. The lentils could have been doubled. Mine didn’t end up yellow. It was like a thick tomato curry soup. I even added a tablespoon of mild yellow curry spice which I thought helped the flavor.
Not a fan of tomato based curry.
Thank you for this recipe! My family loved it! I read the comments and used two cups of lentils (and also added about 2-3 more cups of water while it was cooking) and a tablespoon of maple syrup for a little sweetness. It was perfect! Will be adding this to my regular rotation. Thanks again!
Love this. Simple & tasty
My friend has a Cayenne allergy. Is there a good substitute?
You can omit it or add some chili flakes for spice.
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make I just had to leave a comment. Thank you so much for this recipe it will become a firm favourite!
This recipe is tasty but I’m so confused! I’ve tried this three times and each time I make it, it is very watery, more like soup. Also it takes much longer to cook than suggested – the lentils are still fairly hard after 45 minutes. Any theories on what I’m doing wrong?
It could be the type of lentil you’re using. I find my kids like the red most (very soft), but of course you can use any. Also, you can always simmer it longer if necessary.
You’re not doing anything wrong. Firstly the lentils will take a lot longer to soften in the curry sauce than plain water because you have acid in the tomatoes and salt. Secondly, I find the recipe as written has too much liquid to make a sauce (I added the coconut milk with the tomato step, and added water as needed because the picture looked too wet for me). Hope that helps!
Amazing!! My son even went back for seconds and he only does that when he really likes a meal. We are an all meat all the time family but we all agreed this is a keeper.
Thank you!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Loved the simpleness of this recipe. Is an awesome curry. Thanks heaps.
Made this for lunch today with some crispy fried cauliflower *chefs kiss* Absolutely delicious! The one thing missing for me was a dash of sweetness so I added a half tablespoon of sweet chili sauce and BAM perfect 🤩
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Hi Kristen, Your creamy coconut lentil curry made a fantastic meatless Monday dinner. My picky 9 years old who hates lentils said this was the best lentil dish she has ever ate. I used light coconut milk , added a little diced onion (sauteed), used basil instead of cilantro and paired with brown jasmine rice. Yum! I will make it again.
Kids and I don’t eat cilantro (part of the group who it tastes like soap). I would just leave it out, but that seems like a lot of the flavor would be lost. Anyone tried a substitution?
It’s still very good without the cilantro (I’ve had it a few times that way when I didn’t have any on hand.)
The coriander seeds made the dish have a floral undertone. I had to pick out the seeds to avoid the taste.