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.
We tried this recipe for the first time today, and we absolutely loved it. We made tiny adjustments to include ingredients already in our kitchen, like pink lentils, cayenne pepper, and ground ginger. I don’t like too much heat, especially on warm days – but this was just perfect, even with the cayenne. Five stars, and we will absolutely be making this curry again.
I needed a turnout for my lentils and this recipe was the one. Everybody loves it. Being mexican, this recipe got the right hotness and tartness for me. I’ve made this over and over again.
My go-to lentil recipe. The whole family loves it, which is a rare blessing, and it’s a great base recipe if you want to add this, subtract that, throw in what ya got! I prefer the spices ground as I don’t enjoy biting into the coriander seeds, but the recipe is perfect. Thank you for sharing it, I’ve made it at least 50 times since I first found it, and always have batches in the freezer.
That’s so awesome to hear! Thanks, Milena!!
I followed the recipe as written and it was way too gingery and soupy. The tomatoes were very tart as well. Could use some sugar to balance it out. If you are going to try it I’d recommend reducing the crushed tomatoes and ginger by half and reducing the water by 1 cup. Honestly there are way better curry recipes out there so probably best not to bother with this one.
Certain lentils absorb more water than others. I wonder if this was the case for you. I would’ve continued to let it cook if it were watery for me. I’ve made this recipe at least 50+x and I’ve never had anyone complain. I use powdered spices and only omit the cayenne. Give it another go and maybe leave out the fresh tomatoes altogether?
Love this curry, fresh flavours and deeply satisfying. I can have this simmering away within 30 mins. A week day favourite!
I’m at a loss to find the curry in this recipe…lol So I went ahead and added it in- the Indian type. Also I find tomato stunts the “blooming” of beans and such- possibly the acid content- so didn’t add the sauce until later on with the coconut milk.
Yummy stuff with all those punchy spices 🙂
I’m planning on making this tonight but was wondering if you had any insight on making it in a pressure cooker; any tips as far as timing? Thank you!
We haven’t tried it in a pressure cooker, but I suspect it will work!
This is the best curry everrrrr! Was easy to make and absolutely delicious. My all time favourite xxx
We made this for Valentine’s day, and it was a huge hit with me and my bf. Now I’m making it for my mother for mother’s day
Delicious and super easy! My husband and I loved it. I used ground coriander and cumin but adjusted the amount. My 12 year old? Not so much – he doesn’t love curry – but I keep trying!
Can the dish be stored in the freezer?
Yes! This recipe freezes very well.
I have made this a hundred times, and love it! Thank you for a great recipe (:
I absolutely love love love this curry, but it takes me way longer than the recipe says, usually an hour and a half or more. Takes about 50 min for the lentils to fully soften and for the curry to thicken and then another 10-15 more for the curry to rethicken after adding the coconut milk. Still, love this!
Sooo good! I subbed the coriander seeds for garam masala because I was out, & coriander is the first ingredient. It turned out amazing!
I used green lentils and they took an hour or more to soften. Otherwise this was delicious, i will add more Indian spices next time, i like a more highly flavored dish.
Delicious recipe! I also really appreciate how the amounts of each ingredients are listed in the instructions. This way you don’t have to keep scrolling around.