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.
This was the first lentil recipe I ever made, my family and I loved it so much it’s a regular for us! It was kind of a “gateway” recipe for me into the world of lentils and curries! Thank you for the recipe, and I also love the format of ingredients under the steps!
Forgot to ask, can this be frozen for later?
Yes! This freezes very well!
I love how you list the needed ingredients for each step. It eliminates any confusion and allows the cook to work methodically (even with interruptions!) Thank you!
This is one of my favorite comfort food recipes! I can’t express just how much I love this! It is my go to when I just need something quick, easy and delicious to fix. I’m so thankful I found your recipe! 🙌
This has become a go-to in my house. Everyone loves it. I often add in some veggies (carrots or squash or sweet potato). I’m curious if I could add raisins? Seems like a dish that would taste good with some sweetness too but I haven’t tried yet. Also appreciate the repeat of ingredients under the steps – very easy to follow.
I think that raisins sounds like a great addition!
One of my favorite go to recipes! My kids are pumped when they walk into the house after school and smell the rich flavors in the air. I sometimes add rotisserie chicken chopped up and half the amount of lentils. Delicious either way! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Could I sub green for brown lentils? I am new to cooking lentils, but I have heard the different types cook at varying lengths of time.
Green lentils may take a little longer to cook, but you can use the same amount in this recipe.
Yes I made these today and is very good . Which is I do not eat meat.
What if I don’t have access to the whole spices and only have curry powder? When would I add the curry powder and how much would you recommend?
This is a really flexible recipe and you can definitely play with the spices. I would add 2 tablespoons of curry powder.
I made this last night and everyone LOVED it! MIL, me, husband, and kids (11 & 13). I doubled the recipe and added a sprinkle of feta cheese and Mrs. Balls Original South African chutney, over Jasmine white rice. The only difference was that I reduced the garlic and only added 8 cloves of garlic instead of 10-12 cloves (or 20-22 for doubling). I just couldn’t imagine that would work well for our household. The dish was amazing!! I can’t wait to make this again! I ate my curry over a fresh spring green salad w chopped fresh fruit and veggies. It was delightful. Thanks so much! 5 ⭐️
Coconut water has no fat…so u did not make it… 🙂
I’m making this as I speak and just went in to stir them after they had cooked for 40 minutes and it was quite watery. I almost did the crockpot version of this but I had wanted to bloom the spices so I did it in a pot but then i noticed that in the crockpot version you had put 1 1/2 cups of lentils I wonder if this was meant to have 1.5 cups as well?
I’ll let you know how it turns out it smells wonderful!
Made this recipe tonight. Very simple and easy to follow. I was worried about the spiciness so I only put a half teaspoon of cayenne, but after I added the coconut milk I could hardly taste that spice so I will be adding at least a teaspoon if not more next time. My carnivorous housemate enjoyed it, especially when I told him how the spices and the ginger would help his cold and sore throat. In fact he had seconds. I thought about doing it but forgot, but I think a squeeze of fresh lime juice on top right before serving would be awesome and that’s what I’ll do with my next bowl.
Thank you so very much for this recipe!!!
Not only is it easy to make, is it delish.
I first made this a couple days ago. I used what we had : freah tomatoes, garlic seasoning, serrano pepper, red lentils and a 13 oz can of coconut milk plis avocado oil. I halved the salt and cayenne you had listed. I also started making the dish with the coconut milks, water and lentils on low heat while i added the seasonings then shopped the veggies. Then i let it all sit until it boiled to ensure the lentils were done. Omg !!! The flavor was off the charts! It came out a bit spicier than mom could take so ai made some rice. The next morning. Mom didnt say good morning. She said make more of that lentil curry! Lol!
So ma not only requested that I make more, but that I double the recipe. This time, i used green and red lentils. Halved the cayenne and salt. Then blended the left overs with the new. And put just a tad more cilantro. No rice this time to see what would happen. YUMMY!
Thank you so much!
Delicious and quick. I’ve printed it out for future reference, and I’ll definitely be making this recipe again.
Do you put the cherry tomatoes in whole?
I do when they’re small. If they’re on the large side, feel free to cut them in half.
This recipe is easy to make and is delicious! I served it with Naan bread and white rice.