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.
OMG delicious! My only bug is that I did not like biting into the whole coriander and I think I may grind it before I toast it next time.
Thank you for this beautiful recipe! My daughter loved it too 🙂
Just made this for dinner. It was a hit! Great recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I put less garlic and half the salt. It was really Delicious! I will make again
I made this recipe on Friday November , 2023. i don’t have the Thai curry paste, so I used curry powder and mixed it with water, and I used brown lentils, that being said, it tasted very good, I will make this recipe again. Absolutely loved it
Do you use tumeric powder? Can’t wait to try it! Sounds absolutely DELICIOUS!!!
Yes, turmeric powder!
I made this for dinner a couple of nights! I added raisins per one of the other comments I read. The lentils were a hit. Had just the right amount of heat. Also like one of the comments read the next day i was 3 pds lighter. This is definitely a great anti inflammatory.
This curry is so delicious! And super versatile – I tend to use red/green lentils and throw in an onion/any leftover veg I have knocking about and the results are lovely. Thanks for sharing!
We absolutely love this recipe. The kids love it and the neighbor’s kids love it. I’ve made it over 50 times. I use to make it in on the stove but now I use an instant pot. Both ways are great. I saute the spices, then add the rest of the ingredients and pressure cook it on 8 min. After it’s done I add the coconut milk and pressure cook it for 0 minutes. My only change is freshly chopped tomatoes. Other than that…I follow the recipe to the letter.
Made it! Loved it! My only change was canned diced tomatoes and 2 cups of water instead of 3, and I cooked it for 9 minutes in my instant pot. I added the coconut milk and cilantro after a quick release. I’ll definitely be freezing some in one cup portions for quick lunches for one. (I also freeze rice in one cup portions, so this will work nicely with that hehe) Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
I love this recipe having discovered it only a couple of months ago. I make a huge amount so I can freeze it even though we are a two person household and my husband isn’t into curries at all – he has tried this one – the first in his life and it got the thumbs up! Great reading the other commentators ideas too for little twists and variations on it, I like to add some spinach right at the end of cooking for an extra zing! Many thanks.
Hello i am from UK. the dry lentils i have, the instructions say you have got to soak them. if i soak the lentils at what stage can i add the lentils? or can i just cook them as per the recipe here? for those of you who add sweet potatoes at what stage do you do this? thank you
We don’t soak them. But if you want to you’ll need to reduce the water and cooking time.
This is a superb dish and the coconut oil and coconut milk added in at the end give an extra lusciousness. Brown lentils have an especially luscious quality compared to other lentils. My tip for what it’s worth: I roast four to five fresh tomatoes in addition to the canned ones and provides another level of richness but bit more effort.
Looks great! I’m wondering if this can be made in an Instant Pot?
We haven’t tried it in an Instant Pot, but it should work!
I read someone cooked it for 9 min and it was fine.
So easy, fresh and absolutely delicious ♥️♥️♥️
Easy to cook and delicious. Absolutely recommended!
Haven’t made this all summer and am sitting here enjoying my first pot of this deliciousness for the season! Best lentil recipe out there in my opinion! Had it with a little brown rice and topped it with avocado just because I had a plethora of ripe ones!