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.
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.
I agree with a previous comment. Too tomatoe-y 🙁 Flavours where underwhelming.
So delicious and buttery! I used smoked paprika instead of chili powder. Also cumin and coriander powder.
Loved it!! I added another can of coconut milk and next time I will add Paneer!
I have made this recipe on countless occasions and it never disappoints! Thank you for this! I always add mushrooms, and sometimes peas! It’s a staple in my household and for an upcoming girls weekend!
Hello, I saw your Stunning Gorgeous Blog by accident…I liked the recipe and saved and shared it..We do not have Coconut Milk ,can we substitute with Cow Milk..Many thanks and Gratitude,,Zouhair
Hi! I think cow’s milk should work well – especially if it is thicker such as cream. I hope that you and your wife enjoy the recipe!
One of my favorite recipes! Absolutely love this and it’s sooo easy with tons of flavor!
I’ve been coming back to this for years!
I add mushrooms and chicken.
I would use maybe a third the amount of salt they recommend. This was far too salty for me. Adding the coconut milk made it very watery and needed to be cooked much longer after the fact. I had added about 3/4 cup water previously to prevent it from burning and it was thick. I would just add the coconut milk earlier and let it cook down with the lentils. I would also recommend adding extra veggies.
This was so delicious. Thanks for sharing.
First of all, WOW!!! I cheated a bit because I used Trader Joes steamed lentils, but followed the recipe exactly otherwise, omitting the water. I added spinach because I add spinach to everything, and the flavor of this dish is both delicious and comforting. It took me about 30 min to throw together and I cant wait to have dinner! Thank you for a great recipe that I will make over and over!
This is delicious! I’ve made it a bunch of times. Do you have an instapot/ninja foodi version? I’m hoping to do some freezer meals this weekend and wondering if I can cook it from frozen in my ninja foodi.
I don’t, but I’m sure that you could make it in an Instant Pot!
I always make it instapot, follow exact same instructions just use the beans setting . Then open and add coconut milk and leave uncovered simmering for another 10 mins or so. Always come back to this recipe. It’s my favorite way to make lentils! ❤
I used an instant pot and put it in for 10 minutes instead of the simmer step for 35-40. Depressurized manually after about 15 minutes (was doing other things), added coconut milk, and it was perfect.
Minor recipe adjustments: green lentils instead of brown, half the amount of coconut milk (doubled the recipe and used only one can), and cut the salt a bit.
I use the instant pot for this.
First fry chopped onions in oil in thd pot, then add all the spices (in my case cumin turmeric cinnamon coriander Chilli flakes, salt) and cook a bit longer.
Then add water and lentils and pressure cook 5 minutes. Quick release, add coconut milk and coriander leaves.
I omitted the tomatoes as I prefer creamier taste, but in the past I added tomatoes as well.
Easy weeknight curry base. I added chickpeas, red potatoes and okra, plus a bit of extra spice. Delish!
Lovely flavor and easy recipe. However, in the future, I would probably crush up the coriander seeds because it’s not pleasant biting down on them while eating the lentils
The flavours were really great. I added one inch cubes of sweet potato to it and a touch extra water. It took far longer than an hour to get the lentils softened and water gone. I think it was about an hour and 40 mins. Might have been the extra water but the lentils were still not soft enough until then.
Hi, I love the flavor of this recipe. Thank you for sharing. One question: Could I use ground coriander instead of the seeds, and, if so, what would be the correct amount?
Absolutely you can! You can use 1 tablespoon of ground spices.
This is so delicious! By far the best lentils I have had- will be making this again. Like some of the others, it was very watery so I spent a lot of time cooking off the excess liquid. Will add less water next time.