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.
I am going to make this but hesitate on the amount of garlic…….
I know it seems like an insane amount, but it’s not too garlicky at all.
trust the process!!
I’ve made this recipe many many times… I’ve made it a soup, I put it on a pizza crust once, I made it a dip to take to a party – it’s ALWAYS A HIT! And it’s so quick and easy one of my favorite recipes ever.
Love that you put it on pizza!!
I absolutely LOVE ❤️ this recipe!!! I omit the cherry tomatoes. Instead of water I used vegetable broth or coconut water. This is by far my favorite lentil dish. Perfect for meal prep!!
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe!!!
I’m so happy that you love the recipe!!
Can someone tell me what I did wrong? I followed the directions, did everything as it said. But I had those lentils cooking for an hour and a half and they NEVER became soft. It kept getting dry (to be expected from cooking for an hour and a half) and added like 3 extra cups of water. Finally I gave up and threw the tomato-ey, hard lentil mixture into the trash and served Ramen for dinner. Also the entire kitchen is covered in tomato splatters. It was a disaster. I’m sure it’s something that I did wrong and not a problem with the recipe, but any insight would be nice because I’m just feeling incredibly defeated and frustrated.
Hi Stephanie. I’ve had that happen once when I used lentils that had been in my cupboard a while – old lentils will never fully soften. It is really frustrating and I’m sorry that happened to you. Not your fault though, it’s the lentils.
Love this recipe, a favorite in our household. So flavorful and easy to make.
Thanks you so much, Cindy!
I like my curry a bit sweet and was combining this in a meal with some lemongrass-lime tempeh, so I added about a teaspoon of sugar, some tomato paste, and lime juice at the end. I really liked it, and I was told that I should make it again soon!
Really liked it
Simple and practical
I tried this recipe yesterday and it was delicious! I did it in the instant pot, after using the sauté option, I cooked it at high pressure for 6 min. It worked out perfectly! 🙂
It’s good but I would cut all the spices in half.
The entire thing tasted as if you are biting straight into ginger
love this recipe it’s delicious . i am glad i came across this recipe. i also like the fact that in each step you add the amount of each ingredient its genious!
thank you
The tomato flavor was too strong. I buffered it by cooking some sweet potatoes and another cup of lentils cooked in vegetable broth.
This is so yummy!!!! Highly recommend!
Used leftover cooked lentils and more or less halved the recipe. Didn’t use the crushed tomatoes, just added the cherry tomatoes (halved) earlier. Delicious! Next time I might toast and grind the cumin and coriander before adding.
this is our favorite lentil curry, the coconut milk makes it so creamy. Make double you will be glad you did.
Transcendent. A few minor adjustments on the fly, just based on cupboard and vibe: 1tbsp each ground cumin and coriander; green lentils; 1.5 cups water; 1 tsp salt; 45 minute simmer (15 more after adding can of coconut milk); no tomatoes. Served with pork loin, rice, naan and side salad. O..M..G…..