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.
O my goodness this curry is so good. I normally buy my curry pre-made because I would mess it up every time on my own. But is recipe was so simple. Thanks for helping me feel like a rockstar!
That’s so great to hear! Hooray!!
Hi I have made this recipe Before and loved it Im serving for non vegans do you think adding potatoes would make it heartier? O Better to levar as is. Thanks again for the great and simple recipe.
I often serve it with rice so it’s quite hearty. You could easily use potatoes instead. 🙂
Loved this Curry! The flavor is spot on (used half teaspoon of Cayenne). I also substituted green lentils and they cooked forever (80 minutes!) without ever getting fully cooked. We finally had to eat slightly raw lentils. My fault, and I’ll definitely be making this again with brown lentils. Do you think more water/higher temp is the answer? Also, I have mung beans on hand and would love to try it since you mentioned the inspiration Curry used them. Would I proceed with the recipe as is? More water?
It sounds like the lentils you used were probably old. While they’re not harmful, old lentils will take forever to cook. I had something similar happen to me the other day with a bag I of lentils I found hiding in the back of my pantry for who knows how long. Feel free to sub mung beans. No need to change anything else about the recipe. Just make sure they haven’t been sitting around too long. 🙂
This tastes amazing!! So easy, quick and delicious. Our new favourite curry recipe!
Hooray!!
I threw a bunch of veg in this, and had enough to feed about 6. It’s an earthy curry, with pops of flavour, I loved it and looking forward to the leftovers for work lunches.
Leftover curry is the best, isn’t it?!!
Just made this curry. I tweaked it a bit by grinding the spices after toasting and adding a vegetable stock cube with the water and a teasp of chilli flakes as ran out of cayenne. I also added a teasp of my homemade Garum Masala to add even more flavour! I served it with brown Basmati rice and chutney A tasty dish!
I’m really happy to hear you liked it!
So yummy and easy. I used onions, tinned brown lentils and coconut cream – it turned out delicious and super quick to make. I live in a house of white food and meat eaters, so I’m always looking for quick delicious vegetarian meals that I can whip up quickly – this is an absolute winner. Thanks
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!!
My daughter is vegan and spends the summer with me, and I’m on a tight grocery budget right now… so this was perfect! It made a ton, was delicious, very inexpensive and vegan friendly. Thank you for this, I’ll make it regularly! I tweaked a few things to work with what I already had on hand and it was still fantastic.
That makes me so happy to hear!!
Trader Joe’s has delicious pre-cooked lentils, would this work? Just dont simmer it before adding the coconut milk?
Other readers have said they’ve used the same lentils with success. I would start by adding only a bit of the water then add more as needed. 🙂
If we were going to sub for a different lentil type, which would you recommend? Red or Green? And any advice?
I would opt for green lentils. Red lentils cook much faster so you would need to adjust the water ratio and cooking time if you used those. 🙂
I used green lentils and fresh peeled tomatoes in lieu of the crushed ones, and I have been cooking it for FAR longer than 45 minutes. It is gradually cooking down, but it will have to serve as tomorrow’s dinner. Do you think it was watery due to the fresh tomatoes or do the green lentils just not cook as quickly as the brown? No matter what, I will definitely be making this recipe again!
It could be because of the extra water from the fresh tomatoes or maybe I simply simmer it at a higher temperature. Happy to hear you still like the recipe even though it took longer to cook!
Do you find that the lentils do not cook in the acid of tomatoes?
The only time I’ve ever had a problem with the lentils cooking was once when I used old lentils. Every other time they’ve cooked just fine. 🙂
I love, love, love this recipe! It’s so good! Thanks for posting it!
I’m so happy to hear that! Hooray!
Made this last night- so delicious! It is definitely being added to the permanent rotation.
I’m so happy you like it!
On the second try, I added some opal basil. Absolutely delicious either way. Great recipe.
That would be delicious!!
I just threw this together. So easy. I used pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s (refrigerator section. They didn’t have dry lentils). I excluded the water. i added about 1/2c because it was a little thick but the pre-cooked lentils made this super fast to make. I also used only ground cumin (no coriander on hand). I added a chopped onion with the garlic. This is delish! I’ll be making it again and again and freezing it for lunches!
Thank you!
Thanks for letting us know that precooked lentils work! That’s really helpful!
Hi, this recipe sounds great! However I only have red lentils right now. I read a comment saying they cook faster. Is there a recommendation for using them if necessary?
You’re right, they do cook faster. I would start by using only 2 cups of water and only add more if the curry starts to look dry. Red lentils will be cooked in 15-20 minutes. 🙂
I am a vegetarian and love lentils, curry, and coconut milk! I came across your recipe and made it tonight for dinner. I added some kale – because who doesn’t love kale- and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Good call on the kale! I love it too!!