Crockpot Lentil Curry
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Warming and comforting, this hands-off crockpot lentil curry makes enjoying a flavorful and rich curry dinner so very easy! Throw everything into your pot, set the timer, and let the delicious flavors meld. Earthy lentils absorb aromatic spices that are mellowed by the creaminess of the coconut milk and finished with bursting cherry tomatoes and fresh cilantro. Return to an effortless, satisfying curry dinner!
This is the crockpot version of this coconut lentil curry – check it out for a stovetop version! Or mix it up and make this delicious black lentil curry.
This crockpot lentil curry is so easy – almost too easy! You can even put all the ingredients in your slow cooker in the evening. Store it in your fridge overnight, then turn it on in the morning before you head out the door. When you come home 8-10 hours later, dinner will be waiting for you!
While the convenience factor alone is worth celebrating, it's the irresistible fusion of flavors that truly steals the show. The crave-worthy flavors meld together slowly for a well-balanced and nutritious curry that is as delicious as it is easy to prepare.
Ingredients needed
Crockpot curry lentils are made with a handful of wholesome and nutritious ingredients. This is what you need:
- Brown lentils: These tiny legumes are packed with protein and fiber! You can use green lentils if needed.
- Coconut milk: Use unsweetened coconut milk. Light coconut milk works, or you can opt for regular to make it extra creamy!
- Other ingredients: Fresh ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne powder, can of crushed tomatoes, head of garlic, onion, water, sea salt, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes.
- Optional: Cooked rice for serving.
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How to make crockpot lentil curry
Making these crockpot curried lentils is so incredibly easy! With just minutes of prep time, it's a lifesaver on busy days or when you just want lots of flavor with minimal effort. These are the instructions:
- Throw it in: Pop everything (except the salt, coconut milk, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes) into your crockpot and set the timer. Walk away!
- Serve it up: When it's done, come back and stir in those final ingredients. Serve the curry on its own or with some steaming rice! Enjoy.
Adding vegetables to crockpot lentil curry
If you're looking to add a few of your favorite veggies, you can just pop them right in the crockpot for a little extra boost of nutrition. Depending on how hard the veggie is, you can either add it at the start, or towards the end of the cooking time.
- Add at the start: Cubed potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, or cauliflower.
- Add at the end: Spinach, kale, green beans, or peas. If you'd like your bell peppers to maintain a little crunch you can add them in the last 20-30 minutes.
What to serve with crockpot lentil curry
Serve on a bed of steaming cauliflower rice or basmati rice with some naan on the side. This lentil curry works as a standalone dish, but if you'd like to add something on the side you can make some curried carrots, chili paneer, or roasted tandoori cauliflower.
Recipe FAQs
Can I store leftover crockpot curried lentils?
You can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. If you'd like to enjoy it beyond that, you can also stash it in the freezer for up to three months. Crockpot lentil curry freezes really well!
Can I use another type of lentil or canned lentils?
You sure can – just note that each variety of lentils will have a different cooking time. Green will have a similar time to brown, but red lentils or yellow lentils will cook much quicker, so would go mushy if you cooked them for this long.
The same goes for canned lentils. As they are already cooked, they'd turn to mush if you tried to use them in this recipe. If you want to use canned lentils, follow our coconut lentil curry recipe, adding the canned lentils while omitting the water, and simply heating them up.
How do you avoid the lentils remaining tough?
Lentils that have been sitting on the supermarket shelf or in the pantry for longer will take a long time to go soft, so check the date and ensure they're fresh. Add the salt towards the end of the cooking process.
What do the whole cumin and coriander seeds taste like?
The cumin seeds meld into the curry, adding flavor but not being too noticeable. The coriander seeds stand out, giving a little pop of flavor when you bite into them. If you're worried that the flavor will be too strong, you can use ground cumin and ground coriander instead.
Crockpot Lentil Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dried brown lentils
- 2 tablespoons ginger (minced)
- 1 tablespoon EACH: cumin, coriander, turmeric
- Optional: 1-2 teaspoons cayenne powder
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 head garlic (chopped)
- ½ medium onion (finely minced)
- 3 cups water
- 15 ounce can coconut milk
- 2-3 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
- Optional: cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Add the dried brown lentils, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, if using the cayenne, crushed tomatoes, garlic, onion, and 3 cups of water in your crockpot. Put the lid on and set the timer for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.1 ½ cups dried brown lentils, 2 tablespoons ginger, 1 tablespoon EACH: cumin, coriander, turmeric, Optional: 1-2 teaspoons cayenne powder, 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 1 head garlic, ½ medium onion, 3 cups water
- Stir the coconut milk, 2 teaspoons of sea salt, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes into the curry. Taste and add extra salt to taste.15 ounce can coconut milk, 1 cup chopped cilantro, A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, 2-3 teaspoons sea salt
- Serve the curry on its own or over a bed of rice.Optional: cooked rice for serving
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our curry recipes!
Oh and a veg stick cube as well 😊
I don’t know what it tastes like yet, but I’ve added a couple of chillies and a teaspoon of garam masala. I also had some fresh pumpkin to use up so that’s gone in as well. I might not add the coconut milk but will see how spicy it is when it’s cooked!
Looks fabulous!
Hi! I am excited to make this however, I do not have diced tomatoes. Can I use tomato paste or sauce?
Tomato sauce will work!
Bland, very acidic and lentils a little underdone. Had to doctor it up with a lot more spices. Sorry.
I had the same problem. The turmeric ratio was also too high and the spices gradually burned in the bottom of the slow cooker, increasing the bitterness.
I found that the lentils weren’t cooked after the specified time. I’ve added some sugar, salt, curry powder, and acidity (lemon juice) to mitigate the overall blandness and acidity. My slow cooker is still on high trying to get the lentils to a dahl-like consistency. (My lentils were fresh but I’ve had to add a lot more water.).
Not quite sure where I went wrong with this recipe.
I’m sorry this recipe wasn’t a hit for you.
Hi, I don’t like coconut milk and we’re not vegetarian . Do you think evaporated milk or sour cream would work to put in at the end? Suggestions are welcome!
Heavy cream will give you the best results!
Does the coconut milk go in with the rest of the ingredients at the beginning or do you add it at the end??
We add it at the end so it doesn’t curdle.
So easy and delicious!
Does this freeze well?
Yes this freezes very well!
I cooked my lentil curry for 4 hours on high and the lentils were still crunchy. Cooked an additional 2 hours on high and the brown lentils still never cooked all the way. Also had to use an entire 1.5 oz bottle of curry powder to make it taste anything like a curry. Used a ninja instapot for reference.
Sounds like the lentils you used were old. If lentils are more than 2 years old, they may not soften at all. 6 hours in a pressure cooker would have turned them to mush if they weren’t old. Next time, make sure that the bag of lentils you use hasn’t been in your pantry (or on the grocery store shelf) for too long.
I can only get lentil vertes are these suitable
Yes, they will work!
Can black lentils be used? If yes, what change in the cooking time if any?
Black lentils take a little less time to cook so I would reduce the water and cooking time a little.
Thank you for this amazing recipe! We are at our campsite and I tried this yesterday. Can I tell you how wonderful it was to return to our site after kayaking all day and find this restaurant worthy curry waiting for us?!…oh yum. I did use garam marsala with the turmeric because I adore that spice, but it would have been perfect exactly as written.
Mine tastes….sour, not at all like curry! Any suggestions? Wish I’d read the reviews first and used less turmeric!
Can’t wait to make this but noticed the ingredients listing does not include the 3 cups of water.
We’ve added it to the ingredient list now!
This is decent, but I had to play with it slightly to make it work. The lentils were not done even after 5 hours on high, but fortunately I was using an Instapot so I just pressure cooked them for 12 minutes. I used a quarter of the amount of turmeric because it can impart bitterness to lentils. The end product was very good. Next time, I would go straight to the pressure cooker and likely up the amount of ginger. Thank you for the recipe.