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This creamy Coconut & Red Lentil Curry is ready in 30 minutes and you only need 8 ingredients to make it! A cozy, hearty, and flavorful dinner.
Creamy coconut milk, protein-packed red lentils, and aromatic herbs and spices combine to create this comforting, satisfying, but totally-good-for-you Creamy Coconut & Red Lentil Curry. This red lentil curry recipe is packed with cozy spices and wholesome flavor, plus it’s naturally vegan and gluten-free!
The best part? It’s made with only 8 humble (and pantry-friendly!) ingredients, tastes amazing, and can be on your table in 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS + INSPIRATION
This vegan red lentil curry is inspired by Indian daal (a.k.a. dal or dahl), which is a very broad term for delicious, heavily-spiced curries made with split peas or lentils. While most daals use a variety of spices and whole seeds like cumin, coriander, and turmeric, I chose to use a store-bought curry powder for ease. If you’d like to get a little more traditional though, check out this Instant Pot Daal Tadka!
When I first started making Indian recipes I was a bit overwhelmed by all of the spices – over time I’ve built up my spice cabinet, but initially I relied on simple recipes like this to satisfy my curry cravings. I wholeheartedly encourage you to delve into Indian Cuisine, but maybe this curry can serve as your “gateway drug” into more complex recipes 😉
And don’t get me wrong – this curry is made from simple, pantry-staple ingredients, but it still packs a mighty flavor punch! Not only are these ingredients simple, but they are also very budget-friendly and can be found in most grocery stores. You can typically find dried red lentils near the canned beans, or with the other bagged and dried pulses.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN RED LENTIL CURRY
This whole dish cooks in less than 30 minutes – meaning you have the perfect amount of time to cook up a pot of fluffy white rice to serve alongside it. If you’re looking for an even easier option, try serving this curry with some naan or roti for a totally fuss-free side!
- Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, and cilantro together in a pan until fragrant and golden.
- Add in some curry powder (and optional cayenne), red lentils, coconut milk, and vegetable broth.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender and creamy.
It really is that simple, friends! I like to save 2-3 tablespoons of coconut milk to drizzle over the curry just before I serve it. It looks fancy (but is secretly really easy), especially when paired with some freshly chopped cilantro. This is the perfect stick-to-your-ribs meal to serve on a chilly winter day, but it won’t weigh you down either.
This Coconut & Red Lentil Curry is the perfect cool weather meal – it’s filling, cozy, and full of warming spices. It easy enough to serve for a quick weeknight dinner, but also impressive enough to serve to family and friends. It also reheats well, making it great for meal prep.
Is there anything this curry can’t do? So far I’m at a loss, but let me know if you find out…
COOKING TIPS + TROUBLESHOOTING:
- Chop your ingredients finely. One of the great things about this curry is that it practically melts in your mouth…but that’s a hard feeling to achieve if your onion is in large chunks. Try your best to finely chop your vegetables, or use a food processor to pulse your veggies finely if you’re a little impatient!
- Can I make this in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker? Yes! see the recipe notes below for my cooking recommendations
- Is this curry spicy? The fresh ginger adds a bit of a kick, but I wouldn’t personally consider this curry to be too spicy. If you do love a little heat, you can add some chopped jalapeños or serrano peppers to the curry along with the ginger and garlic – again, see the recipe notes!
- Want to add extra veg? If you’re looking for a little extra green in your meal, try serving this Red Lentil Curry with some steamed or roasted vegetables, or you can also mix in some fresh spinach or mustard greens towards the end of cooking! I also like to toss a handful of frozen peas in with my rice for a pop of added color. Carrots, peppers, and potatoes would all work well here, if you wanted to toss them in with the lentils.
- Can I use a different type of lentil? I strongly recommend using red lentils in this recipe, as they cook quickly and get nice and creamy as they break down. Yellow lentils or split peas will work as well if they are split – I wouldn’t use brown lentils, though.
If you’re looking for more cozy and simple recipes, you’ll also love this Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup, this One Pot Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff and this “Cheesy” Broccoli Rice Casserole!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintCreamy Coconut & Red Lentil Curry
This creamy Coconut & Red Lentil Curry is ready in 30 minutes and you only need 8 ingredients to make it! A cozy, hearty, and flavorful dinner.
- Prep Time: 7 Minutes
- Cook Time: 23 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, finely minced
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped; stems and leaves divided
- 1 tablespoon salt-free curry powder
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1½ cups (309g) dry red lentils
- 1 13.5 ounce (398 ml) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups (470 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth + 2 cups water
- Serving suggestions: cooked basmati or jasmine rice, naan or roti
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan to medium heat and add a splash of vegetable broth or neutral cooking oil. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes
- Add the garlic, ginger, and chopped cilantro stems to the pan and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes, then stir in the curry powder and cook for an additional minute. Rinse the lentils briefly, then add them to the saucepan with the coconut milk and vegetable broth and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 18-20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking and flavor distribution.
- Serve warm with rice, or as desired; leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to one month.
Notes
- Instant Pot Instructions: select the “Sauté” setting on your pressure cooker and follow steps 1-2 as written. After you add the lentils and liquids, press “Cancel” to stop sauteeing and seal the Instant Pot with the lid. Cook on manual high-pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before covering the vent with a kitchen towel and manually releasing the remaining pressure.
- Add-ins and Variations: this recipe is a great “base” for a lot of add-ins, like spicy peppers, carrots, potatoes, spinach, and mustard greens. I recommend adding the veggies along with the garlic and ginger in step 2, and stirring in any fresh greens just before the curry finishes simmering.
Keywords: Red lentil curry, vegan curry, vegan red lentil curry, red lentil recipes, red lentil coconut curry, vegan coconut curry, coconut indian curry, easy coconut curry, easy vegan curry
10/2021: The blog post text has been updated, but the recipe remains the same.
First of all let me say, my family and I love this recipe. Quick simple and easy to put together. Easier if I prep all the cutting at stuff the day before! We typically eat it with brown rice or garlic naan from Trader Joe’s. It’s been on our rotations for 4 years now and we love it! Sometimes put paneer cubes or chicken and it tastes wonderful.
★★★★★
Thanks for the review! Pairing this with naan sounds perfect.
Do you soak the lentils?
No, you don’t need to soak them. I would give them a quick rinse before using just to make sure they are clean.
So simple, so nutritious, and so good. This is definitely going to become a comfort food for me 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you, Dav!
Hi Caitlin, Should I use sweetened or unsweetened coconut full-fat coconut milk in this recipe?
Unsweetened
Tastes very nice ,anymore recipes like the ,love it
Hi Caitlin, I would like to make this recipe, but could I sub with unsweetened lite coconut milk?
Yes! The recipe will be less creamy but still tasty 🙂
Hi I just made this and it’s amazing, so huge thanks for sharing! I made far too much, do you think it would freeze ok?
Sophie
Yes, this freezes well!
7/31/23 Just made this today & made rice to serve with it. Wanted to have a small bowl after all was done just to taste. OMGosh ! I had to have another bowl, it was that good! I’ll be having for dinner tonight too 💗 Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be putting it in my notebook of vegan recipes I love
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed it, Dina!
7/31/23 Just made this today & made rice to serve with it. Wanted to have a small bowl after all was done just to taste. OMGosh ! I hadcto have another bowl,,it was that good! I’ll be having for dinner tonight too 💗 Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be putting it in my notebook of vegan recipes I love
This was a really good addition to our Meatless Monday rotation! It was a bit thin, but that can easily be adjusted. I wondered what to do with the leaves from the cilantro as that wasn’t mentioned in the post! LOL! I put the leaves into a bag for the next meal prep and sprinkled some on this dish. Next time (and there will be a next time for this) I will add some different veggies like peas, maybe edamame, peppers and the like. It was a very tasty meal!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the review, Wendy! The cilantro leaves were meant to be sprinkled on top when serving.
This was the perfect last minute recipe. I came home from an extended trip to zero groceries in the fridge and was able to make this with only pantry staples. Substituted an onion for onion powder, used precooked cilantro rice from Costco, and added frozen spinach at the end. It was so easy to find something to make on your website. Thank you!
★★★★★
Glad you found it delcious, Stacie!
YUM! Just made this for dinner & it was super delicious + easy to make. Thank you so much Caitlin. Xoxo.
★★★★★
You’re so welcome, Christin!
Hi,
I noticed in the ingredients list, it mentions 2 cups of water, but in the directions, I don’t see when to put the water in. Are you supposed to add it in with the vegetable broth, or do you not need it?
Thank you!
You add it in together with the broth.
Super delicious, fragrant and zingy. I had mine with a gin and ginger beer too – GORGEOUS! Made it in bulk, and with the curry, rice with peas, and naan on the side, it worked out at £1 per portion. Definitely recommend.
★★★★★
Thank you for the review, Gill!
Delicious! Our family loved this recipe!
★★★★★
So happy to hear that, Rebecca!
Made this easy recipe for the first time with a few modifications based on what I had on hand (powdered ginger, added red pepper, rice milk instead of veg broth, a bit of soy sauce) and it was delicious!
★★★★★
Can I make this in a slow cooker ahead of time, say in the morning before dinner
Yes, you can!
When do you add the water as distinct from the broth?
★★★★
You add it in together with the broth.
This is the third time I’ve made this. Have eliminated the almond butter as we prefer it without. “Better than take out” is a frequent comment. I serve with rice and creamy mashed potatoes.
★★★★★
Happy to hear that, Sara!
Can I make ahead and freeze?
Yes, you can freeze it for up to a month.