indian lentil curry

This easy to make Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry is a healthy vegan recipe that makes a perfect Meatless Monday dinner recipe. 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.
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✨ If you love this Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry as much as we do, make sure to give it a 5-star review in the comments below!

Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry

coconut oil

each: cumin seeds and coriander seeds

head of garlic, chopped (10-12 cloves)

tomatoes

ginger, chopped

turmeric

sea salt

cup dried brown lentils

cayenne powder, optional

water

15-ounce can coconut milk

cherry tomatoes

cilantro

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot or skillet 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.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, and sea salt to the pot and cook, stirring the pot a few times, for 5 minutes. Add the lentils and, if using, the cayenne powder, and the water to the pot and bring it to a boil. 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 1/2 &#8211; 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.

I just made this tonight and it was an easy recipe to follow.  I didn’t have cumin or coriander seeds so I just used the powder version. I also added kale at the end.  It was tasty but it was sour for me.  I like my curry on the sweet side.  I’m not sure what made it sour, maybe the crushed tomatoes.  

Delish, thank you! I like my curry fairly thick so added the milk solid only from 2 cans of coconut milk and discarded the coconut water. The whole spices added a fabulous texture. Will definitely add this to my favorites list.

Great recipe thanks! I’ll be making it again!

I’ve just made this and it really is amazing! Thank you :-) 

I love this recipe. Made it a few times at home and batch cook them. I only use 2/3 of the water as I like my curry to be thick. Thank you!

Delish! I've made this numerous times and it never gets old. Plus, I love the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Absolutely delicious! So straightforward! So tasty. Love it! 

I'm Colombian so it's tradition to eat lentils. Let me tell you, this has to be my all time favorite way to cook them! It is so yummy even when I add kale to it, my dad will eat it! 10/10 recommend this recipe even if you aren't a fan of curry or lentils.

This was so good! Easy to make, and delicious. One of those dishes that make me question why I'm not vegan.

It was runny and lacking flavour.
I made it for students from India and they had to fix it and add onion and more spice. They said u should always add onion in any indian indian style recipe.

So yummy! It’s amazing. I just added some onion because I love onion! Bravo! 

This is tasty, but there’s one thing I didn’t like, which was chomping on coriander seeds. Every few bites I’d get a pungent burst of flavor that would throw off the taste of the dish. It’s just my opinion, though.  My suggestion would be to crush them a bit with a mortar and pestle or something like it. 

Absolutely delicious! We used a chile de arbol and crushed chile instead of cayene to make it hotter. Other than that, pretty much followed your recipe. Thanks!

So easy and so delicious every single time. I’ve made the recipe exactly and it’s amazing but I made a small change because my kids get funny about textures so now I only use powdered spices and no cayenne but it’s wonderful. 

Delicious 😍 So easy to prep and make.  I used tinned lentils for extra ease! I also substituted Cayenne pepper with hot smoked paprika to compliment the natural smokiness of the lentils.

This recipe is a go-to for us. We LOVE the toasty spices - they give an amazing flavor to the dish. We're fans of big spice and heat, so we also add the full amount of cayenne pepper. Super easy and health, perfect for a Meatless Monday (or Tuesday, or Wednesday...)

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/DblQjrda.mp4

A creamy coconut lentil curry recipe that makes the ideal vegan dinner. 

This flavorful Red Lentil Dahl is a comforting and nutritious Indian-inspired dish made with red lentils, fresh vegetables, and aromatic spices simmered to perfection in coconut milk. Ready in just 30 minutes, this vegan and gluten-free recipe is perfect as a hearty main course served with basmati rice, potatoes, or naan.

Red Lentil Dahl Recipe

carrot,

small bell pepper, chopped

onion,

garlic, minced

ginger,

dry red lentils

tsp cumin

curry powder

tsp turmeric

paprika

Sea salt and black pepper,

red pepper flakes (optional)

vegetable oil

vegetable broth

coconut milk

Prepare the Ingredients

Rinse the red lentils thoroughly under running water until the water runs clear. Chop the onion, mince the garlic and ginger, finely dice the carrot, and chop the bell pepper.

Sauté Vegetables

Heat the vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 3-4 minutes until it becomes soft and translucent. Then add the minced ginger, garlic, diced carrot, and chopped bell pepper; cook briefly to release their aromas.

Add Spices and Lentils

Stir in the ground cumin, curry powder, sweetener, turmeric, paprika, and optional red pepper flakes. Mix well to coat the vegetables with spices. Then add the rinsed lentils and pour in the vegetable broth or water. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Simmer the Dahl

Lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes until the lentils are tender but not fully broken down.

Add Coconut Milk

Pour in the canned coconut milk and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until the dahl reaches your desired thickness, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Season and Adjust

Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Adjust any spices or sweetener according to your preference.

Serve

Serve the red lentil dahl warm, paired with basmati rice, boiled potatoes, or naan flatbread. Garnish with fresh herbs like cilantro if desired.

Top 2 indian lentil curry recipes from across the web

The most viewed indian lentil curry recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

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Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry

Red Lentil Dahl Recipe

Top 2 indian lentil curry recipes from across the web

The most viewed indian lentil curry recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry

Red Lentil Dahl Recipe

The most viewed indian lentil curry recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine