Easy Vegan Coconut Lentil Curry
If you’re looking for an easy and delicious pantry meal, try this Vegan Coconut Lentil Curry. It’s a one-pot dish that is full of warming spices and rich coconut flavor. Gluten-free and dairy-free.
Recipe Highlights
- Lentils are so easy to cook. You don’t have to soak them before you cook them.
- You can use canned tomatoes, so the only fresh ingredients you need are the onions and garlic. You can even use frozen or pre-chopped onions from the grocery store.
- This dish cooks in about 45 minutes total, but most of the cooking time is hands-off.
Recipe Steps
Step One
Check the lentils for rocks and then rinse them in a fine-mesh sieve.
Step Two
Chop the onion and garlic and then sauté in a tablespoon of oil.
Step Three
Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth and curry to the soup pot and bring everything to a simmer.
Step Four
After 35 minutes add the coconut milk and lime juice. Return to a simmer for a few minutes.
Step Five
Serve with your favorite gluten-free bread, flatbread, or with Indian Yellow Rice.
Is this Recipe Healthy?
- This recipe is a healthy, nourishing meal. Lentils are an amazing food. They are full of plant-based protein and are generally easy to digest.
- This dish has a nice balance of healthy fat, protein, and carbs, making it a perfect meal.
- Most traditional Indian curries use cream, but this recipe uses full-fat coconut milk to make it dairy-free.
Top Tips
- Use full-fat coconut milk for the richest flavor.
- Check the lentils for rocks before rinsing.
- I recommend using curry powder for this recipe. But, if you don’t have it, you can use a blend of cumin, coriander, and turmeric instead.
- You can make this Vegan Lentil Curry ahead of time and serve it for several days. The leftovers are so delicious and can be easily re-heated in the microwave or on the stovetop.
FAQs
Can I use red lentils to make lentil curry?
I recommend using brown or green lentils. They hold their shape best when cooking. In a pinch, you can use red lentils, but the texture of the curry will be a bit mushier.
What if I don’t have curry powder?
You can use 1/4 teaspoon each of ground turmeric, coriander, and ground cumin instead.
Can I use reduced-fat coconut milk instead of full-fat coconut milk?
Yes, but the recipe won’t be as flavorful.
Other Healthy Soup Recipes You Might Like
Or, see my entire index of clean eating soup and stew recipes.
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PrintEasy Coconut Lentil Curry
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Easy Vegan Coconut Lentil Curry is one of my favorite easy, weeknight meals. This is a one-pot meal using pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or green lentils
- 1 tablespoon olive oil*
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder**
- 3 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth
- 1 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 lime, juiced (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a fine-mesh sieve. Pick through the lentils to make sure there aren’t any tiny rocks. Then, rinse the lentils in cool water. Set aside to drain.
- Next, in a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the lentils, curry powder, broth, and chopped tomatoes to the pot and turn the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer for 35 minutes. The lentils should absorb most of the moisture.
- Once the cooking time is complete, remove the lid and stir in the coconut milk and lime juice (optional). Let the curry come back to a simmer and then turn off the heat and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can freeze any leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Defrost in the refrigerator and re-heat the curry on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- *Leave out the oil if you are on an oil-free diet.
- **If you don’t have curry powder, you can use 1/4 teaspoon each of ground turmeric, coriander, and ground cumin instead.
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: lentil curry with coconut milk, vegan curry, lentil curry
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I like to make this for an easy weeknight meal and then have the leftovers for lunch the next day!
★★★★★
If I used canned lentils, would I leave all the broth out?
Yes, I would drain the lentils if using canned lentils.
I made this with only half the coconut milk (trying to reduce the fat). It was delicious. I didn’t have enough lentils at home, so I used split moong dal instead, and I added chopped hot peppers to the onion. I highly recommend this dish!
★★★★★
I mostly make indian curries, but yours sound truly unique with coconut milk. I have to give a try and I’m sure I will agree it will be just yum! Thanks.
tried it and it was wonderful also tried yellow rice and great as well
★★★★★
wonderful makes many meals and very good and soothing
★★★★★
Delicious, fast, easy, healthy! Next time I might add some greens at the end to stir in.
Carrie, can you post instant pot directions?
Hi Stacey, I haven’t made it in the Instant Pot. What I would do is cook the lentils and onion with the broth, and then stir in the coconut milk at the very end.