Lentil Curry is packed with seasoned veggies and tender lentils simmered in fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and creamy coconut milk.
Try some other favorite vegetarian curries; this Sweet Potato Curry or Vegetable Curry are two of the most popular!
The Best Lentil Curry Recipe
We’ve really been enjoying lentils lately, especially after making this life-changing Lentil Soup . Everyone in my family loves it! Because we have so many lentils, I thought last week it was time to try something new. So, I made Lentil Curry!
Lentil Curry might not look very fancy, but it’s so tasty and comforting. The spices warm you up, the lentils are filling, and the coconut milk makes it creamy. It’s a healthy meal that feels good to eat. Plus, Lentil Curry is cheap to make since lentils don’t cost much.
Ingredients In Lentil Curry
- Butter or Coconut Oil: Used for cooking the veggies, adds flavor.
- Onion & Carrot: Make the curry sweet and thick.
- Garlic & Ginger: Add a strong, spicy taste.
- Curry Paste & Powder: Give the main curry flavor.
- Spices (Garam Masala, Paprika, etc.): Make the curry warm and tasty.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Add a tangy tomato flavor.
- Lentils: The main part of the curry, make it thick.
- Coconut Milk: Makes the curry creamy and a bit sweet.
- Broth: Adds more flavor and liquid for cooking.
- Cilantro: Gives a fresh taste at the end.
How To Make Lentil Curry
- Cook Veggies: Fry onion, garlic, and ginger in a pot. Add carrot and cook until soft and golden.
- Add Spices: Put curry paste and other spices in with the veggies. Cook a little to make them tasty.
- Add Tomatoes: Put tomatoes in the pot and cook for a short time to make them sweet.
- Boil and Simmer: Put lentils, coconut milk, and broth in the pot. Boil it, then cook on low heat until the lentils are soft and the curry gets thick.
- Finish Up: Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and cilantro. These make the curry fresh and zesty.
Quick Tip
What lentils to use? While red or orange lentils are found typically in curries, I used the brown lentils I already had on hand, and highly recommend the mild, earthy flavor they lend to this curry. You’ll definitely want to use dried (not canned) lentils for this curry
Variations
Switch Things Up
- To Add Spice: Use up to 3 tablespoons of red curry paste, or add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste.
- Thai Flavor: Add a few teaspoons to a tablespoon of fish sauce at the end (skip for vegan/vegetarian).
- Vegan/Vegetarian Option: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Lower Calories: Use light coconut milk instead of full-fat for a less creamy but lower-calorie option.
More Easy Vegetarian Recipes
- The BEST Vegetable Soup with pesto
- Vegetarian Enchiladas with black beans and corn
- Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with mashed potatoes
- Roasted sweet potato Vegetarian Tacos
- Hearty Vegetarian Chili
Lentil Curry
Lentil Curry is packed with seasoned veggies and tender lentils simmered in tomatoes and creamy coconut milk.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or melted coconut oil
- 1 and 1/2 cups finely diced yellow onion (~1 small onion; 1/2 large onion)
- 1 cup finely diced carrot (~1 large carrot)
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (~3 cloves)
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon finely minced ginger (~1-inch piece)
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen which is vegetarian & mild spice)
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder (See Note 1)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon EACH: garam masala, paprika, ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
- Salt and pepper
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 cup green or brown uncooked lentils (See Note 2)
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) coconut milk (lite or regular)
- 3 cups stock or broth (Use vegetarian broth or stock to keep this vegetarian/vegan)
- 1/3 cup finely diced cilantro
- Optional: zest and juice of a lemon
- Optional: cooked basmati rice (See Note 3)
Instructions
- PREP: Measure the lentils and pick over to remove debris or shriveled lentils, and then thoroughly rinse with water. Add to a bowl, cover them in room-temperature water and let soak for 15-20 minutes. Prep the veggies: finely dice the onion and carrot; finely mince the garlic cloves and the ginger.
- SAUTE: Add the 3 tablespoons butter or oil to a large pot. Heat to medium and once the butter is melted or oil is shimmering, add in the 1 cup onion, 1 tablespoon garlic, and 1 and 1/2 tablespoon ginger. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes. Add in the 1 cup diced carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally for another 6-8 minutes or until everything is golden. Nothing should be overly browning or burning; if so, turn down the heat. While everything is cooking, measure out the spices.
- SPICES AND TOMATOES: Add the 2 tablespoons red curry paste, 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 3/4 teaspoon turmeric. Season with salt and pepper; I add 1 and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Increase the heat to high, and stirring constantly, cook for 1-2 minutes or until very fragrant. Add in the tomatoes and reduce the heat to medium. Stir and cook for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits. Add in 1 teaspoon sugar.
- LENTILS AND LIQUIDS: Thoroughly drain the lentils. Add to the pot along with the can of coconut milk and 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 8-10 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another 5-8 minutes or until curry is thick and creamy and lentils are completely tender. If the mixture thickens too much, add a splash of broth or stock and if it's too thin (or lentils aren't tender yet), increase the heat a bit and simmer without the lid.
- FINISHING: Add in the 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro and if desired, stir in the zest and juice of a lemon. Taste and adjust any seasonings; flavors should sing, so add extra salt, pepper, or lemon juice if needed. Serve over cooked basmati rice if desired (Note 2) and enjoy hot.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: I use McCormick® or Simple Truth® Organic or Great Value® Organic -- all of which are very mild. Curry powders vary in spice levels, so add slowly if you are concerned.
Note 2: I use brown lentils in this recipe; green lentils will cook the same. For canned lentils, drain and rinse them; they'll cook in about 20-25 minutes (uncovered the whole time). Red or orange lentils will cook for about 20-25 minutes (uncovered the whole time). I do not recommend using French lentils; they won't cook correctly in this curry.
Note 3: Here's how I cook basmati rice:
- Measure the basmati rice (this method doesn't work with other varieties) and rinse in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear.
- Place the rice in a bowl and cover with water to soak for about 5-10 minutes.
- While the rice is soaking, fill a large pot with water and set it to a boil.
- Once the water is at a rolling boil, drain the rice and add it to the pot.
- Cook, without reducing the heat, for 5 minutes; drain and fluff with a fork.
Nutrition
Serving: 4servings | Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.8g | Protein: 16.3g | Fat: 21.4g | Cholesterol: 22.9mg | Sodium: 543.1mg | Fiber: 7.8g | Sugar: 6.8g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We have made this twice now and it’s delicious! The first time we had it with naan bread and the second time over rice. The flavors are spot on and it has a nice creamy texture as well.
So happy to hear that!! Thank you France 🙂
I love curried lentils and have eaten them many, many times. This recipe is simply WOW!! Fantasic flavor, great directions. This will become a family favorite💕 Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe!
Yay! Love hearing that; so glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Wow, thanku for sharing this tasty dish!.. my husband taught me how to make so many curries, and I seem to fail most attempts and end up letting him correct it for me in the end haha.. But I made yours last night before he came home and prepared it in my instapot.
After dinner, he says, hey, I noticed you didn’t ask me for help with getting the curry right, I said nope!.. and he loved it of course..Excellent perfect blend of the right spices and ingredients, for the way we like it to taste, amazing flavor, very authentic to me.
So happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thank you Connie!
I added 1/2 tsp of cayenne for a little extra punch. Fantastic easy recipe!!
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Made this dish for dinner yesterday and we all loved it…so full of flavour!
Thank you for sharing💕
You’re so welcome, I’m thrilled this was a hit, thank you!
This recipe was on point! So much flavor! This will definitely be on repeat!
Made this for family yesterday and they all loved it. Young and old. Most went back for seconds. Shared the recipe with family and vegetarian YouTube ppl.
I am thrilled to hear this! Thanks Laurie! 🙂
Good Recipe….but am very frustrated I cannot Pin this recipe on my Pinterest site without going to your recipe box …do not need another place to find recipes. You have a general link to your page but not the recipe and you want us to search again for this one recipe….wtf
This is a great recipe. Very good balance of flavors. I made some changes: cut the curry powder in half, added about a tsp instead of 1.5 tsp of salt, low fat coconut milk, and used one cup of dried lentils. It was a bit watery as I had already cooked the lentils. So maybe I won’t cook the lentils next time or I’ll use less broth. And it made a ton! Leftovers for days!!!!!!!
Cooking the lentils in the curry thickens it a lot (the full fat coconut milk also makes it thicker) so that is probably why it was a bit watery! So glad you still enjoyed it though, thank you so much for the comment Martha!
Excellent curry dish!! Thank you for sharing. Made exactly as listed and will make again. Read recipe all the way through before making as the measurements were confusing at first. The amount of each ingredient is listed again in the instructions which really wasn’t necessary unless you are dividing certain ingredients as part of the cooking process. Just add the amounts in total you’ve already pre-measured and set aside as they are indicated in the instructions. The yellow onion amount didn’t agree between the ingredient list and the instructions which isn’t a big deal but it made me think I was only to put in “portions” of certain ingredients in the beginning.
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks for the tips! 🙂
This is one of our favorite recipes! It’s so easy to make and always comes out tasting perfect. We love it as leftovers too.
So happy to hear! Thanks so much! 🙂