Coconut Lentil Curry

This coconut lentil curry recipe is a hearty, vegan recipe.

It's full of wonderful flavors and spices. It's also easy to make—it just requires a little time to simmer and combine the flavors.

This recipe has great flavor from layering several different spices. Adding the spices to the onions and garlic before any other ingredients allows the flavors to bloom, so we get deeper flavors out of the dry spices.

This recipe closely resembles an Indian dhal or dal, a term used in South Asia for dishes with pulses like lentils and beans. Dhal is usually a combination of pulses, tomatoes, and spices. It is often served with flatbread like naan or rice.

Curry, on the other hand, is more heavily spiced and sometimes has vegetables or meat added. Curry, as a word, can mean both a spice blend and a term used to refer to a South Asian sauce or gravy dish. The spices used in this recipe are a fairly standard curry blend - curry powder often has a mixture of turmeric, cumin, ginger, coriander, and black pepper.

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Ingredients for Lentil Curry

Here's what you'll need to make this recipe (it looks like a lot, but it's mostly spices!)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon coriander 
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 (15 ounce) cans brown lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk
• 3 cups loosely packed baby spinach
• optional - sliced cherry tomatoes and cilantro for serving

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How to Make this Vegan Lentil Curry

This curry is easy to make, especially since we're using pre-cooked lentils. It does take a little while to simmer, but it's largely hands-off.

1. Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium high heat. 
2. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and stir. Allow to cook for 3 minutes or until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring often. 
3. Add the salt, turmeric, cumin, garam masala, paprika, coriander, pepper, and ginger. Stir continuously for 30 seconds. 
4. Add the lentils and tomatoes to the pot. Stir to combine and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. 
5. Then add the coconut milk and stir till fully combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the curry is reduced. 
6. Turn off the heat. Add the spinach and stir till it has wilted. 
7. Optional - Serve with rice or flatbread and top with tomatoes and cilantro. 

More Vegan Dinner Recipes

• Black Bean Soup - one of our favorite weeknight recipes that's easy to make and super flavorful.
• Vegan Thai Green Curry - this green curry recipe is truly delicious. Thai curries can be relatively mild, they contain so many subtle flavors.
• The Ultimate Vegan Chili Recipe - this chili has a smoky flavor from the medley of spices and it doesn’t have to simmer for very long – making this a perfect weeknight recipe. 
• Roasted Chickpea Salad Recipe - starts with roasting chickpeas with spices and then combining them with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and tahini dressing for a healthy and filling meal.
• Red Lentil Dal - a wonderful, warming bowl of food. Lentils are incredibly filling food and nutrient-dense.

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Tips for Making Coconut Lentil Curry

• This recipe is versatile - you can add more vegetables if you'd like (potatoes or carrots would be nice!), you can use other greens besides spinach (chard would be excellent), and you can add other spices (chili powder or cayenne if you like spicier food).
• As with any recipe like this, you want to use high-quality, fresh spices. I often run out of curry powder, turmeric, and cumin every few months, but for the spices, I don't quite use up each year - I make a point to replace them. Dry spices can lose their flavor, so make sure to check the dates on them and replace them if they're over a year or two old.
• If your curry isn't thick enough, just let it simmer on the stove for a bit longer. It will cook down. Also, remember that once it cools off it will get a bit thicker.
• This is a curry-in-a-hurry recipe because we are using pre-cooked lentils. I always use the Westbrae organic lentils for this recipe.
• This recipe will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days and will freeze for up to 6 months.

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