Lentil Curry

Lentil curry, a super delicious and comforting vegan recipe. It's so nutritious and it's made with simple, natural, and inexpensive ingredients.

Lentil curry is one of my all-time favorite curry recipes. As I enjoy Indian cuisine very much, I've tried to make lots of Indian dishes over the years. This one, in particular, is just so nutritious, warm, and comforting I like to make a big batch so I can enjoy it all week long!

This recipe is also so satisfying you'll want to have it every day! It's very healthy and filling, and not heavy at all. Lentil curry is super flavorful and delicious, and you can customize it with your favorite spices and herbs.

Besides, this dish is perfect to serve with some rice to make good-quality vegan protein. I love to have it with some basmati rice, which is a healthy option, but you could use any other type of rice or even other grains like quinoa, millet, or buckwheat.

Lentil curry, a delicious and super comforting vegan dish. It's an easy recipe prepared with super simple, natural, and affordable ingredients. It's perfect for the whole family to enjoy!

How to make lentil curry - Step by step

• Cook the lentils according to package directions (photo 1).
• Heat the oil in a skillet (photo 2) and cook the garlic, onion, and ginger with the cayenne flakes over medium-high heat until golden brown (photo 3), stirring occasionally.
• Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, sugar, turmeric powder, curry powder, ground cumin, salt, and pepper (photo 5), stir and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Drain and rinse the lentils and add them to the skillet (photo 6). Add also the frozen peas (photo 7) and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes (photo 8).
• Serve immediately.

Pro tips

• Soak the lentils and the rice overnight so they are more nutritious, easy to digest, and so they cook faster.
• Feel free to use canned lentils or any other kind of dry or canned legume.
• I love coconut oil, but any other type of non-refined oil will work.
• If you're oil-free, use some water or vegetable stock instead.
• You can use any other kind of unsweetened plant milk, such as soy milk, instead of coconut milk.
• Feel free to customize this recipe with your favorite veggies.
• Omit the cayenne flakes if you’re not into spicy food.
• Feel free to use fresh tomatoes instead, but in that case, you may need to add a little bit of water.
• If you don't have some of the spices, just omit or replace them with any other spice.

How long will this lentil curry keep?

As it's made with natural and fresh ingredients, you should keep this lentil curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-7 days.

Can I freeze lentil curry?

Yes, you can! Wait until it's cold, put it into a sealed container, and keep it in the freezer for about 3 months. Although you can freeze the whole batch at the same time, I suggest you split it into smaller portions and freeze them individually.

To thaw, just transfer it into the fridge overnight and reheat it in a pan with a little bit of oil, water, or vegetable stock over medium-high heat.

How to serve lentil curry

This lentil curry is a super complete meal, as it contains legumes and veggies. However, I like to serve it with some rice because I absolutely love how rice and lentils go together.

If you'd like to have a low-carb meal, another option is to serve it with cauliflower rice. It's just SO delicious!

Looking for more vegan curry recipes?

• Simple Vegetable Curry
• Vegan Curry
• Chickpea Curry
• Vegetable Curry
• Vegetable Thai Curry

Did you make this lentil curry recipe?

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Lentil Curry

Lentil curry, a super delicious and comforting vegan recipe. It's so nutritious and it's made with simple, natural, and inexpensive ingredients.

4.76 from 29 votes

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Iosune

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Ingredients 

½x1x2x

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 2 cup dried lentils
• ▢ 2 tablespoon oil of your choice, I used coconut oil
• ▢ 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• ▢ ½ onion, chopped
• ▢ 1-inch piece of ginger root, about 2.5 cm, peeled and chopped
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne flakes, optional
• ▢ 2 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes
• ▢ 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
• ▢ 3-4 tablespoon sugar, I used brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon curry powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 cup frozen peas, optional
• ▢ Fresh cilantro, optional, chopped

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Instructions

• Cook the lentils according to package directions. I didn't add any salt.
• Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the garlic, onion, and ginger with the cayenne flakes over medium-high heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
• Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, sugar, turmeric powder, curry powder, ground cumin, salt, and pepper, stir and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Drain and rinse the lentils and add them to the skillet. Add also the frozen peas and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Serve immediately with some basmati or cauliflower rice and some chopped fresh cilantro on top (optional).
• Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-7 days or in the freezer for about 3 months.

Notes

• Soak the lentils and the rice overnight so they are more nutritious, easy to digest, and so they cook faster.
• Feel free to use canned lentils or any other kind of dry or canned legume.
• I love coconut oil, but any other type of non-refined oil will work.
• If you're oil-free, use some water or vegetable stock instead.
• You can use any other kind of unsweetened plant milk, such as soy milk, instead of coconut milk.
• Feel free to customize this recipe with your favorite veggies.
• Omit the cayenne flakes if you’re not into spicy food.
• Feel free to use fresh tomatoes instead, but in that case, you may need to add a little bit of water.
• If you don't have some of the spices, just omit or replace them with any other spice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 550kcal | Carbohydrates: 85.3g | Protein: 19.6g | Fat: 16.6g | Saturated Fat: 12.8g | Sodium: 645.1mg | Fiber: 11.3g | Sugar: 11.7g

Update Notes: This post was originally published in November of 2016, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, and tips in August of 2020.