Make this easy Vegan Red lentil curry for a delicious budget friendly mid-week meal, all year round. Serve with steamed Indian cumin rice and vegan raita.
This easy Lentil Curry recipe is great for vegetarians, vegans, anyone looking for meat-free options, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets.
About this Easy Red Lentil curry recipe
This tasty lentil curry came to life by accident – I mistakenly poured coconut milk into my Tarka dal instead of the chickpea tikka masala I was making. Surprisingly, it tasted more like Tarka Dhal soup and was really good!
To amp up more into a red lentils dal, I added a bit more spices, making it super delicious. Since then, I intentionally include coconut milk because it adds a yummy creaminess. I call it a curry because it has a thicker consistency and extra stuff mixed in.
This vegan lentil curry is a healthy and tasty meal that I make all year round. I like to serve it in a bowl with some seasoned rice, flatbread, guacamole, and yogurt.
Even my kids love this lentil curry. They happily eat it with their favourite chapatis, aloo gobi, and tomato onion salad.
Why you'll love this red lentil curry recipe?
- It is really easy, FAST, and Budget-friendly. To make this really easy lentil curry, I use split small red lentils
- A hearty dish made with easy-to-find ingredients from the pantry.
- Versatile and easy to adapt - Use spices and ingredients to your convenience or taste. Don't have something, simply switch it up.
- Variations - Make it with any lentils that cooks fast. I have made it with green lentils and brown lentils too, but there will be a difference in the cooking time and the taste depending upon the type of lentil used.
- Dahl is Healthy & delicious – Red lentils are super easy to cook, and packed with protein, iron, fiber, and vitamins.
- Under 40 minutes – Tuck into a healthy restaurant-style coconut curry dish, still leaving you feeling nourished.
- You have at least half a packet of dried red lentils. And this recipe comes together in a jiffy!
- Make-ahead - Great as a Beginner’s recipe and you really cannot go wrong with it! Make it ahead of time and it's ready to tuck in.
Ingredients for Red Lentil curry recipe
- Red Lentils - Opt for Red split Lentils, also known as masoor dal in Hindi, for this easy curry and red lentil dal soup.
- Vegetable Stock or Water - Enhance the lentil dal curry with extra flavor by using vegetable stock. Knorr or OXO Vegetable Stock cubes work well; dilute 1 stock cube in the required amount of hot water and stir.
- Tomato - Add 1 can of diced tomatoes for convenience, or use an equivalent weight of fresh tomatoes if available.
- Coconut Milk - Infuse South Asian flavours into this lentil curry with the addition of delicious coconut milk.
- Coconut Oil - Opt for coconut oil for sautéing the vegetables, complementing the use of coconut milk in the recipe. Alternatively, use vegetable oil or sunflower oil.
- Onion - Red or white onion works well in this curry recipe.
- Ginger Garlic - Use ginger garlic paste for convenience (readily available at Asian stores) or freshly grated ginger and minced garlic.
- Green Chilies or Serrano Peppers - Add a spicy kick by including green chilies or serrano peppers along with the onions if you prefer extra heat.
- Spice Powders - I like to add a blend of turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, curry powder, ground cumin, and ground coriander in your red lentil curry. Season with salt to taste.
- Lemon Juice - Add a zing to the dish with the juice of half a lemon.
- Coriander Leaves or Cilantro - Finish off the curry with about 2-3 tablespoons of coriander leaves or cilantro for a fresh and aromatic touch.
How to make Creamy coconut red lentil Curry step by step?
STEP 1 - To make this Vegan Red Lentil curry, add cumin to the heated oil in a pan and allow the seeds to pop.
Now add onion, ginger, garlic and saute for 1 min. Add green chilli at this stage, if you like it extra spicy.
Add the spice powders and saute for 30-40 seconds to mix well into the onion masala.
STEP 2 - Add the tomato, salt and stir to mix well with the onion and spices.
Now add red lentils, stock, cover, and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the lentils have softened.
STEP 3 - Stir in coconut milk for a creamier curry and cook for another 8-10 minutes. Drizzle in lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this great-tasting Indian lentil curry with cumin rice, vegan cucumber raita, instant poppadom, and lemon pickle.
As a component of a large feast for Birthday, Diwali, or any other special occasions - Onion Bhaji with Green chutney, chana masala, paneer butter masala, naan bread, vegetable biryani, and cucumber lassi.
How to reheat Red Lentil Curry?
From frozen - Allow the lentil curry to thaw overnight in the fridge or defrost it in the microwave. Once thawed, heat it thoroughly in the microwave for at least 5 minutes, stirring in between.
From chilled - Heat the lentil curry in the microwave for 5 minutes, stir in between for even reheating.
Recipe FAQ's
Yes, you can substitute brown lentils for red lentils in the recipe. Keep in mind the cooking time and the texture. Brown lentils will take slightly longer than the red to cook. They usually have a firmer texture, so cook it longer for a creamier texture.
Absolutely! Red Lentil curry freezes exceptionally well. Simply let the curry cool down completely after cooking.
To freeze, transfer the curry into a freezer-safe container, label it, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Fastest Hack to peel garlic easily - Wrap the individual cloves of garlic inside a damp paper towel and microwave only for 15-20 seconds. You will find the garlic is easy to peel at 15 seconds. If you microwave any longer, the garlic also softens. The garlic can be hot to touch.
Transfer the content into a microwave-safe jar with a spoon. Give it a gentle stir and then microwave for 30-40 seconds. Coconut milk will return to its original state.
More Easy Red Lentil Recipes
Quick & Easy Coconut Red Lentil curry recipe below
Ingredients
- 1 cup red Lentils 190 g masoor dal
- 3 cup stock 710ml
- 1 can diced tomato 400g
- 1 can coconut milk 400ml
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin Seeds
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 1 green chilies optional
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- salt to taste
- juice of ½ Lemon
- 2-3 tablespoon coriander leaves
Instructions
- Heat coconut oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and allow the seeds to pop.
- Now add onion, ginger, garlic, sliced green chilli and saute for 1 min.
- Add the spice powders and saute for 1 minute to mix well into the onion masala.
- Add the tomato and stir to mix well with the onion and spices.
- Now add red lentils, stock, cover, and cook for 25-30 minutes.
- Stir in coconut milk, cover, and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
- Squeeze in lemon juice, sprinkle coriander leaves and serve hot.
Debbie says
Can you make this in a slow cooker? Would you need to reduce stick amount if so?
Sandhya's Kitchen says
I am sure this can be made in a slow cooker. But I cannot tell you the measurements, coz I haven't tried it.
J gaspar says
This a great dish, sometimes I even add just cumin and garlic fried in ghee in the cooked plain lentils and then add some grated coconut hard block into it.
I wouldn't bother with stock cubes as they are full of rubbish. Thanks Love your cooking!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Yum! I love lentil curry 😀
Sandhya's Kitchen says
This Red Lentil curry is absolutely delicious.
Ali says
I love the sound of this - I'm always looking for quick and healthy midweek meals as we are so busy - this is going on my meal plan this week
Sandhya's Kitchen says
You will love these Ali. Our Vegan Red lentil curry is comforting and comes together quickly too.
Jo Keohane says
This curry looks delicious and right. up my street. Love anything lentil based - so healthy and full of protein. Thanks for posting!
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Red Lentil is absolutely versatile! It is great from curries to the soup. Our lentil curry is quicker and delicious with red lentils.
Carrie Carvalho says
This is perfect healthy comfort food. I will definitely be making a batch to stock up the freezer with
Choclette says
Love lentil dhals and the colour of yours is just gorgeous. When I'm feeling extravagant, I add coconut milk to mine too and it really does bump up the flavour. Now, of course I want a big bowl of your red lentil curry. I think I might have to make it tonight.
Pinned
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Coconut milk adds a delicious Asian twist to the lentil curry. It not only bumps the flavor by many fold, also lends the creamy texture to the curry.