These coconut curry lentils are rich, creamy, and hearty enough to stand on their own. Made with brown lentils, coconut milk, and a variety of spices that any curry -loving vegan should have on hand! They are perfect spooned over fluffy rice, coconut rice, or scooped up with your favorite vegan naan for an easy, plant-based dinner that feels both nourishing and satisfying.
The coconut milk softens the spices, the lime brightens everything at the end, and the brown lentils hold their shape beautifully.
Reasons to love Coconut Curried Lentils
- Made mostly from pantry staples
- Creamy without any dairy
- Budget-friendly and high in plant protein
- Naturally gluten-free
- Even better the next day…if you have any left overs…I never do!
Cindy's Kitchen Notes for Success!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This coconut lentil curry recipe contains mostly kitchen essential ingredients that you probably already have on-hand. I use:
- coconut oil which adds richness and helps bloom the spices. If you use refined coconut oil, the flavor of the oil will be almost neutral. If you use virgin coconut oil, the flavor will taste like coconut. That’s kind of the point with this recipe, but if you only have refined coconut oil on hand, then that will be just fine. You’ll get plenty of flavor from the coconut milk
- diced onions – You’ll need about three-quarters to one cup of diced onions. One kitchen trick I do is to dice a whole bunch of onions at once ahead of time, and then freeze them into one-half cup servings. Then I can pull the frozen diced onion out of the freezer and use as needed. Just use a heavy duty freezer bag so that you don’t impart that oniony flavor to the other food.
- minced garlic – Feel free to use jarred minced garlic.
- freshly grated ginger (which is a nightmare to store and grate) or ginger paste– Which is honestly so much easier!
- You’ll also need some basic kitchen spices like yellow curry powder and red curry paste. Please note that certain brands lend more heat than others. If I am unfamiliar with a brand and using it for the first time, I start small and add more for flavor and desired heat. You’ll also need salt, ground cumin and turmeric.
- low-sodium vegetable broth – Use salted vegetable broth if that is what you have, but then watch the added salt. You might want to cut down.
- a little lime juice – Feel free to use bottled lime juice, this dish is nice to serve with lime wedges.
- The stars of the show: dried brown lentils and coconut milk – You’ll want to use brown lentils or green lentils. Red lentils will get too mushy (but are perfect for this Korean-inspired sweet and savory red lentil dish.) This recipe calls for full-fat coconut milk. It makes it extra rich and creamy. Can you use low fat or lite coconut milk? Absolutely! Using lite coconut milk will still add a creamy coconut base. It may not be as “rich” or thick, but will also certainly be less in total fat if that is a concern. Just make sure to use the canned coconut milk without added sweetener or (too much) water.
A few things to know when cooking your curry lentils
Build your base
Sautéing the chopped onion and minced garlic in coconut oil really helps to distribute the flavor throughout the dish. It’s a known fact that fat carries the flavor. If you are oil-free then sauté in a little veggie broth instead.
Melt the coconut oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, red curry paste, salt, cumin, and turmeric. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. This step wakes up the spices and deepens their flavor.
Now for the “meat” of the dish, the lentils
Pick through your dried lentils to remove any tiny rocks or bits that don’t belong. Depending on the brand and source of your dried lentils, you may have some or none. But you don’t want the dirty bits in your food.
Add the vegetable broth and rinsed brown lentils to the pot with the sautéed onions, garlic, and spices. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and maintain a steady simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking. The lentils should be tender but not falling apart. (This is why curried brown lentils work so well here. They hold their shape beautifully.)
Time to Make It Creamy
Stir in the coconut milk and leave the lid off. Simmer another 7–10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and becomes creamy and cohesive. Yes, you should stir, but it’s not necessary to stir constantly – especially if you are using a non-stick pot.
Serve and enjoy!
Right before serving, stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust salt or spice if needed. This is why I say that if you aren’t familiar with the heat of your curries and spices, you can always start small and add more at the end.
I love to serve this curried lentil dish over warm white rice. Use brown rice if that is your preference. For an extra delicious side, I love my coconut rice. Or scoop it up with a soft warm chunk of fresh naan!
What actually helps
All of the following tips have been mentioned above but truly could use mentioning again so that you’ll have the yummiest lentil dish ever!
- Do not substitute red lentils. They break down too quickly and will turn this into a mash rather than a textured brown lentil curry.
- Green lentils can work, but cooking time may vary slightly.
- Full-fat coconut milk makes the sauce luxuriously creamy. Lite coconut milk works, but the sauce will be more thin.
- Curry powders vary widely in strength. Start conservatively if you’re sensitive to spice and adjust to taste.
- For extra heat, add ¼–½ teaspoon cayenne.
- Unrefined coconut oil will add a subtle coconut aroma. Refined coconut oil keeps the flavor more neutral.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. The flavors deepen overnight, making this coconut curried lentils recipe excellent for meal prep.
Freeze fully cooled portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stove.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. In fact, it tastes even better the next day. The spices continue to develop and the sauce thickens slightly as it sits.
Yes…and no. You can, but the texture will be softer and cooking time shorter. Reduce the simmer time significantly – in fact add at the end. You’ll also want to reduce the amount of vegetable broth you use and add the coconut milk sooner, just long enough to heat through and thicken. If you need a little more broth, you can always use more.
Absolutely. This recipe doubles well and is ideal for batch cooking. Just make sure to use a large enough pot.
The printable recipe card
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Vegan Coconut Curry Lentils (Pantry-Friendly Brown Lentil Curry)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil see notes
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon ginger paste or fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon curry powder yellow
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup dried brown lentils
- 13 oz can unsweetened coconut milk full fat – see notes
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Optional for serving
- Steamed white rice about 3-4 cups cooked
- naan
- Chopped cilantro or parsley
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Grate the fresh ginger if you are using in place of ginger paste. Juice the lime. Rinse and drain the lentils.
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.2 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 medium onion
- Add the garlic, ginger paste, curry powder, red curry powder, salt, cumin, and turmeric. Stir constantly for 2 minutes.3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoon ginger paste or fresh grated ginger, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tablespoon red curry paste, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Add broth and lentils and stir to combine. Let the mixture come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and keep a simmer. If you need to increase the temperature slightly to keep a simmer, do. Simmer, stirring every 5 or so minutes, for 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender.2 cups low sodium vegetable broth, 1 cup dried brown lentils
- Add the can of coconut milk and stir together. Leave the lid off and let the mixture simmer for an additional 7-10 minutes.13 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
- Stir in the lime juice right before serving. Serve over white rice and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro or parsley, if desired.1 tablespoon lime juice
Notes
- You can substitute green lentils for brown lentils; but DO NOT substitute red lentils. They will be too mushy when cooked.
- Unrefined coconut oil will give a more coconut flavor, refined coconut oil will give less of a coconut flavor.
- Curry powder and pastes can vary in potency drastically. If you’re worried about this being too spicy, use half the amount listed and taste before adding more. You may even need more than what’s listed, according to taste. I used Great Value brand yellow curry powder and Thai Kitchen red curry paste. Neither are overly spicy.
- You can use low fat or full fat coconut milk. Full fat is what I used. If you use fat free you will have a very slightly thinner sauce.
- If you want this spicier you can add ¼-1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper.
- If you use normal table or sea salt use half the amount, or to taste. If you don’t use low-sodium broth don’t add salt until you taste the sauce to make sure you don’t make it overly salty.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze cooled leftovers in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating slowly on the stove.
- Nutrition values do not include any of the optional serving suggestions.
