This creamy coconut Lentil Curry is cozy and comforting and infused with warm Indian spices. Make in an Instant Pot or on your stovetop and serve over a bed of baby spinach,  basmati rice or with homemade naan bread! Vegan.

This Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Infused with fragrant Indian spices, this recipe is not only delicious, it is is vegan and gluten free! #currylentils #indianlentils #lentilcurry #veganlentilcurry #instantpot #vegan #vegancurry #veganlentils #eatclean #cleaneating #plantbased

We cannot always change the circumstances, but we can always adjust our consciousness. ~ Radhanath Swami

This flavorful Lentil Curry is easy to make and perfect for busy weeknights! Wholesome, nourishing, and vegan, yet utterly rich and comforting! Serve it over fluffy basmati rice– or try it over big bowl of fresh baby spinach… so tasty! My husband Brian prefers scooping it up with freshly made, soft buttery naan bread, and yes, that is an option too. You could also just serve it as a soup!

Lentil Curry | 45-second video

What you’ll need!

This lentil curry recipe calls for a combination of wholesome and flavorful ingredients.

  1. Lentils: Lentils are the star ingredient of this dish, providing a good source of plant-based protein and fiber. They add a hearty texture to the curry. We use brown lentils here.
  2. Coconut Milk: Creamy coconut milk is used to give the curry a luscious and rich consistency. It adds a hint of sweetness and balances out the flavors. We use full fat coconut milk for a thicker consistency.
  3. Indian Spices: The recipe combines an array of warm and aromatic Indian spices such as turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, and garam masala. These spices infuse the dish with the distinct flavors of Indian cuisine. Feel free to use whole seeds ( cumin seeds, coriander seeds) toast and grind for more flavor.
  4. Onion, Carrot, Garlic, and Ginger: These vegetables are sautéed to create a flavorful savory base for the curry. They add depth and a hint of sweetness to the dish.
  5. Optional Toasted Turmeric Coconut Flakes: These delicious coconut flakes add a delightful crunch and a beautiful golden color to the dish. They can be used as a topping for added texture and visual appeal.

Instant Pot Instructions (see notes for stovetop)

To make this in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, sauté the onion, carrot, garlic, ginger and spices using saute function. Add water or vegetable broth and the lentils. Close the lid. This Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Infused with fragrant Indian spices, this recipe is not only delicious, it is is vegan and gluten free! #currylentils #indianlentils #lentilcurry #veganlentilcurry #instantpot #vegan #vegancurry #veganlentils #eatclean #cleaneating #plantbased

Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, and manually release. Yes, it is very fast! Small lentils will cook even faster!

This Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Infused with fragrant Indian spices, this recipe is not only delicious, it is is vegan and gluten free! #currylentils #indianlentils #lentilcurry #veganlentilcurry #instantpot #vegan #vegancurry #veganlentils #eatclean #cleaneating #plantbased

After the lentils are tender, add the coconut milk after! Taste and adjust salt and heat (add cayenne pepper) to your taste!

This Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Infused with fragrant Indian spices, this recipe is not only delicious, it is is vegan and gluten free! #currylentils #indianlentils #lentilcurry #veganlentilcurry #instantpot #vegan #vegancurry #veganlentils #eatclean #cleaneating #plantbased

Stovetop Instructions

  1. To make Lentil Curry on the stovetop allow about 45 minutes.  
  2. Heat oil in a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot. Saute onion over medium heat until fragrant and golden, 4-5 minutes.
  3. Add garlic, ginger and carrots and cook another 3 minutes until you smell the garlic. Add salt, spices, tomato paste and stir for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add the water, scraping up the browned bits. Add an additional ¼ cup water (so a total 2 ¼ cups water) and add the lentils.
  5. Bring to a boil, cover, then simmer on low heat until lentils are cooked through, about 15-25 minutes depending on the size of the lentils. Stir in the coconut milk.
  6. Adjust salt and heat (adding more cayenne pepper or chili flakes) to taste.

Lentil Curry Serving Suggestions

Serve lentil curry over warm basmati rice, over cauliflower rice, or over a big bowl of baby spinach, or with buttery naan, or all of the above! Top with cilantro and fresh chilies if you like! Garnish with optional Turmeric Coconut Chips below!

This Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Infused with fragrant Indian spices, this recipe is not only delicious, it is is vegan and gluten free! #currylentils #indianlentils #lentilcurry #veganlentilcurry #instantpot #vegan #vegancurry #veganlentils #eatclean #cleaneating #plantbased

Turmeric Coconut Chips

Turmeric Coconut Chips add amazing texture and flavor! To make the Turmeric Coconut Chips, simply toast coconut flakes in a skillet with turmeric for 2-3 minutes! A delicious, crunchy topping for the creamy lentils. You know me and how much I love different textures in food!  They add so much! These never seem to make it to the next day, unfortunately!

This Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Infused with fragrant Indian spices, this recipe is not only delicious, it is is vegan and gluten free! #currylentils #indianlentils #lentilcurry #veganlentilcurry #instantpot #vegan #vegancurry #veganlentils #eatclean #cleaneating #plantbased

Storing The Lentil Curry

Leftovers will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a microwave or on the stove.

This Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Infused with fragrant Indian spices, this recipe is not only delicious, it is is vegan and gluten free! #currylentils #indianlentils #lentilcurry #veganlentilcurry #instantpot #vegan #vegancurry #veganlentils #eatclean #cleaneating #plantbased

This lentil curry is so satisfying and nourishing, perfect for the colder months when you are craving something a little heartier.

More Lenitl recipes you’ll love!

For more Globally-inspired Instant Pot Recipes check out some of my favorites here!


On the homefront. As some of you know, I went to India. It has was an amazing trip on so many levels. And as you can imagine, it was food heaven. The flavors!

I wanted to share a personal experience here with you about my trip. I brought my parent’s ashes to a very old city called Varanasi, where the River Ganges runs through. Hindus believe that when you release the ashes of the dead into their sacred river, souls will go straight to the Divine and be liberated from the cycle of reincarnation, a term they call “Moksha”.

I loved this idea and yearned for this for my parents. What I couldn’t predict, was how the act would actually affect me. It was a much-needed release, a letting go on a deeper level, that until the moment it happened, I didn’t even know I needed.

I left there feeling joyful, light and alive. I felt a sense of moksha (freedom, liberation) in my heart. I am constantly amazed at how wise are our souls are, and how they lead us directly to the experiences we need.

No life is without heartache. And sometimes, holding on to these for too long, we prevent ourselves from fully feeling all the beauty, aliveness and love that surrounds us right now.  This heartache for me was like a very subtle grey filter, muting the colorful brilliance and experience of being alive. It was so subtle I hardly knew it was there.

Yet it was. And now it is not.

Now, I don’t believe you need to go to Varanasi specifically to have this experience. But the ritual was meaningful and I think we could create this wherever we are. Releasing pain doesn’t mean we stop loving those who are gone. It frees up our heart to love even more. At least that is how it feels to me.

xoxo

Sylvia

Hope you are staying warm and cozy this week.

xoxo

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This Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Infused with fragrant Indian spices, this recipe is not only delicious, it is is vegan and gluten free! #currylentils #indianlentils #lentilcurry #veganlentilcurry #instantpot #vegan #vegancurry #veganlentils #eatclean #cleaneating #plantbased

Lentil Curry Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 65 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: vegan, main, stew, instant pot
  • Method: instant pot
  • Cuisine: Indian
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This Coconut Lentil Curry can be made in an Instant Pot in about 30 minutes or on the stovetop.  Infused with fragrant Indian spices, this recipe is not only delicious, it is is vegan and gluten free! Serve it over a bed of spinach, basmati rice or with homemade naan bread!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 12 tablespoons coconut oil, or ghee(ghee tastes best)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, rough chopped ( 34 tablespoons)
  • 2 tablespoons ginger root, finely chopped
  • 2 cups carrots, diced (or sub 1 cup celery)
  • 1 tablespoon cumin (seeds or ground)
  • 2 teaspoons coriander ( seeds or ground)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric ( or 1 tablespoon fresh grated)
  • 1 teaspoon paprika (not smoked, or sub chili powder)
  • 2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional, but elevates)
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/43/4 teaspoon cayenne (or chili flakes) more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste ( or add 1 small-medium diced tomato)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup brown lentils (or large green- do not use split)
  • 13.5 ounce can coconut milk (ADD AFTER YOU COOK THE LENTILS)

To further elevate: add 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds.

Optional Additions: baby spinach, cilantro, turmeric toasted coconut, fresh tomatoes, avocado slices, fresh chilies, naan bread, fluffy basmati rice.


Instructions

  1. Set Instant Pot to the Saute function, heat the oil and saute the onion, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and carrots, saute 3 more minutes, stirring.  Add all the spices, salt and tomato paste, stir for 1 minute. Add the water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  2. Add the brown lentils, give a stir and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. If using other lentils, see notes. Manually release!
  3. Stir in the coconut milk.
  4. At this point, if you wanted, you could also add other veggies- peas, cauliflower, or a handful of spinach to wilt.
  5. Re-taste for salt, adding more if necessary (especially if adding a lot of veggies)  and add more Garam Masala to taste, or chili flakes. If it seems watery, saute or keep on warm, uncovered for a bit. The Coconut Lentil Curry will also thicken slightly as it cools.
  6. Serve over a bed of baby spinach, over basmati rice (or both) or with homemade Naan.
  7. To make the Turmeric Coconut Chips, heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add ¼ cup coconut flakes and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon ground turmeric. Dry fry for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly until fragrant and lightly toasted.  Turn off heat.  These are too easy to burn, so don’t walk away!

Notes

STOVE TOP : To make on the stove top(about 45 mins total)  heat  oil in a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot. Saute onion over medium high heat until fragrant and golden, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and carrots and cook another 3 minutes until you smell the garlic. Add salt, spices, tomato paste and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the water, scraping up the browned bits. Add an additional ¼ cup water (so a total 2 ¼ cups water)  and the lentils. Bring to a boil, cover, then simmer on low heat until lentils are cooked through, about 25 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk. Adjust heat ( adding more cayenne or chili flakes. )

*** If using smaller lentils, decrease pressure cooking time. 5-7 minutes???

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 312
  • Sugar: 3.2 g
  • Sodium: 628.1 mg
  • Fat: 18.8 g
  • Saturated Fat: 15.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 29.8 g
  • Fiber: 5.3 g
  • Protein: 10.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 5.1 mg

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Comments

  1. A friend said that I must try this recipe and I did. So glad I did too! Admittedly I had to hide things like onions and garlic for family members (shhhh…!) but it came out quite tasty. Only question I have is should the lentils have a tiny bit of crunch to them? Ours did following the time lines given. I like them that way but family….. Thanks for this tasty recipe!






    1. Thanks Marcia- Yes, if lentils are particularly large, they may take 1-2 minutes longer.

  2. Simply delicious.. I added some mushrooms and bits of cauliflower too when added the coconut milk and it was perfect. Thank you for sharing with us..






  3. the flavor of this was amazing! I made it stovetop using tiny black lentils (didn’t have the brown ones) and it took just a bit over half an hour. Probably because the lentils were black, it ended up a sort of grey color after adding the coconut milk. But I served it on a bed of baby spinach and added the turmeric coconut flakes and together they really helped the visual appeal. Next time I’ll try it with the brown lentils. but oh the flavor…i didn’t care if it was a bit grey!






  4. flavour was great but unfortunately mine came out very very watery – any recommendations on how I can avoid this for future attempts? Thank you






    1. Hi Gabby- next time, let it simmer uncovered, on saute function for a few minutes, stirring, so some of the liquid can reduce. Or leave it on warm uncovered for a while. I’m afraid if you lower the liquid in the recipe itself, you may get that dreaded burn error.

  5. Delicious, I made the Instantpot version. Used organic curry lentils (already seasoned), had to add additional curry to get to the desired heat that we like. Also added diced sweet potatoes, califlower and mushrooms.






  6. Delicious. I made the stove top version and didn’t have the right kind of lentils and it turnout out great. Served over rice with naan – yum!






    1. Oh no! Sorry about that. Any chance liquid was off? I cant think of anything else.

  7. I have just been diagnosed with gastroparesis and my stomach does not work well. I have lost 130 plus lbs in the last year. I need to eat differently. I love veggies but not really good at cooking them. I need help with recipes and flavor which I struggle getting into my food.

    1. Hi Sarah, sorry it has been a struggle. There are lots of veggie recipes on the blog to experiment with and maybe you just need to start slowly and gently – pick a 1-2 each week and see how your body handles them?

  8. Well, what can I say, another excellent recipe. I’ve cooked quite a few things from Feasting at Home and every single one has been a winner with the family. This one is no exception!

    I made this with some frozen butternut squash cubes instead of carrots as didn’t have any. That was the only substitution I made and followed the rest of the recipe as per the ingredient list. I had mustard seeds and fennel seeds so added these too (and they certainly elevated the flavour, as mentioned).

    I made this in my Ninja Foodi and, once it had cooked, I allowed to cool and then refrigerated over night. I think cooking a curry the day before allows the flavours to marry and develop.

    We English are huge curry lovers and this curry has now gone straight to the top of my curry recipe list!

    Keep up the good work!






  9. This recipe is really super. The flavour of the lentil curry is authentic. It is very satisfying and lends itself to easy entertaining. The instructions are clear and easy to follow.






      1. Thank you! I totally love the recipes on your website. I’ve found so many that have become household favorites, you are my ‘go to’ for healthy new meal ideas.

  10. Best lentil recipe hands down! I have made this on many occasions, and have gotten my friends hooked on them. Wonderful flavors and customizable with the veggies. Thank you.






  11. This was delicious and so simple to follow! I didn’t have any fresh ginger, so I subbed 1 tsp of ground ginger and it was perfect.






  12. I made this for dinner adding some round steak and butternut squash. This was another excellent recipe. The flavour were so rich but not overpowering. So quick making it in the instant pot. I added an extra 10 minutes for the beef and it was perfect. Thanks Sylvia. Your recipes are always a hit and winners in this family

  13. Substituted brown lentils for petite french green lentils and cooked for 8 minutes. Also added potatoes with the carrots.






    1. Hi Bre- Fenugreek powder is actually made from the seed, not the leaf, so it has a very different flavor. Not a “true” substitution, but you could add a little if you like- ½ a teaspoon?

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