This spicy red lentil curry is one of my favorite ways to cook lentils. It’s super creamy, cozy, and packed with spices.
Plus, this vegan red lentil curry comes together in one pot and takes about 45 minutes from start to finish. Like, what more could you want?
Whether you make it for dinner on the weekend or prepare it ahead of the week, you can’t go wrong with this easy red lentil coconut curry. It’s the ultimate cozy winter dish!
Red Lentil Curry Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this easy red lentil curry. Don’t be overwhelmed by the ingredient list, it’s mostly aromatics, and fresh spices.
- Red lentils
- Coconut milk
- Crushed tomatoes: My favorite is the San Marzano crushed tomatoes. I dump them into a large jar and puree the tomatoes into a sauce with an immersion blender. That way there aren’t large chunks of tomato in the lentil curry.
- Fresh spices: Including serrano peppers, garlic, and ginger.
- Aromatics: Including cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, curry powder, garam masala, turmeric, and black pepper.
- Kosher salt
- Avocado oil or olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Fresh cilantro
A Few Important Notes
Full transparency, this might be one of the easiest curries to make. But I wanted to share a few key tips so you can make this Indian red lentil curry recipe perfectly.
- Soak the lentils overnight. I always soak the lentils overnight and then rinse them thoroughly before cooking with them. Not only does it help speed up the cooking process, it also reduces the phytic acid content in the lentils. And less phytic acid equals increased nutrient bioavailability, specifically for zinc and iron. Quick note that hulled lentils have a lot less phytic acid than unhulled lentils, even if you don’t soak them overnight.
- Let the aromatics fry for only 1 minute. Any longer and they’ll start to burn, which will leave this curry with an underlying bitter flavor.
- While the lentils simmer, make sure to stir them occasionally. Even on low heat, the lentils tend to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn super fast. So keep an eye on them and stir them every 3-5 minutes.
- Serve this curry with pita bread, flatbread, or even sourdough bread. The protein in grains has amino acids that are missing from the lentils and will make this meal a source of complete plant protein.
Even More Cozy Vegan Recipes
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Spicy Red Lentil Curry
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
This spicy red lentil curry is the ultimate cozy winter dish. It’s super creamy, cozy, and packed with spices.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (~190g) red lentils
- 4 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely minced
- 2 serrano peppers, finely minced*
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper**
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp kosher salt, use more as needed
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 (13.5-ounce/400 ml) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 (14-ounce/400g) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear. Then soak overnight or at least for 6 hours. This will help the lentils cook faster and help improve the absorption of important nutrients.***
- Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and add in the avocado oil or olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the garlic, ginger, and serrano pepper and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning.
- Add in the cumin, cayenne pepper, coriander, curry powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt, and black pepper. Cook the aromatics for 30-60 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Add in the lentils, crushed tomatoes, and coconut milk, and mix well. Reduce the heat to low and partially cover the pan with a lid. Simmer on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through and have mostly softened. Once cooked, the curry will thicken and become super creamy. If you find that the lentils are not quite soft after 25 minutes, add a few spoons of water and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Adjust for salt as needed.
- Serve the curry with rice and/or flatbread and garnish with additional cilantro. Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Notes
*Use 1 serrano pepper if you can’t handle too much spice.
**You can decrease the cayenne pepper to 1/2 tsp if you don’t want this curry too hot.
***Keep in mind that the lentils absorb a ton of water when they soak overnight, so if you don’t soak them overnight, you’ll need to add 1 cup of water (plus more as needed) to the curry.
Made this for dinner after seeing your Reel – turned out amazing!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it – thank you so much for leaving a review!
This is delicious. My comment is about combining grains with the lentils to make a “complete protein.” The notion that you need to combine items within a meal to get a complete protein was posited by “Diet for a Small Planet ” decades ago. It has been debunked by scientists for many years and recanted by the book’s author, yet the notion persists.
So happy you enjoyed it Alice! Thank you so much for the info – will have to look into that. 🙂
Are you kidding me with this?! It’s SO delicious and easily one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I am completely obsessed. Thank you so much!
Blushing rn, thank you so so much Lindsey!!
Hi! Could I swap coconut milk with cashew milk/cream (made with soaked cashews and water blended)?
Thank you!
Hi Kelly! Absolutely, that would taste wonderful!
This recipe is fantastic!! Wow
So so happy you liked it Karen!
I have to agree, I cooked it today and it was lovely, will definitely cook it again. Thank you Maria
So happy you liked it Paul!!
I made it yesterday, it was my first time making lentils!!!
I can’t believe how much I love them now because of this recipe. Better than in a restaurant!!!
Made my day to read this, so happy you liked it!! 🙂
Thank you, Yasmeen. This was phenomenal. I cook with lentils all the time and I had doubts about soaking them…but wow…this dish turned out so creamy and delicious. What a revelation! I served it for breakfast, topped with a runny egg for the non-vegans.
Yaaay! Thrilled to hear that Stef! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely review, appreciate it! 😊
I’ve never had lentils, but thought this recipe looked amazing the moment I saw it on Pinterest. I made it tonight, and it was so, so good! Thank you for sharing this. I followed the recipe as is, with the exception of two jalapeños instead of serrano. FANTASTIC!!!
MADE MY DAY READING THIS!!!! Thank you so much for the lovely review Alissa!
One of the best curry recipes I’ve tried. So comforting, so much flavor, I wanted seconds! I omitted the cayenne pepper and just used the two Serrano peppers.
Such a great go-to weeknight recipe! I’ve made this recipe many times before for meal preps, week nights, etc. This is such an easy way to have a flavorful, comforting meal within an hour (and makes lots of portions). Would definitely recommend!
Made my day reading this! Thank you so much!
Absolutely delicious and hearty! Packed with flavor and warm spices with a nice kick at the end from the chilies. Very comforting and cozy when it’s cold outside. A GREAT fall and winter staple. This recipe is a keeper! Thank you for sharing it with the world!
Made this incredible dish for the family today . I soaked the lentils over night and this was an absolute game changer . I made a few adjustments due to differences in ingredients but overall kept it the same – it is absolutely INCREDIBLE . I am vegetarian and live with carnivores , EVERYONE enjoyed this . I will be making this again very soon x Thank you