Coconut Curry Lentils are ridiculously quick and simple to make! To have these saucy, tasty lentils on the table in a hurry, we use a few short-cuts including already minced ginger and garlic, canned lentils, and a simple seasoning blend.
Coconut Curry Lentils
We are obsessed with lentils at my home, and I’ll admit I almost never use canned lentils. But when the cravings hit and it’s one of those busy school weeknights, I’ve found just what a great time saver canned lentils can be! They especially work well in a creamy curry since they don’t need to be as firm to still be tasty (like you’d want in a lentil salad.)
These curried lentils are ridiculously simple to make with very minimal prep and the meal is incredibly nutritious and ultra flavorful. It’ll be hard to believe you whipped it all up in about 20 minutes or less! 🙂
Quick Tip
While this meatless meal may seem like it’s lacking protein, lentils are actually an incredible source of plant-based protein and fiber. 1 cup of cooked lentils yields about 19 grams of protein!
Coconut Curry Lentils Spiciness
As written, this curry is very mild (erring more on the sweet side than spicy depending on the coconut milk used).
If you’d like to add some more heat, I’d recommend some cayenne pepper (start with 1/8 teaspoon) and add that in with the other seasonings. Red pepper flakes are another option to add some kick.
Short-Cut Ideas
Here are the main shortcuts we employ for these easy coconut curry lentils:
- Quick garlic and ginger. We love Dorot’s® garlic and ginger cubes. They have crushed garlic and crushed ginger that you can keep handy in the freezer and pop into this (and other) recipes when needed. (Check if your local store carries them; they’re typically found with frozen veggies in the grocery store). Another option is to use refrigerated garlic paste and refrigerated minced garlic.
- Shallot. We do add in a diced shallot, which requires a bit of chopping, but you can use the food processor if you’d like to quickly pulse it up!
- Canned lentils. Lentils aren’t hard to prepare and can be made fairly quickly, but they’ll either dirty another dish or make this dish take longer start to finish as you’d need to wait for the lentils to simmer and become tender. Using canned lentils is a great shortcut here and they work in a curry since the dish is on the creamy side to begin with.
- Simplified seasonings. A lot of the curry recipes we’ve shared have a mile-long list of seasonings — you all know how much I love seasoning! 🙂 But when time is tight or you don’t have a whole arsenal of seasonings, this recipe comes to the rescue. We aimed to keep the seasonings as simple as possible while still ensuring a good flavor.
Coconut Curry Lentils Ingredients
Beyond the aromatics and lentils, here are the other main ingredients:
- Coconut milk. I highly recommend using full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor and thickness. Additionally, the natural sweetness in the full-fat coconut milk will balance the spiciness of the seasonings. Lite coconut milk doesn’t thicken quite as nicely and won’t give the rich full flavor that regular coconut milk provides. Look for shelf-stable, unrefrigerated cans of coconut milk. You’ll find canned coconut milk on the international aisle, with Latin or Asian products. Here’s an article outlining the best brands to use. I personally use Imperial Kitchen® since I can find it easily at my local grocery store.
- Yellow curry powder. Curry powder is another ingredient that varies a lot from brand to brand. We’ve tested this curry with Great Value®, Simple Truth Organic®, and McCormick® — all work similarly and are mild. If you’re not a heat lover, add curry powder slowly and to taste. You can always add a touch of sugar at the end to balance spiciness if needed.
- Lemon juice. A little bit of fresh lemon juice is the perfect finishing touch for these coconut curry lentils. It adds vibrancy, freshness, and ties everything together! A citrus juicer makes adding fresh lemon juice a breeze.
This curry comes together so quickly that we don’t want to be spending loads of time on the sides, right?!
Coconut Curry Lentil Serving Suggestions
When we make Coconut Curry Lentils, we generally serve them with rice and naan. But in true “back-to-school recipe lifesavers” fashion, the sides need to be just as easy. Here are our secrets to the quickest sides:
- Toaster naan. Store-bought naan is definitely best warmed through, but instead of taking the time to char it over an open flame, just toss it in the toaster right as you’re finishing the curry. You can purchase smaller-sized naan that is made for the toaster. (Stonefire® makes this; it’s usually labeled as mini naan.)
- Boiled rice. If you haven’t boiled rice before, you are going to be thrilled with the ease and speed. All you’ll need to do is throw some basmati rice in boiling water, boil it for 5-7 minutes, and voila — perfect rice!
Quick Tip
Want to save even more time (and dishes?) grab ready/microwaveable basmati rice instead!
Storage
Coconut Curry Lentils Storage
One of the best things about this recipe is how well it stores — it tastes even better on day 2! So, if you’re in need of true lifesaver recipes, make a double batch and save one half to serve later on in the week — that way when your family inhales batch #1, you can let them know more is coming later. 🙂
- Store: Cool the curry and store it in air-tight containers in the fridge.
- To reheat, use a large pan or skillet with a pat of butter or coconut oil on medium-high heat. Add the curry, cover, and warm for 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Avoid overcooking to prevent mushy lentils. If necessary, thin with coconut milk or vegetable broth, as it thickens when stored.
- Freeze: let curry lentils cool, place in a air-tight container, and freeze for up to 3 months.
More curry recipes to love
- Curry Lentil Soup with red lentils
- Chickpea Curry vegetarian curry recipe
- Coconut Curry Chicken with sweet bell pepper
- Yellow Chicken Curry with potatoes
- Lentil Curry with loads of veggies!
Coconut Curry Lentils
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1-2 shallots diced (~1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons EACH: minced ginger & garlic cubes Note 1
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder Note 2
- 1-1/2 teaspoon EACH: paprika & ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste Note 3
- 1 can (13.5 oz.; 400mL) full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cans (15 oz. each) lentils, drained & rinsed
- Optional: 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1-3 teaspoons sugar, salt, cilantro
- Serving Suggestions: Note 4
Instructions
- AROMATICS: Melt butter or oil in a large pot (cast iron will cook quicker) over medium-high heat. Once melted, add diced shallot, ginger cubes, and garlic cubes. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the curry powder, cumin, paprika, turmeric, red curry paste, and salt to taste (I add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt). Sauté for 1-2 more minutes or until very fragrant.
- COCONUT MILK AND LENTILS: Shake the can of coconut milk and then pour it in. Stir, heat still over medium-high, until the coconut milk begins to bubble and thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, thoroughly rinse and drain the lentils. Add the lentils in and stir.
- FINISHING TOUCHES: Remove pot from heat and stir in lemon juice. Add sugar (if needed and to taste preference -- it will depend on how sweet your coconut milk is or how spicy curry paste is). Adjust seasonings here; add more salt, curry powder, etc. to taste depending on how bold you like your curry. Serve over rice with warmed naan if desired (Note 4) and with fresh cilantro if you have any on hand! Enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
- Fill a large pot with water and set it to boil.
- Once the water is at a rolling boil, salt the water and add in rice (as much as you'd like!).
- Cook without reducing the heat, for 6 minutes (taste test to ensure it is tender) and then drain and fluff with a fork. Easy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What would the equivalent be using dried lentils?
I’d do around 1 cup of dried. For using dried lentils, you could try this recipe instead: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/lentil-curry/