Red Lentil Curry – Vegan, One Pot
This Red Lentil Curry is SUCH a delicious curry recipe ready in an hour! It’s made easily in one pot, is vegan and freezes so well!
Can I share a secret with you? It’s been a while since I last cooked. I mean, I’ve cooked to eat dinner, and oatmeal for breakfast, but after I created all those recipes for the ebook I went into a real and serious burnout mode. Writing a book is such a fun and challenging process, and at the same time, is a pretty exhausting process. I’ll say this – I don’t regret anything. I’m so glad to have finally created my first Jessica in the Kitchen product AND so grateful that the Mr. really took over with ALL the meals.
It feels amazing to be back and I’m really glad to be sharing this insane Red Lentil Curry. Oh my gosh. If you love my Coconut Chickpea Curry you’re going to FLIP for this.
First things first – thank you to everyone for the OVERWHELMING support I got for my ebook!! Honestly, you’re the best. It was the kind of motivation that I needed to jump right back into creating even more delicious recipes to share with you. This Red Lentil Curry is exactly that. Friends, this curry is SO flavourful! I know, I know, I say that all the time, but I HAD THIS FOR BREAKFAST.
Let’s pause right there. I *never* have anything but breakfast foods for breakfast. It’s sort of part of my life code – I love breakfast foods so much that I shan’t ever miss a chance to eat them. I broke that for this curry dish. I found a way to really infuse flavour into those lentils and to create a curry dish your entire family will (guaranteed) enjoy.
This dish reminds me of a dal that I enjoyed while in London that honestly changed my perspective. I’ve always loved Indian food, but I honestly haven’t been the biggest lentil fan. Of course I’ve made it in many recipes but after having Black Dal from Dishoom, I almost cried.
Okay, so food gets me really emotional, obviously, but to this day I can vividly remember exactly how I felt after that meal. The flavour profile of that Black Dal was unlike any other. I hope to recreate it one day, but for now, this red lentil curry thoroughly reminds of that dal. I’m not 100% sure whether this curry contains what constitutes a dal dish, but I know for sure that it’s a true winner. All the ingredients here lend a helping hand – the spices, the tomatoes and onions, the coconut milk, the lime – they all come together to create a dish you’ll want to be making and eating over and over. The Mr. is literally eating it again right now as I type this.
I wanted the flavours to come together easily for you, so I went ahead and also added red curry paste to the dish. It really packs that punch I was looking for, and goes beautifully with the fresh spices included. P.S. I use this red curry paste which is vegan and gluten free. I’m now convinced I’ll be using lentils way more than I have been before. They’ve proven to be very versatile and really helped to stretch this dish to serve a LOT of people. It doubles so easily, and I love that it freezes really well. Perfect for the upcoming cold months.
P.S. the world is your oyster with this dish. Feel free to try this red lentil curry with spinach, tofu, cauliflower, and even potatoes! It’s easily customisable. Enjoy, friend!
P.S. This is what I used for this recipe!
Red Lentil Curry - Vegan, One Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 medium yellow onions OR 1 red onion, 7g
- 14 ounces fresh tomatoes, diced (if using canned, do not drain) - 400g
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed
- 2 cups filtered water
- 13.5 ounces can coconut milk, 383g
- 1 small lime
- garnish with red pepper flakes & chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a deep pot over medium high heat, add the coconut oil.
- Add in the onions and tomatoes. Grind some sea salt and ground black pepper over the mixture and stir together. Lower heat to medium and allow to cook down until juices of the tomatoes are naturally released and onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Add in all the other dry ingredients in order. Stir vigorously to combine to ensure the lentils aren't stuck to the bottom. Now add the water and coconut milk and stir again to combine thoroughly.
- Bring the curry to a boil, and then reduce to medium-low so that the mixture continues to simmer for 35 minutes, cover slightly but allowing steam to escape. Stir occasionally to ensure the lentils don't stick to the bottom. Depending on the kind of lentils you're using, you can check around the 20 minute mark to see if your lentils have finished cooking.
- Taste the curry and season with salt and pepper if you desire. Remove the curry from the heat and squeeze a lime lightly over the top of the curry, stirring to combine. Don't skip this step!! Allow to cool slightly and then serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Loved this recipe. My husband and son don’t generally like lentils but they really enjoyed this. Definately a keeper recipe thank you
Hi Diane! Thank you for this kind comment! We’re glad that you enjoyed this recipe!
I made this and we absolutely loved it. I added in some cubes of butternut squash. I also adapted slightly as I am on Slimming World so I used Cocnut fry light for onions and substituted coconut milk with quark flavoured with coconut essence. I served it with cauliflower rice also delicious. The recipe has made enough for three meals for my husband and I and I will serve with something different each time. I took a taster for my friends to try (two are meat eaters) and they all loved it. I used extra red curry paste as I forgot to buy curry powder, what difference do you think that would make? I also forgot the very last thing, the lime but will remember to add that next time ? Thank you for such a great recipe. I am a new follower of your website from the UK. Nancy ?
Love your additions so much Nancy!! Extra curry paste is fine – it might be missing that curry flavour but will still taste amazing! Thanks for being here!
This was literally one of the best curries I have ever had, home-made or at a restaurant! So yummy and moreish — I could have eaten the entire pan quite happily! So glad I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow <3 My omni boyfriend loved it too!
Hi Aurora,
Aww thank you so very much!! So happy to hear that 🙂
Hi Jessica, I am thinking of making this for my vegan relatives at thanksgiving. Do I use sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk? Also any other suggestions for a main dish? Thanks so much!
Hey Kelly,
Unsweetened coconut milk for sure! This vegan meatloaf is made with chickpeas and green/brown lentils and is really impressive! https://jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-meatloaf-gluten-free/ I hope that helps and happy Thanksgiving when it comes!
I tried this recipe last night and it was delicious! I added 125g spinach which I enjoy in a curry and served on basmati rice. Yummy! Thank you!
Hi Pat,
Thanks so much for sharing and so glad you enjoyed!! You’re so welcome!
Thanks for sharing your recipe. My wife and I love curry and Indian food in general. I made this last night; the only substitution was leaving out the coconut milk and substituting almond milk (added it at the end, after the lentils finished cooking). It was pretty good and definitely something we’ll make again, but to be honest we both felt the garam masala was way too heavy in this one. I might suggest cutting it in half and doubling the curry powder.
Hi Dr. J we’re glad that you and your wife liked the recipe. Thanks for your suggestions we’ll definitely make the recipe again soon. when we do we’ll keep your suggestion in mind. Thanks for reading!
Hi Jessica! I made this for my roommates last night and it was amazing. I love how the coconut milk sweetens up the dish! I was afraid it would be too spicy, but it was just right. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome Haley we’re so glad that you enjoyed this recipe!
Delicious! I added some leftover spinach I had for extra greens and it blended perfectly. Every flavor blended seamlessly together, the mouthfeel of mushy lentils, tomatoes, and onion bringing softness to the rice. Just excellent. 10/10
Wow what a nice comment thank you so much Keirnan. Thank you for reading and thank you for such a wonderful review.
Hi Jessica!! I absolutely love your recipes!!! Question, what can I do to lessen the heat? I was about to purchase the red curry paste and saw the heat rating so I didn’t buy any. My son and I can’t handle spicy food 🙁
Hi Kristy thank you so much for reading! The coconut milk really reduces the spicy nature of the red curry paste, but if it is an issue you can definitely reduce it to a teaspoon or remove it all together, it may also be a good idea to remove the black pepper and red pepper flakes in the recipe as well. I hope this helps!
Made this on Saturday and have just had it for dinner (Tuesday), tasted amazing, there’s still left for tomorrow too 🙂
We had warm wraps with it.
Will definitively be cooking this again.
Thank you
Hi Anna!
Aww I’m so happy to hear that and so glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much for your feedback.