Coconut Red Lentil Curry

Who else loves a good plant based dinner? This vegan curry recipe is easy to make, uses quite a few pantry staples and is great for easy weeknight dinners.

We’re using Indian inspired flavors for this lentil dish using yellow curry powder, some extra turmeric, coriander and ginger, too. It’s warm and cozy, creamy, flavorful and absolutely delicious.

A Quick & Easy One Pot Meal

If you like dinner ready in 30 minutes and made in one pot, then this red lentil curry recipe is for you! It takes a little bit of prep work with getting the vegetables prepared but once that’s ready, this dish comes together quickly.

You could even dice up the onion and butternut squash in advance if you want to save a little bit of time.

But what’s extra great about this lentil curry is that we’re using red lentils, which cook much faster than brown or green lentils, so dinner is ready in almost half the amount of time.

Ingredients List

• refined coconut oil – you could also use avocado oil or olive oil
• sweet onion, garlic, and ginger – make sure to use fresh
• butternut squash – I love the texture and extra flavor it adds to this lentil curry recipe.
• spices – mild yellow curry powder, turmeric, coriander, black pepper and cayenne for a little spice. It’s always a good idea to taste test and add more heat or spices to your liking. Different brands also use different ingredients in their yellow curry powder. I used Watkin’s brand.
• salt – to enhance flavor. Note if you use broth instead of water to cook the lentils, you may want to start with less salt.
• water or broth – for cooking the lentils
• canned coconut milk – you can use full-fat or light coconut milk, just shake before adding to the pot.
• red lentils – 
• maple syrup – this is optional but I do like the little hint of sweetness it adds to the dish.

Serving Ideas

I love eating Indian lentil curry with either rice or quinoa, but you could also enjoy it on it’s own. Naan is always a favorite as well.

How to Make This Dish

Here’s a little step-by-step run through of how to make this coconut red lentil curry, with the full ingredients amounts and written instructions in the recipe card below.

Most of the hands on time comes from cutting the butternut squash getting all of the ingredients ready.

Recipe Tips

When rinsing the lentils, be sure to do it quickly and right before adding into the pot. Since they don’t have a coating on them, they stick together once wet. So it’s best to rinse and then add immediately into the pot, after you’ve already added the coconut milk and water.

If you don’t have butternut squash, you could easily sub carrots or sweet potatoes with similar results, though the flavor will change slightly. You could also use another form of squash, like acorn, but it’s much stringier and fibrous in texture.

Taste test for saltiness and spice level. Everyone’s taste buds are different so add more salt and heat to your liking.

Perfect for Meal Prep

This coconut lentil curry recipe is a great dish to make for meal prep for the week. The leftovers can be reheated on the stovetop in a pot, adding just a little bit of water as needed so it doesn’t stick to pot. Or you can use the microwave.

If you’ve frozen a batch, let the container thaw in the fridge overnight. If you’re serving a family sized portion, transfer the curry into a pot and warm on the stovetop (adding just a few tablespoons of water) and warm over medium-low until heated through.