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Home Recipes Course Lunch & Dinner Soups, Chili, & Curry Coconut Red Lentil Curry
GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy Free V Vegan VG Vegetarian

Coconut Red Lentil Curry

Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe
Posted:1/12/22
Updated:1/3/23

This vegan Coconut Red Lentil Curry is ready in about 30 minutes from start to finish! Cooked in a creamy golden coconut milk sauce with butternut squash. Reheats well and you can even make a double batch for freezing leftovers.

coconut red lentil curry with rice, naan and cilantro in teal bowl

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.

What are Red Lentils?

Most red lentils you can find in the store are hulled and split yellow lentils. Because they don’t have their protective coating, they break down and cook faster. They often get softer and mushier in texture with just a little cooking time. If you like lentil curry to have some texture, try my vegan lentil curry recipe, made with brown lentils.

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.

ingredients laid out on gray board for coconut red lentil curry

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.

butternut squash cubed on cutting board next to pot of onion, ginger and garlic, surrounded by ingredients for red lentil curry

Cook Down Vegetables

First cook down diced onion, garlic, ginger and butternut squash in pot with some coconut oil. Then add all of the spices, salt and a little more oil to cook down and soften the butternut squash, about 3-4 minutes here.

Add Liquid & Lentils

Now it’s time to add the liquid – water and coconut milk – and lentils. Reduce the heat to medium and add the water and canned coconut milk. Then rinse the lentils and immediately stir into pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover and continue simmering for about 15-20 minutes, until lentils are soft and liquid has been absorbed.

  • butternut squash, spices, onions, garlic and ginger cooking down in pot
  • coconut cream, butternut squash and lentils in pot for curry

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.

close up of pot with coconut red lentil curry in it, garnished with red pepper flakes and cilantro

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.

coconut red lentil curry with rice, naan and cilantro in teal bowl, pot in corner of background

More Vegan Dinner Ideas

  • Lentil Pumpkin Curry
  • Chickpea Peanut Curry with Sweet Potatoes
  • Vegan White Bean Chili
  • Thai Inspired Tempeh Nourish Bowl

Let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a comment and rating below! It helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

Print

Coconut Red Lentil Curry

coconut red lentil curry with rice, naan and cilantro in teal bowl
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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

This Coconut Red Lentil Curry is ready in about 30 minutes from start to finish! Inspired by the Indian Dahl dish. Red lentils have a quicker cooking time compared to other lentils so it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner! Cooked in a creamy golden coconut sauce with butternut squash too. Serve with rice, quinoa or even on it’s own. Reheats well and you can even make a double batch for freezing leftovers.

  • Author: Ashley
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 large servings 1x
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Indian-Inspired
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1.5 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
  • 1 medium sweet onion, diced 
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced 
  • 2” piece of fresh ginger, grated (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 small butternut squash (1 pound), peeled, seeds removed and cut into ½” cubes
  • 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder (mild)
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon coriander 
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (to add optional heat)
  • 1.25 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can coconut milk, shaken (full-fat or light)
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)

serve with

  • naan
  • rice or favorite grain
  • cilantro
  • crushed red pepper

Instructions

  1. In a large pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon coconut oil, onion, garlic, ginger and butternut squash. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in curry powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander and salt. Turn heat up to medium-high, stirring continuously for another 4-5 minutes – add extra oil here as needed.
  2. Reduce heat to medium; water and canned coconut milk. Quickly rinse lentils and add immediately to pot. Stir to combine then bring mixture to a simmer, then cover and continue simmering for about 20 minutes, string every 5 minutes. After about 25 minutes, lentils should be soft and mixture creamy.
  3. Stir in maple syrup (optional), some fresh cilantro if you’d like, serve with your favorite rice, naan bread, or even on it’s own.

Notes

You can use vegetable broth if you’d like, just start with 1/2 teaspoon salt and go from there when taste testing.

If you don’t have butternut squash, you could sub sweet potato or even carrots.

Recipe adapted from my Vegan Lentil Curry.

Keywords: red lentil curry recipe, coconut lentil curry, easy vegan dinners

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @fitmittenkitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #fitmittenkitchen

About Ashley

"Ashley Walterhouse is the founder of Fit Mitten Kitchen, based in the Greater Lansing Area of Michigan, AKA “the Mitten.” Ashley grew up as a picky eater but later discovered that eating healthy was actually easy and fun. She started FMK in 2015 as a way to share her newfound love of developing healthier recipes for all to enjoy."

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Reader Interactions

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Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Emily says

    1/12/2022 at 4:56 pm

    This was so simple to make and it tastes amazing. It took about 5 minutes to prep and minimal dishes which I love. I will defiantly make again.

    Reply
  2. Jen says

    1/23/2022 at 3:24 pm

    This was so good and so easy! Will definitely be making it again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Eva says

    9/21/2022 at 1:36 pm

    This is soooooo good! Deap, complex flavor with simple everyday engredients and low effort preparation! Win win win. Recipes like this help to fight the notion, that vegetarian/vegan recipes are bland and boring. Only thing I added was a tablespoon of lemon juice after removing from the heat, learned this from other curry recipes, would recommend, makes the flavors pop even more.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      10/18/2022 at 4:04 pm

      Thank you for sharing your feedback, Eva! Appreciate it 😀

      Reply
  4. Debbie says

    1/28/2023 at 12:53 am

    This was my first time making – or eating curry. IT WAS FABULOUS! The flavors were so smooth and everything just worked. I had no turmeric but subbed paprika. Everything else was exactly as written – with the maple syrup. The syrup and the cayenne made it all pop. Served with brown basmati rice and naan with garlic butter. Company worthy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      1/31/2023 at 9:33 am

      Thanks so much for sharing and leaving your review! Glad it was enjoyed 🙂

      Reply

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