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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
- Spicy Mushroom Soba Noodle Soup
- Creamy Red Lentil Soup
- Smoky Vegan Chili
Sharing Is Caring!
If you make this recipe, please leave a review and rating below. And don’t forget to snap a picture and tag me on either Instagram or TikTok (if you’re not already following me, make sure to for new recipes and wellness tips)!
Spicy Red Lentil Curry
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 8 reviews
- Author: Yasmeen Ali
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Indian
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Description
This spicy red lentil curry is the ultimate cozy winter dish. It’s super creamy, cozy, and packed with spices.
Ingredients
Scale
- 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.
