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    Home » Entrees

    Vegan Lentil Curry

    Published: Feb 7, 2019 Updated: Jun 8, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Lentil Curry

    This hearty vegan lentil curry is the perfect weeknight meal. It’s creamy, filling, easy to make and loaded with flavor.

    Vegan lentil curry with basmati rice and fresh basil in a blue bowl.

    Vegan lentil curry is wholesome, super delicious and high in protein and fiber. All that good stuff.

    It’s super easy and pretty quick too, and you can have dinner on the table in less than an hour with this meal.

    If you have leftovers, you’ll be happy too because leftovers are divine for lunch the next day.

    And making this is a walk in the park.

    Even if you’re a cooking newbie this recipe will be easy for you. It’s super forgiving and even if you make a few mistakes, it’ll be okay!

    And if you love a good curry you’ll also love our butternut squash curry and our vegan chana masala.

    Vegan lentil curry with basmati rice and fresh basil in a blue bowl.

    How To Make Vegan Lentil Curry

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    Add chopped onions and garlic to a pot with olive oil and spices and sauté until the onions are softened. Add dried lentils and toss them up with the onions and spices.

    Lentils tossed with onions and spices in a pot.

    Add canned chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock and canned coconut cream (or coconut milk) and stir it in.

    Vegetable stock, canned tomato and coconut cream added to pot and stirred in.

    Bring it to a simmer and then turn down the heat, and simmer until the lentils are soft and cooked.

    Cooked lentil curry in a pot.

    Add fresh basil leaves.

    Baby spinach added to lentil curry in pot.

    Stir in the basil leaves until just wilted. Add coconut sugar (for flavor balance) and salt and pepper to taste.

    Lentil curry with wilted baby spinach in a pot.

    Your lentil curry is ready to serve!

    Vegan lentil curry being served up from a ladle into a bowl.

    How To Serve Lentil Curry

    Serve with or without basmati rice, as you like it! I’m a fan of the rice, so rice it is for me. Cauliflower rice would be great with this too.

    Some fresh basil leaves and slices of fresh lime are also great to serve with this. If you’d like something on the side then a loaf of crusty bread to mop up the sauce is always a winner. Or bake a loaf of whole wheat bread.

    This recipe easily serves 6 for a filling and delicious meal.

    Vegan lentil curry with basmati rice and fresh basil in a blue bowl.

    Storing and Freezing

    Keep leftovers in the fridge and reheat as needed. Leftovers keep very well for 4-5 days in the fridge.

    It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

    Vegan lentil curry in a blue bowl with a spoon.

    More Vegan Lentil Recipes

    1. Vegan lentil soup is an ultra simple 6-ingredient recipe that is so creamy you will wonder if there is actually cream in it, but there isn’t!
    2. Red lentil dal is ready in 30 minutes and super delicious and satisfying.
    3. Lentil bolognese is super hearty and veggie-packed.
    4. Vegan dal makhani is rich creamy and restaurant quality.
    5. Lentil ragu makes the best hearty pasta dish!

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan lentil curry with rice in a blue bowl.

    Vegan Lentil Curry

    This hearty vegan lentil curry is the perfect weeknight meal. It's creamy, filling, easy to make and loaded with flavor.
    4.94 from 33 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 412kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Lentil Curry:

    • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
    • 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Crushed Garlic
    • 1 Tablespoon Mild Curry Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin
    • ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Turmeric
    • ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
    • 1 ½ cups Dried Brown Lentils (300g)
    • 28 ounces Canned Chopped Tomatoes (800ml, 2 cans)
    • 3 cups Vegetable Stock (720ml)
    • 14 ounces Canned Coconut Cream (400ml, 1 can) Unsweetened
    • 2 cups Fresh Basil
    • 1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar or Light Brown Sugar
    • Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

    For Serving:

    • Basmati Rice
    • Fresh Basil
    • Fresh Lime
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    Instructions

    • Add the olive oil to a pot with the onion, crushed garlic, curry powder, cumin, coriander powder, turmeric and cayenne pepper and sauté until the onions are softened.
    • Add in the dried lentils and toss them with the onions and spices.
    • Add the chopped tomato, vegetable stock and coconut cream. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and cooked – around 35-40 minutes.
    • When the lentils are cooked add in the fresh basil and stir in until just wilted. Add the coconut sugar and stir in. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
    • Serve with rice, fresh basil and some slices of fresh lime.

    Video

    Notes

    1. Coconut cream can be replaced with canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk. 
    2. You can switch the fresh basil to baby spinach if you prefer.
    3. Store leftovers in the fridge in a covered container for 4-5 days. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. 
    4. Nutritional information is for the lentil curry only and does not include rice.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 15.9g | Fat: 19.9g | Saturated Fat: 12.4g | Sodium: 625mg | Fiber: 18.5g | Sugar: 8.3g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lesley says

      October 26, 2021 at 8:33 am

      Love this recipe. We don’t eat a lot of lentils but after this I am using them more. 5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 26, 2021 at 5:31 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the great review!

        Reply
    2. Erin says

      May 29, 2021 at 3:08 pm

      Oh. My. Goodness! I made this for the first time, and it is INCREDIBLE! Restaurant quality. This will be on repeat, no doubt. So many of the internet curry/lentil/vegan recipes I find online are missing richness. It must be the coconut cream that makes the difference, but it is perfect. I did use about 9.5 ounces coconut cream and about 4.5 ounces regular coconut milk to reduce calories, but even so, it was awesome. Seriously, this is insanely good. Made me think of the Indian prepared packets I love, but homemade and fresh. Basil is a nice touch, and the warm heat is excellent. I added some carrots as well, and they were a pleasant addition. I usually sub in fresh tomatoes for canned but didn’t this time, and am glad I didn’t. My husband is equally impressed, and neither of us are vegan. So happy to have found this. Thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 30, 2021 at 7:57 am

        So happy to hear that Erin! Thanks for the amazing review!

        Reply
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