This is the best vegan lentil curry ever. It also happens to be the second recipe in my “broke till payday” series. Cheap, hearty, filling, delicious and will feed a crowd. One pot, will create this total perfection. You can serve it with rice, naan, or just on it’s own. This curry sauce is also wonderful to customize. Maybe add chickpeas if you want, or any veggies you have on hand. It would be so good with potatoes!
What You Need For This Curry:
- Garlic, Onion and Ginger: Fresh to get the curry started.
- Curry Powder, Turmeric, Cayenne, and Garam Masala: These and salt and pepper are the spices you’ll need.
- Coconut Milk, Tomato Sauce and Veggie Broth: To make this recipe even cheaper, you can use water instead of broth.
- Lentils: I used brown lentils, which is what I would recommend.
So, all the ingredients you need to make the best vegan lentil curry, cost me $9.71. It will give you 4-6 servings making it about $1.50 per serving. That is my goal for these recipes, making the most incredibly yummy, flavorful filling meals. That also happen to be easy on the wallet. I did include rice in the price of this, but it will be a little more if you want to serve it with naan. You can make your own naan! Mostly with pantry ingredients if you want. HERE is my fave recipe.
Why Should You Make These Tasty Lentils?
- One pot is all you need for this meal.
- It is so gosh darn good.
- Super easy to make.
- Will feed a crowd for about 10 bucks.
- Perfect for meal prepping, reheats really well.
The Best Vegan Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 1/2 a Yellow onion, diced
- 6 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Ginger, grated
- 2 Tablespoons Curry powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 Can(14oz) Coconut milk, full fat
- 1 Can(14oz) Canned tomato sauce (tomato puree not ketchup)
- 3 Cups Vegetable broth(or water)
- 1 1/2 Cups Brown lentils, dried
- 1-2 teaspoons Lemon juice
For Serving
- Cilantro
- Naan
- Steamed rice
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium high.
- Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Sauté, reducing heat as needed, until the onion is translucent. About 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the curry powder, salt, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne and black pepper. Stir to combine with the onions, garlic and ginger.
- Let sauté for another minute. Then pour in the coconut milk, tomato sauce and broth. Stir to fully combine everything.
- Bring to a simmer, then pour in the dried lentils. Stir to combine. Reduce heat so you have a soft boil, then cover.
- Simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Uncover, stir and then recover and simmer for about 10-15 more minutes or until the lentils are tender.
- Add the lemon juice, then taste and adjust seasonings, adding more lemon, salt and/ or pepper if needed.
- Serve the lentil curry over rice if desired. You can top with cilantro and serve with naan as well if you want.
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This dish was simply outstanding. I followed the directions and it was amazing and not labor intensive at all. I served it with a small salad and bread(didn’t have any naan). This will become a staple at my house. I can’t wait for leftovers! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
I am obsessed with this recipe. It’s delicious and so easy to make. I needed some extra cook time to really get the lentils soft. Great with rice and garlic naan!
What a fantastic, flavorful and satisfying dish! I served this to my book club and everyone raved about it. Along with the curry and rice, I had Trader Joe’s garlic naan, a homemade raita and fresh chopped cilantro. This is a keeper!
This was so good. I have often made indian dishes that just don’t have that original flavor. This recipe nailed it! So authentic and bursting with flavor!
Most recipes I find on the internet wimp out on the spices and flavor. Not this one! Not as red colored as the picture, but that’s fine. Served this over brown rice, roasted veggies and added 100g of cubed chicken breast to up the protein content a bit. Really yummy!
So flavorful and super easy. Thank you!!
Can this be frozen?
I have not tried freezing it, but I have had success with most lentil dishes. I do think it would work out fine!
I’m eating it right now. It is absolutely delicious. The mix of spices, tomato, and coconut milk give this curry a bright flavor that is both savory and a little sweet. This dish is an instant classic for me.