This easy-to-make creamy red lentil curry is a healthy vegan one-pot recipe, which makes a perfect meatless weeknight dinner recipe. It takes less than an hour (a great dum-and-go instant pot recipe), perfect for those busy weeknight vegan dinner recipes. It’s comforting, full of plant-based flavors, you can easily store the leftovers.
It’s April! Its spring! And it’s almost time for BBQs and some no-cook recipes! But I am here, sharing a creamy and healthy red lentil curry recipe with you guys.
You guys, if you have never made lentil curry before, this is a perfect recipe to introduce you to one of the best healthy,easy-to-make, budget-friendly, and absolutely flavourful creamy red lentil curries.
This is for real! I am talking one pot (or dump-and-go instant pot recipes) and less than 35 minutes easy curry recipe, which anyone can cook.
You just cannot go wrong with this Indian masoor dhal recipe, it’s easy to make, and you can tweak the recipe as per your preference.
It is rich in macro & micronutrients, which makes it a super healthy meal for those meatless dinners, paired with rice or flatbread.
You’ll Love Red Lentil Curry:
- Vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, soy-free & Gluten-free curry recipe
- Creamy, rich, and flavourful Indian curry base recipe
- A one-pot recipe made in under 30 minutes
- Comforting, warming, and satisfying easy curry recipe
- Surprisingly easy curry recipe // minimal ingredients required
- A healthy, wholesome, protein-packed plant-based meal recipe
- Great for meal prep and weeknight dinners
- Loaded with fiber and plant-based protein ingridents
Is Red lentil Good For Health?
- It is high in protein content with essential amino acids.
- Great source of potassium and antioxidants
- Rich in calcium and magnesium which helps in strengthening bones and teeth
- Red lentil contain folate and vitamin B which helps in neutralizing inflammation
- It is rich in cholesterol-lowering fiber
Ingridents For Vegetarian Red Lentil Curry
A complete list of ingredients with amounts is located in the recipe card below.
- Red Curry Paste: You can use Thai red curry paste or your favorite curry paste, but make sure to check the ingredients when keeping it vegan. Some curry paste contains shrimp paste or fish oil. But if you have got some extra of it, you can use it in my red Thai curry, cauliflower & chickpea curry.
- Mustard seeds and cumin seeds
- Onion and garlic: make sure to use fresh onion and garlic, but if you do not have fresh garlic – 1 tbsp grounded ginger will also work.
- Ginger: all curries required onion, ginger, and onion. If you’re short of ginger and garlic, you can also use ginger garlic paste (Fresh or store-bought) anything will work!
- Crushed tomatoes: for extra texture and acidity.
- Vegetable broth (optional): you can use store-bought (powder or bouillon cubes) or homemade, make sure to choose the best quality for great flavor.
- Plant-based Milk: This gives a creamy and thick texture to the curry. You can use any plant-based milk ( I have used full-fat coconut milk), use full-fat or light, or whatever you prefer.
- Sweetener (optional): this will help to balance the spicy flavor of the curry. Feel free to use honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar ( I have used coconut sugar). But if you want a bit of spicy lentil curry feel free to omit sugar & make it a sugar-free lentil curry.
- Dried Red lentils (Indian masoor dhal): you do not need to soak or pre-cooked red lentils for this dhal recipe. Red lentils cooked really very fast.
- Carrot: it adds natural sweetness, color, and flavor to the curry. You can add any veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, or potatoes).
- Ground cumin: For an underlying smoking essence to the curry.
- Lime juice: squeeze out some lemon juice over the curry for some extra freshness and acidic flavor.
Lentil Curry Recipe Variations:
From ingredients to seasoning (or spice mix) you can literally add your own preferred version of curry base to this recipe. Though the soft-boiled red lentil gives the curry a creamy & soupy consistency if you want to make it the traditional style you can add more split beans like chickpeas, green beans, or peas.
Here are some of the wonderful Lentil curry variations you could try-
- Chana dal: chana dal is simply split chickpeas, it is one of the popular lentils in Indian cuisine.
- Black gram: is also known as urad dal. This is one of the staple ingredients in the south and east Indian regions. Apart from rice urad dal is another major ingredient in Indian dosa or uttapam.
- Green gram: known as moong dal, it is low in fat content and very high in protein. In fact, moong dal is considered to be one of the best plant-based sources of protein.
- Masoor dal: or the red lentils, is characterized by its red color. Masoor dal does not need soaking prior to cooking as it is a “soft” daal and cooks quickly.
How to Make Red Lentil Curry
- Before you start cooking the curry, chop the onions, garlic, ginger, and veggies (carrot and bell pepper) so they’re ready to use. Have the red lentils (no need to soak or cook), prepare the curry paste, and keep all the ingredients on hand.
- First, cook up the chopped onion, and minced garlic in 2 tbsp oil or vegetable broth (for oil-free sauteing). Saute the onion until it gets translucent and fragrant. I’ve used homemade red curry paste, or you can also add the ginger & garlic paste.
- After that add minced ginger & garlic ( if you are adding ginger & garlic paste, omit this), saute it for a few more seconds, and add the rest of the ingridents.
- Cover the pot and let it simmer for a few minutes, and add coconut milk to the curry and cover it.
- Cook it until the curry gets a thick & creamy texture and the lentil and veggies are tender. It will take 10 to 15 minutes.
And there you go! Your vegan red lentil curry recipe is ready to serve! You can serve it right away over rice and sauteed veggies, or you can enjoy this with flatbreads or naan. And yes the best part, you can easily freeze this curry for a few months in a freezer-friendly container and just thaw it in the fridge when required.
Recipe Notes and Variations
Want to make the best Vegan lentil curry? Here are some tips you can follow:
- Red lentil curry tastes great with coconut milk, but if you do not like milk in your curry, simply omit this, and add some extra vegetable broth or water.
- If you prefer less or more spicy lentil curry then adjust the Thai curry paste depending on your taste preference.
- The consistency of the lentil curry will depend on the creaminess of the coconut milk, if you want creamy lentil curry then use good quality full-fat coconut milk. For a thinner sauce, use low-fat coconut milk but make sure to use unsweetened milk.
- Make sure to rinse the lentils and get rid of husk and debris before cooking them.
- Do not overcook the lentil, timing is everything – you just need to cook the lentil until soft else it will get mushy.
Serving and Storage Tips:
- Serve it over cauliflower rice, white rice, brown rice, or quinoa.
- Want to add more healthy ingridents? Make it red lentil and spinach curry or kale or you can add chopped mushrooms or broccoli.
- Want to add some protein to lentil curry? Serve it with baked tofu, or add a can of rinsed chickpeas (boiled chickpeas to the red lentil curry).
Got some leftover lentil curry or do you want to store it for further meals? Here is how to store vegan lentil curry –
- Store the lentil curry inside an air-tight container and put it in the fridge, it will last for 4 to 5 days.
- But if you want to freeze it – store the curry in a freezer-safe container, and thaw it before using it.
More Curry Recipes –
- Chickpea Tikka Masala
- Vegan Thai Red Curry
- Vegan Cauliflower Curry
- Red Kidney Beans Curry
- Vegan Potato Curry
- Chickpea Butternut Squash Curry
FaQs
Do you need to soak red lentils?
Not at all! Red lentils are very soft and it gets easily cooked and break down with liquid easily it does not require overnight soaking or pre-cooking.
Do you have to cook lentils before adding them to the curry?
They don’t need much cooking time so need to go in after veggies and protein. I rinse the red lentils and just chuck them in the curry. Just make sure to use more liquid (coconut milk, water, or vegetable broth).
Can I eat lentils every day?
Fiber is good for your health, and lentils have plenty of it. A single serving of lentils meets 32 to 35% of the fiber that you need every day in your diet. It can lower cholesterol, and a daily dose of a good amount of fiber keeps your digestive system healthy.
Are lentils good for losing weight?
Pulses may influence weight loss due to their effect on fullness, and the protein and fiber content. Similar to oatmeal, pulses contain soluble fiber that may slow down digestion and absorption.
Can I use vegetables in Red lentil curry?
You can add any veggies to the lentil curry, they are easy to customize. Stir in some chopped baby spinach or kale at the end of cooking, you can add roasted or steamed diced potatoes or sweet potatoes (when you add cauliflower). You can add broccoli, zucchini, or any bell peppers all work really well with lentils.
Calories in red lentil curry
Lentils are a highly nutritious food. They are rich in minerals, protein, and fiber. 100 grams (g) of cooked lentils contains 116 calories (kcal).
More Indian Curry Recipes –
- Chickpea Tikka Masala
- Vegan Thai Red Curry
- Vegan Cauliflower Curry
- Red Kidney Beans Curry
- Vegan Potato Curry
- Chickpea Butternut Squash Curry