One of my all-time favorite, easy side dishes is coconut jasmine rice. So, I started thinking that if cooking rice in coconut milk was so good, maybe cooking lentils in coconut milk would be too? It sure was!
I basically followed the same formula: coconut milk, a little garlic, and a little salt. This time I also added a little turmeric for flavor and color. I kept it simple and mild because I wanted to pair it with the Indian Style Creamed Spinach, which was pretty spicy. If you want to dress these lentils up a bit, you could add a little red pepper (which I did for garnish on a couple photos), or maybe even a little cinnamon! Any way you do it, this dish is quick, easy, and delicious.
I’ve been just putting the spinach and lentils in one dish for lunch, heating them up together, and taking them both up in one delicious spoonful. They’re made for each other!
**It’s very important to note that red lentils are different in texture than green or brown lentils. They break down much more and cook faster than the other two. They are like the split pea of the lentil family!
Coconut Lentils
Coconut Lentils
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 lb. red lentils (about 2 cups) ($2.39)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric ($0.05)
- 1 15oz. can light coconut milk ($1.99)
- 1 1/2 cups water ($0.00)
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a medium pot and gently rinse 2-3 times or until the water runs clear. Drain as much water out after the last rinse as possible.
- Mince the garlic and add it to the pot along with the salt, turmeric, coconut milk, and 1.5 cups of water. Give it a gentle stir to make sure everything is mixed.
- Bring the pot up to a boil over medium-high heat (use a lid to make this faster). Once it is boiling, remove the lid and let it boil gently for about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. When most of the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and let sit for about 5 minutes to continue to absorb. Taste and season with more salt if desired.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
Step By Step Photos
Place the lentils in a medium pot and rinse a few times or until the water runs fairly clear. The lentils kind of stick together when wet, which makes it easier to pour the water out when rinsing without all of the lentils falling out.
Mince the garlic and add it to the pot with the salt and turmeric.
Next, add the coconut milk and 1.5 cups of water. Give it a gentle stir to combine the ingredients.
Bring the pot up to a gentle boil over medium-high heat (use a lid to make it boil faster). Take the lid off and let boil/simmer for about 20 minutes.
Or until most of the liquid is abosrbed. It’s okay to stir once or twice to see how much the liquid has absorbed, but don’t stir too much or you’ll get really mushy lentils. When most of the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and let them sit and continue to absorb for about five more minutes. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Mild, creamy, and super savory!
Pairs perfectly with Indian Creamed Spinach and Naan bread to scoop it all up with!
I have some French Green Lentils. I’m honestly just really new to the whole beans/lentils/rice thing. Are they vastly different than red lentils?
Yes, they’re quite different, unfortunately. Green and brown lentils tend to stay intact and are much more firm than red or yellow lentils. Red and yellow lentils break down into a mush quite readily, which is kind of what you want in this recipe. :)
Thank you!
This looks great! I have a lot of yellow split peas lying around that might be going bad soon, do you think I could sub those in this?
Hmm, they’ll have a different flavor for sure, but the texture might be similar.
Tried this recipe and the flavor was really nice, but the texture was a little gritty… Is that just the texture of lentils? Or did I do something wrong?
Hm, I’m not sure. I think I’d have to taste it to see what you mean by gritty.
This is so good! My boyfriend and I love all your recipes we have tried! I agree with the poster above me, a little less liquid would be good :)
I was wondering, I live in an area where I can only seem to find brown lentils. If I wanted to try this dish with the brown (knowing that it likely won’t have the same texture), what changes would you recommend making?
Also, I have loved your blog! The recipes here are just what you say- easy, affordable, and delicious! I can’t wait to buy your cookbook.
I think I would try adding a little less liquid because the other lentils help thicken things up when they break down. It’s hard to say how much without experimenting, though.
Added raisins – mm mmm delicious!
Gonna try this, too. I have the lentils, and coconut. Indeed, I have the all the makings. It’s just great, and so practical, when someone gives you a novel recipe to make out of stuff you have to hand. I’m beginning to become a fan of this site.
Best wishes to all and sundry, 2RM.
So I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog..I have never given this kind of compliment on any other blog before. I love the way you use good/reasonable whole foods and you have an amazing knack for interesting combinations and yet keeping things simple without forfeiting fresh or good ingredients. That said I wanted to give you a recipe you will enjoy tremendously.
In a 6 qt crockpot I add 3 cups Lentils, 2cans coconut milk,1 thin sliced onion, half a bay leaf, grass fed lamb, goat or beef ribs 1-2 lbs. ( slow cooking bones is really nutritious) 6cups water, 1 box frozen chopped spinach,curry powder to your liking I put everything in there and turn it on low and cook until the next night at dinner. Salt this and adjust spices at the end of cooking. This is soooo good for you too. If you like greek yogurt you could add a dolup in each serving. This recipe is good for building healthy teeth and bones too.
MaddyS – Yep, it was probably the coconut milk. The full fat has a lot less liquid :)
Beth, I’m LOVING your blog and so many of the recipes!! This was on my list to make next week, but now I see this comment about the coconut milk. The cans I have are regular/full fat… do you think I could substitute the coconut milk that I buy to drink? Thanks in advance!!
No, I would not substitute the kind of coconut milk that is sold as a dairy substitute. It’s even lighter/thinner than regular canned “lite” coconut milk and I just don’t think it would have enough body or flavor for this dish. You can use the full fat coconut milk (it will taste even more delicious!), but you might want to add a half cup of water or so to help give it moisture. :)
Made these tonight with the spinach. Overall were VERY delicious, however, they did come out very dry. Water was absorbed within maybe five minutes rather than twenty. Used full-fat coconut milk though, would that have been the difference? Thanks for the recipe though, I’ve been making your Indian-style dishes over and over the last couple weeks, love ’em!
I made these last night with the spinach. They were wonderful. I am so happy to have the leftovers for the week.
Delicious! I’m going to dump all the ingredients into my rice cooker and see how it comes out.
There really isn’t a sub for coconut in this recipe. It’s one of the main ingredients… if you used anything else it would be a totally different recipe :)
allergic to coconut, what do i sub
This was delicious but not spicy enough for my taste… I added some sriracha, and it really took it to the next level. DELICIOUS!