I’ve been trying to brain storm up some easy plant-based meals lately, and this week’s creation was these Creamy Coconut Curried Lentils with Spinach, which are kind of like the creamy cousin of my Curried Chickpeas with Spinach. I swapped out the canned chickpeas for quick cooking lentils, and instead of a tomato-based curry sauce, I went with a super rich creamy coconut sauce, that pairs oh so well with the earthy lentils and heady curry spices.
As you can see in the photos, I paired these Creamy Coconut Curried Lentils with my Curry Roasted Carrots and some naan. The sweetness of the carrots balances perfectly with the earthy lentils. If you’re not up for making an entirely separate side dish, you can even just slice up a few carrots and let them simmer along with the lentils in the skillet!
Make it Spicy or Mild
This recipe is really easy to make either spicy or mild and tastes fantastic either way. Curry powder can be either hot or mild, so make sure you know which type you’re buying. If you have a mild curry powder and want your coconut curry lentils to be spicy, simply add a little cayenne pepper, or top the cooked dish with a few red pepper flakes. Or, if you’d like to try to make your own curry powder, try this recipe for Easy Homemade Curry Powder from Spiceitupp.com.
What Type of Lentils Should I Use?
Brown lentils are the best for this dish because they hold their shape through simmering, unlike red or yellow lentils, but still cook really quickly, unlike green lentils. Brown lentils are sometimes just labeled “lentils” in the U.S., so just check the recommended cooking time on the package. If it says simmer for about 20 minutes, you’ve got the right type of lentil!
Is There a Substitute for Coconut Milk?
Heavy cream or half and half can be used in place of the coconut milk in this recipe, although you probably won’t need quite as much as the coconut milk used. Stick to about 1/2 cup for the heavy cream or 3/4 cup for half and half.
Creamy Coconut Curry Lentils with Spinach
Servings 4 1.25 cups curry lentils + 1 cup riceIngredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.24)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 1 small yellow onion ($0.21)
- 1 Tbsp curry powder* ($0.30)
- 1 cup brown lentils (dry) ($0.67)
- 2 cups vegetable broth** ($0.26)
- 1 13oz. can coconut milk ($1.99)
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach ($1.61)
For Serving (optional)
- 4 cups cooked rice ($0.60)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro ($0.15)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic, grate the ginger, and dice the onion. Add the olive oil, garlic, and ginger to a deep skillet, Dutch oven, or soup pot. Sauté the garlic and ginger over medium heat for 1 minute, or just until the garlic becomes soft and fragrant.
- Add the diced onion to the skillet and continue to sauté over medium until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the curry powder and continue to sauté for about one minute more to toast the spices.
- Add the dry lentils and vegetable broth to the skillet. Stir to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the broth to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After simmering for 20 minutes the lentils should be tender and most of the broth absorbed. Add the can of coconut milk and stir to combine. Turn the heat back up to medium and allow the skillet to come back up to a simmer. Let it simmer without a lid for an additional 10 minutes, stirring often, to thicken the mixture.
- Once thickened, turn the heat off. Add the fresh spinach and stir gently until the spinach has wilted. Taste the mixture and adjust the salt or curry powder to your liking, if needed.
- Serve over a bowl of rice, and top with chopped cilantro if desired.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Creamy curried lentils – Step by Step Photos
Mince two cloves of garlic, grate about 1 tsp fresh ginger, and dice one small onion. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil, the minced garlic, and grated ginger to a deep skillet (a Dutch oven or soup pot will also work). Sauté for about one minute, or just until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
Add the diced onion and continue to sauté until the onion is soft and translucent. Once the onion is softened, add 1 Tbsp curry powder. Continue to sauté for one minute more to toast the spices.
Add 1 cup dry brown lentils to the skillet…
Along with 2 cups of vegetable broth. I use Better Than Bouillon, which contains a fair amount of salt. If your broth doesn’t have a lot of salt, you may need to add some to the dish at the end to help the flavors pop.
Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let it come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes (with the lid on). After 20 minutes the lentils should be tender and most of the broth absorbed.
Stir in one 13oz. can of coconut milk.
Turn the heat back up to medium and let it come back up to a simmer. Let it simmer for 10 more minutes, without a lid, stirring often. This will break down the lentils a little more and reduce the coconut milk a little, making it thicker.
Turn the heat off and add about 3 cups (or three handfuls) of fresh spinach to the skillet.
Gently stir and allow the residual heat to wilt the spinach. Once wilted, give it a taste and adjust the curry powder or salt if needed.
And then it’s ready to serve! I like to serve my Creamy Coconut Curry Lentils over rice to soak up all that delicious creamy curry, but it’s also great with Naan and Curry Roasted Carrots.
And of course I meal prepped this. :)
My husband loved this and he hates lentils! So flavorful. Going to try to substitute with red lentils.
Made this exactly according to recipe (well maybe a little more ginger), and it was fantastic. Perfect vegan supper. Filling, a touch decadent.
So yummy. So easy.
So easy to make with ingredients we had on hand- frozen spinach instead of fresh but it was so good! We’ll add lime next time.
I’ve made this before and it was marvelous. I want to make it again, but I am stuck with only lite coconut milk due to a substitution to my grocery order. Could I still use lite coconut milk for the flavor, but use something to thicken it, like heavy cream or yogurt?
I’ve made it with light coconut milk without any trouble!
Great recipe! I was trying to use up some CSA produce, so I added some fennel and subbed in Swiss chard for spinach. It was still delicious!
I made this for the first time tonight and it was a hit! So delicious and most of the kids loves it too. Next time I’ll make the carrots with the dish.
Meal prepped this for at home to eat for lunches and it was so easy, delicious and filling! I also had it with brown rice. Next time I will add carrots :)
I’ve made this a few times, and it is excellent. It’s super easy and quick to throw together when I’m craving some kind of curry (even tho it’s not). I’ve done it with and without the carrots, and that carrots really do pair well and bring it all together.
Tasty and easy to prepare! We also did roasted carrots and served over rice. Thanks!
Back to rate this dish again, since I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus and decided to switch it up. I used North American “Garam Masala” spice instead of North American “Curry powder” and added a spash of lime (as suggested by others) and it’s an equally satisfying yet different taste experience!! So delicious and appealing! Thanks for this workhorse of a recipe :)
I’m looking forward to trying this, but for some reason I’ve ended up with several bags of green lentils at my place!! Any suggestions as to how I could sub these in? Perhaps just a longer cooking time?
And check the cooking instructions on the label for those green lentils. “Brown” lentils actually look kind of army green. If it says to boil for anywhere near 20 minutes, they’re what I’m calling brown lentils. If it says to cook closer to 45 minutes, they are indeed French green lentils.
This is pretty good!! I added about a teaspoon garam masala and some raisins to mine — the raisins really gave it extra oomph. Next time I think I’ll increase the spice quantity or add some citrus at the end, as others have suggested!
During this time of making do, I altered this recipe.
Little curry leftover so I also added cumin and tumeric.
No spinach so I used chopped parsley.
I avoid grains (health), so I poured over baked potatoe.
Good, Satisfying, and Vegetarian. What’s not to like.
I have never left a recipe comment before, on any platform, but this Curry is so worth the comment. IT IS AMAZING. I’ve made it four times in the last few months and it always turns out amazingly well. The best part is it’s so forgiving of a little nudge to the ingredients here and there. Got some.left over Indian spice mixture? Throw it in! Have an eggplant in the fridge that is about two more glances away from going off? Throw it in! Only have frozen spinach? Delicious! There isn’t anything I’ve been able to throw at this recipe that it hasn’t been able to take on. I’m actually looking forward to trying it with some red lentils! Like other commentors here, I suggest a splash of citrus to finish it at the very end to really contrast all that lovely creamy sweetness, and I’m a spice junky so I saute some whole dried chili peppers before I add the lentils and boil the heck out of them. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go and stuff some more of this in my mouth.
So yummy and easy. Made with red lentils because that’s all we had. Total keeper.