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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
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. :)
If I want to substitute frozen spinach how much would be equivalent to 3 cups fresh?
I’m not sure exactly, but I’d probably go for about ¼ pound. Make sure to thaw it and squeeze out the extra moisture first. Keep in mind that it will have a different texture than when using fresh spinach.
Had fun making this and even more fun eating it. I made 10 days worth. The roast carrots are fantastic and will be including more roast vegetables in my diet. I found you on the Financial Diet.
If you are looking for ways to use up a partial can of pumpkin (that aren’t all pumpkin desserts), it works great in this curry.
Looks yummy! Would you recommend any changes in amount of broth or cooking time if I wanted to make this in the instant pot?
Unfortunately I’m not experienced enough with the Instant Pot to offer those recommendations. :(
I cooked this in the instant pot. The main change is step 3. After you pour the broth and the lentils. Give it a stir. Cover the instant pot with the lid, turn the knob on top of the lid to sealing, turned it to Bean/Chili mode for 10 minutes. After pressurizing and 10 minutes of cooking, I depressurize quickly and proceed with the other steps as usual.
Excellent with naan
Delicious! Normally I’m the queen of altering recipes but all I did here is add some extra veggies (carrot & bell pepper) because wanted it to be a complete meal with rice – so that’s a compliment!
Super simple to make as well and it reheated very well. We managed to get 3 portions out of it – maybe we are big eaters or you are a small eater, haha. We’re with 2 so one of us got lucky and had the leftovers with lunch. Just a heads up for people who might want to feed 4 people with this meal.
Wow, this was absolutely delicious! I’m not usually a huge fan of lentil dishes but this was so tasty — the coconut milk adds so much lovely flavor. I happened to spoon some on top of potatoes and the combo was divine, so I highly recommend trying that. :)
Wow! So simple and delicious, I did add about a cup of carrots with the lentils instead of roasting them. I also used a spicy curry mix and this came out perfect! Will make again
I’m totally making this tonight! Do you think adding a teaspoon of garam masala would blend in well?
Yes, that would probably be delicious!
My family loved this! It’s all we can do not to make it every day, lol. Great flavor and reheats wonderfully. Thank you!
These lentils are mega simple and soooo flavorful!!!!! Thank you! Question: If I want to add chicken breast, when would I throw that in?
I would probably chop the chicken into pieces then sauté it in the skillet first, before the garlic and everything, until it’s about half-way cooked, then continue on with the garlic, spices, onions, etc. That way it will finish cooking as everything else is added and cooked.
A friend turned me onto this recipe & even my meat & potatoes hubby liked it!! The lentils do take me 10-15 mins longer to cook than the 20 mins called for. Super tasty!! Thanks.
Super yummy! I’ve made this twice, the second time I didn’t have ginger so i substituted with cinnamon and liked it even more!!
Great recipe! Makes plenty of leftovers. I like to add any veggie to mine. I enjoy the frozen california blend (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots) and just add with the lentil and broth mixture.
I’ve made this a bunch with a variety of greens based on what came in my CSA. Spinach, kale, chard, it all works!