Ever since I added coconut milk to my ramen broth, I haven’t been able to stop adding coconut milk to all of my savory saucy and brothy dishes. The creaminess of the coconut milk is unmatched, and pairs particularly well with the flavor of mushrooms. So I did it again this week with these Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy, which make a great easy weeknight dinner that you can eat almost like a stew with some crusty bread for dipping, or spoon it over a big bowl of mashed potatoes or rice. It’s hearty, creamy, and just right for cold winter nights!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Garnished with chopped parsley, for color.
What Kind of Lentils Should I Use?
I suggest using brown lentils for this recipe, which are quick-cooking (only requiring 20 minutes of simmering) and hold their shape. These lentils look kind of greenish-brown when dry and are sometimes labeled green lentils (not to be confused with French green lentils). If you’re unsure if you have the right kind of lentil, check the cooking instructions on the package. If they say to simmer for about 20 minutes, you’ve got the right kind of lentil.
Red or yellow lentils will break down and create more of a split pea soup textured dish, so I don’t suggest using them for this recipe.
What Kind of Mushrooms Should I use?
I used baby bella mushrooms because they’ve been available for a great price at Aldi lately, but white button mushrooms will work perfectly well and are often less expensive.
Meal Prep It!
These Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy make a great winter meal prep. They hold up perfectly in the refrigerator (for about four days) and also freeze well. You could freeze them right in the same container as your mashed potatoes or rice!
How to Serve Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy
As mentioned in the introduction, you can serve these creamy lentils as is with some bread for dipping, or spoon them over a bowl of mashed potatoes, rice, or even pasta!
Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy
Servings 4 About 1 cup eachIngredients
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.69)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 cup brown lentils ($0.50)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 3/4 tsp rubbed (dried) sage ($0.07)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 2 cups vegetable broth ($0.26)
- 1 13.5oz. can coconut milk ($1.99)
- salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp) ($0.02)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms. Add the olive oil and garlic to a large skillet and sauté for about one minute. Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms have released all their moisture and begin to brown.
- Add the lentils, sage, thyme, freshly cracked pepper, and vegetable broth to the skillet with the mushrooms. Stir to combine. Place a lid on the skillet, let the broth come up to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the lentils simmer for 20 minutes (with lid), stirring occasionally.
- After simmering for 20 minutes, the lentils should be tender and most of the broth absorbed. Add the coconut milk, stir to combine, turn the heat back up to medium, and let the lentils simmer for about five more minutes (without lid), or until the mixture in the skillet has thickened to a gravy.
- Once the mixture has thickened, turn the heat off. Taste the mixture and add salt to your liking. I added about 1/2 tsp. The salt will help the herbal flavors pop and reduce the sweetness of the coconut milk.
- Serve hot with crusty bread for dipping or over mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
Shown with Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes and garnished with parsley for color.
How to Make Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy – Step by Step Photos
Start by mincing two cloves of garlic and slicing 8 oz. mushrooms.
Add the minced garlic to a large skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté the garlic for about one minute, then add the sliced mushrooms.
Continue to sauté the mushrooms until all of their moisture evaporates and the mushrooms begin to brown.
Add 1 cup brown lentils, ½ tsp dried thyme, ¾ tsp rubbed sage, some freshly cracked black pepper, and 2 cups vegetable broth to the skillet. Stir to combine, then place a lid on the skillet and allow the broth to come up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the lentils simmer for 20 minutes (with lid), stirring occasionally.
After simmering for 20 minutes, the lentils should be tender and most of the broth absorbed. Add a 13.5 oz. can coconut milk and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium and let the mixture simmer for about five more minutes.
The mixture will thicken a bit more as it simmers and form a rich gravy. Once it has thickened slightly, turn off the heat. Give the lentils a taste and season with salt to your liking. I added about ½ tsp. Adding enough salt will help the flavors of the herbs pop and it will reduce the sweetness of the coconut milk.
You can serve the creamy mushroom lentils as-is with some bread for dipping…
Or spoon them over something starchy, like a big bowl of mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta! 🤤
I didnt do this right! The store i went didnt have brown lentils so i used black ones. The food looked evil, it was great. Will look for brown lentils for next time! Yum.
I couldn’t believe how delicious this was. I had it over rice and it was incredible. Will try it again but with mashed potatoes. Thanks Beth
AMAZING! I’m a recent convert to veganism, and this recipe is an excellent replacement for meat and potato dishes. So comforting in cold weather. My only addition is I add a shallot or a small onion to the mushrooms before adding the lentils and broth. The added allium rounds out the flavors nicely.
I’m usually a meat and potatoes girl, but I tried this as a meatless recipe during lent and BOY I was not disappointed! I served it over some jasmine rice and it was excellent, and even better the next day as leftovers. It took a bit longer than expected to thicken up after adding the coconut milk, closer to the 10 minute mark, but that was no big problem. I will definitely be hanging on to this recipe!
Oh oh, I have just tasted my first spoonful and am convinced this is the best vegan mushroom gravy I have EVER tasted!
If anyone is reading this and thinking “if only I had coconut milk!” rest assured, this is still good with regular milk! It didn’t turn into a gravy, the sauce stayed far thinner, but still delicious on top of mashed potatoes.
That said, I cannot WAIT to try this with coconut milk after the next grocery run too!!
Seconding this! I only had evaporated milk on hand, and though I had to let everything simmer for longer, it froze great and is delicious!! Filling and hearty, but no food coma afterward!
This was delicious!! Coconut milk really goes great with everything. Everyone in my family loved it.
I used fresh herbs instead of dried & am happy with that decision
I had a can of lentils already opened so I used those instead of dry ones therefore used less stock but should have used only half A can of coconut cream
Flavour is delicious & I served with brown rice
Will definitely make this again
👍
This recipe was LOVELY and very different from the kind of food I usually eat. I’m so happy to find interesting vegetarian and vegan recipes on your blog!
This is really delicious! I added some cooking sherry just before adding the coconut milk, which sort of deglazed the hot pan under the lentils. Yummy!
So good! Coconut milk is so good for giving me a healthy option for a creamy taste and texture. Thanks Beth!!
I used this recipe as a base for making a vegetarian shepherds pie. I added onion, carrots, & green beans. Then topped it with mashed potatoes before baking.
It was delicious & my family loved it too.
The only thing I did differently was used heavy cream instead of coconut milk & added a few dashes of worchestershire sauce.
This recipe was wonderful! I made some tweaks to it because I had some extra vegetables laying around. Before I cooked the mushrooms and garlic, I sauteed half a small eggplant diced into 1/2″ pieces until it blistered, then set it aside until the step where I added it along with broth and lentils back to the pan. I also diced half a small onion to cook with the garlic. Finally, I added a couple tablespoons of sherry cooking wine before adding the coconut milk. It’s really delicious!
I was quite literally standing at the stove, eating this by the spoonful – it’s that good. (And I was that hungry, lol.) Savory, creamy, and filling – everything comfort food ought to be!
I will say that I had to simmer it for quite a bit longer than five minutes after adding the coconut milk before it thickened to a sauce, but I think that one’s on me. I’ve never cooked dry lentils before, and I think I made a rookie mistake – while the lentils were cooking in the broth, I thought they were drying out too quickly (in my defense, the lid I use to cover my skillet isn’t a 100% perfect seal, so there was some steam escaping), so I added maybe another quarter-cup to half-cup of veggie broth. The end result was still moist and delicious, of course, but next time I’ll nix the extra broth and see where that gets me.
Just made this. Easy and tasty!
I made this tonight, and stopped eating to review it because it holds up every time! It is so tasty, creamy, and herby. Sometimes I’ll add spinach but it is still great without. 10/10
Great idea, Alex! I’ll try this next time – I bet spinach would go great with all of the creamy, savory, earthy flavors.
Great recipe! I skipped the coconut milk to keep it thick and used it as a base for a veggie shepherds pie! 🥰