It’s HOT outside, so I’m experimenting a lot with my slow cooker this week. Slow cookers are awesome not only because they’re mostly hands-off, but also because they contain their heat well and don’t cause that dreaded ambient heat rise in your kitchen. So, while I totally could have just boiled these Coconut Curry Lentils on the stove top, I saved myself some steam and sweat by cooking them in my slow cooker.
How to Serve Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Lentils
My only issue with using my slow cooker a lot in the summer is that slow cooker recipes are often warm and heavy, more like winter recipes. To freshen these Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Lentils up a bit, I topped them with finely diced red onion and a liberal sprinkle of chopped cilantro. If you don’t like cilantro, you can add some sliced green onion for a similar effect. For even more freshness, try adding a dollop of plain yogurt and a squeeze of lime juice.
Can I Freeze Coconut Curry Lentils?
This recipe makes a lot but luckily it freezes well–rice and all! Just portion everything out into single-serving freezer-safe containers, chill completely in the refrigerator, then transfer to the freezer.
What Size Slow Cooker Should I Use?
This makes a super big batch of lentils, so I would suggest using a 6-quart slow cooker. I use a very basic slow cooker from Hamilton Beach, which is so old that it’s not in production anymore, but you can find a similar slow cooker here. (affiliate link)
What Kind of Curry Powder Should I Use?
You can use either a hot or mild curry powder, depending on whether you prefer your lentils to be mild or spicy. People often ask me what brand curry powder I use, and I have enjoyed both the 365 brand curry powder and Sharwood’s curry powder. Or you can try making your own curry powder at home with this recipe for Easy Homemade Curry Powder from Spiceitupp.com
Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Lentils
Servings 10 cupsIngredients
COCONUT CURRY LENTILS
- 1 yellow onion ($0.37)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 cups brown lentils ($1.36)
- 1 sweet potato (about 3/4 lb.) ($0.98)
- 2 carrots ($0.22)
- 3 Tbsp curry powder (hot or mild) ($0.45)
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional) ($0.03)
- 1 15oz. can petite diced tomatoes ($0.65)
- 1 15oz. can tomato sauce ($0.99)
- 3 cups vegetable broth* ($0.39)
- 1 14oz. can coconut milk (full fat) ($2.47)
FOR SERVING
- 10 cups cooked rice ($0.99)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.40)
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro or green onions ($0.40)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Peel the sweet potato and carrots. Dice the sweet potato (1/4-1/2 inch cubes) and slice the carrots.
- Add the onion, garlic, sweet potato, carrots, lentils, curry powder, cloves, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and vegetable broth to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Once cooked, the lentils should be tender and most of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Stir the can of coconut milk into the lentils. Taste and adjust the salt or other spices as needed (the amount of salt needed will depend on the type of broth used and the salt content of the canned tomatoes).
- To serve, add 1 cup cooked rice to a bowl followed by 1 cup of the lentil mixture. Top with finely diced red onion and fresh cilantro.
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Equipment
Notes
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How to Make Slow Cooker Curry Lentils – Step by Step Photos
Dice one onion (it’s under all that stuff) and mince two cloves of garlic. Peel one sweet potato (3/4-1 lb.) and peel two carrots. Dice the sweet potato and slice the carrots. Add the onion, garlic, sweet potato, and carrots to the slow cooker, along with 2 cups uncooked brown lentils.
Also add one 15oz. can of petite diced tomatoes, a 15oz. can of tomato sauce, 3 Tbsp curry powder (mild or hot–your preference), and 1/4 tsp ground cloves. I’ve decided that I really like cloves in my curry, but if you’re not a clove person you can leave it out.
This is the curry powder I use, BTW. It’s just something I picked up at the grocery store, but it has pretty good potency. Curry powders can vary quite a bit from brand to brand in both flavor and potency, so you might have to experiment to find one that you like. I like to buy mild curry powder and then just add cayenne to dishes when I want things spicy.
Finally, add 3 cups vegetable broth to the slow cooker and give everything a good stir.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. If your slow cooker runs extra hot or doesn’t hold in moisture well, keep an eye on the cooker to make sure the lentils are not drying out. If they begin to look dry or burned on the edges, add more water. After cooking the lentils should be tender and most of the broth absorbed.
Stir in one 14oz. can of full-fat coconut milk. Give the lentils a taste and adjust the salt or other spices if needed. The amount of salt needed will depend on the salt content of your vegetable broth and canned tomatoes. Mine had plenty of salt, so I added none. If you find the lentils to be bland at this point, add a 1/2 tsp of salt or so to see if that makes the flavors pop.
To serve the lentils, add 1 cup cooked rice to a bowl, followed by 1 cup of the coconut curried lentils. Top with finely diced red onion and fresh cilantro (or green onions if you’re not a cilantro person). Other optional toppings include: plain yogurt, a squeeze of fresh lime, or thinly sliced jalapeños.
These Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Lentils are sure to fuel ALL of your summer adventures! :D
Can I use fresh tomatoes instead? If so how many?
Sure, I’d use 2-3 tomatoes in place of the can of diced tomatoes, but you still want to use a tomato sauce because the texture and flavor is different.
Just made this for dinner tonight over jasmine rice and it was very good! It needs quite a bit of salt afterwards for my taste, even with salted diced tomatoes, but otherwise very good. I think I’ll use one more tbsp of curry powder next time, maybe even some cayenne pepper for a little kick.
I’m still new to the world of lentils…how would red lentils hold up in this recipe?
Red lentils cook very quickly, and tend to turn in to a mush. I would not recommend them for anything that does not specifically call for red lentils.
They would not! You’d be left with a slow cooker full of mush :(
I agree with Nicole, but I made mine with red lentils, you just have to cut the time down a lot.
Red lentils break down very quickly, so the end product would have a lot less texture.
Hi Beth,
Just wondering what size of slow-cooker you use? I have a 4 qt so sometimes I have to cut recipes down to make them work. Also, glad to see a vegan recipe again, thanks so much!!! <|:-)
Well, I bought it so long ago and don’t have any of the info on it anymore, but I’m pretty sure it’s a 6 quart.
Beth,
I’m going to make this recipe but unfortunately, I’m out of curry powder. Now I do have a jar of Thai red curry paste. What amount of the paste do you suggest I use as a substitute for the powder?
Hmm, I’d probably still use 3-4 tablespoons because this recipe makes a large volume.
That looks so good I can almost smell it! I have butternut instead of sweet potato, but I’m sure that would work too.
Thanks!
YUM! Can’t wait to make this. Can it be done in the Tfal 10-in-1 pressure cooker somehow? I just got one and would love to use it for this. Thanks!
I bet it would work great in a pressure cooker. If your machine has an automatic setting for chili, soup, or stew, I think I’d just choose that option.
Would this freeze well? I live alone so 10 servings is probably more than I could eat in the time it would take for it to go bad in the fridge.
Never mind, just read the description that says it freezes well :P.
Yep! :)
Yup. Hot here too. I really like your idea of getting the slow cooker out. I can’t bear to light the oven and we were quoted at $17,000 to install central air in our house because we have radiant heat. Hmmmm.
Ouch! $17k!
I LOVE lentils, and looking forward to making this recipe soon. :-)
Hi, this recipe looks amazing! Just wondering, what type of tomato sauce you use? Like ketchup or passata? Thanks! xx
The stuff that we call “tomato sauce” here in the U.S. is kind of like passata, but it also has a little bit of salt and maybe onion powder in it. I think passata is the closest substitute. :)
this looks amazing, but I don’t have a slow cooker. how would you adapt this to a dutch oven or other stove top method?
You can do this on the stove top in a pot just by bringing it up to a boil (with a lid) and then once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer until the lentils and the potatoes are tender. It should only take 30 minutes or so. You can let it simmer longer if you like, but brown lentils usually cook pretty quickly. :)
Any tips for doing this in an instant pot? I could see the saute setting and the pressure cook settings both coming in handy here!
I think you could just use the soup or the chili setting and it would work. :)
I was thinking I need to do this in the IP too. Trying it this week!
Yay!!! Another cheap meal I can throw in my freezer before baby comes!!! And it gets extra points for being meatless :)
You should do another freezer meal roundup soon! I am in the process of freezing a bunch of yours and most of what I’m making wasn’t listed in your last freezer post. I can email you the list when I’m done!
Sure, I’d love it if you emailed those to me! :D Thanks!
I don’t have a slow cooker right now – any suggestions on how to adapt this for the stovetop? Thanks!
Yep, just toss everything into a big pot, put a lid on top, and bring it up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender (maybe 30 minutes?). That’s it! :)