Easy One-Pot Lentil Curry

This hearty lentil curry is a plant-based staple that is comforting, flavorful, and satisfying. With warm spices and a creamy texture, it’s the perfect one-pot weeknight dinner that’s both healthy and surprisingly simple to make.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• One-pot simplicity: Minimal cleanup and maximum flavor.
• Budget-friendly: Made with pantry staples like dried lentils, canned tomatoes, and coconut milk. Scratch your Indian takeout itch while saving money.
• Meal-prep friendly: Tastes even better the next day and freezes well.
• Protein-packed: Lentils are an excellent source of plant-based protein, fiber, iron and other nutrients.

Ingredients for One-Pot Lentil Curry

• Olive or coconut oil: For sautéing the aromatics.
• Onion, green chili, garlic, and ginger: The aromatic flavor base.
• Curry powder: Adds warmth and depth. Use mild or hot depending on preference — or see my notes later in the blog post about how to blend your own!
• Crushed tomatoes: Provide acidity and body to the curry.
• Dried brown or green lentils: Protein-packed, high in fiber, and rich in iron and other nutrients. You are welcome to substitute red lentils but they don’t hold their shape as well, and will require less cook time. (More on that later.)
• Vegetable broth: To cook the lentils. Substitute water if needed.
• Coconut milk: For a rich, creamy texture.
• Salt and pepper.
• Fresh cilantro: Optional, to garnish.

How to Make Lentil Curry

1. Sauté the aromatics: In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and grated ginger, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
2. Toast the spices: Add curry powder, stirring for 30 seconds to bloom the spices.

3. Add liquids and lentils: Pour in the crushed tomatoes, rinsed lentils, and vegetable broth. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer: Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25–30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

5. Finish with coconut milk: Stir in coconut milk and simmer uncovered for 5–10 more minutes to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve: Ladle into bowls and top with chopped cilantro if desired.

Make-Ahead & Storage

Feel free to make this dish a day in advance, as it tastes even better after the flavors have had some more time to develop.

When you’re ready to eat, reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of water or broth if needed.

Keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days; freezes well for up to 3 months.

Recipe FAQ

Instant Pot Lentil Curry (Pressure Cooker Method)

1. Sauté aromatics (Instant Pot “Sauté” mode): Press the Sauté button. Add olive oil, then the diced onion and green chili. Cook for 4–5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and ginger; cook for 1 minute. Add the curry powder (or DIY curry spice blend) and cook another 30 seconds.
2. Add remaining ingredients: Turn off Sauté. Add the lentils, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Do not add the coconut milk yet.
3. Pressure cook: Seal the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
4. Natural release: Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure.
5. Stir in coconut milk: Open the lid and stir in the coconut milk. If you’d like it thicker, switch back to Sauté mode and simmer for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve: Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice or with homemade vegan naan.

More Easy Vegan Recipes

• Easy Chickpea Curry – Similar to this Lentil Curry, this is another easy plant-based dinner.
• Vegan Fried Rice – Make a big batch of restaurant-quality fried rice right at home.
• 10 Minute Chili Garlic Silken Tofu – Silken tofu in a deliciously flavorful sauce. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Easy One-Pot Lentil Curry (Vegan)

A hearty lentil curry that's comforting and flavorful. With warm spices and a creamy texture, it's the perfect one-pot weeknight dinner that’s both healthy and surprisingly simple to make.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

1x2x

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Sarah Sullivan

Video

Ingredients

• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
• ▢ 1 white or yellow onion diced
• ▢ 2-4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced or grated
• ▢ 1-2 green chili peppers (e.g. jalapeños or serranos) finely diced (optional, to add spice)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons salt-free curry powder see notes to blend your own spices
• ▢ 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes (quality matters! see notes)
• ▢ 1 cup dried brown or green lentils picked over and rinsed
• ▢ 4 cups vegetable broth or water
• ▢ 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk I recommend full-fat, but light is okay too
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
• ▢ black pepper to taste

Garnishes (optional)

• ▢ fresh cilantro
• ▢ lime wedges
• ▢ vegan yogurt I love Culina or Forager

Instructions

• Sauté aromatics: Heat olive oil or coconut oil in a pot or braiser over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add diced onion, (optional) diced green chilis, minced garlic and grated ginger and sauté for 5–6 minutes, until onions are translucent.
• Add spices: Stir in curry powder. Cook, stirring often, for about 30 seconds to toast the spices. You can add a splash of water if needed to distribute the curry powder.
• Add lentils and liquids: Pour in crushed tomatoes, rinsed lentils, and vegetable broth (or water). Stir well and bring to a boil.
• Cook lentils: Reduce heat to medium-low to establish a very rapid simmer. Simmer uncovered for 25–30 minutes (stirring occasionally to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pan), until lentils are tender.
• Stir in coconut milk: Stir in the coconut milk, and simmer for another 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened to your preference. I like a thicker curry so I tend to simmer for a full 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to preference.
• Serve: Spoon into bowls, garnish with fresh cilantro and fresh lime wedges if desired. Serve with steamed basmati rice or homemade vegan naan.

Notes

• Substitute cooked lentils: You can substitute 2 (15 oz) cans of cooked brown lentils (or about 3 cups) to save time. Drain and rinse them before adding to the curry. Omit the broth, and reduce the simmering time to about 10 minutes to develop flavor. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as written.
• Substitute red lentils: Substitute in the same volume of dried red lentils. You will be able to reduce the cook time to about 15-20 minutes as they cook faster. The texture of the curry will be much softer because red lentils break down faster.
• Curry powder recommendations: My favorite is the hot curry powder from Rani.
• Full-fat vs light coconut milk: I am a fan of full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest, most takeout-quality results. If you prefer to make the dish a bit lighter, feel free to use light coconut milk, but you may need to simmer the dish a little longer for a thicker consistency.
• Canned tomatoes: If possible, use tomatoes with no citric acid on the ingredients list. This common additive can make the dish taste very sour. Mutti and Cento are my go-to brands for tomatoes as they typically contain only tomatoes (and sometimes a bit of salt).
• Oil amounts: I recommend using the full 2 tablespoons of oil if you want the most takeout-style dish. The oil is what extracts most of the flavor from the aromatics and the spices and provides a richer mouthfeel. For a lighter option, feel free to use less oil.

DIY Curry Blend

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for spice)
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek leaves (optional, but adds a more authentic flavor)

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