• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Love and Good Stuff logo

  • Recipes
  • About
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • Contact
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home - Recipes - Main Course

    Red Lentil Curry

    Feb 3, 2020 · Modified: Aug 11, 2022 by Courtney · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    679 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Red lentils are simmered with spices and spinach in this easy to make and totally comforting vegetarian red lentil curry.  Family friendly and easily adapted to vegan, this soul warming meatless meal comes together in about 30 minutes with minimal effort.

    A top down view of red lentil curry over basmati rice in a bowl.

    When it comes to meatless meals, lentils are hands down my favourite source of protein.  I love the variety of them and their versatility.  Lentils can be anything from tacos, to soup, to warm and comforting curry - like this red lentil curry.

    With just about 30 minutes of cooking time and most of that just letting the lentils simmer away, these curried lentils are super easy to prepare a

    Easily one of my favourite vegetarian winter meals, there is just SO much to love about this dish.

    • it's made from pantry ingredients
    • it's a healthy and flavourful meatless meal
    • it's SO easy to make
    • it's freezer friendly
    • it's budget conscious

    Do you have a bag of red lentils hanging around in the cupboard just begging to be eaten?  If so, this curry is for you - and it might even end up in your weekly meal rotation - pro tip: make a double batch and put half up in the freezer for a later meal, it's THAT good!

    As this recipe is written, it is a vegetarian dish.  I like to stir in a bit of butter after the lentils have cooked to add a bit of extra flavour and creaminess, but if you would like to keep this curry vegan you can just leave this step out - the dish is just as delicious without the butter as it is with it.

    How to make red lentil curry

    Start by heating a large saucepan and adding a bit of oil.  Lightly saute the onions, garlic, and ginger for a couple of minutes before adding the spices and cooking for another minute or two until the fragrance from the spices fills the air.

    Sautéing onions, garlic and spices in a skillet.

    When the onions are soft, add the red lentils and the water.

    Bring the saucepan to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the lentils. 

    Adding red lentils and water to the skillet.

    Cook covered for about 15 minutes before removing the cover and cooking for another 10 minutes or so.  At this point, the lentils should be nice and soft, but not completely broken down. 

    Stir in the butter (this is optional - if you want to keep it vegan please skip this step) and the chopped spinach. 

    Stir until the spinach has wilted then serve over basmati rice.

    A bowl of red lentil curry topped with cilantro, chopped peanuts and sesame seeds.

    Dietary Considerations and Accommodations

    This recipe for red lentil curry is suitable for the following diets:

    • vegetarian
    • vegan (when you omit the butter)
    • gluten free, dairy free, and allergy friendly

    Are you on Pinterest? Follow me for more fresh and tasty recipe ideas.

    Want to see more recipes like this?? Sign up for our newsletter to have new recipes delivered to your inbox, follow us on Instagram, or like our Facebook page.

    More recipes you’ll love!

    If you like this red lentil curry, you might want to check out some of our other vegetarian lentil recipes:

    • a bowl of french lentil soup with two slices of crusty bread in it.
      French Lentil Soup
    • A close up of lentil casserole in a cast iron skillet.
      Lentil Casserole
    • a bowl of moroccan lentil soup on a table alongside a plate of rolls
      Moroccan Red Lentil Soup
    • A close up view of lentil tacos on a plate.
      Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

    If you have made this recipe we’d love to see it! Tag us on Insta @loveandgoodstuff.
    Loved this? Don’t forget to rate it below!

    a top down view of a bowl of red lentil curry over rice.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 6 votes

    Red Lentil Curry

    a mild but flavourful vegetarian curry of red lentils and spinach
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time25 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 309kcal
    Author: Courtney
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients:

    • 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
    • ½ onion - diced
    • 3 cloves garlic - minced
    • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
    • ¾ teaspoon garam masala
    • ¾ teaspoon curry powder
    • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1 cup dried red lentils
    • 4 cups water
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ cup butter - (optional)
    • 2 cups chopped baby spinach

    Instructions

    • Heat a large saucepan to medium low heat and add the oil
    • When the oil is heated, add the onion, ginger and garlic to the pan then saute for a few minutes until the onions begin to sweat
    • Add the garam masala, curry powder and turmeric to the onions and saute for a minute or two more
    • Add the lentils, water and sea salt to the saucepan and give everything a good stir.
    • Increase the heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer.
    • Cover the saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes before uncovering and simmering for a further 10 minutes.
    • Remove the saucepan from the heat, then stir in the butter (if using) until it melts
    • Add the chopped spinach and stir through until the leaves have wilted
    • Serve with basmati rice

    Nutrition

    Calories: 309kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 13gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 711mgPotassium: 565mgFiber: 15gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1783IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 4mg

    * nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @loveandgoodstuff or tag #loveandgoodstuff!
    « Black Bean Quesadillas
    Shrimp Fajitas »

    About Courtney

    I'm Courtney and I love great food!

    Creating delicious meals, photographing them, and sharing them with friends and family are some of my favourite joys ❤️
    More about Love & Good Stuff

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. SHANIKA says

      March 09, 2020 at 7:41 pm

      This Lentil Curry dish looks so amazing! I love easy, curry dishes and this is a must try for sure!

      Reply
    2. Carrie Robinson says

      March 09, 2020 at 8:13 pm

      I am all about anything curry! This looks delicious. 🙂

      Reply
    3. Sunrita says

      March 09, 2020 at 8:32 pm

      I am a complete sucker for simple easy Indian dishes as many are of the opinion that Indian food is complex. This dish is an Indian staple. So glad you posted it.

      Reply
    4. Alina | Cooking Journey Blog says

      March 09, 2020 at 9:15 pm

      Colorful and filling vegan bowl. Exactly what I need this spring.

      Reply
    5. Krissy Allori says

      March 09, 2020 at 9:56 pm

      I love lentils! This dish looks so easy and so good. I will be making it soon for sure.

      Reply
      • Courtney says

        March 25, 2020 at 2:54 pm

        It is so easy, and really delicious. I hope you get a chance to enjoy it soon!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I'm Courtney and I love sharing delicious, wholesome food with you! Thank you for stopping by Love & Good Stuff!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • A top down view of a platter of falafel with a bowl of tahini sauce.
      Homemade Falafel
    • Mexican Black Bean and Corn Salad
    • A close up view of a plate of Italian tomato salad.
      Italian Tomato Salad (Marinated Tomato Salad)
    • a bowl of vegetarian miso ramen with kale, mushrooms and boiled egg with chopsticks resting on it
      Vegetarian Miso Ramen
    • A close up of lentil casserole in a cast iron skillet.
      Lentil Casserole
    • a close up view of a blackened fish taco on a black plate.
      Blackened Fish Tacos
    • Hands holding up a falafel burger.
      Falafel Burgers
    • a top down view of a bowl of parmesan risotto.
      Parmesan Risotto

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    as featured on Domino, MSN, Greatist, Buzzfeed, Parade and Foodgawker

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Love & Good Stuff

    Fresh Recipes Weekly
    Get our freshest recipes delivered straight to your inbox
    Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.