This Easy One Pan Lentil Daal Curry is the perfect easy and healthy weeknight meal that can be made vegetarian, vegan and dairy-free! Skip the Indian Restaurant and make this delicious Indian Daal Curry recipe at home in minutes!
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I don’t know about you, but restaurant take-out just doesn’t have the same charm as it used to. I don’t know if it’s the exorbitant cost or the fact that by the time you get it home it’s barely warm and all soggy from being in those styrofoam containers, but I’d much rather replace take-out on a busy weeknight with a good, solid, homemade weeknight meal like this Easy One Pan Lentil Daal Curry!
I’ve got to be honest – this is our family’s FAVOURITE weeknight meal. I’m serious…my kids actually beg me to make this Easy One Pan Lentil Daal Curry with rice and our favourite homemade Naan bread all the time and this has become the one meal where they practically lick their plates when dinner is done. And as a busy work-at-home mom, what could be better than that!!??
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This Easy One Pan Lentil Daal Curry recipe comes together in under 30 minutes and rivals any Indian restaurant curry I’ve ever tried. It’s so delicious and flavourful, and it’s made with super basic ingredients that are easy to find at your local supermarket. It’s vegetarian, can easily be made vegan, and it’s dairy-free too! If you love Indian food even a little bit, this Easy One Pan Lentil Daal Curry will become a healthy staple in your family’s meal plan for sure!!
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I hope you love this easy curry recipe as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite healthy weeknight meal? I’d love to know!
KITCHEN PRODUCTS I RECOMMEND:
Looking for even more weeknight meal ideas? You’ll LOVE these:
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Easy One Pot Pasta Primavera
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Creamy Enchilada One Pot Pasta
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Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
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Skillet French Onion Stuffed Chicken
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Skillet Pesto Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
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Chicken Breasts with White Wine Mushroom Sauce
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RECIPE VIDEO
Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this easy meal! You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Easy One Pan Lentil Daal Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely diced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespooon mild red curry paste
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- a pinch or two of salt and pepper
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 1/2 cup split red lentils
- 5 cups vegetable stock (use chicken stock if you prefer)
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 2 large handfulls fresh baby spinach
- fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
- extra coconut cream for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Add the onions, ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant and soft.
- Add the curry paste, turmeric, tomato paste, and salt and pepper, and stir to combine, allowing the mixture to toast slightly over the heat for about one minute.
- Add the carrots, red bell pepper, and lentils and stir to coat in the spice mixture.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and stir well, covering the pan and allowing the mixture to come to a boil.
- Cook the lentil mixture for about 20-25 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the bottom from burning, until the lentils are puffy and soft and begin to lose their shape.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the coconut milk and spinach, stirring just until combined.
- Cover and allow the spinach to wilt for a few minutes in the hot curry.
- Serve over steamed rice with fresh Naan bread, your favourite crusty white bread for dipping, or bakery fresh pita bread as an easy alternative to homemade Naan.
Krysta Harder says
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this!
Chrissie says
You’ll love it!! 🙂
Michael Redbourn says
thanks for the recipe.
Split red lentils generally only take around 4 minutes before turning to mush.
Others take about 20 minutes.
I guess it depends how you like your lentils.
Michael
Chrissie says
In this recipe, I like them a little bit mushy (not gonna lie!!). They create such a silky texture in this curry and it works so well over rice. In other recipes I agree – a shorter cooking time would be better!
John Cowburn says
Absolutely delicious! And very easy to make!
The Busy Baker says
So glad you like the recipe!! 🙂
Linda says
Delicious! I have made this several times now and it never disappoints. I always make double and give some to my kids , they are always happy to take some for dinner . Its looks colourful too with the capsicum, spinach and the yellow of the curry….i love it.
The Busy Baker says
So happy to hear that you and the kids like it so much! Thanks for leaving a comment😊
Tenille Elias says
Do i really need the coconut cream?
Chrissie says
Not necessarily, however it does add a delicious creaminess.
Amanda says
This recipe was incredible! My entire family loved it. Thanks for sharing!
The Busy Baker says
You’re welcome! So glad you loved this recipe!! 🙂
Frannie says
This was amazing! I loved it so much.
Curious, could it be made with quinoa? Or Green lentils? I’m out of red lentils and the store didn’t have them either…with quarantine I won’t be going back for a couple weeks so curious if you think either would work.
Chrissie says
It can be made with green split lentils, although I wouldn’t recommend adding quinoa.
Judy says
Is there any chance I can make this using canned lentils?
Chrissie says
Yes, although you’d need to reduce the liquid since canned lentils are already hydrated.
Jennifer says
How much would you reduce the liquid when using canned lentils?
Chrissie says
I’d reduce the liquid to 2 and a half cups to start, and let the mixture reduce.
Elena says
My first time cooking lentils! Can I use green lentils or do they have to be red? And do they need to be soaked over night first or just added to the recipe dry??
Chrissie says
Using green lentils in this recipe is a little more difficult since they’re not typically split like red lentils are, and therefore would require a longer cooking time and more liquid. When using red lentils, just add them dry to this recipe. Feel free to try this recipe with green lentils, but be sure to have more vegetable stock on hand to add as the mixture gets dry. And increase the cooking time 🙂
Elena says
Thank you so much! I just bought red lentils at the store this morning and I can see that they are very different—much smaller. I must sound like a rookie!😬 I am really looking forward to try this recipe!!😆
Natasha says
I don’t have curry paste readily available for this recipe but I have everything else. Can I just sub a little extra tomato paste and some cutry powder instead? Will it be much of a difference?
Chrissie says
The curry paste is the flavour base of this recipe. If you use tomato paste and curry powder the flavour won’t be the same, but it will still be delicious. 🙂
Kaylan says
I’m wondering what type of curry paste you’re using for this recipe! I have Thai red curry but I assume you’re referring to something else?
Chrissie says
Thai red curry paste is the right kind! 🙂
Mandy says
What’s the difference between coconut milk and coconut cream?
Chrissie says
Coconut milk is both the coconut cream (fat solids) and coconut water mixed together (or sometimes separated in the can when you open it). The coconut cream is usually found in a smaller can and it’s the fat solids only.
Amy Walbridge says
This has become a regular in our house hold! I live the creaminess of coconut milk, so exchange one cupnif broth for a second cup of coconut milk. I add it earlier to avoid burning the lentils. So yummy!!
Chrissie says
I’m so glad you enjoy it! 🙂
Sar says
Can you use green lentils instead of split red??
Chrissie says
You can, although I’d recommend split green lentils instead of whole green lentils.
Noor says
This recipe was truly amazing!!! I’m so glad I tried it I’m sure this will be a staple for me in the future. Easy to make and so so tasty! Thank you!!
The Busy Baker says
You’re welcome Noor!!
Marissa says
This is delicious! Absolutely loved it. But it makes so much! Can I freeze it?!
The Busy Baker says
Yes, you sure can! Enjoy!
Danielle says
6 servings..but what is serving size?
The Busy Baker says
It makes 8 servings of about one cup. Enjoy ☺️
paige says
One my favourites!
Thank you!
Chrissie says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Cathy says
Super easy to make, delicious recipe! It’s the first time I’ve made anything like this and I really enjoyed it. The only thing I didn’t care for was the whole baby spinach, so next time I’ll chop it up first.
The Busy Baker says
So glad to hear you like the recipe!!
River says
We LOVE this recipe! I was nervous about making any kind of curry (my mother-in-law is East Indian Canadian and she can COOK), but this turned out really well and my partner loves it. I may even make it when M.I.L comes to visit. Maybe.
The Busy Baker says
Thanks so much!! Really glad you like the recipe!
Lea says
Can’t go wrong with coconut curry! This looks absolutely amazing!
The Busy Baker says
I know, right!? What’s not to love!? Thanks Lea!
zenayda Pineda says
really delicious and super easy to make, I loved it
The Busy Baker says
So glad to hear that!! Thanks so much for your feedback!
Nancy says
This is even better with some lime juice and a little chili powder.
The Busy Baker says
Hi Nancy! I love that addition! Thanks so much for your positive feedback on the recipe!
Jules b says
Absolutely delicious!! It’s become a regular meal in our house and my family are far from vegetarian.
The Busy Baker says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much Jules for taking the time to leave a comment! 🙂
Amanda says
Sooo yummy!! Even the fussy eaters liked this one.
The Busy Baker says
I’m so glad!! 🙂 Thanks Amanda!
Charlotte says
Really easy and really tasty! My 3 year old loved it!
The Busy Baker says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Charlotte! 🙂
Amber Anderson says
I am going to try this recipe this weekend. if I wanted to cook it in the instant pot how would I change this to do that? Also where could I get the curry paste.
The Busy Baker says
Hi Amber, here is an instant pot recipe: https://thebusybaker.ca/instant-pot-curry-with-lentils/. Hope this helps!
Ashley says
Just curious if you think this could work in the crock pot? I’m going to make it today regardless because it sounds delicious but I love using my slow cooker for Sunday meal prep.
The Busy Baker says
I have never tried it myself so I couldn’t tell you, but if you do try, please let us know! Happy cooking ☺️
Rebecca says
Hey
Just wondering if you use Thai red curry paste or Indian curry paste like Patak’s?
Thanks,
Rebecca
The Busy Baker says
I personally use Thai red curry paste but I suppose you could any mild red curry paste (as long as it is a cooking paste not a ready made sauce). Happy cooking ☺️
Rachel says
At what temperature do I cook the lentils? Can this be made with regular red and brown lentils?
The Busy Baker says
As it says in the recipe, I cook it on the stove on medium heat. As for the lentils, I’ve never tried this recipe with anything other than split red lentils. However, I wouldn’t recommend a mixture of different lentils as they might cook at different rates. Hope this helps! Happy cooking ☺️
Sarah says
Can the leftovers be frozen?
The Busy Baker Team says
Yes, you can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Madison says
Very excited to try this recipe! However, I could only find whole red lentils vs split red lentils at my local grocery stores 🙁 Should I change the amount of liquid/cook time since the lentils aren’t split? Thanks in advance!
The Busy Baker says
You should cook it a bit longer and you might need to add a bit more (about 1/4 cup) of vegetable stock or water, but don’t add it in until you see that it is needed.