If you love lentil dahl, you’ll love this lower carb curried cauliflower rice inspired by the classic Indian dish.

Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Coconut Dahl
Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Coconut Dahl

A Low Calorie + Low Carb Option

One serving of this cauliflower coconut dahl comes in at just 106 calories with 14 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fat and 4 grams of protein. So, go ahead and make those serving sizes a bit bigger if you’re hungry! I didn’t use any oil so there is just a little fat from the light coconut milk, other than that there isn’t much to it – just veggies and spices!

It makes a great side dish too, or even as a salad-topper. I ate my last serving with a big bowl of baby spinach, some baked sweet potato and crispy tofu. It was delicious!

If you do want to dig into a bowl of real lentil dahl however, you have to try my coconut red lentil dahl recipe. It’s a reader favourite and one of my favourite recipes too.

Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Coconut Dahl
Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Coconut Dahl

I’ve posted quite a few cauliflower rice recipes on the blog. The most popular is my healthy cauliflower fried rice which is really easy to make and healthier alternative to traditional fried rice. I like to make a tofu scramble and mix that in to increase the protein and it’s like fried rice with egg!

Here are a few other cauliflower rice recipes I’ve shared!

You can also used cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes, as a base for creamy sauces and to make cauliflower wings!

Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Coconut Dahl

This low carb dish is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals so although it’s low in macros, it’s high in micronutrients and we can’t forget about those! It smells wonderful, it’s bright and beautiful and it’s full of delicious, curry-inspired flavour while still easily fitting into your nutrition plan.

So Easy to Make!

Not only is this twist on lentil dahl easy to fit into a healthy diet, but it’s also a cinch to make and can be ready in less than 30 minutes. If you prep the cauliflower rice ahead of time, it would be even faster!

All you have to do is saute the onion, garlic and ginger in some vegetable stock, add all the spices, add the cauliflower rice and coconut milk, simmer away, stir in some lime and cilantro and you’re ready to go!

Add Extra Veg or Protein

If you want to add some extra protein to this dish, feel free to stir in your favourite veg protein source! Crumbled tempeh or tofu, Field Roast sausage or some seitan would be awesome.

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Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Coconut Dahl

Curried Cauliflower Rice

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Vegan
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This low carb twist on classic lentil dahl is full of flavour and easy to make in under 30 minutes. If you prep the riced cauliflower in advance, this recipe is a cinch and even if you don’t it’s still super easy! Indian-inspired spices like turmeric, curry powder and cinnamon are mixed with coconut milk for a lower calorie alternative to this lentil favourite.


Ingredients

  • 1 medium white onion, diced, 350 g
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced, 10 g
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped 200 g
  • 3/4 cup vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 small to medium-sized head cauliflower, riced, approx. 6 cups, 750 g
  • 4 tbsp packed finely chopped cilantro
  • 1 15 oz can coconut milk
  • 1 tsp sugar or maple syrup
  • Juice from 1/2 lime

Instructions

  1. Add the onion, garlic and ginger to a pan with a few splashes of the vegetable stock. Cook until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add a little extra of the stock if needed.
  2. Add all the spices and the tomato and stir to combine, adding a bit more stock.
  3. Add the cauliflower rice, cilantro, coconut milk and the rest of the stock.
  4. Simmer lightly until the cauliflower is tender, about 20-25 minutes.
  5. Stir in the sugar and lime juice.
  6. Serve topped with fresh cilantro.

Notes

  • I make my riced cauliflower in seconds in the food processor. Simply break your cauliflower crown into small pieces, toss it in and pulse until it has the consistency of rice. If you don’t have a food processor you can use a blender but may need to add cold water so it doesn’t get jammed up. Alternatively, you can use a hand grater but I don’t like the texture of grated cauliflower as much.
  • If you make 6 servings out of this the servings are on the smaller side, so feel free to make 3-4 servings instead! It will still only be around 200 calories per serving so if you’re hungry or need more energy, definitely increase the serving size.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
  • Calories: 106 calories
  • Fat: 4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 14 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 5 g