Vegan Coconut Red Lentil Dahl
on Jan 15, 2024, Updated Aug 02, 2024
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This Indian red lentil dahl recipe is easy to make in less than 40 minutes with a handful of pantry staples.
This lentil dahl recipe is inspired by the popular Indian dish and features red lentils, aromatic spices and coconut milk.
Lentil dahl is a thick stew that can be served on its own or with rice. It’s even better with naan bread for dipping and soaking up the coconut curry sauce.
Despite its simple ingredients, it’s a wonderfully flavorful recipe that’s perfect for a weeknight dinner or meal prep.
For a similar easy recipe, this Coconut Sweet Potato Red Lentil Curry is really nice. For more Indian recipes, this Creamy Vegan Vegetable Korma, Curried Tofu and Potato Cauliflower Curry are all delicious.
Ingredient Notes
- Oil: The recipe calls for coconut oil but any cooking oil like olive oil or avocado oil is a suitable substitute. For an oil-free recipe, omit the oil and use 1-2 tbsp water or broth.
- Onion: White or yellow onion is suitable.
- Garlic & Ginger: Use fresh garlic and ginger.
- Lentils: Use dry whole red lentils.
- Coconut Milk: You can use full-fat or light coconut milk. Use full-fat for a quick and creamy curry or light coconut milk to reduce the fat and calorie content.
- Liquid: Vegetable broth is recommended but water works too. Broth will add more flavor to the final dish.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Variations & Additions
This recipe is very forgiving and flexible. I usually add carrot, celery and spinach but pretty much any extra veggies work or you can even add rice, chickpeas or quinoa.
- Add Greens: You can stir in a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, collarg greens or finely chopped kale at the end for added nutrition.
- Additional Protein: Try serving with baked tofu or tempeh.
- More Veggies: If you want to add additional veggies, I’d recommend adding celery, diced carrots, cauliflower or bell peppers at the same time as the onions. You can also add veggies like diced butternut squash, zucchini or sweet potatoes.
- Soup: To make this closer to a soup, add an additional 2 cups of vegetable broth, or try this Vegan Mulligatawny Soup Recipe or Curried Lentil Soup.
- Chickpeas: For more bulk, fiber and nutrition, stir in 1 can of chickpeas near the end of cooking.
- Heat: The dahl is not overly spicy but you can cmit or reduce the red pepper flakes if you’re sensitive to spice, or feel free to add a little more if you really want some kick! One diced jalapeno or cayenne pepper work as an alternative to red chili flakes.
- To make this recipe oil-free: Omit the coconut oil and saute the onion, garlic and ginger in water or broth.
- Lemon or Lime: Some enjoy dahl with some fresh lime or lemon juice. You can stir a squeeze of lemon or lime juice in at the end or serve with lemon or lime wedges.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Cook the onions, garlic and ginger in the coconut oil for 6-7 minutes over medium heat in a large pot, Dutch oven or large saucepan, stirring often.
Step 2. Add the spices, coconut milk, dried lentils and broth or water. Give it a good stir to combine the ingredients and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan.
Step 3. Simmer over low to medium heat for 20-30 minutes until it’s thick and creamy and the lentils are tender.
Step 4. Serve right away topped with fresh cilantro, on its own or over rice or quinoa. Lentil dahl pairs nicely with fresh pita, naan or roti.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Healthy red lentils are rich in fibre, plant-based protein, iron and other micronutrients. To make this recipe lower in fat and calories, use light coconut milk.
You can use any non-dairy milk such as unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk. You can also make a quick cashew cream like in this vegan butter tofu recipe.
Red lentils have a quick cooking time so they do not need to be soaked. You can give them a quick rinse in cold water before adding to the recipe to remove any debris, if you like.
Yes. Red lentil dahl is suitable for making in advance and will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat dahl in a pot on the stovetop or in individual servings in the microwave.
Yes. Let it cool then store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat stovetop or in the microwave as needed.
Red lentil dahl of course, is best with red lentils. You can substitute brown or green lentils though the dahl with have a different texture and be darker in colour.
Red lentils become soft and mushy when cooked, perfect for making dahl, a stew dish with a thick, creamy texture. Green and brown lentils remain firm when cooked to the dahl wouldn’t be as creamy. You’ll also need a slightly longer cooking time and may need to adjust the amount of liquid used.
Coconut Red Lentil Dahl
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 2 medium white or yellow onion, diced (approx. 4 cups)
- 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp mild yellow curry powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 cups 375 g dry red lentils
- 1 14 oz can full-fat coconut milk*
- 3 cups water or vegetable stock*
- fresh cilantro, for serving
- cooked jasmine, basmati or brown rice, optional for serving
Instructions
- Cook the onions, ginger and garlic in the coconut oil for 5-10 minutes over medium heat in a large saucepan or pot, stirring frequently until soft.
- Add all of the spices, salt and pepper, coconut milk, red lentils and water or vegetable stock.
- Bring to a light simmer over low to medium heat and cook for 25-30 minutes, uncovered, until lentils are tender and the dahl has thickened.
- Remove from heat and serve topped with fresh cilantro over basmati rice, brown rice, quinoa, or on its own.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on August 23, 2013.
Can I use yellow split peas with this recipe and if so what would be the cooking time.
I have these over
It would be about the same cooking time. Thanks.
Not only was this delicious, but it smelled heavenly as it cooked in my kitchen. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Thanks for trying it!
I stumbled upon this while looking for a quick side to our (non-veg) chicken tandoori dinner.
Delicious and ridiculously easy!
I used Trader Joe’s red lentils; interestingly everything was done after 20 mins.
The only changes I made were:
Cook the onions first (they take longer than the garlic and ginger, which you don’t want to burn)
Added a small chopped chili to the onion and garlic for that extra kick
Add the spices straight to the onion mix when it’s soft and cook to bring out the flavors, stirring constantly for about a minute, before adding the stock
Big hit! It’s going into our rotation! Thank you!
So happy to hear it, Dermott! Thanks for the review.
This is a delicious dahl recipe. Don’t stint on the spices because this recipe makes a lot of dahl. We are a family of four and the two kids are now adults (in appetite at least!). We all love this dish – it is ultimate comfort food – and are all happy if there are leftovers the next day. And don’t be alarmed if you think it contains a lot of salt between the actual salt in the recipe and broth. As I say it is a really big pot of food and needs all that salt. Regarding the quantities I would suggest that two medium onions is fine (about 300g I would say, not 600g but maybe onions are bigger in the US than in Ireland 🙂 ) and you will need more than 3 cups of broth/water. I add quite a bit of extra water as the dish thickens up remarkably quickly. Just add as required as the dish cooks and stir often to prevent sticking. I added extra coconut milk once but the result was that the dish was just too rich. If you are generous with the spices extra water won’t dilute the flavour. Thank you so much for this recipe – it has become a staple and favourite in our house. And of course the lentils are really good for your gut health!
I have been making this for several years for my family. We love it so much we don’t deviate from the original recipe. Just about to make it for lunch with pitta and salad – its a complete staple for us. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe – its made a lot of people happy!! And well fed!
That’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know.
This is amazing! My non-vegan, meat and potatoes husband loved this and wanted seconds. This will definitely become a part of my regular recipe rotation.
This is SO delicious and so easy to make. Its become a weekly staple!
Oh my goodness – I am not a vegetarian but do try to make my lunches vegetarian. This dish was simply amazing! I had to remind myself that I didn’t get Indian take out!
Thank you so much for this yumminess!
Yum! This was delicious! Very flavorful. thank you!
How long in the slow cooker please.
I’ve never made it in a slow cooker but I would guess 2-3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low. Thanks!