Hearty, Delicious, and Super Easy Lentil Curry

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Looking for a tasty, frugal meal that’s a snap to make? One taste of these Easy Indian Lentils and you’ll be surprised at how satisfying and delicious lentils can be.

Indian lentil and cauliflower rice on a black plate with black fork

This savory lentil dahl recipe is a vegan stew that is rich, hearty, and delicious, but also super simple and inexpensive to make.

Our family loves curry.

Anything curry.

In fact, though we like experimenting with cuisine from all cultures, I would say that Indian is one of our favorites.

Now, before I go on, let me say that this lentil recipe isn’t an intense, hot and spicy curry – so don’t run away if you think that you are not a curry fan.

Really–you don’t know what you are missing.

Most people who don’t like curry don’t like it due to its being spicy. This dish is not that, and in fact, it feels like a real comfort food to me. In fact, there is another recipe on my site that actually does feature curry and that is in fact my most requested recipe–Pakistani Kima.

Think you don’t like curry? You really should try BOTH of these recipes (these Indian Lentils and the Pakistani Kima).

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Lentils in colander for Indian Lentils
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Super Easy Indian Food

So you love Indian food like I do, right? However, we all know that making Indian cuisine can be quite time consuming. So when I can get the taste of Indian spices in a fast, one pot meal, then I get the best of both worlds.

I can have my cake curry and eat it too.

‘Cause these days, who has a lot of time to spend in the kitchen working on seemingly endless elaborate steps? I have many other things that need to be done.

Like photo albums. Those need to be done. Please don’t ask how many years behind I am. I need to start a support group for moms with empty photo albums :-). Care to join me?

Anyhow, back to the recipe.

Adding broth to pan of onion and garlic for Indian Lentil Recipe

This recipe is adapted from a dish simply called “Red Lentils” by Southern Living.

It’s a pretty “Blah” name for a truly amazing dish.

It’s quick on its own, but really lickety-split in my pressure cooker. If you don’t have one of these yet, put it on your Christmas list now.

I know, I should get better at planning meals, but it sure is nice to not have any idea what you are going to have for dinner at 5:30 and have dinner on the table at 6:15.

Well, with this recipe, you can get it done. You can literally have an amazingly delicious meal on the table–without resorting to packages filled with preservatives and who knows what else.

Cooking onion and garlic in a pan for Indian Lentils

Done. In a fast 30 minutes on the stove top, or 9 minutes in the pressure cooker.

Mom is happy that she didn’t resort to serving boxed cereal (that might have paint thinner in it??) and toast, and the family is happy because they aren’t having popcorn, carrot sticks, and hard-boiled eggs (or sardines for my egg-allergic son) again because mom forgot to plan :-).

Yes, I know, you all are wondering why we don’t just order a pizza, right? We’re all gluten-free and oldest is also deathly allergic to dairy, so that’s why….

What is Indian Dahl

Daal (which can also be spelled Dal/Dahl/Dhal) is a stew of lentils, cooked with delectable spices. Most dahls are made with red lentils or yellow lentils. The red lentils interestingly turn yellow when cooked, and dahls are typically served with Naan. Naan is a popular soft Indian flatbread that you will have had if you’ve ever been to an Indian restaurant.

They taste amazing together.

Our family is gluten-free, so traditional Naan isn’t ever on our table, but I plan on developing a gluten-free or grain-free Naan, and in the meantime, as mentioned below, the flax bread on my blog tastes great with this. You could even wrap these Indian Lentils in these Buckwheat Galettes as well.

Indian Lentils in pan with wooden serving spoon

More Quick and Easy Recipes

Here are some other of my super fast recipes that are “go to’s” when I’m short on time.

Easy Baked Chicken Nuggets
Super Savory Hummus
Fast & Yummy Bean Dip
GF Chili Mac (and other super fast meals)

Indian Lentils in pan with wooden serving spoon

Ways to Serve Curry Lentils

  • Rice: This dish tastes great served over rice (which, by the way, I can cook in 20 minutes flat in my pressure cooker. Woo-hoo!) I always use brown rice due to its higher nutritive qualities. There is some concern about arsenic in brown rice so source carefully or eat white rice if you prefer.
  • Pasta: This dish would be fabulous over gluten-free pasta or spiralized veggie noodles too.
  • Naan: Naan is the perfect accompaniment for this Indian Lentil recipe. If you’re avoiding gluten, you can make or purchase a gluten-free naan or make this Focaccia Flax Bread for a gluten-free flatbread option.
  • Cauliflower Rice: Cauli rice is the perfect low carb / grain-free option and is what is pictured in the images on this post.
  • Add-Ins: You can add so many things to this dish. Beef, chicken, and lamb would all be great options. I think that sauteing small chunks of chicken in coconut oil and my Homemade All-Purpose Seasoning would be a wonderful addition.
    My Chaat Masala spice mix tastes great on this. We have this on our table at all times and put it on everything. Except desserts :-).
    If you are like us and you just LOVE curry dishes, see my recipe for Sweet Curry Powder – DIY – it is a real winner and a great money saver too. You can add it to so many dishes, including this one. Just swap out the turmeric and cumin for the curry.
Indian Lentils in wooden serving spoon above plate of Cauliflower Rice

Benefits of Lentils

Lentils are not only an inexpensive meal, they are full of nutrition as well.

Lentils are low in calories, rich in fiber and protein, as well as in iron and folate. Of courses, their iron source is non heme, which isn’t as well absorbed as the heme counterpart, but you can add vitamin C (like the tomatoes in this dish) to help with iron absorption.

Additionally, lentils are also full of polyphenols which are overall viewed to be very beneficial for health. (source)

Recipe Notes for Indian Lentils

  • Onion options
    Instead of fresh onion, you can use 2 tablespoons minced onion plus a bit of water to reconstitute.
  • Broth options
    Here is a great place to buy bone broth. You can also find the same brand on Amazon.
  • Lentil Options
    Although this recipe was originally meant as a red lentil dish, you can use any kind of lentils and the main photos were taken of the dish made with traditional lentils. The glycemic index of red lentils is a higher so brown is a better choice if you’re watching carb intake. The lentils in the following photo are red lentils. Note that red lentils turn yellow when cooked.
  • Basil options
    You can use fresh or dried basil, but fresh will yield a more dramatic flavor and presentation. If you choose to grow your own herbs, this post on the how to preserve herbs shows what to do with your bumper crop.
  • THM option
    Those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan should reduce the coconut oil to 2 tablespoons to make this qualify as an “E.”
Indian Lentils on plate with Cauliflower Rice - next to serving bowl and 2 forks.

The cook time in the recipe card is how long it will take if you do not own a pressure cooker. If you do own one, the cook time will be around 15 minutes less, but you’ll have a wait time of about 10 minutes since the pressure needs to go down.

The Pressure Cooker I Love

Kuhn Rikon is the pressure cooker line I’ve used for many years. They have a great 10 year warranty and 5 over-pressure safety system.

Hand down, they are the best.

I Recommend
Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Stainless-Steel Pressure Cooker - 7.4-Qt,

Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Stainless-Steel Pressure Cooker - 7.4-Qt,

Kuhn Rikon is the brand of pressure cooker I've trusted for many years.They're made of an 18/10 stainless steel solid aluminum sandwich in the bottom for even browning. With 5 over-pressure safety systems, malfunction is virtually impossible. It's not your grandma's pressure cooker!

indian lentils over cauliflower rice on black plate next to serving pan and black forks

Recipe

Cauliflower rice topped with Indian lentil on a black plate with a black spoon

Easy Indian Lentils

This Indian Lentil Recipe is ready in a flash and is a rich, hearty, and delicious frugal meal that everyone will love.


5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegan
Keyword: indian lentils
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 49 minutes
Wait Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 52 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 226kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Melt oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.
  • Add onion and garlic. Saute 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.
  • Add broth and next 5 ingredients.
  • Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

If Using Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot

  • Add lentils and bring to a boil.
  • Place the lid on the cooker and bring up to high pressure. Cook for 9 minutes on high (you may need a few more minutes since the tomatoes counteract the cooking of the lentils slightly. Conversely, you could add the tomatoes after cooking the beans and then let the resulting dish cook for a bit).
  • Let pressure come down naturally. Remove lid carefully.
  • Stir in basil and salt to taste.

If Using Regular Pot

  • Add lentils, and then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. (Red lentils will cook quicker than brown or green.)
  • Stir in basil and salt to taste.

Notes

You might be wondering, “Hey where is the curry powder?!” in these Indian Curry Lentils. Good question!
Curry isn’t one spice. It’s a blend of spices. So-instead of the turmeric, cumin, and pepper, you could substitute 2 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder. This homemade curry powder is a great mild version that we love on just about anything.

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 5mg | Net Carbs: 17g

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

The above nutrition facts are estimates only. Please read my Nutrition Disclaimer here.

Voila!

Wonderful, fast, savory Indian cuisine in no time!

I’d love to hear what you think about these lentils!

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117 Comments

  1. We just finished eating this for lunch – WOW! IT WAS AWESOME! I used palm oil for sauteing the onion and garlic; fresh tomatoes; I didn’t have tumeric, so I used cayenne pepper and ginger; I also added chicken. My (picky eaters) children devoured it!

  2. YUM! This sounds so delicious. I love Indian food too, but haven’t really tried cooking it myself. I think you may have just introduced me to a new cuisine … 🙂

  3. Me too, I have also thrown frozen meat, veggies and wine in there and let ‘er rock. It works for me. This recipe looks great and is exactly what I was looking for, by the way.

  4. This sounds similar to a recipe for Lentil Dal that my family loves. We found that we can add 1 cup of grated carrots to it and it’s even tastier, as well as having more vitamins and fiber!

    All lentil lovers have to try Honey Baked Lentils! This amazing recipe does take an hour to bake, but it’s great for busy days because the prep time is very short (then it just bakes by itself–there’s a way to make it in a slow-cooker if you prefer) and it uses all shelf-stable ingredients that you can keep on hand.

    1. I would be very interested in your recipe if you have it (the Dal one). I have not yet sorted out exactly what Dal means, but this for sure is close if not a “dal” itself. Thanks for stopping by.

  5. I love lentils. Thanks for this great recipe and for sharing it at Cast Party Wednesday.
    See you next week!

    1. Thanks, Crystal! I have another one or two lentil dishes that we like so I’ll share them as I have time :-).

  6. This is a great recipe idea! Thanks for the information on de-gassing beans, too! I don’t usually do lentils, but I like them in Indian dishes. Since lentils don’t need as much prep work, I might be experimenting with them more in the future!

  7. I love lentils and my pressure cooker, but have never cooked lentils in my pressure cooker. Time to rectify that oversite! Thanks for sharing your recipe with the Hearth and Soul Hop.

  8. Pressure cookers are the bomb. The last few times my mom visited me from India – I made her get me a different size pressure cooker.. I have 4 now! This dish is one of my favorites. In India you typically have it as a side.. but when I make it – it really becomes the main – we love it that much! Thanks for sharing this at Sugar Free Sunday *and* spreading the curry love. 🙂

  9. My kids love lentils and I all ready have most of these ingredients in the house. This may go with dinner tonight. Thanks!

  10. This looks great! We eat a lot of lentils…and we love curry, so this sounds like a winner! 🙂 Not to mention I LOVE that it is so simple and quick. Always a good thing for busy moms.

    I’m going to try this one really soon. Thanks for sharing!

  11. sounds really great, we love curries too! thanks for sharing your recipe and yes, like you i am ages behind with our photo albums…reminds me that i need to do those things too! 🙂 visiting late from FTF, hope you can visit me back! thanks and have a great week!

  12. My mom cooked this once. I love to taste this again. It is not really this kind but I think seems similar to the one she did last year. She loves trying to cook new meals.

  13. This looks great! I am always a little worried about curry becuase I my family can’t do spicy food but we do love lentils so maybe I’ll give this one a shot. Thanks!

    1. Hi Roxanne. This is completely not spicy. My little one will almost never eat spicy food. Stay tuned….I’ll have another great curry recipe soon that isn’t spicy and hopefully a sweet curry spice mix too. Thanks for visiting!

  14. I love this delicious and nutritious one pot! And what great spices! Thank you for sharing it with our first Gallery of Favorites.

  15. This looks awesome, found you via allergy friendly friday! We can’t get enough of lentils in our house, I usually just use red lentils when I make stuffed peppers, I should buy a bigger batch next time, though. 🙂