Slow cooker lentil curry is easily made with simple ingredients. This hearty vegan dish is a crowd pleaser!
Yesterday I made the mistake of wandering into the Target dollar spot. It started out innocently enough, with my son saying, “Look, Star Wars stuff!” And then I don’t know what happened, but I blinked and my cart was full of burlap banners, glittered fall leaf banners, Halloween baker’s twine, wooden haunted houses, felt pumpkins, and twinkle lights. Oops.
Of course we had to come home and decorate, and then guess what Darryl came home with? Mini pumpkins.
It’s officially fall in the Roenicke household. :) So we may as well embrace it and bust out the slow cooker recipes.
This slow cooker lentil curry is one of those recipes that I just kind of threw together one day that turned into one of our favorite family meals. It’s hearty, because of the lentils, and full of flavor from the tomato paste, coconut milk, and spices.
When I made this for the first time, it was one of those situations where you can’t stop eating…just a little more, and a little more, just a spoonful of sauce…it’s hard to walk away from. So don’t say I didn’t warn you!
I used half regular green lentils and half French green lentils because that’s what I had in the pantry. You could use just green lentils, or just French green lentils, or even black (Beluga) lentils. If you use black lentils it may take a little bit longer to cook. I would not recommend using red lentils in this slow cooker lentil curry recipe, because they will just turn to mush.
This slow cooker lentil curry is:
- family friendly
- free of the top 8 allergens
- the perfect easy weeknight meal
- a simple, tasty vegan dinner
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Slow Cooker Lentil Curry.
Healthy lentils cooked in a rich coconut cream curry sauce - this slow cooker lentil curry is a comforting dish for chilly nights!
Ingredients
- 1 red onion diced - you could also use a yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 yellow pepper diced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups green lentils or French green lentils
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste or 1/3 cup tomato sauce
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 3 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 1/2 cups water
- Jasmine rice for serving or Brown Basmati Rice
Instructions
-
Place the red onion, minced garlic, diced pepper, and olive oil in the slow cooker.
-
Pick over and rinse the lentils and add to the slow cooker.
-
Add all the other ingredients and stir.
-
Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 1/2 - 5 hours. Check periodically and add more liquid if needed.
-
Serve over Jasmine rice.
Recipe Notes
Since models of slow cookers vary, your cooking time may be longer or shorter.
Feel free to customize this lentil curry. If you don’t have a red onion, try a sweet onion or white onion. No fresh garlic? Add some garlic powder. This is a very forgiving recipe.
This recipe is such a favorite in our house that it’s even requested for birthday dinners. If you want to try another easy curry recipe, try this spinach aloo palak.
Have you gotten out the slow cooker yet? What are you making?
Great recipe! It is so easy to prep, and it makes one of the best curries I’ve ever had. I will definitely be making this again!
P.S. I had all the ingredients on hand, except for the green lentils, so I used brown.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for letting me know!
I’ve made this twice now, each time following the recipe to a “T”! This is an absolutely perfect recipe. The seasoning is spot on, the cook time is exact…I never write reviews but I just had to with this recipe. Restaurant quality!!!
I am so glad to hear this! Thank you!
Love this recipe ❤️
I never comment but this has been my absolute favorite homemade Indian recipe since forever. Freezes well and I always add a hefty amount of red chili flake for some extra heat!!
So glad to hear that! Thank you for telling me!
Does the nutritional I formation include the rice ? I.e. the 376 calories is that with rice ?
The lentil slow cooker curry is next level. Tried it in late December 2019 and have made it 6 times since then, including the batch one now!! Many thanks!
Hi, what curry powder would you suggest?
I don’t comment often but I must say this is one of my most made recipes. Everyone in my family loves it, including my toddler. We’re all meat eaters but also prefer to eat healthy. I use coconut sugar instead of regular sugar. I also cook the onion and garlic beforehand to deepen the flavor. I use shallot instead of red onion as I don’t like red onion. So fantastic and filling! It freezes well too.
I’m so happy to hear this!
Delicious! My husband and I are meat eaters but this is the best non meat curry we’ve ever had. Will certainly be making this again. Feels so healthy!
I love this recipe! I make it all of the time, and I’ve recommended it to many friends/family members. It is easy to prepare and always tastes delicious. :)
Yay! So happy to hear that!
Made this before and loved it!
I only have red split lentils in the cupboard today will these work the same?
My question too! Did it work?
I love this recipe! Can it be made as is in an instant pot?
I would like to make this, but my children don’t like any spicy food (the best they will eat is butter chicken).
Could you tell me how spicy this is? and can the amount of spices be reduced?
This is actually pretty mild, depending on the curry you use. and cut back a little on the ginger if your kids are really sensitive. The coconut milk helps mellow things out.
Garam Masada and curry powder do not contain heat ingredients.
Hi Kelly, thanks for the delicious, hearty, and simple recipe.
I just have a quick question – is the calorie total per serving (376kcal) with or without rice?
Thanks!
Hannah
The nutrition facts are for the curry only, no rice.
How much is a serving? 1 cup?
Yes, about that!
Actually amazing
I loved making this so healthy and nutritious I added a fresh green chilli for an extra kick absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe! Its become one of our family favorites!!
Made this last night and it was lovely. Going to have whats left with steamed fish tonight, Thank you
Going to try this recipe this week. It looks delicious! Would like to avoid using sugar. Can I simply leave this ingredient out or would you recommend a substitute?
You could leave it out!
I love Indian food and thought this recipe looked great. I had never tried lentils before and they are going to be something I cook with often now. I’m a vegetarian and my boyfriend is not, but he was crazy about the dish too! Great recipe, very happy with the results. Thanks!
Have to try this!
Funny that you associate slow cookers with fall. IMO, summer is the perfect season to get out the Crockpot because it doesn’t heat up the kitchen.
Thanks for this great recipe.
That’s a good point!
Will reduced fat coconut milk work?
Yes, it just won’t be quite as creamy.
Did you pre-soak your lentils? Or just placed the dry lentils straight into the crock-pot?
Just put the dry lentils in the crock pot! After rinsing and picking them over first.
I realize I am late to the party for this recipe, and I don’t normally comment. However, you need to know that this is the favorite recipe I have ever tried on my family. It’s everything. It has my whole family eating lentils, something we NEVER. EVER. did before (including me). It’s super cheap, and many of the ingredients are easy to keep around in the pantry. It’s a perfect slow cooker meal–just dump and run. It even freezes well ahead of time. All my processed-food-loving, salted meat aficionado, picky eater children (and adults) eat it, ask for seconds, and fight over who gets the leftovers the next day. I’ve made it at least five times, and I have three more in my freezer to get us through the winter. I don’t know what the magic is here, but I just needed to say thank you. Can’t seem to select a rating, but I give it five stars!
Yay, I am so happy to hear that you love this recipe! Thank you for letting me know! The ratings are working now, I’m sorry it wasn’t before!
Wonderfully spiced and easy to prepare recipe.
So glad to hear this, thanks for letting me know!
Hi Kelly,
I cannot use coconut milk (anaphylaxis response). Please could you suggest a suitable alternative.
Regards,
Allison
Made this tonight and my husband and I loved it! Probably the best curry I’ve had at home. My 3 year old didn’t even die in disgust while eating it! Which is a rarity. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I did switch a regular onion for a red onion. I think I’ll do the same for future makings.
So glad you loved it! Thank you for letting me know!
This recipe was easy and excellent! Thanks for sharing :)
This was amazing. All I had was red bell pepper and orange/yellow lentils. It was fabulous. Thank you so much.
So glad you loved it! Thanks for letting me know!
Hi there, I’m very tempted to try this recipe but don’t own a slow cooker. Would you have any tips on cooking on a normal electric stove? Thanks!
It should work fine on the stove. I would cook the onions with olive oil until softened, then add the other ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. It will probably take about 40 minutes or so to cook.
Incredible. I was concerned about cooking the green lentils from dry (as opposed to soaking over night). I’ve never heard of that before. I needn’t have been. I ended up adding about another cup of water in the cooking process. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to the letter. Everyone in the family ate it up. This is definitely going in our regular rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful, I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you for letting me know!
Just wanted to stop by and say this was delicious! It will be a new staple for me. Thank you :)
Awesome! So glad to hear it!
Thanks for the great recipe. I have it going in the slow cooker right now. I’ve made it several times. It it one of our favorites.
Hi, I just discovered your recipe and decided to try it since I needed to prepare something before leaving the house, and what is better for that than a slow cooker right?… well I followed your instructions and your ingredients exactly as you described and the results were amazing! This will become my go-to lentils recipe… I just wanted to leave my comment so you know how much I appreciated your recipe.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so glad you liked it!
This is the most delicious, easiest meal I’ve ever made. My family was raving and keep begging for it. And I’m happy to oblige, because it takes just a few inexpensive ingredients being dumped into a pot and I’m on with my day! I live alone, too – my family just happened to be over for dinner – so one pot lasts me quite a few meals. I’m going to make it again tonight and get double ingredients for next week!
Thank you so much for letting me know! I am just thrilled that you love it! We really like this meal too! :)
This recipe is so good, it’s become a staple here. Adding sweet potatoes to it tomorrow night to switch it up. Thank you!
So glad you enjoy it! Sweet potatoes sound like a nice addition!
This looks amazing! Does it do well in the freezer?
I have never tried freezing it, so I don’t know. Sorry!
YES it does! I’ve done it several times, and it’s perfect. I just wait to add the water until I put it in the slow cooker. Ideally I thaw it overnight, but it also works fine with just a couple hours thawing on the counter. It may add 30 minutes to 1 hr to the cooking time.
So glad to hear that!
This is a fanatic recipe but cooking on low didn’t work very well for me. I ended up having to sauté for an additional 30-ish minutes after turning it up to high on hour 3. I’m trying again tonight on high for 4 hours. Fingers crossed!
I hope it worked out for you!
Can this be cooked on high, to cook faster?
Yes, just watch it, make sure the liquid level doesn’t get too low.
You’ve seriously got me craving lentils and curry right now, Kelly! This looks so cozy and comforting and I love that it’s made entirely in the crockpot!
Thanks, Sarah!
I could shop at Target every day, it’s just too dangerous! This curry looks fantastic, Kelly! I’ve never made this in the slow cooker before, so I can only imagine how delicious it is!
This looks so comforting! Delicious :)
Thanks, Medha!
I’m always looking for more vegetarian slow cooker recipes!!
The dollar stop at Target is so dangerous! I go a little overboard there too. But hey, it’s only $1! This lentil curry sounds delicious. Love that it’s slow cooker.
Thanks, Natalie!
Bring on the curry! And fall apparently :P It’s here and here to stay…even though I don’t want it!
I know, it’s here to stay I guess!