Red Lentil Dahl with Coconut Milk

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This red lentil dahl with coconut milk is the perfect nourishing weeknight meal. With cozy spices, a creamy texture, and nutritious red lentils, this easy recipe will become a new favourite!

A bowl of red lentil dahl topped with coconut flakes, cilantro and chilli.

Table of Contents

Ingredient tips
Step by step pictures
Substitutions and variations
Serving
Storage
FAQs
More delicious meals
📖 Recipe

Red lentil dahl, also spelled dal, dhal or daal, is a staple meal at our house!

We love how simple it is to make and how nourishing it is with protein-packed red lentils. If you've never tried it before it's a bit like a curry or thick stew with a soft texture and warm, spiced flavour.

We enjoy dahl so much that we already have a few variations published here on Vegan on Board. There's our one-pot dahl with potatoes and spinach and our red lentil dal with tomatoes, of which we made an enormous batch for our own wedding!

What we love about this recipe with coconut milk is how deliciously creamy and rich the dahl becomes. We often make a double batch so we can freeze leftovers for a super easy meal any time. Happy cooking!

This easy red lentil dahl recipe is:

Comforting
Cozy
Creamy
Nutritious
Vegan and gluten-free friendly!

Ingredient tips

Here's everything you need for this delicious red lentil dahl recipe with coconut milk:

Ingredients: split red lentils, onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, coconut oil, coconut milk, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, coriander, salt and lemon.

Split red lentils, also known as masoor dal, are the base of the recipe. They are a quick-cooking variety of lentils compared to green or brown lentils.

Most red lentils sold at the supermarket are split lentils (lentils that have been split in half and had the hull removed). But if you only have whole red lentils, you can use those too if you increase the cooking time until they are tender, and add additional water as needed.

For the coconut milk, I prefer to use organic full-fat coconut milk which is free of stabilisers.

Step by step pictures

Here's how to make this incredible red lentil coconut dahl:

For the full, adjustable and printable recipe, see the recipe card at the end of the post.

Step 1 - In a large pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent.

Sauteed onions, with garlic, ginger and chilli in a pan.

Step 2 - Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and finely chopped chilli. Sauté for a minute until fragrant.

Adding spices to sauteed onion, garlic, ginger and chilli.

Step 3 - Stir in turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and salt and cook for another 30 seconds.

Adding red lentils and coconut milk to a pan.

Step 4 - Add red lentils, coconut milk and water, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook for around 20 minutes until the lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.

Pouring in a spoonful of lemon juice to cooked lentil dahl.

Step 5 - Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

Substitutions and variations

Use light coconut milk for a lower fat version.

Instead of fresh chilli, you can add heat with red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste.

Instead of lemon, you can also use lime juice. The acidity brightens and balances the flavours of the dish, so don't skip it.

Spices: The beauty of this dish is that you can easily tweak the spices to suit you.

If you are in a pinch you can replace the individual spices with curry powder.
To add another layer of aromatic flavour, you can also add whole spices such as mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Fry them in the coconut oil for 30-60 seconds before adding the onions.
Garam masala is another excellent spice addition typically added at the end of cooking in Indian cuisine.

Add extra veggies:

Add some cubes of roasted butternut squash or sweet potatoes for a more hearty dish.
Stir in some chopped spinach or kale for 2-3 minutes before the end of cooking.
Some fresh or tinned chopped tomatoes are also a great addition.

Two bowls of red lentil dahl next to a dish of rice, yellow cloth and garnish ingredients.

Serving

The dahl will thicken as it cools. If it becomes too thick for your taste, you can easily add a splash more water.

For an extra layer of flavour and texture, garnish your dahl with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro / coriander leaves, a drizzle of coconut cream and toasted coconut flakes before serving.

This coconut lentil dahl is delicious with basmati rice, quinoa or bulgur wheat. I also love it paired with our homemade vegan naan bread and mango chutney.

It's also wonderful as a side dish alongside a vegan curry.

A brass spoon lifts a spoonful of creamy coconut dahl.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. Leftover lentil dal thickens on cooling, so you might like to add a splash of water when reheating to get it to your preferred consistency.

Freezing: When the dahl is cooled, portion into airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, and reheat on the stove or in the microwave until thoroughly hot, stirring often.

FAQs

Can I use green or brown lentils instead of red?

I don't recommend using green or brown lentils in this recipe, as they take much longer to cook, and have quite a different taste and texture.

Two bowls of red lentil dahl garnished with coconut cream, herbs and fresh red chilli.

More delicious meals

I hope you loved this coconut red lentil dal recipe! If you're craving more delicious Indian-inspired vegan recipes, try these:

Vegan Chickpea Curry with Spinach

Tofu Tikka Masala

Vegan Butternut Squash Curry