Red Lentil Spinach Curry
This red lentil spinach curry is creamy, comforting, healthy, and easy to make. Ready in about 30 minutes and packed with greens!
Why We Love This Red Lentil Spinach Curry
- Easy & Delicious: This unassuming curry comes together in about 30 minutes and is surprisingly flavorful! It’s not as heavily spiced as my vegan tikka masala, but it’s creamy and comforting in its own right.
- Good for Meal-Prep: One of the best things about curry is that the leftovers taste even better! Make a big batch at the beginning of the week or freeze individual portions for quick meals whenever you need it.
- Packed with Nutrients & Fiber: Each serving provides 15 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber, and 2 cups of spinach (equivalent to 1 serving of vegetables)!
Key Ingredients
- Red Lentils ⟶ Use split red lentils for even faster cooking. See tips below for notes about soaking the lentils (especially helpful if you experience bloating from beans/legumes).
- Spinach ⟶ Try to use baby spinach or spinach leaves, not the thick stems. Blanch first so the spinach doesn’t make the curry too watery. Frozen spinach works too, just thaw and squeeze out excess liquid first.
- Cashews ⟶ Use raw/untoasted and unsalted cashews for neutral flavor and the creamiest texture.
- Spices ⟶ Cumin seeds, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, and red chili powder. I used Japanese curry powder, but any kind should work.
- Onion, Garlic, Ginger ⟶ The base aromatics for any good curry, in my opinion 🙂
- Carrots ⟶ I like to throw them in for a little extra veg, but you can omit or use a bell pepper instead.
- Tomato Paste ⟶ Or one tomato, diced, for a little umami boost.
Tips for Success
Rinse and soak lentils before cooking ⟶ Always rinse your lentils before cooking to remove any dirt/dust. While you can technically skip soaking them if you’re in a rush, I highly recommend soaking them for even just 30 minutes before cooking (although overnight is best). Soaking lentils reduces anti-nutrients (like phytic acid) and oligosaccharides (which cause gas/bloating), improving nutrient absorption and digestibility.
Drain and rinse soaked lentils ⟶ Be sure to discard the soaking water and rinse the lentils again to remove the oligosaccharides and anti-nutrients that have been pulled out during soaking.
Remove foam during cooking ⟶ You may notice white/yellow foam form on the surface while the lentils cook. Use a spoon or fine mesh skimmer to remove the foam for a cleaner flavor.
Red Lentil Spinach Curry FAQ
More Cozy Vegan Curries
- Vegan Tikka Masala
- Japanese Curry without Roux
- Japanese Curry with Red Lentils
- Red Lentil Pumpkin Peanut Curry
- Kidney Bean and Eggplant Peanut Curry
- Chickpea Spinach Curry
- Tempeh and Chickpea Peanut Curry
If you try out this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Red Lentil Spinach Curry
Ingredients
Spices
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼-½ tsp
Indian red chili powder* adjust to taste
Spinach Cream
- 250 grams fresh spinach blanched
- 45 grams raw cashews soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
- 1 cup water or non-dairy milk
Curry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 small carrots diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2½ – 3 cups vegetable broth1
- 1 cup red lentils2 rinsed
- 2-3 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt or more to taste
Instructions
- Mix spices together in a small bowl.
- Blanch the spinach for the cream sauce. Add spinach to a large heat-safe bowl. Boil a pot or kettle of water and pour over the spinach. Let the spinach sit in the hot water for 1-2 minutes until wilted, then drain and rinse the spinach. Once cool enough to handle, take handfuls of spinach and squeeze out excess water. Set aside.
- Make the curry: Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5-8 minutes.
- Add carrots, garlic, and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add spices and tomato paste and stir for 30-60 seconds to toast.
- Deglaze the pot with some of the vegetable broth, scraping the bottom for any stuck pieces. Add remaining broth (start with 2½ cups) and red lentils. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 15 minutes. Check and stir every few minutes, adding more broth if needed.
- Make the spinach cream: Drain soaked cashews and add to a blender with spinach and water/non-dairy milk. Blend until creamy.
- Once the lentils are soft, stir in the spinach cream. Gently simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat and stir in lemon juice and salt to taste.
Notes
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