Quick & easy Red Lentil Dal that is as soul-warming as it is delicious. It's super creamy thanks to the melty red lentils & rich coconut milk and naturally vegan and gluten-free.
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Hello, creamy soft red lentils bathed in coconut milk and spices. I'm looking at you Red Lentil Dal!
Something totally magical happens when you combine red lentils, spices, tomatoes, and coconut milk, then simmer them all together. So cozy, comforting and so delicious!
This Dal is rich, creamy, gently spiced, full of protein, very filling, and budget-friendly, assuming you keep a good selection of staple spices in your pantry.
What Is Dal?
Wondering what Dal actually is? I like Cooking Light's description of it. They say "Dal or dhal, just like posole (or pozole) is both an ingredient and a dish: it refers to a type of dried split pea or lentil and the deeply spiced stew made from simmering the split peas until nicely broken down".
It's a staple dish of India and South Asia and "archaeological evidence indicates that Indian dal made its first appearance in the Indus Valley Civilization (bronze age), where lentils – of all kinds – were a staple food." Sanchari Pal, The Fascinating History of the Humble Dal.
Ingredients
Gather up your ingredients and let's get to it...Here is what's joining the Dal party today:
And a few of ingredient notes:
- Red lentils - Also known as Masoor Dal/Dahl. I don't recommend using any other type of lentils in this recipe because you would need to adjust the amount of liquids added, and then also the seasonings too. Make sure your lentils aren't old and have been stored correctly. Old lentils can take much longer to cook and sometimes won't become tender no matteer how long you cook them for.
- Tomatoes - I like to add diced fresh tomato. You can add the equivalent amount of canned diced tomatoes if you prefer but the flavour won't be quite as good.
- Coconut milk - This should be from a can. You can use full fat canned coconut milk or light coconut milk. I prefer full fat coconut milk because it is creamier and adds more flavour to the finished dish.
Expert Tip - You can add just about any vegetable to this dal. It's a great meal for clearing out the fridge and using up what you have. Spinach, kale, cauliflower, chickpeas, diced potatoes or sweet potatoes work particularly well. Be sure to add harder vegetables like potatoes near the beginning and easy cook veggies like spinach and kale towards the end.
How To Make Red Lentil Dal
Red Lentil Dal recipe is perfect for when you want a fresh, cozy, delicious, and healthy meal on the table pretty fast. Here's how:
- Sauté the onions, garlic, ginger, and spices.
- Add the lentils and let them toast for a few minutes.
- Add all of the other ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Let it simmer until the dal is thick and the lentils are tender.
Serving Suggestions
Try serving your Dal with with:
- My easy flatbread recipe, Naan bread or poppadoms
- Fluffy coconut basmati rice, cauliflower rice, coconut lime rice, or quinoa
- A dollop of unsweetened vegan yogurt
- Shredded coconut or toasted cashews or peanuts
- Fresh cilantro or diced fresh tomato
Tips For Storing Leftovers
This is one of those meals where you can really look forward to the leftovers because the flavours continue to develop over time and just get better and better.
Store leftover dal in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Got an Instant Pot?
If you have an Instant Pot you might want to hop on over to my Instant Pot Lentil Dal. It's been adapted very slightly so that it works perfectly in an Instant Pot. It's equally as delish!
More Lentil Recipes
Recipe
Red Lentil Dal
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil , or a little water for oil-free
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 4 large garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger , finely chopped or grated
- 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes , or 1 small fresh red chili
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds , or ¾ teaspoon ground fennel
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds , or ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper , & more to taste
- 2 teaspoons salt , & more to taste
- 2 cups (400 grams) split red lentils , dried
- 3 large tomatoes , chopped into small chunks
- 1 can ( 13.5oz/400 ml) coconut milk , full fat or light
- 3½ cups (840 ml) water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once hot add the chopped onion and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes until translucent.
- Add the chopped garlic & ginger to the pan and cook for about 1 minute longer.
- Add the chili and spices and cook them out for a minute or two then add the lentils. Toast the lentils gently for a few minutes, stirring frequently to stop them sticking.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, water and coconut milk, stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Turn down to medium low, and continue to simmer for around another 25-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the lentils are breaking down and the sauce is nice and thick.
NOTES
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angie says
Absolutely perfect! most flavoursome version I have ever made. Thank you Mel
Li Lu says
Yes, I have made this recipe several times now. I go easy on the onion, chili pepper flakes, cumin powder, and black pepper. I don't use fennel or cumin seeds. I like to cook it a little longer and use Italian-spiced, diced tomato. I use light coconut milk from a can. This is a very tasty dish! Thank you.
Dennis Byram says
Great recipe! My wife does not like her food too spicy so I will reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon next time.
Do you think a small amount of curry would harm the flavor?
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you're enjoying the recipe! I've used curry powder and curry paste in it when I've run out of the individual spices and it works really well.
Robert says
Wow!!! This is amazing--so easy, and so incredibly tasty! Used topping of roasted cashews, cilantro, yogurt, and chopped tomato. We'd order this in a restaurant, and be amazed at how beautiful the presentation and how scrumptious! Thanks for another fantastic recipe! In the rotation for frequent personal use--and one of those recipes that can be prepared before company arrives and warmed to serve at the appropriate time.
Machelle says
My husband hated Dahl until I made this and forced him to at least just taste it. It is now his favorite meal - and mine! We feed it to all our non vegan friends to prove to them just how delicious ‘our kind of food’ can be. Thankyou for a fabulously tasty recipe. 😋😋😋
Karen Small says
So tasty! The whole family loved it and we have some fussy ones. It will definitely be a regular for us now.
Carolyn Rutherford says
We are eating this as I write. Very tasty, but, as another reader found, the split lentils took longer, and I had to add more water. I served it with basmati rice, mango chutney, lemon wedges, a blob of coconut yoghurt, and fresh coriander.
I think I will try adding split peas next time, and serve with poppadoms, just for variety. Looking forward to the leftovers!
Christine Hanner says
Hi Mel,
This recipe looks amazing and I want to make it; however, I am not a fan of coconut milk. I know it's a big part of the recipe, but could I substitute it for something else? If so, what would you recommend?
Thank you
Melanie McDonald says
You could just use another variety of plant milk, just make sure it's unsweetened and doesn't have any vanilla flavouring or anything in it. Cashew milk would be good as it's nice and creamy and the nutty flavour would work well in this.
Ioana A says
Excellent recipe, the dahl was better than i expected
S Datoc says
Love this dish so much!! Thank you.
Kaymi Malave says
Absolutely delicious! My husband who told me he didn't like lentils couldn't get enough. Definitely hits the spot. I substituted some of the ingredients with their powder version (ie. used cumin powder vs. cumin seeds) and it came out perfect. It was an easy google search to get the measurements. This recipe won't disappoint!
Amy says
Delicious!! My lentils took quite a bit longer to cook for some reason , but worth the wait!
Dawn Maddern says
Best dahl I have made. I love Indian food, and now I can make this at home. Even my husband loves it, and he can be picky.
Susan says
I just made it and loved it. I did add some garam masala as one of my favorite spice mixes. Also added garbanzo beans. Will definitely make it again.
Mona Guterman says
This is a great recipe and not difficult to make and tastes delicious too!
Linda says
Hi
Can I use diced tomato if I don't have fresh? If so, what amount would work? Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
You can or you can just omit them. If using canned diced tomatoes I'd probably use about 1 cup. It would be best to strain out as much of the juice as possible so that the dal doesn't end up too runny. To save wasting it freeze it to add to a soup or stew later. Or if you don't mind it being more soupy just add it. It's a pretty flexible recipe though so if you want to add more tomatoes to use up the whole can you can. And I'm very aware of how many times I've said can there and it's making me laugh ... Hope that helps!
Pablo says
Fantastic as stated. I’ve made it with the addition of extra coconut milk, peas & chick peas...delicious !!
Julia says
Just made this (after reading about it at 11PM). It sounded that good! I made it with what I had around-- no fresh onion, garlic, or tomato. I used onion and garlic powder and tomato paste. I realized as I was adding the lentils that I only had 1.5 cups! I added in frozen cauliflower and peas. Mine is probably more soup like than others, but flavor is incredible! Moral of the story: recipe is pretty adaptable.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm glad you were able to make it work with what you had!