These spicy & flavourful Indian style Keema Lentils are ridiculously easy to make. Cook in a pan for a speedy dinner or use a slow cooker for a more leisurely approach.
It’s no secret that I love spicy food and in my pre-vegan days I used to love to order the Keema dishes from our local Indian restaurant. As Keema literally means ‘minced or ground meat’, it’s not a particularly vegan friendly dish and it’s pretty unlikely that you will find a meat-free version in any restaurant.
Green lentils are a very good meat substitute as you will know if you have tried my Lentil Shepherd’s Pie or Vegan Meatloaf. It was these two dishes that gave me the inspiration to create my own take on a Keema recipe.
In this recipe, green lentils are cooked with a mixture of spices, onions, lots of garlic and broth. The liquid mostly evaporates off during cooking which concentrates the flavours beautifully. The resulting Keema Lentils are absolutely packed with flavour and have a lovely hit of fiery chili.
My Keema Lentils can be cooked in a pan on the hob or in a slow cooker. You can choose whichever method suits your lifestyle the best. The results are almost identical except that in the slow cooker it is a little harder to evaporate the liquid off completely so you might end up with lentils that are a little more moist than they would be if cooked in a pan. I use both methods regularly and which I choose comes down to how busy my day is looking and how late I have to work.
This recipe serves four hungry people and any leftovers will keep well for up to five days in the fridge. You will find that the flavours just keep on developing and it gets better and better the longer it sits. It also freezes very well. The leftovers can be served with more rice and raita, or they are great served with some flat bread or naan bread for a quick and easy lunch. Cauliflower rice is also great to serve with this dish is you are trying to limit your carbs.
I love my food extra hot and spicy so I topped my Keema Lentils with a sprinkling of raw sliced chillies. They make it look really pretty when serving but some fresh cilantro leaves also add a pop of colour if you don’t want to add any extra heat.
I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have. If you make it please hit the stars to rate it and leave me some feedback below. You can also tag me @avirtualvegan on Instagram or send me a picture. I love to see your versions of my recipes!
Keema Lentils
Ingredients
For the Keema Lentils
- 1 large onion , chopped finely
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger , grated
- 6 cloves garlic , chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons garam masala - you can use curry powder instead if that's all you have
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 cups cooked green lentils (see recipe note if you wish to use dried green lentils)
- 360mls | 1.5 cup good vegetable or mushroom broth/stock
- 2 tablespoons Tamari (can be subbed for soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
To serve
- Cilantro for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Saute the onion in a pan over a medium heat until translucent. I just used a dry pan but you could use a drop of water or oil of choice,
- Once translucent add the ginger and garlic and carry on cooking for about two minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add the spices and chili flakes and cook for about a minute, stirring them continuously to stop them sticking.
- Add the lentils, broth, Tamari and seasoning.
- Stir well and cook uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated (about 10 - 15 minutes). Stir every so often to ensure they don't stick.
- Serve with rice and a scattering of cilantro.
Slow cooker method
- Put all of the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 - 5 hours or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- When you start cooking your rice take the lid off the slow cooker to let some of the liquid evaporate.
Long time vegan, creator of A Virtual Vegan & author of the book 
Sarah says
January 6, 2019 at 12:53 pmI made these today and they are lovely. Plan to try using your suggestions for the slow cooker too. Thank you for a lovely recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
January 6, 2019 at 4:23 pmI’m so pleased you enjoyed it Sarah!
Andrea says
May 19, 2018 at 8:17 pmMade this for a couple of friends this evening. It was a huge hit with vegans and meat eaters alike. It is flavoured just like the beef keema we sometimes have. The only suggestion my friends had was to add green peas at the end of cooking next time.
A Virtual Vegan says
May 20, 2018 at 10:45 amSo glad you all enjoyed it Andrea. Green peas are a great addition!
Robin says
April 14, 2018 at 7:22 pmJust made this in my Instant Pot and served over brown rice. Delicious and just the right amount of heat!
A Virtual Vegan says
April 15, 2018 at 10:25 amGreat to know it works well in an Instant Pot. I’ll try that next time I make it! Glad you enjoyed it Robin :)
Roberta says
July 17, 2017 at 11:34 amThe recipe sounds interesting, but I can’t find the ingredient list for the raita.
A Virtual Vegan says
July 17, 2017 at 2:41 pmI actually removed the raita part of the recipe but must have missed a bit when I was deleting it which is why you were seeing the directions but no ingredients. I started to realize that readers were put off by recipes with really long ingredients lists so I thought I’d shorten this up a bit by just leaving the keema lentils. I’m really sorry about that! If you wanted to try it, it was just basically a cashew cream (cashews blended with some plant-based milk) with a touch of vinegar for some sourness, salt to taste and lots of chopped fresh mint, cilantro and cucumber stirred through.
Dan says
September 17, 2016 at 3:23 pmDo you know how I would adjust the recipe in the slow cooker if using uncooked lentils?
A Virtual Vegan says
September 17, 2016 at 3:35 pmHi Dan. I have never cooked them like that so I am not completely sure. They do absorb liquid as they are cooking though so you would definitely need more liquid than stated in the recipe. If it were me I would go for an extra cup of broth and make sure I was around in the last few hours so I could add a little more if necessary. If you want the recipe to come out exactly as mine did I would suggest cooking the lentils first. They don’t take long at all to cook in boiling water. Probably about 30 minutes. Hope that helps :O)
A Virtual Vegan says
September 17, 2016 at 4:06 pmI forgot to say too that I would go for the full 4 hours on high or 7 on low if the lentils were uncooked. They shouldn’t need any longer than that.
A Virtual Vegan says
October 4, 2016 at 7:57 pmHi Dan, I just wanted to let you know that I tried this in my slow cooker with dried lentils today and it worked really well. I have amended the recipe to show my findings but basically you just need to use 1.5 cups of dried lentils and 4 cups of broth. Everything else remains the same, even the cooking time.
Dan says
October 6, 2016 at 10:54 amThanks for the update. I hope to be able to try it this weekend!
Kimmythevegan says
June 14, 2016 at 1:25 pmThis sounds utterly delicious! I’m not a fan of spicy food… but enjoy it in Indian food for some reason. I like how this sounds simple to make, but definitely doesn’t skimp on flavour. And I’ve never had raita before and am quite curious to try it, especially since cucumbers are my all time favourite veggie =)
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe at Healthy Vegan Fridays! I’m featuring it this week =) I’m bookmarking this to make!
A Virtual Vegan says
June 14, 2016 at 7:05 pmThank you so much! I appreciate the shares. It sounds perfect for you. You could even omit the chili pepper flakes so it’s not hot if you aren’t keen on too much spice. The other spices are pretty mild and the raita works perfectly to cool things down too. Let me know what you think when you make it!
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition says
June 12, 2016 at 9:28 amI’ve never heard of Keema before but this vegan version sounds wonderful! I have a few student workers from India so I’ll have to tell them about this recipe too. I need to find some mushroom broth too. I have seen it before but never thought to use it. Great idea!
Thanks so much for linking up with us for #HealthyVeganFridays! I’m Pinning and sharing!
A Virtual Vegan says
June 12, 2016 at 2:09 pmYou are welcome and thank you so much. Mushroom broth is awesome. I use it all the time as it has a real depth of flavour. Much more so than vegetable broth.
Emily says
May 31, 2016 at 9:23 pmMaking these tonight for dinner! The lentils look divine! Yummy! :)
A Virtual Vegan says
May 31, 2016 at 10:00 pmThanks Emily. Let me know what you think!
Kathy Hester says
May 30, 2016 at 6:26 pmI love Indian lentils, but I’ve never cooked them with mushroom broth. I can’t wait to try these!
A Virtual Vegan says
May 30, 2016 at 8:39 pmMushroom broth is just the best. I use it a lot. It has a really deep flavour and works really well with the earthy lentils.Thanks Kathy!
Anjali @ Vegetarian Gastronomy says
May 29, 2016 at 2:49 pmI love Raita, always have, but have yet to make a vegan version without using non-dairy yogurt…AND I love green lentils! Wonderful dish!
A Virtual Vegan says
May 29, 2016 at 10:05 pmThank you so much Anjali!
Uma Srinivas( simple sumptuous cooking) says
May 29, 2016 at 12:57 pmWhat a lovely recipe with my favorite spices :) loves your raita too:)
A Virtual Vegan says
May 28, 2016 at 10:17 amThank you so much Rebecca. I agree that Indian style foods are awesome. Everyone needs some spice in their lives ;o)
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
May 28, 2016 at 7:44 amI love lentils, and love (like you said) subbing them in for various things. This dish looks great — I love the spicy, too — and adding the cucumber raita is fabulous!
A Virtual Vegan says
May 28, 2016 at 10:22 amThe raita is so refreshing against the spicy lentils. It’s a great combo for sure. Thanks Patricia!
dixya @food, pleasure, and health says
May 28, 2016 at 7:16 ami usually make keema peas together but love the idea with lentils.
A Virtual Vegan says
May 28, 2016 at 10:21 amThanks Dixya :O)
Linda @ Veganosity says
May 27, 2016 at 1:15 pmI’m loving all of the spicy lentil recipes I’ve been seeing on the web lately. This looks incredible.
A Virtual Vegan says
May 28, 2016 at 10:19 amThank you Linda. Lentils for the win!
Jenn says
May 27, 2016 at 11:46 amI love everything about this! Sounds so flavorful! And that raita looks divine!
A Virtual Vegan says
May 28, 2016 at 10:19 amThanks so much Jenn! It certainly injects new life into lentils!