My family doesn’t always agree on dinner ideas, but this sweet potato lentil curry is one we all love. It’s flavorful, without being too spicy, and is made with comforting lentils and sweet potatoes for extra fiber in each bite. I love that it’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
I originally shared this recipe while helping to promote my friend Gena’s first cookbook, Choosing Raw, over a decade ago. I recently took some new photos for it and after tasting it again, I’m here to tell you, it’s worth making.
This curry recipe has a soup-like consistency, so you can serve it like a soup if you like, but we prefer to spoon it over rice or cooked quinoa (for added plant-based protein). Either way, it’s comforting, saucy, and perfect for a chilly day.
“I’ve made this recipe for years – it comes together super fast with ingredients you may already have on hand, and it’s so delicious, flavorful, and perfect for a cold day.” – Rachael
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sweet potato. Chunks of sweet potato become perfectly tender in this curry sauce, adding a variety of textures and flavors to the sauce. (Regular potato would work, too!)
- Lentils. This recipe calls for red lentils because they cook significantly faster than other varieties. These help thicken the sauce more than brown or green lentils would.
- Coconut milk. Canned full-fat coconut milk adds creaminess while keeping the dish dairy-free. You won’t need the whole can for this recipe, so check out my other coconut milk recipes for ideas.
- Aromatics. Onion, garlic, and ginger are sauteed first to help create a flavorful base for this curry. Use a microplane to mince the garlic and ginger directly into the pot, if you’d like to save time.
- Dried Spices. Turmeric and curry powder boost the flavor and are a convenient option when you don’t have curry paste on hand.
- Fresh cilantro. If you love cilantro like I do, this addition takes the flavor to restaurant-quality levels. (If you’re not a fan, stir in some fresh baby spinach for a dose of greens.)
How to Make Sweet Potato Curry with lentils
Step 1:
Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. This will make the surface more non-stick. Then add a drizzle of olive oil and add the onion. Saute until it’s softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the the turmeric, curry powder, garlic, and ginger, and saute briefly, just until they are fragrant, about 1 minute.
Then, add the sweet potato, red lentils, and vegetable broth or water.
Step 2:
Season with salt and black pepper, then bring the liquid to a boil. As soon as it’s boiling, cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat. Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes.
When the timer goes off, remove the lid. The lentils and sweet potatoes should be very tender. Pierce a sweet potato chunk with a fork to make sure it’s cooked enough, then give the mixture a stir.
Step 3:
Stir in the coconut milk and freshly chopped cilantro. Once the cilantro has wilted, taste the curry and adjust the seasoning as needed. If you use water as the base of this curry, instead of vegetable broth, it will likely need more salt.
I usually use two and a half teaspoons total when using water as the base. Vegetable broth won’t need as much salt, since it already contains sodium.
Once you’re happy with the flavor, serve this curry warm as a soup, or over a bed of cooked rice or quinoa. I like to serve it with lemon wedges so you can add a squeeze of lemon juice right before eating it. (It adds a nice, fresh flavor!)
Storage Tips
This sweet potato curry will be soup-like when it’s warm, and will thicken as it cools, so don’t be surprised if it thickens up significantly when the leftovers are stored in the fridge.
It will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you reheat it, the sauce will thin-out again, but you can always add a little extra water or broth, to thin it out even more.
Flavor Variations
- Thai Sweet Potato Curry: Add a squeeze of lime juice and a tablespoon of maple syrup, for an added sweet and sour flavor, similar to my Thai Chickpea Curry. You can also add fresh basil!
- Peanut Butter Curry: Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of peanut butter to the sauce, and top the dish with crushed peanuts. Peanut butter curry also goes well with crushed tomatoes, if you’d like to add that in.
- Indian Sweet Potato Curry: Try adding in a can of diced tomatoes and a teaspoon of ground cumin, for a different variation. Indian curry tends to be a little heartier and warmer, so you can also add a pinch of cinnamon or cloves, if you like.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger , minced
- 1 medium sweet potato , cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- fine sea salt and black pepper
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth or water
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro
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Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Once the surface is hot, add a drizzle of olive oil and saute the onion until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in the turmeric, curry powder, garlic, and ginger, and stir for 1 more minute, just until fragrant.
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Add in the broth or water, lentils, sweet potatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat and cover the pot. Cook until the lentils and sweet potatoes are both tender, about 15 minutes.
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When the timer goes off, remove the lid and add the coconut milk and cilantro. Then taste the curry and adjust the seasoning as needed. I usually add more salt, about a ½ teaspoon at a time, but this will vary based on if you used broth or water. (When I recently made this, I used 2 ½ teaspoons of salt in total when using water as the base.) Serve with cooked rice or quinoa, plus a wedge of lemon on the side so you can add a fresh squeeze of juice as you serve.
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Leftover curry can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will thicken when chilled, but the sauce will thin out again when you heat it up.
Lentil Note: Red lentils cook very quickly compared to other varieties. If you’d like to use green or brown lentils instead, you’ll need to increase the cooking time to at least 30 minutes, which will make the sweet potatoes much softer.
See the full post for more additional notes & tips.
Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 765mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 8049IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 5mg
More Recipes to Try
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below. I’d love to hear what you think!
