Black Lentil Curry (Vegan Dal Makhani)
This vegan dal makhani is a hearty staple in North Indian cooking. This dish gets its creaminess from smashed lentils, beans and coconut milk.
This vegan black lentil curry recipe is as comforting and satisfying as the original. It’s filled with wonderful warming spices that make your kitchen smell amazing. Make a big batch and enjoy leftovers for days.
While you would generally use heavy cream and butter, some households in India also make a version without cream.
But I will be using coconut milk as a substitute. The result is just as flavorful, and the texture is just as rich and buttery. For another favorite, try this easy Vegan Chicken Tikka Masala.
Key Tips to Follow
- Save the black lentil cooking liquid. There will be tons of flavor, nutrients and starches to help thicken the stew.
- For a thicker curry, mash some of the cooked beans and lentils. You can use a potato masher or wooden spoon to crush them for a nice creamy texture.
- Don’t skip out on any of the spices. They all add so many layers of flavor to this dish. There are some acceptable substitutes listed below, if you are unable to locate certain ingredients at your local shop.
- If you have time, let the pot simmer for several hours. Simmering this curry for longer allows for more flavor development. However, if you don’t have the time, it’ll still taste delicious.
Ingredients You’ll Need
(Summary and brief info. Full details at the end.)
- Cooked black lentils – I used Black Beluga Lentils, although traditionally, Urad Dal is used. They are a bit bigger and take longer to cook.
Use any type you can find for this recipe.
Soak 2 cups overnight then discard the water before boiling in 5 cups of fresh water. Black Lentils cook in about 15 to 20 minutes, while Urad Dal may take up to 45 minutes.
- Red kidney beans – I used canned.
- Vegan butter or oil
- Onion
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Tomato purée – fresh or canned
- Bay leaves
- Salt
- Coconut milk or cream – Use the unsweetened version. Regular, not light, for more creaminess.
- Fresh coriander
Spices:
- Turmeric
- Kashmiri chili powder
- Cumin
- Ground coriander
- Garam masala
- Ground fenugreek
- Cinnamon stick
How to Make Vegan Black Lentil Curry
1. Brown the onions in the oil in a large pot on low heat. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Add the minced ginger and garlic.
2. Add in turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, cinnamon stick and ground fenugreek. Toast until fragrant.
3. Stir in the tomato purée and cook until most of the liquid evaporates. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
4. Add drained canned kidney beans and cooked black lentils along with the cooking liquid to the pot. Add the bay leaves. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Stir in most of the coconut milk and simmer for 10 more minutes.
6. Garnish with a dollop of coconut cream and fresh coriander leaves before serving.
Recipe Variations or Substitutions
Variations:
- You can use only black lentils or only red kidney beans in this recipe. The kidney bean version is similar to Rajma Curry.
Substitutions:
- If you do not have Kashmiri chili powder, you can mix smoked paprika with some cayenne powder for a close substitute.
- If ground fenugreek is unavailable at the local store, you can use ground mustard seeds to get similar earthy, bitter notes. Or add fenugreek leaves.
- To substitute a whole cinnamon stick, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
Storage Suggestions
Store this curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Alternatively, it can be stored in a food storage bag or heatproof dish in the freezer for up to 6 months. Label with the expiry date.
How to Reheat
Allow the curry to thaw in the fridge for several hours before reheating, then follow the aforementioned instructions:
- To reheat on the stovetop, add to a pot with a splash of water. Bring to a simmer on low heat.
- If it’s in a heatproof dish, reheat it in the microwave. It will take about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the batch you’re reheating. Stir halfway through the heating time and add a splash of water if needed.
Serving Ideas
Serve lentil curry in a bowl alongside some steamed basmati rice, or try this naan recipe without yogurt for the ultimate hearty meal.
More curry recipes
Black Lentil Curry (Vegan Dal Makhani)
Baking Recipes: For more accuracy, use Metric measurements and measuring spoons.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (400 g) black beluga lentils, dried. See Notes for preparing and cooking.
- 1 can (260 g) red kidney beans, about 1½ cups
- 2 tablespoon (30 g) vegan butter or oil
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoon (30 g) minced ginger
- 2 tablespoon (30 g) minced garlic
- 1 cup (262 g) tomato puree
- 3 Bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoon (7 g) salt, or to taste
- 1 can (400 ml) full-fat unsweetened coconut milk or cream, reserve 2 tbsp for garnish
- 1 handful (4 g) Chopped fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
Spices
- 2 teaspoon (10 g) turmeric
- 2 teaspoon (10 g) Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon (10 g) cumin
- 4 teaspoon (20 g) ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon (10 g) garam masala
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) ground fenugreek
- 1 (1) cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot on low heat. Add the sliced onions. Cook for about 10 minutes or until browned.2 tablespoon (30 g) vegan butter or oil ,2 large onions
- Add the minced ginger and garlic and cook until the garlic browns.2 tablespoon (30 g) minced ginger ,2 tablespoon (30 g) minced garlic
- Stir in the turmeric, chilli, cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, fenugreek and cinnamon stick. Cook stirring constantly until they are toasted and fragrant. Be careful not to burn the spices.2 teaspoon (10 g) turmeric ,2 teaspoon (10 g) Kashmiri chilli powder ,2 teaspoon (10 g) cumin ,2 teaspoon (10 g) garam masala ,1 teaspoon (5 g) ground fenugreek ,1 cinnamon stick ,4 teaspoon (20 g) ground coriander
- Stir in the tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir constantly to prevent burning.1 cup (262 g) tomato puree
- Drain the canned kidney beans and add to the pot. Then add the cooked black lentils with cooking liquid to the pot.1 can (260 g) red kidney beans ,2 cups (400 g) black beluga lentils
- Add the bay leaves and salt. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.3 Bay leaves ,1 ½ teaspoon (7 g) salt
- Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.1 can (400 ml) full-fat unsweetened coconut milk or cream
- Remove from heat. Garnish with coconut cream and coriander before serving.1 handful (4 g) Chopped fresh coriander leaves
Notes
- I used Black Beluga Lentils, although traditionally, Urad Dal is used. They are a bit bigger and take longer to cook. Use any type you can find for this recipe.
- To prepare, soak 2 cups overnight then discard the water before boiling in 5 cups of fresh water.
- Black Lentils cook in about 15 to 20 minutes while Urad Dal may take up to 45 minutes. Do not discard cooking liquid.
- Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to crush some of the beans. This will help make the curry thicker.
- A good Tandoori Masala blend would contain most, if not all the individual spices listed. Use 4 to 5 tablespoons for this recipe.
This turned out so delicious!
I portioned it out and froze them for lunches at work. They reheat well and make an economical lunch that meets my nutrition goals.
This is the best lentil dish I have tried to make so far! Super flavourful, hearty, delicious, and filling. Prefect for meal prepping for work lunches with some rice. I have tried a lot of different lentil recipes and am usually very underwhelmed with the final dish. This was amazing and will be on my regular cooking list for sure! Thank you for an amazing recipe 😊
Thank you so much for trying it Stacey! I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Awesome recipe!
My husband asked me to make more.
Children eat curry first off the plate.
I will definitely cook again!
Thanks for the recipe!
Beautiful photo Regina! Great job! Thanks so much for trying the recipe.
I have made this and it was amazing! I didn’t use the fenugreek spice though because I don’t have any. Will try to look for that one and the Tandoori Masala next time I’m buying spices! But I disagree that it’s for 12 servings: it only made enough for 3 meals for my partner and I each.
I have stayed away from making the traditional Indian recipe because of the amount of butter it requires, but I love Dal Makhani. I was so excited to try your version that I threw it together with what I had around the house and didn’t soak the lentils, omitted the fenugreek and kidney beans, substituted the Kashmiri chili powder and used pureed ginger from a tube. It tastes just like the Indian version and I’m in heaven! Thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing your substitutions Cecilia! Good to know it worked out great!
If I use the tandoor masalsa you listed as a replacement for the spices is that all I should use? No need to add anything else???
If there’s a blend that contains all the individual spices under the “Spices” ingredient list, then you could use about 4 to 5 tablespoons in the recipe to replace all the individual spices. The remaining ingredients in the recipe should be included as directed.
I’ve never seen instructions for cooking lentils to include soaking overnight. Is this something special for this recipe, perhaps for extra tenderness?
It’s mainly to shorten the cooking time and make them easier to digest for some (less bloated feeling).
I grew up seeing lentils soaked in the households where lentils are part of the daily cuisine. Not only lentils, this was and is the norm for cereals (wheat, rice, etc), chickpeas, green peas, mung beans, basically anything wholesome and dry. Like Janelle mentioned it shortens cooking time by a lot and offers better digestive benefits; also useful for sprouting, fermentation (batter) etc.
Long have I sought a simple, flavorful, proteinacious, self-cooked vegan meal with curry spices only to end up with a watery disappointment. By slowly cooking the ingredients, this recipe takes advantage of everything they have to offer. Patiently browned onions, accurately cooked aromatics, attentive addition of spices, adequate reduction of the tomato purée, and the long periods of simmering made this dish sing. The pictures were extremely helpful and the instructions clear. Thank you for this certifiable banger that I will be returning to for many years. Excited to try more of your recipes.
Side-note: I’m going to try a combo of soy milk and cashew butter to see if I can’t replace some of the coconut milk. Though really there is nothing like that splash of coconut cream at the end.
Thanks again.
Thank you for the detailed feedback James! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Absolutely delicious! I made it with urad dal and left out the chilli, and even my 9month old, who has been refusing food all week, enjoyed it. Thank you
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Julia! Thank you!
As soon as I find almond cooking milk I will do this . Despite the popularity of coconut milk I still have to rein in the saturated fat !
The lentils help with the creaminess so I’m sure almond milk should be perfectly fine! Please let me know it turns out.
I used oat milk and it worked well