Easy Thai Peanut Lentil Curry (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Thai Peanut Lentil Curry is a super simple, delicious vegan weeknight dish that's ready in under 20 minutes.

Jump To

• Easy Thai Peanut Lentil Curry
• What Are The Best Lentils For Peanut Lentil Curry?
• Should You Soak Your Lentils First?
• Ingredients for Easy Thai Peanut Lentil Curry
• Making Thai Peanut Lentil Curry
• Tips + Substitutions
• More Recipes You Might Like
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

This recipe is a special one. And yes, I realize everyone says that about their recipes and I've said it about many that have come before. But truthfully, this one has gone through a year of testing and retesting. It was one of those recipes that I told myself would go on the blog the next day after making it. But for some bizarre reason, the timing was never quite right whenever I attempted a shoot, despite my best intentions.

But today was the day. I woke up thinking about this Easy Thai Peanut Lentil Curry and decided I will make it, shoot and share it.

This Thai Peanut Lentil curry truly is one of the easiest recipes I've ever made. It requires few ingredients and pretty minimal effort. But the payoff is big, with a big and delicious taste.

Easy Thai Peanut Lentil Curry

• Ready in under 20 minutes
• Vegan
• Gluten and Grain-free
• Flavorful and delicious
• Easily customized
• Quick weeknight dinner

What Are The Best Lentils For Peanut Lentil Curry?

That really depends on you. I tried several variations with green lentils, French lentils as well as red lentils and all of them worked. The only difference will be the cooking time.

Lentils in general don't require much cooking and for this lentil curry, I actually prefer them to be slightly undercooked as they finish cooking in the peanut sauce.

Should You Soak Your Lentils First?

That depends on how you react to lentils. If you are sensitive to legumes in general, I recommend soaking your lentils overnight, rinsing and then cooking them when you're ready. They will require even less cooking time after soaking. You want to start with 10 minutes and check every few until you reach desired consistency.

Ingredients for Easy Thai Peanut Lentil Curry

• Coconut oil
• Green lentils
• Coconut milk
• Red bell pepper
• Onion
• Fresh ginger
• Peanut butter (no sugar or salt)
• Coriander
• Thai red curry paste
• Dried lemongrass (or fresh)
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Lime
• Coconut sugar (or maple syrup)
• Water

Making Thai Peanut Lentil Curry

Step 1. If you're going to soak the lentils, cover 1 cup of lentils with about 2 inches of water in a large pot. Cover with a lid and let sit 8 hours or overnight.

Step 2. When you're ready to cook the lentils, drain and rinse with cold water. Add the lentils back to the pot along with 3-4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender but still have a bite. 10-20 minutes, depending on the lentils you're using. When lentils have finished cooking, drain and set aside.

Step 3. Meanwhile, heat a separate stew pot over medium heat. Add coconut oil, onion, and red pepper, and cook stirring continuously until soft - about 8 minutes.

Step 4. Add minced garlic and minced ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Follow with coriander, lemongrass, Thai red curry paste, and stir for another 30 seconds.

Step 5. Add coconut milk, coconut sugar, peanut butter and water and cook for 5 minutes stirring all ingredients together.

Step 6. Add lentils and heat all ingredients together. Finish with a squeeze of lime and 2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro.

Tips + Substitutions

Can You Use Fresh Lemongrass?

Absolutely! Instead of ½ teaspoon dried lemongrass, you can use 1 whole small stalk broken in several spots.

If You Don't Have Fresh Ginger

Fresh ginger can be substituted with ground ginger but whenever possible, use fresh. The conversion would be ¼ teaspoon for 1 teaspoon fresh.

Can Cilantro Be Substituted?

I realize some people have trouble with cilantro. If you're one of them, a handful of Thai basil will work beautifully or regular fresh basil will also do.

If You Don't Have Coconut Sugar

Regular sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup will work perfectly fine. The ratio will be 1:1 for all.

Adding Extra Veggies And/Or Tofu

If you want to play around with this more, you can always add fried tofu, sliced carrots or green beans as well.

More Recipes You Might Like

• Low-Carb Thai Coconut Soup With Chicken And Lemongrass
• Sweet Potato And Chickpea Curry
• Healthy Vegan Mung Bean Curry
• Curried Butternut Squash Soup