Guess what’s for dinner? Creamy, spicy, delicious red curry lentils, made in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Red Curry Lentils
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I have made this recipe at least 5 times. It is delicious! It is PERFECT for meal prep! I add in some spinach and serve it over rice!
Elizabeth
Guess what’s for dinner? Creamy, spicy, delicious red curry lentils, made in the Instant Pot.
It’s almost embarrassingly easy: lentils, cooked with a can of tomato sauce, some warm spices, and the essential onion-garlic-ginger trifecta, and made creamy with a little bit of coconut milk and/or butter and/or ghee.
Scoop it over a pile of steamy rice and throw some fresh greens on there and you’ve got a serious comfort food situation that is hard to quit.
It’s amazing for dinner and more amazing for leftovers.
Here’s how it goes:
Put everything in the Instant Pot.
Cook it up. Mix it with something creamy (hello, coconut milk).
Annnd you’re done.
LOL.
This is so good on so many levels.
This recipe was based off of the original red curry lentils of way back when – a tried and true favorite that does not require an Instant Pot!
And here’s a big-batch crockpot version which freezes super well for those who are as obsessed with these humble little lentils as I am.
Check Out Our Video For How To Make Instant Pot Red Curry Lentils:
Instant Pot Red Curry Lentils
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Guess what’s for dinner? Creamy, spicy, delicious red curry lentils, made in the Instant Pot. This is the BEST easy, filling, healthy dinner!
Ingredients
Scale
Into The Instant Pot:
- 1 1/2 cups brown lentils
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- one 1-inch knob of ginger, minced
- a few good shakes of cayenne pepper
- 2 cups water
- 1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt (more to taste)
And Then:
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee (optional)
- cilantro for garnishing
- rice for serving
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Natural pressure release (meaning just let it sit) for 10 more minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk and butter. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve with rice, top with cilantro, and be amazed at the yumminess of the humble little lentil.
Notes
What to serve with: I often serve this with some extras – like, whatever produce we have hanging around in the fridge. Roasted bell peppers, slices of mango, avocado chunks… this is a very flexible recipe and works great as the base of a healthy and delicious fridge-clean-out bowl!
Crockpot Version: Follow this recipe.
Stovetop Version: Follow this recipe.
Freezing: This recipe freezes super well, cooked OR uncooked. I froze mine, uncooked, without liquids (just lentils, onion, garlic, ginger, spices) and then added the water and tomato sauce when I cooked it. Timing should be the same either way!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
Keywords: instant pot red curry lentils, red curry lentils, red curry recipe
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our best Instant Pot recipes page. Check it out!
Filed Under: All Recipes Dairy-Free Dinner Gluten-Free Healthy Instant Pot Legume Main Dishes Most Popular Quick and Easy Recipes Rice Sugar-Free Summer Tomato Vegan Vegetarian
June 13, 2019
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
I am so happy to see this. We really love the other versions of this recipe, but they are more time consuming/take more planning. Thank you!
Yay! Hope you enjoy it, Jen!
Is there a way to add chicken thighs to this recipe?
Sure! The chicken thighs might cook at a different rate compared to the lentils, so we’d suggest just cooking them separately and adding them to the finished dish. Enjoy!
Yay! So excited to see one of my favorites converted to the IP! Question, what lentils works best with this? I have been shortcutting with Trader Joes precooked lentils for so long, I don’t have a clue where to start with dried lentils!
We just use standard brown lentils!
Can this be done in a crock pot? If so, what should i do diferently?
Here’s a recipe for the cockpot! https://pinchofyum.com/crockpot-red-lentil-curry
I love salads. My hubby is totally opposite to me in this case. I always force him to have salad, just like my daughter. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe. 🙂
Hi! Is this made with tomato sauce or tomato puree? The recipe and the written part say different things and I want to make sure I pick the correct option! Thanks!
Looks like sauce in the picture. I would definitely say it would be sauce, not puree. I have tried lentils once and didn’t care for them, but i am going to try this recipe, as i love me a good red curry and i have all the ingredients except lentils!
The ideal meal for weight loss and a healthier metabolism 🙂
How do you cook this on a stove top or slow cooker! It looks delish.
We’d recommend checking out one of these two recipes!
https://pinchofyum.com/red-curry-lentils
https://pinchofyum.com/crockpot-red-lentil-curry
Would this work with dried red lentils?
Red lentils cook much faster than brown lentils and have a mushier consistency, so we’d recommend sticking with the brown or cooking it for less time – probably about 10 mins!
Well – this answers my question! I made this last night exactly as written, but with red lentils (looking back now, I see that it doesn’t specify RED lentils, but I thought it did when I wrote my shopping list). While the flavor is INSANELY YUM, it is definitely a mushy consistency, though not at all off-putting. I will try it next with brown lentils!
Thanks again for another awesome recipe!
I wish I had known this lol! it was DELICIOUS but definitely mushy. Can’t wait to try it again with brown lentils! I’m v new to the world of lentils for sure
So I actually made this with red lentils because I couldn’t find brown ones at the time, and yes, I knew that it would cook much faster than brown. So I adjusted the IP to cook on high for 4 mins and added chickpeas/garbanzo beans to vary the texture just in case it came out too mushy. Which it did, but it still worked! I also added some mild Italian chicken sausages I had in the fridge. However, I wasn’t entirely sure that the sausages cooked completely through so I would not suggest using red lentils with any protein if cooking for a shorter time. Definitely with brown lentils, it would be great and plenty of time to cook even with the 10 mins for NSR. I also made the mistake of adding a whole can of coconut milk at the end, but hey! It was still so delicious, I was licking the bowl at the end. If you live in an area where you can find culantro, just do it. Throw it in there. Trust me. 😉
Thanks for the tips, Sheena! 🙂
Could I use red or green lentils instead?
We’d suggest green lentils here. 🙂
Made this today and it was perfect! There is nothing about it I’d change. Delicious!
Glad to hear it! 🙂
What brand of red curry paste are you all using?
We use Thai Kitchen brand.
I love the food. I will try to this one in the future. You can also check this link https://28dayketo.com/?hop=davidcode for other recipes.
So should it be on sealing it venting?
Sealing!
Oh!It’s really perfect recipe for Me. Because I love lentil’s. Thanks for this great curry recipe.
Hello!
I’ve made so many of your recipes and they have all been great. I tried this one but my instapot showed a ‘burn’ display while it was cooking. I followed the recipe so I’m not sure if it’s because there wasn’t enough liquid or what. I added more liquid and tried again but it showed up again. It’s never happened before so could be user error. Bummer!
Same thing happened to me, but I used red lentils and as Jenna says above, they cooked much faster. I misread the recipe and thought it was red lentils that I should use. However, it’s still delicious! When I opened my IP to find out what was going on, it was indeed burned on the bottom but was still able to salvage most of it without further cooking.
I also read online that it matters what order you put the ingredients in. Liquids should go in first, then the other items. And not to stir it too much before starting the cooking process. I put the water and tomato sauce in first, then added everything else on top. I did have to stir a little, because it didn’t seem right to NOT stir. I didn’t get a burn notice. Just a thought!
I’d suggest layering. Put everything in EXCEPT the tomato sauce. Stir. Then pour the sauce on top. Pressure cook. Then, follow the rest of the instructions.
I also struggled with this (or the equivalent of it – my Foodi showed up with “WATR” before it got started). I just added two cups of water and set it to only cook for 8 minutes, so fingers crossed it makes a full recovery!
Same here. Got the burn message three times in a row. Could not fix it. No mention of this in the recipe.
This Red Curry Lentils recipe is fabulous! As a variation, I substitute freekah for 1/2 the lentils to vary texture and nutrition. I served over baked potatoes pieces as substitute for rice.
Awesome!
This looks super easy and delicious! I might make this tonight. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Made this today, loved it. Forgot and dumped everything along with coconut milk and ghee. Was totally fine.
Portion size is quiet a lot, glad it freezes well.
Glad to hear it!
This recipe is life changing. So easy, so delicious! Left out the curry powder (for my husband) but followed the rest to a T. Tons of flavor even w/o the curry powder. The coconut milk takes this to the next level. Also used about 2 teaspoons of jarred minced ginger (so easy) instead of buying fresh (always forget about it in the fridge). Family approved! (husband, 2yr old, and 23yr old sis-in-law ;))
So glad to hear it, Ashley! 🙂
Amazing! I loved this recipe 🙂
Comfort food at its best.. Even better when made in one pot.. Amazing
I’m eating healthy today and so proud of myself. Thank you Lindsay for inspiration. 🙂
Made this last night so I could have healthy lunches at work this week – really yummy. Good to have another reason to pull out the instantpot.
I could not believe how delicious this was. My husband loved it too. Thank you so much for another great recipe.
Just made this recipe, fabulous! I cut up mangoes with it, yummy
Glad you enjoyed it!
Think you could do this with chickpeas?
You could, but the cook time might be a little tricky! If you’re using canned, you could probably reduce the time so they’re not mush. If you’re using dry, you’ll have to increase the time – probably to around 22 mins.
That looks absolutely delicious.
Just a question. The calories per serving – is that include the rice or just the curry lentils?
Thank you for this wonderful recipe and easy to follow instructions! I made this last Sunday and it turned out delicious, all my family loved it! Highly recommend this. My wife was pretty impressed that the instant pot sautéed like that. I ran out of red lentils so used green lentils and added two sweet potatoes too. Pinned!
This recipe turned out perfect exactly as written, which makes me very happy! I served it with flat bread, basmati rice and thin strips of carrot and cucumber. I feel like the lentils are delicious enough on their own though. Thank you Pinch of Yum!
These lentils are beyond delicious!
How can I replace the red curry in the recipe so that it is not spicy for my toddlers?
Hi, Luljeta! The red curry is pretty essential here, so there’s not necessarily a good sub we’d recommend here. To cut back on the flavor, you could use less of the red curry paste. Let us know how this goes for you! 😊