Instant Pot Coconut Spinach Lentil Curry – A scrumptious Vegan meal with lots of fiber and nutrients from both the lentils and spinach.
This easy to make Instant Pot Coconut Spinach Lentil Curry or you can even call it Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Soup / Spinach Lentil Soup recipe is a healthy Instant Pot Vegan recipe that makes a perfect Meatless Monday Dinner.
Brown Lentil we also call it Whole Masoor Dal in India. Dal or Dhal is the most essential staple dish of Indian Cuisine. Every household has their favorite and different methods of making Dal. My family is a Dal lover and prefers to have it in every meal.
We love, especially my son, love all kinds of Dals like dal tadka, Gujarati dal, lasooni dal, Urad dal, kale with moong dal, Dal makhani, Dhaba style dal, smoky dal, etc. We want our dal with bold flavors with some tadka, some masala not with just salt and turmeric.
The steps to making this Lentil curry recipe are pretty simple and totally easy and doable on a weekday. You don’t need to do extra prep, no last-minute grocery trips because the ingredients are not fancy and easily available in your pantry. Plus it really doesn’t take too much time and you will have finger-licking one pot goodness on the table in 30 minutes.
Before starting the recipe, let’s talk about Brown lentils, how to cook and what to eat with.
Lentils and Spinach are nutritious. They are extremely high in folate, iron, and magnesium. Eat with rice, roti or naan and you have an incredibly substantial plant-based meal.
How to cook dried lentils in pressure cooker / Instant Pot?
I love my Instant Pot. I have tried so many dishes, some I have already Shared and some are coming soon. One of my favorites is cooking dried lentils and making curries. Cooking Lentils in instant pot is so much easier than the stove pot method. You can literally throw them in the Instant Pot with some liquid, walk away and come back to perfectly cooked lentils without ruining its texture. Lentil Cooking times vary from recipe to recipe. For softer texture like soup and curry, you can cook them up to 15 minutes. and If you want to use them in salads or wraps cook them for 8 to 10 minutes to keep them whole and firm.
What to do with Lentil?
We make so many dishes with lentils. Like Lentil and quinoa soup, Lentil Chili, Sev masoor, Palak Masoor Dal, Lentil Potato curry, etc.. You can add it into your salads or any stew or simply make pulao.
Lentil to water ratio
I make Lentil Curry a little bit soupy consistency and that’s why we also call it Instant Pot Lentil Soup. So my lentil to Water ration is 1:3 cups. If you want to make it very thick, use 2 cups of water.
How to season the Lentils?
Lentil is a very versatile bean. You can season it with many things like with fresh herbs, cooking in broth, mix with other vegetables. In this Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Preparation, I have used far fewer spices than most Indian curries. This recipe calls for simple spices like Turmeric, salt, Chili powder and garam masala. That’s It!!
How long does it take to cook lentil Curry?
It took me around 30 minutes from start to finish to make this Instant Pot Creamy Coconut Spinach Lentil Curry.
This Coconut Spinach Lentil Curry is packed with full of Indian Flavors. In addition to its flavors, what we love about this instant pot lentil curry is its indulgent, creamy and rich texture from the coconut milk.
Coconut Lentil Curry Recipe is one of the best lentil curry recipes and is ridiculously simple to make.
This is a
Rich,
Creamy,
Perfect,
Saucy,
Easy,
Hearty,
Cheap,
Versatile
and absolutely Delicious Brown Lentil recipe. And one more thing about curry which I like is, it freezes so well. Make it in a big batch and enjoy it all week long!
This Spinach Lentil Curry contains aromatic spice. It is suitable for young children (Skip or reduce the quantity of the chili powder and garam masala) as well.
Vegetarian Lentil curry is great as a main meal rather than as a side dish like the more traditional Indian Dhal / Dal.
How to make Dhal Curry / Instant Pot Lentil curry?
The base of this recipe is garlic, ginger, onion, and tomatoes sauteed in oil and some Indian Spices. All are cooked in an Instant pot on saute mode and then add Dhal / Lentil / Dal. Pressure cook it for 15 minutes and release the pressure. Add some baby spinach and coconut milk to add creaminess and balance the heat. So simple!!
Cooking lentils in an Instant pot make them creamy while maintaining just enough texture. Making Lentils in an Instant pot requires only one pot and its hand free. You don’t need to baby seat.
Are Soaking Lentils required for making this Lentil Curry?
Unlike cooking lentils on the stovetop, you don’t need to soak lentils in advance when you make them in instant pot.
It is delicious on their own. But We love to eat lentils with rice too. It’s a super satisfying meal. I made this Coconut Lentil Spinach Curry with white rice but you can use any type of rice you want or even other grains like quinoa, buckwheat or with Naan or Paratha.
Video recipe for making Spinach Lentil Curry / Lentil spinach soup is given at the end of the recipe card.
Instant Pot Coconut Spinach Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown Lentils
- ½ cup Chopped Onion
- 1 cup Chopped Tomato
- 1 teaspoon Grated Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Grated Garlic
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ tablespoon Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup Regular unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 cups Spinach
- 3 cups Water
Instructions
- Wash brown lentil / Whole Masoor with water. Drain all the excess water and keep it aside.
- Turn on IP saute button. Now heat oil in an instant pot. Add cumin seeds and let it crackle.
- Add grated ginger and garlic. Saute for few seconds.
- Now add Chopped onion and tomatoes. Saute for a minute.
- Add salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and garam masala. Mix well.
- Then add water and brown lentils. Stir them.
- Close the lid and Turn off the IP.
- Press the manual button. Set the timer for 21 minutes under high pressure with pressure valve set to sealing.
- When cooking time is complete, let the pressure release naturally.
- When the pressure is fully released, the float valve will drop and the lid will unlock to open. Now it is safe to open the lid.
- Open the lid.
- Add Spinach and coconut milk. Stir it very well. Turn on the saute mode and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Instant Pot Coconut Spinach Lentil Curry is ready. Garnish it with some cilantro, Now all you need is some sliced onions on the side, a squirt of lime juice some!! And you are all set!! A healthy hearty meal is ready under 30 minutes!!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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If you try this recipe, Please don’t forget to rate it and let us know in comment box below what you think. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #cookingcarnival on Instagram. We would love to see your feedback.
Here are some more Vegan Instant Pot recipes / Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes
Daliya Pulao / Bulgur wheat pilaf
Some more Pressure cooker / Instant Pot soup recipes
Vegetable Thai Curry Noodle Soup
I don’t see any curry in the recipe?? Shouldn’t there be?
Hi Leigh!!
I have used Garam masala. Garam masala and curry powder are same. Curry powder is a new invention and garam masala is authentic and widely used in all over the world. 🙂
Hi Leigh!!
I have used Garam masala. Garam masala and curry powder are same. Curry powder is a new invention and garam masala is authentic and widely used in all over the world. 🙂
Needs more spice and could be thicker
You can always adjust to your liking. 🙂
Easy and quick to make, and it tastes delicious! I used coral lentils instead. Thank you for this recipe 🙂
So good to know. Thanks a lot.
That’s a good idea to thicken this a bit. I’ll add a bit of red lentils next time I make this. I can’t have coconut, so I used unsweetened plain soy milk instead.