comment icon 264 more comments 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:
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our best Instant Pot recipes page. Check it out! 4.9 from 103 reviews
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 one 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
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!
