Instant pot lentil curry with spinach & coconut milk

This Instant pot lentil curry with the goodness of spinach and coconut milk will please everyone and makes your meal healthy and delicious. Make this vegan, gluten-free lentil spinach curry with simple pantry ingredients and enjoy it with the whole family.

Contents

• Ingredients
• Instant pot Instructions
• Stovetop Instructions
• Cooking times
• Recipe Notes & Variations
• Serving suggestions
• Storage
• Recipe

Ingredients

Lentils: This lentil curry recipe uses brown lentils, and these earthy-flavored lentils make the best curry. But you can also use green or red lentils to make this Instant pot lentil curry. And pressure cook time varies according to the lentils used. So please check the cooking times section.

Coconut milk: Coconut milk makes the curry creamy without actual cream, and that nutty taste is so good. I used homemade coconut milk to make this coconut lentil curry, but canned coconut milk will also work. You can use either light coconut milk or full-fat coconut milk. 

Spices: Curry powder is the crucial spice to this curry, and I used homemade curry powder. You can use any curry powder in this recipe. And add ½ teaspoon paprika powder or red chili flakes if you use mild curry powder. Other regular spices like ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric powder, and garam masala will complement the lentils very well.

Instant pot Instructions

• Wash, drain, and keep the lentils aside. And if you soaked the lentils, drain them and keep them aside.
• Start the Instant pot in saute mode.
• Once it is hot, add oil, bay leaves, cumin seeds, chopped ginger, and chopped garlic, and let them splutter.

• Then goes the finely chopped onions. Let the onions soften a bit for a couple of minutes.

• Now add washed lentils and mix them well.
• Stop the Instant pot and add spice powders - turmeric powder, ground cumin, curry powder, ground coriander, garam masala powder, and salt. Mix everything well.

• Add water and close the instant pot with its lid.

• Start the Instant pot again in manual or pressure cook mode and cook it for 10 minutes on HIGH pressure.
• Once the instant pot finishes cooking, wait for 10 minutes and manually release the pressure. Or let the pressure release naturally.

• To these cooked lentils, add finely chopped spinach and coconut milk.

• Mix everything well. Close the Instant pot for about 10 minutes, and the residual heat will cook the spinach. If you are out of time, you can use saute option and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes.

• Creamy and delicious Instant pot lentil curry is ready to serve! 

Stovetop Instructions

• Heat a thick-bottomed pot.
• Once it is hot, add oil, bay leaves, cumin seeds, chopped ginger, and chopped garlic, and let them splutter.
• Add chopped onions and let them cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add washed lentils and spice powders - turmeric powder, ground cumin, curry powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, and salt. Mix everything well.
• Add water and cook the lentils over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes. If you soak the lentils, it might take less time. If the lentils absorb all the water, add more water.
• Once lentils are almost cooked, add finely chopped spinach and coconut milk.
• Let this simmer on low flame for 4 to 5 minutes. And the creamy, delicious lentil curry is ready to serve!

Cooking times

Instant pot cooking times will vary according to the lentils used.

• Red lentils need 5 minutes of pressure cooking on high pressure. And the texture of the red lentil curry will be very creamy.
• Green lentils will take 8 minutes of pressure cook time.
• Brown lentils will need 10 minutes. If you soak the lentils for at least an hour, you can reduce the cooking time to 8 minutes under high pressure.

Recipe Notes & Variations

• Though we are using coconut milk, this lentil curry will not have a coconut flavor but will be creamy and delicious.
• You can use cashew or almond milk if you do not have coconut milk. You can even use dairy cream.
• This recipe does not use tomatoes, but you could use them. ½ a cup of fresh or canned tomatoes flavor the curry well. Tomato puree or crushed tomatoes also work here.
• As we are pressure cooking the lentil curry for 10 minutes, I haven't used any veggies in this. They will get overcooked and turn mushy. Instead, I would prefer to serve the curry with some salad veggies. 
• And instead of using curry powder to make this curry lentils, you can use red curry paste or other Thai curry paste. The flavor will vary accordingly.
• You could add a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice to this creamy coconut lentil curry. And topping it with chopped cilantro leaves will make it more flavorful.

Serving suggestions

Lentils and rice pair very well, and it is our comfort food on any given day. So pair this delicious spinach lentil curry with basmati rice. And perfectly cooked millet or quinoa also goes very well with this curry.

Don't you like rice? Then dip naan bread or Indian flatbread and enjoy the curry. Thin out the leftover lentil curry with some vegetable stock or coconut milk and serve it as soup. You could serve it with steamed or baked veggies for a complete and nourishing meal.

Storage

Lentils keep well for 8 hours or so at room temperature. If you intend to use it later, always refrigerate and use it up within two days.
You can freeze this lentil curry for up to 3 months. Thaw the curry and consume it immediately. Do not refreeze the thawed curry.

As you are here, you will love my other curry recipes.

Coconut chickpea curry

Indian chickpeas curry

Bean curry with veggies

Black-eyed peas curry

Spinach and potato curry

Are you looking for more lentil recipes? Check them out here.

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Recipe