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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Main Dishes

    Gloriously golden Red Lentil Dal {vegan + gluten-free}

    Published: May 17, 2016 · Updated: Apr 13, 2022 · by Nicole · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Gloriously golden Red Lentil Dal vegan gluten-free
    Gloriously golden Red Lentil Dal vegan gluten-free
    Gloriously golden Red Lentil Dal vegan gluten-free
    Gloriously golden Red Lentil Dal vegan gluten-free
    Gloriously golden Red Lentil Dal vegan gluten-free

    This gloriously golden red lentil dal is the ultimate in comfort food. Fragrant, creamy and utterly delicious this simple dal recipe will be on the table in under 30 minutes!

    Red lentil dal recipe - this gloriously golden vegan dahl is the ultimate in comfort food | DeliciousEveryday.com

    Dal, daal, dhal or dahl, whatever you call it is one of my ultimate comfort foods.

    It also seems to be one of those polarizing foods.

    Some people, like me, love dal for its comforting hug in a bowl qualities, while others deride its simplicity.

    That and the fact that its made from lentils.  But dal's simplicity is the main part of its charm.

    If you belong to the camp that believed dal was difficult to make at home, let me tell you it isn't.

    In fact, this red lentil dal is ready in under 30 minutes.

    The other charming thing about making this simple red lentil dal recipe is the beautiful aromas that fill the air.

    The earthiness of cumin, the slight citrus notes of coriander seeds and the sweetness of cinnamon begins the act of comforting you before you even take a bite.

    And did I mention that you can make this whole dish in just one single pot? I love recipes that let me cook without messing up the whole kitchen!

    If you love one-pot recipes too, make sure you grab this free printable with all my most popular one pot vegan recipes.

    Red lentil dahl with coconut milk - ready in 30 minutes this beautiful golden dahl is the ultimate in comfort food | DeliciousEveryday.com

    We all know the health benefits of turmeric, and this dal is lovely and golden thanks to a generous helping of turmeric.

    Some of the health benefits of turmeric include:

    • it's a powerful natural anti-inflammatory - when I suffered recent back pain instead of taking anti-inflammatory medication I took turmeric tablets which worked just as well.
    • apparently, it helps ward off Alzheimer's
    • contains anticancer properties
    • has a positive effect on cholesterol which also helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke

    While naan is a fabulous accompaniment to this turmeric dal I like to make flatbreads as they are quick and don't require time to rise.

    I use this recipe here and slather it with garlic butter. Along with steamed basmati rice and fresh coriander (cilantro) and

    Along with steamed basmati rice and fresh coriander (cilantro) and squeeze of lemon it's the ultimate satisfying meal.

    For a lighter lunch-time version of this red lentil dahl, I like to serve it with a side of watercress or rocket (arugula) or oven baked kale chips in place of rice.

    So tell me, do you like dal? What is your favourite version?

    (And don't forget to snag your free copy of my favorite one-pot vegan recipes!) 

    Still hungry? Check out some of my other favorite lentil recipes like this mushroom lentil salad, this 5-minute vegan lentil salad, or this creative take on vegan moussaka.

    Vegan Red lentil dal - served with steaming rice and naan bread this vegan dahl is the ultimate in comfort food | DeliciousEveryday.com
    Gloriously golden Red Lentil Dal vegan gluten-free

    Red Lentil Dal

    This gloriously golden red lentil dal is the ultimate in comfort food. Fragrant, creamy and utterly delicious this simple dal recipe is packed with flavor from turmeric and spices. And it will be on the table in under 30 minutes!
    4.66 from 78 votes
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian, vegan
    Keyword: how to make dal, red lentl recipe, vegan dal recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Calories: 386kcal
    Author: Delicious Everyday
    4 people

    Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 onion diced
    • 1 tbsp grated ginger
    • 1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
    • 1 tomato finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp coriander (cilantro) roots and stalks finely chopped
    • 6 leaves curry
    • 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
    • 2 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 tsp ground coriander
    • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1 tsp ground turmeric
    • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
    • 1 cup red lentils
    • 3 cups vegetable stock
    • 1 cup coconut milk
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 lemon juiced
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Place a large pot over your smallest burner set to a medium heat. Add the olive oil (you can also use coconut oil or ghee) and the onions, ginger, chilli, tomato and coriander roots. Add a couple of pinches of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are sweet and golden, around 5 minutes.
    • Add the curry leaves and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop add the rest of the spices and garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add the lentils, stock and coconut milk and when it starts bubbling reduce the heat to low.
    • Let the dal bubble away for 20 minutes or so or until the lentils collapse and the dal becomes beautifully creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary and add a squeeze of lemon.

    Nutrition (Estimated)

    Calories: 386kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 14gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gSodium: 722mgPotassium: 771mgFiber: 16gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1005IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 7mg
    Shop our Cookbooks!Check out our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks for more tasty meatless recipe ideas.
    This gloriously golden vegan red lentil dal is the ultimate in comfort food. Packed with turmeric this delicious meal is ready in under 30 minutes!

    More Vegan Main Dishes

    • Vegan Beet Wellington
    • Vegan Vegetable Wellington
    • Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry
    • Vegan Stuffed Shells

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ellie says

      September 30, 2019 at 6:22 am

      5 stars
      Definitely took us more than half an hour but soo delicious! Best lentil dish I've ever made!

      Reply
    2. Therese says

      September 27, 2019 at 7:12 am

      5 stars
      Amazing full of flavour, easy to prep and cook.
      Thank you

      Reply
    3. Suzie says

      September 09, 2019 at 8:43 am

      5 stars
      I didn't have curry leaves, and I did add cannot diced tomatoes and whole can of coconut milk with one sweet potato. it was great!

      Reply
    4. Jasmine says

      August 12, 2019 at 6:05 am

      5 stars
      Yummm! I added a can of diced tomato’s (and took out a cup of stock and the fresh tomato), I didn’t add curry leaves, and I added sweet potatoes and baby spinach. Delicious!

      Reply
    5. Amanda says

      July 28, 2019 at 9:57 pm

      5 stars
      So happy I found this recipe. Everyone in the family loves it. It is now our staple recipe on the evenings that we have sporting practice. Family going every which way all over Sydney. I pop it in the slow cooker in the morning and leave it simmering all day.

      Everyone comes home and dinner is warmed and ready to go for them.

      Everyone loves it. Always gets the tick off from the whole family.

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        July 30, 2019 at 6:28 pm

        It makes me so happy to hear this! I'm glad you're enjoying the recipe and thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    6. Roseann says

      July 24, 2019 at 4:46 pm

      5 stars
      The whole family loves this! Full of flavor, and the coconut milk gives it a wonderful luxurious texture. This is now my “go to” dal recipe! Great as a main dish with basmati rice, or as a side with grilled fish.
      Big THANKS for this recipe!

      Reply
    7. Carol Uden says

      July 20, 2019 at 12:04 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious!!!

      Reply
    8. Amira says

      May 26, 2019 at 3:21 am

      5 stars
      I have attempted to make Dhal a number of times and have always been disappointed it didn't turn out the delicious, comforting flavourful curry I had been pining for. Until now...This is everything you would want in a Dhal recipe, its absolutely divine. I followed the recipe exactly (curry leaves really give it that authentic flavour). I de-seeded the chilli and it was very mild which was perfect for my son - who ate the entire dowl (he is 5yrs). The balance of spices is perfect. The only thing I may do differently next time is brown the onions slightly on their own before adding the tomato as it was hard to get a caramelisation. Id also add the mustard seeds straight after id browned the onions, as they wouldn't pop when added to the tomato mix. But that's just being picky - it was a delicious meal, one ill add to my own recipe specials. Thank you indeed x

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        June 25, 2019 at 10:26 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it - thanks for coming back to let me know!

        Reply
    9. anastasia says

      March 24, 2019 at 4:30 am

      I will make the recipe today for my friends and I.

      Greetings from Greece.

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        April 02, 2019 at 9:48 pm

        Hope you enjoy it! And Greece is one of my favorite places in the world!

        Reply
    10. BRENDA BRUE HIGGINS says

      March 08, 2019 at 2:58 pm

      What if I don't have curry leaves?

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        April 02, 2019 at 9:53 pm

        The best substitute I've found for curry leaves is basil, with a dash of lime juice added.

        Reply
    11. svp says

      January 01, 2019 at 6:58 pm

      5 stars
      made this on January 1, 2019. when I tasted it I knew the rest of the year would be good. nailed it!

      Reply
    12. Annie says

      December 30, 2018 at 2:33 am

      5 stars
      I have made this dish a few times now and it is absolutely define. Everyone including the hard to please kids and hubby love it. Definitely a bit in my house. Thank you for a wonderful dish!!!

      Reply
    13. Heather says

      December 18, 2018 at 11:15 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight, just as the recipe called for and TWO THUMBS UP! This was a pretty fun recipe, a lot of new spices for me!

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        December 23, 2018 at 8:13 am

        So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    14. Waltraut Knop says

      September 12, 2018 at 12:41 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for dinner tonight along with Basmati rice. It was great! Compliments from all members of the family. The spices are really well balanced. Thanks for this recipe!!

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        September 13, 2018 at 10:40 am

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for letting me know!

        Reply
    15. C. Smith says

      July 20, 2018 at 1:39 pm

      5 stars
      Just discovered this recipe and have made it twice in a week. You’ve even converted my meat-eating husband!

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        August 13, 2018 at 5:53 pm

        I'm so glad to hear that! This one is a hit with my meat-eating husband as well. 😀

        Reply
    16. Danny says

      April 24, 2018 at 12:09 pm

      5 stars
      My third time making this recipe and I love it. No substitutions, by the book, with a bit mor chilli to my tasting. Only one note, maybe it's because I double up the amounts, but this takes hours on the stove. Am I missing something?

      Reply
    17. Sandie says

      March 30, 2018 at 1:54 pm

      5 stars
      I didn’t have fresh coriander or curry leaves to hand, but used the lime zest idea...gorgeous x

      Reply
    18. Jane says

      March 17, 2018 at 9:22 am

      5 stars
      I made this for a "bring vegetarian dish"plate party .I made double the recipe. I had no yellow mustard seed so used black mustard seeds.I added a fair bit of salt to boost the flavors. There was a massive buffet table of food at this party,but my dish was all eaten.That's because this recipe is absolutely delicious ! Thanks so much . 5 yums out of 5.

      Reply
    19. Nicolette says

      February 13, 2018 at 4:05 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! This was amazing. I'm usually a recipe rebel, using them as baselines, because I find that I always need to amp the flavor profiles. Seriously, not on this one. After reading through the ingredients I was so impressed and intrigued by the combination of spices that I decided to make as is. Well I used green lentils and coconut oil (instead of olive oil) as that is what I had on hand. I made it for company and served it with a paleo naan bread. The taste was so dramatic and the flavor profile was layered. Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband loved it, my guest was really impressed (lol), and I'm now slightly addicted to this recipe. This recipe was my introduction to your website and I look forward to looking through your other recipes!!

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        March 06, 2018 at 4:29 pm

        Thank you so much for the kind words! I am also a bit of a recipe rebel - I love that term. 😀

        Reply
      • Heather says

        April 01, 2019 at 8:02 am

        5 stars
        This was absolutely delicious! We love Indian food but I’ve never made Dahl from scratch before and this was so easy and a winner with my family! The hubby had seconds.👏🏼 I’ll be making this again! I followed the recipe exactly but the Dahl does need cooking much longer than 20 minutes (and I soaked my lentils overnight). Might try the pressure cooker next time.

        Reply
    20. Kim says

      October 02, 2017 at 8:44 am

      5 stars
      The BEST vegan dhal recipe I've ever tried. Thanks so much! I followed it to the letter and it's so good!!

      Reply
    21. Win at The Equipped Cook says

      December 30, 2016 at 9:35 pm

      I love cooking with lentils but I've never made dahl before. This recipe looks really tasty. I'm going to try making it. Lots of wonderful health benefits too!
      Just one question: Do you stir the lemon juice into the dahl at the final stage of cooking or do you simply squeeze it over the top when serving it?

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        January 03, 2017 at 9:33 am

        I suggest adding the lemon juice right at the end of cooking, before serving. I hope you enjoy it 😀

        Reply
    22. Trish says

      November 14, 2016 at 12:58 pm

      5 stars
      This is so delicious! The flavour develops over time. Thank you for sharing Jennifer.

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        November 14, 2016 at 2:55 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it Trish 🙂

        Reply
    23. Nicki Escudero says

      November 14, 2016 at 7:18 am

      Fantastic recipe, Jennifer -- it's one of my new favorites! Thank you so much! Nicki

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        November 14, 2016 at 8:18 am

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Nicki. It is one of my absolute favourites. I often make enough so I have left-overs for lunch the next day and instead of rice I serve them with oven baked kale chips for a bit of crunch. 🙂

        Reply
    24. Alicia says

      September 08, 2016 at 6:58 pm

      I just made this the other night, I couldn't find any curry leaves where I live (Stockholm) so instead I used 1 small lime rind and it worked perfectly. It was so easy to do and except for the ginger I already had all of the ingredients at home. This is my favourite recipe! Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        September 09, 2016 at 7:02 am

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Alicia! The lime rind is a great substitute. Next time, if you have some handy, you might like to throw in some bay leaves as well as this will also help replace some of the flavour that the curry leaves impart. 🙂

        Reply
        • Alicia says

          November 19, 2016 at 8:19 pm

          5 stars
          I am now making it again for the fourth time for a vegan dinner party and I finally found some curry leaves in a Indian store. Now onto my vegan naan bread.And again Love, love, love this recipe!!

    25. Muchi says

      June 27, 2016 at 3:37 am

      I just made this for dinner, and it is FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes. This one is going to be a regular.

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        June 27, 2016 at 8:01 am

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it Muchi!! It is a favourite in our house too. In fact we had it for dinner the other night. 🙂

        Reply
    26. Carol Leer says

      June 15, 2016 at 12:14 pm

      The Dahl must be good my Husband has asked me to make it twice in one week. But can't take all the credit if it wasn't for Jennifer's wonderful receipe. So thank you for the receipe. I love this website.

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        June 15, 2016 at 8:21 pm

        Thank you so much Carol! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and that you husband enjoyed it enough to ask for it twice in one week!! 🙂

        Reply
    27. Maureen Longo says

      May 23, 2016 at 6:50 pm

      Thank you so much, I have been making a different version of red dahl which is ok but not very exciting to me. I just made your version for the first time - DELICIOUS! So much more flavorsome, the cinnamon is a revelation YUM YUM YUM, and even better my 7yr old son liked it too!

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        May 24, 2016 at 4:38 pm

        Oh Maureen, you made my day! I'm so glad you and your son enjoyed it. 🙂 It's amazing what a few extra spices can do.

        Reply
    28. Christie says

      May 17, 2016 at 10:43 pm

      Dal is so good for you. I cannot imagine anyone not liking it. I may be a little biased as my husband is from India. He would love your version.

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        May 18, 2016 at 7:00 am

        I couldn't imagine anyone not liking it either. 🙂

        Reply
    29. Helen @ family-friends-food.com says

      May 17, 2016 at 9:20 pm

      I'm definitely in the dal camp! My version is much simpler than this - just garlic and cumin for seasoning. Yours looks delicious though, and your photos are gorgeous 🙂

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        May 18, 2016 at 7:00 am

        Your version sounds wonderful Helen 😀

        Reply
    30. Melissa @ My Wife Can Cook says

      May 17, 2016 at 9:20 pm

      I have never made dal before, but all the spices with the red lentils sound amazing! Definitely need to try it out, especially since it takes only a half an hour!

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        May 18, 2016 at 7:00 am

        You definitely need to give dal a try Melissa. It really is so easy!

        Reply
    31. Nancy | Plus Ate Six says

      May 17, 2016 at 7:38 pm

      I love dahl. Or dal. Or dhal. 🙂 Love the spices you've used and how quick and easy it is too.

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        May 17, 2016 at 8:10 pm

        Thanks Nancy 🙂

        Reply
    32. Daniela Apostol says

      May 17, 2016 at 7:01 pm

      Sometimes the simplest foods are the tastiest. I love cooking lentils too, they are not only healthy and delicious, but also filling, which means you won't be tempted to have one too many snacks after your meal. Your recipe is easy to follow and looks amazing.

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        May 17, 2016 at 8:11 pm

        I love lentils too Daniela. It is sad that they are so often overlooked as they are so delicious and filling too! 🙂

        Reply
    33. Rosa says

      May 17, 2016 at 5:18 pm

      A mouthwatering dish! I love red lentils and Indian food.

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        May 17, 2016 at 8:11 pm

        Thanks Rosa 🙂

        Reply
    34. Kristy @ Southern In Law says

      May 17, 2016 at 1:27 pm

      This looks perfect, Jennifer! Definitely adding this to my must make list! xo

      Reply

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    Nicole - Vegetarian Food Blogger

    Nicole is a 25+ year vegetarian, and author of a vegan cookbook. She shares her recipes on Delicious Everyday, an award-winning vegetarian and vegan food blog.  About Nicole

    the one pot vegan cookbook, by nicole malik
    5 day vegetarian challenge

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