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Curried Lentils are delicious and easy to make, and if you like Indian food you’ll love this for a vegetarian side dish! See suggestions for ingredients to add to the curried lentils recipe to make a variation that’s lower in carbs.

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Curried Lentils shown in terra cotta serving dish with spoon.

Curried Lentils is a lentil side dish I first posted as an after-thought added to another recipe. I’ve made it many times since then, and this is so tasty and easy-to-make that I decided Curried Lentils deserve a separate post! So this week I made lentils took some photos, and I’m hoping I an entice you to try it.

I do remember the first time I tasted lentils, in a soup served at a Mexican restaurant where I worked in high school. Certainly my mother never cooked them at home, so I have no idea how I became such a lentil fan.

Now if a recipe contains lentils, it’s pretty much a sure thing I’ll like it, and lentils with curry flavor checks even more of the boxes for me! Of course now if I’m eating something with lentils, I’d use portion control to make them a carb-conscious choice. You can also add a low-carb ingredient to keep lentils lower in carbs, and this recipe includes some suggestions for that.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

What are Lentils?

Lentils are a type of legume that’s eaten around the world, and they’re grown in western Asia and North America. They are sometimes called pulses, and they’re prized for vegetarian cooking because they’re high in protein and fiber. Also lentils don’t have to be soaked, and they cook quickly compared to beans.

What gives these Curried Lentils the Indian flavors?

I use onions, garlic, sweet curry powder, and hot curry powder to add Indian flavors to this tasty lentil side dish.

Are the Curried Lentils high in carbs?

Lentils do have some carbs but they are also high in fiber so this Indian lentil dish has only 10 net carbs for a side dish serving, with 5 grams of protein.

Things you can add to the Curried Lentils to make them even lower in carbs:

If you wanted to make a version of curried lentils with even fewer carbs, here are some things that could be added (either cooked with the onions or stirred in raw at the end);

  • chopped red bell pepper
  • chopped celery
  • chopped fresh cucumber (best added raw)
  • finely-chopped spinach
  • chopped turnips
  • chopped jicama
  • chopped zucchini

Indian Spiced Lentils process shots collage

How to Make Curried Lentils:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. I’ve become fond of the small lentils from the middle eastern grocery store for dishes where I want the lentils to keep their shape, so that’s what I used, but use any brown lentils you have.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and cook the onions until they’re starting to get some color, about five minutes.
  3. Add the minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add the curry powder and cook with the onions and garlic for about 2 minutes more.
  4. Then add the lentils and vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover pan, and cook until lentils are tender and liquid is absorbed, about 30-40 minutes.
  5. Start checking after about 30 minutes; it’s done when lentils are tender and the liquid is absorbed.
  6. (If you don’t have your stove at a low enough simmer, you may need to add a little more liquid before the lentils are tender. The cooking time of lentils will depend on how old they are; I cooked the lentils in these photos about 38 minutes and then let them sit for 5 minutes with the lid on.)
  7. When lentils are done, chop up a generous amount of parsley. (I used curly parsley, but I think cilantro would also be good in this.)
  8. When lentils are soft but still slightly chewy, stir in parley, season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve hot.
  9. Curried Lentils is a perfect dish to make ahead, freeze in individual portions, and take for a grab-and-go lunch for work.

Make it Part of a Vegetarian Meal:

Curried Lentils could be a great side dish for any meal with Indian flavors. But if you wanted this as part of a vegetarian meal, serve it with any of these main dishes:

Curried Lentils cropped image of lentils in serving dish.

Weekend Food Prep:

This Curried Lentils recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Curried Lentils
Yield: 4 servings

Curried Lentils

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Curried Lentils are a delicious and easy vegetarian side dish for people who enjoy lentils and curry flavors. And this recipe is also vegan for anyone who cares about that.

Ingredients

  • 4 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced in 1/4 inch pieces
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. sweet curry powder
  • 1 tsp. hot curry powder (see notes)
  • 1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
  • one 14.5 oz can vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley (or less)
  • salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in medium sized heavy pan, add onions, and saute 5 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes. Add curry powder to onion-garlic mixture and saute about 2 minutes more.
  3. Add lentils and broth plus 1/4 cup water, bring to a low simmer, then cover pan and cook until lentils are tender and liquid is absorbed.
  4. Cooking time will depend on how old the lentils are, but after 30 minutes I would start to check every few minutes. You may need to add a little water towards the end if your stove doesn’t keep the simmer low enough. (I cooked the lentils in the photos for 38 minutes and then let them sit about 5 minutes with the lid on.)
  5. When lentils are done (soft but still slightly chewy), remove from heat, and let sit covered for 5 minutes while you chop the parsley.
  6. Stir in parsley, season the Curried Lentils with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Notes

Use more or less hot curry, depending on how spicy you like it. You can also use your favorite curry powder blend instead of the sweet and hot curry powder.

This recipe was adapted from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 123Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 0mgSodium 486mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 5gSugar 3gProtein 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Kalyn Denny
Category: Side Dishes

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe for Curried Lentils is suitable for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. Lentils are somewhat high in carbs for a low-carb diet, but if you check the nutritional information you might be surprised to find this recipe only has ten net carbs per serving, and it also includes for other ingredients you could add to make it lower in carbs.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check out Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The easy recipe for Curried Lentils was first posted in 2010. It was last updated with more information in 2025.

Pinterest image of Curried Lentils

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