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When the evenings turn a little chilly, this is the kind of dinner that warms you from the inside out. Creamy coconut, tender lentils, fluffy quinoa, and a bright lime-mango topping—it checks every cozy box.
It’s a one-pot situation with big flavor and simple steps, the kind you’ll make once and then on repeat all season.
Watch the How To Video Here:
Curry on a cold, cold Monday? That is just the BEST. I don’t know about you guys, but here in Colorado we have had some seriously cold weather since before Christmas. I feel like I am pretty much shivering at all times. I will not lie, it’s a little miserable. My dad walked into my house on Saturday and I was sitting on the floor, wrapped tightly in a blanket, with a sweatshirt and hat on, and my computer on my lap.
He looked at me and said, “what the heck are you doing?”.
Me: “working and fighting to stay warm”.
Dad: “why are you using your laptop?”.
Me: “because it acts as a personal lap heater”.
Dad: “why are you on the floor?”.
Me: “because the floor is heated”.
Dad: “Geeze”.
Me: “please don’t open the door…like ever again”.
And that was our little Saturday conversation…clearly I am a weird one, but hey it is kind of cool that my floors are heated, right?!? Win, win!!
Let’s have a quick chat about this healthy, vegan curry. While, vegan minus the greek yogurt, but I love greek yogurt so you know I had to include it in my own personal bowl. I also HAD to include some mango, because I’ve become obsessed with tropical fruits during these cold winter days. Prepare yourselves, there are more to come!!
But the curry! It’s simple, quick and delicious… and full of muscle-building protein and fiber! Can you say win, win…again?? YUP! This dish is also full of good for us veggies like baby kale, red bell peppers and carrots! Not to mention a heavy dose of ginger, lemon AND lime. I mean, we might as well just call this superfood curry!
Oh, and then there is also naan…yummy, soft and buttery naan! No this not is not vegan, and no this naan really has very little health benefits, but yes, this naan is incredibly delicious and clearly I love it! Maybe a little too much, but then it’s naan. It kind of deserves a lot of love, you know? It’s also perfect for dipping and scooping this yummy curry.
Sooo, what do you say? Maybe a little superfood curry for dinner tonight? It will make you all warm inside and leave you feeling energized, and healthy too! Sorry, I don’t mean to sound like an ad, but all is true, and I really cannot tell you how much I love this recipe.
It’s the ultimate, quick and healthy meal for a cold winter night! Seriously.
Oh, and if you are looking for me, I’ll be hiding in the blankets with a giant bowl of curry and a piece of naan the size of my face.
FAQ:
Can I use red lentils instead of green/brown?
Yes—red lentils cook faster and break down, giving a creamier, thicker curry. Expect a softer texture and adjust liquid as needed.
What kind of coconut milk works best?
Full-fat gives the richest, silkiest sauce; light coconut milk will be thinner. If using light, simmer a touch longer and taste-adjust salt and lime.
How do I control the spice level?
Bloom spices gently so they’re fragrant, then add heat in layers (chili, cayenne, or chili oil) and stop when it’s warm enough. If you overshoot, a splash of coconut milk and lime calms things down.
Can I make this ahead and freeze it?
Absolutely—this curry holds up well. Store in the fridge 3–4 days or freeze 2–3 months; reheat gently with a splash of liquid and finish with fresh lime before serving.
Simple Coconut Quinoa and Lentil Curry with Lime Mango.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 2-3 carrots, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2-3 tablespoons thai red curry paste, I like to use 3
- 1 tablespoons curry powder, I like using spicy curry powder
- 1 (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- 4 cups coconut water OR vegetable broth OR water
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce if vegan
- 1 cup green lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup mixed red and white quinoa
- 3-4 big handful baby kale
- juice + zest from 1/2 a lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro + basil, chopped
- 1 mango, sliced or chopped
- fresh limes, naan, greek yogurt, fresno chiles + almonds, for topping
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil in a large heavy bottomed pot set over medium heat. Once hot, add the red pepper and carrots, cook 2-3 minutes or until lightly charred on the edges. Add the garlic + ginger and cook 30 seconds. Add the thai red curry paste and curry powder, continue cooking for another minute or until the curry is fragrant. Slowly pour in the coconut milk, coconut water (or broth or just water) and fish sauce or soy sauce. Stir to combine and then bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the lentils and quinoa. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are tender and the quinoa soft. Stir in the kale and continue cooking, uncovered for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat the and stir in the lemon juice + zest, the cilantro and basil.
- Ladle the curry into bowls and top with mango. Drizzle the mango with lime juice + zest. Garnish the curry the with a dollop of greek yogurt, fresno chilies and almonds. Serve with fresh naan. EAT.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Take that Monday! 🙂
P.S. Happiest birthday to the world’s BESTEST mother ever. Hope you and Nonnie are brunching, shopping till you drop, lunching and having the best time!
Thanks! Incredible recipe. Was delicious. Didn’t have mango on hand… So didn’t add it, but a big juicy lemon and lime… Yum. It was a really fabulous curry. I’ve made a lot of curries, that, often ended up tasting a bit bland. Not this one. I actually made it on a Monday, too. I did not feed it to my two-year old, too spicy, but she ate up white rice with some of the same fixings. Happy fam.
Ah, SO happy you liked it Trish!! Thank you for making it!! Love a happy family!
Making this right now and I have a naan the size of my face! I am so excited – my whole house smells amazing!
So happy about this! So happy you are loving it! Thanks Kate!
I made this and it was delicious! Thank you for posting such a great healthy recipe!
Your welcome!! Thank you Alex!
I made this for dinner, I know it is Summer right now, but I love, love curry.
I did not have mango in the house and it was still delicious.
Also, very easy to make!
So happy you liked it!! Thanks Ruth!
Hey Tieghan! I made this for my neighbours on Friday and we all loved it! The mango with lime was a surprise hit for a savoury dish, great idea!
I will be checking out more of your recipes, they are so beautifully presented it’s exciting to try and recreate them 🙂 Thanks for making such a lovely blog
Emily (London)
YAY! So happy everyone liked it!! Thank you so much Emily!
Hi! I’m getting married in September and we’re cooking all the food ourselves, I came across this recipe and it looks perfect as oner of our vegetarian options. I had a couple of questions, 1. Does is freeze well? and 2. Can you leave off the mango without it detracting too much from the dish (mangos wont be in season).
Thank you!
Hey Cathy! How exciting!! To answer your questions, I have personally never frozen this, but I do think it would work great. Please let me know if you give it a try! Yes, the mango can be left off. Not a huge deal. Let me know if you have other questions. Thanks so much! Oh and congrats!!
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I didn’t have quinoa but I served with brown rice and my family loved it!
Your welcome!! thank you for making it! So happy you guys liked it!!
This was epic!
YES! So happy to hear that, thanks Jay!
oh gosh! this sounds amazing! its too hot today, but the first rainy day and Im all over this. Thanks!
May the rain come soon!! Haha! Hope you love it Susan!!
Lime or lemon????
This recipe is lime!
Wow! Yummmmm!!! So good! ? I followed the recipe and it turned out great (I added toasted cashews instead of almonds and folded in some broccoli with the kale for the last few minutes of cooking). Thanks for a wonderful recipe. This is one of my new favorites. I’ll be making it again soon! Seriously sooooo delicious!!!
YAY! So happy you liked it Melissa! Cashews sound delish!! Thanks for making and commenting!! (:
I made this for dinner and it was delicious! I only had split red lentils, and I also added sweet potato with the vegetables. My 1-year-old loved it 🙂
Yay! So happy it was good, and even your one year old liked it!! WIN! Thanks Mela!
This is also one of the most successful new things I have made recently. I like your style.
Thanks!
I made this last night, was very tasty! Really different. Found it interesting, kind of like a Thai dahl and the lime mango really lifted it up.
I didn’t have green lentils so used red which probably made it more dalh like than the original recipe.
I also used a whole jar of Thai paste (220g) and didn’t bother with the curry powder. Oh, and used Thai basil not normal basil.
Any idea of how many calories per serving?
It looks amazing!
Hey Dom, I am sorry I do not know the calorie count on this. Hope you love the recipe! 🙂