Vegan Lentil Stew with Coconut Milk

Vegan Lentil Stew with Coconut Milk is hearty, subtly sweet and has deep, rich flavors from warming curry spices. It's a delicious bowl of vegan comfort food.

Vegan lentil stew with coconut milk is a warming comfort food meal that’s filled with delicious deep, earthy flavors.

It's super hearty, can be made ahead, and only gets better with time.

There are a number of ways you can change it up (make it your own, if you will) listed below.

Serve it with bread and a salad, and you're all set. Or, just serve yourself a bowl of it and enjoy it as is.

Ingredient Notes

Above: coconut milk, spinach, vegetable stock, carrots, garlic, green lentils, curry spices, fresh thyme and celery.

• dry green lentils - The most common colors of lentils are brown, green, yellow, red-orange and black. Green lentils hold their shape during the long simmer. If you use red-orange lentils, the cooking time will be much shorter (see the note below).
• coconut milk - I use full-fat coconut milk, but light is fine too. It adds body and richness.
• vegetable stock (or broth) - Low-sodium is best, so you can control the salt.
• curry spices - Cumin, turmeric, coriander, cardamom and cloves. The combination of spices is very warming and makes its way into every bite.
• onion and garlic - As with most of my recipes, onion and garlic are the foundation of the stew. And in this case the spices are part of that foundation.
• fresh thyme - Fresh thyme adds a subtly peppery-lemony flavor. If you want to use dried, use ½ the amount.
• carrots - Try to get carrots that are close in size to each other, so the slices cook evenly.
• celery - If the celery is particularly stringy, it's a good idea - though not crucial - to peel those areas.
• spinach - It's added at the end so it just wilts into the stew.
• avocado oil - Or another neutral oil, like vegetable.

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

How to Make It

- Coat a large pot (a 5 to 6 quart Dutch Oven is perfect), fitted with a lid, with the oil. Place it over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a couple minutes to soften and coat with the oil.

- Then add the thyme, and all of the spices. Continue to sauté, stirring every so often, until the onions are very soft, and not yet browning, about 10 minutes.

Recipe Tip: One of the keys to flavoring this stew is sautéing the onions and garlic with fresh thyme and curry spices, including cardamom, cloves, coriander, cumin, and turmeric. It's the foundation for the whole dish. At this point in the process, a good portion of the spices might be stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is actually ideal - all of that is caramelized flavor, and when you add the coconut milk and stock, it will deglaze the pan.

- Add the carrots and celery, stir, and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the lentils and mix to blend.

- In a large glass measuring cup (or bowl), whisk the coconut milk to smooth out any lumps. Add this, along with the stock, to the pot and mix to blend.

Recipe Tip: Right after the liquids are added, use a flat-edged spatula to scrape the bits of food off the bottom of the pan so it works its way back into the mix. (This is the deglazing process.)

- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer until the lentils and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Recipe Tip: About forty-five minutes into the simmering time, start checking to see how tender the lentils and carrots are. They should both be done more or less at the same time. If after one hour either one isn't tender enough, it's fine to keep cooking as long as you need to.

- Add the spinach in a few batches, letting each one wilt into the stew before adding the next. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's How to Season to Taste.) Add chili flakes if desired for a bit of heat and serve.

(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Variations

• Soup. If you'd like to turn this stew into a soup, add vegetable stock until it's the desired consistency. It's best to add it little by little, so as not to accidentally add too much.
• Add tofu. Add about ½ pound of firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes.
• For non-vegans/vegetarians. If keeping the stew vegan/vegetarian isn’t important, you can replace the vegetable stock with chicken stock. Likewise, you can add shredded chicken or cooked sausage to the stew.

*VERY IMPORTANT* If you use red-orange lentils instead of green, the cooking time will be much less, about 20 minutes of simmering instead of about 45. (Red lentils are split and don't have skins, so they cook much more quickly.)

Substitutions and Additions

• Can you substitute curry powder for all of the spices? Yes, you can use about two tablespoons of curry powder instead of the spices listed. The flavor will be very similar.
• The spices can also be mixed up — use more or less of some if desired, and use what you love.
• This vegan lentil stew recipe can be switched up by changing some of the vegetables. Potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn can be used instead of carrots, or in combination with them.
• The coconut milk adds body and richness, but if that's not your thing, use more of the stock to replace it. (It will still be great!)

Making It Ahead

• You can make the lentil stew up to four days ahead of time -- but, the lentils and other vegetables will absorb more of the liquid as they sit. Therefore, when you reheat it, add more stock as needed.

Can You Freeze It?

This stew can be frozen for up to a month or so -- but, much like keeping it refrigerated for a few days, you will very likely need to add more stock when you reheat it.

To defrost, place the frozen stew in the refrigerator a day or two before you plan to serve it.

More Vegan Comfort Food Recipes

I hope you enjoy this comforting Vegan Lentil Stew with Coconut Milk as much as my family and I do.

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