This creamy comforting cauliflower lentil curry is packed with delicious healthy flavors and ready in no time. Vegan and gluten-free, it’s the perfect meal for busy days.
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Finally it’s here! I have been making this curry so many times over the last few months but somehow always managed to eat it before I could even grab my camera and share the recipe on the blog. But it was worth the wait though, as I linked the recipe with a little video to guide you.
Why a video attached to this recipe? To show you how ridiculously simple it is to prepare. Pretty much everyone can prepare this curry at home with no effort and no time – no advanced cooking skills is required. Here, everything happens in one pot, and you just add the ingredients one after another with very little preparation ahead of time. Here’s the video!
What do we have in this curry?
- Cauliflower (roast it or use leftovers if you have any)
- Lentil (canned or cooked)
- Diced tomatoes (canned when not in season ; use them fresh in summer)
- Spinach (totally optional but it adds a green touch)
- Cherry tomatoes (optional too, but I like the juicy texture it brings to the all dish)
- Coconut milk
- Curry spices (if you don’t have them all at hands, improvise!)
Now you can use either fresh or canned ingredients depending on the season and of how much time you have before dinner. Also, think the recipe more as a base that you can adapt depending on which leftovers you have in the fridge or canned ingredients in your pantry. In the end, remember that this curry is very forgiving and can adapt to pretty much any veggies you think would work well together in a curry.
Just a few ingredient alternative ideas:
- Protein-ingredients: replace lentils with chickpeas, white or red beans, diced tofu…
- Other veggies: depending on the season, use eggplants, fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, roasted pumpkin or sweet potatoes, broccoli, kale, etc.
This recipe is 100% plant-based (actually vegan) and naturally gluten-free. Serve with rice, so you can get the full benefits of the protein contained in lentils. Rice is also probably the best side to go with curry, in my opinion. Here I added some naan bread (not gluten-free!) as well, for the comforting flavors it adds to the dish. Then again, this is totally optional in the recipe.
Not only it’s easy to prepare, but it’s also super healthy, fulfilling, with just the right amount of spices to warm you up from the inside. It’s just the perfect winter or mid-season dish, but really you can serve it anytime of the year depending on the above variations you go for. Remember, there are no rights and wrongs. Just make the recipe yours, add your little twist, and most importantly enjoy!
Note that this curry is also a perfect make-ahead dish, that you can either store in the fridge for a few days, or freeze in a an air-tight container for up to a month. Personally, I like to prepare it on Sundays, double or sometimes even triple the quantities, then divide into lunch boxes for the week(s) ahead. If you are looking for options to bring your homemade lunch to the office more often, this recipe is definitely a winner in any way possible. Enjoy!
More curry & stew recipes to try:
- Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry
- Easy Eggplant Chickpea Curry
- Mango Curry Tofu
- Vegan Chickpea Curry with Cauliflower Rice
- Easy Vegan Thai Green Curry
- Red Lentil Dahl with Roasted Pumpkin & Hazelnuts
If you have cauliflower or lentil leftovers:
- Cauliflower and Parsnip Hazelnut Crumble
- Curried Cauliflower Grilled-Cheese Sandwich
- Veggie Beet Pizza with a Cauliflower Crust (Gluten free)
- French Lentil Salad with Beets, Baby Spinach and Feta
Comforting Cauliflower Lentil Curry
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Savory
- Cuisine: Vegan
This creamy comforting cauliflower lentil curry is packed with delicious healthy flavors and ready in no time. Vegan and gluten-free, it’s the perfect meal for busy days.
Email me this recipe
We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!
Ingredients
For the cauliflower:
- 1 head of cauliflower, broken into bite-sized pieces
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the curry:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 Tablespoon curry powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon garam masala powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large can (800 g) diced tomatoes
- 1 handful cherry tomatoes
- 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
- 1 can (250 g) cooked brown lentils
- 2 cups (100 g) fresh spinach
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (210°C).
- Toss the cauliflower with the oil and spices until coated. Spread evenly on a baking tray lined with baking paper or tinfoil. Roast for 40-50 minutes, stirring halfway.
- In a large pot on medium heat, heat olive oil and cook the onions until soft and slightly golden. Add the garlic and all the spices, and stir until fragrant (about 1 minutes). If needed, add splashes of water to prevent burning or sticking in the pot.
- Add the can of diced tomatoes, and stir to combine everything. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Finally, add the coconut milk, lentils, spinach, and roasted cauliflower, and mix until everything is combined and heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve with rice, and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Comforting Cauliflower Lentil Curry, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
NB: For styling this recipe I used the beautiful handmade ceramic plate offered by Mad About Pottery after I ordered a few items in their shop. Make sure you check it out and discover their rustic functional pottery dishes. The ceramic plate pairs beautifully with the wooden planks I used for the background (and that originally were part of a barn in Illinois)!
Carolyn
Delicious. Would absolument make it again! Enjoyed the spice combination. You could use loads of different combos of veggies in this, with equally good results I’m sure! We often roast batches of vegetables for use later. Carrots would be yummy, kale, etc. We used frozen spinach leaves, squeezing out most of the water once thawed. That also works!
Molly
I made this last night and my family and I loved it. I didn’t have lentils cooked, so I used a can of chick peas, which worked very well. Such lovely, complex flavors – yum! One question – what kind of lentils did you use?
Delphine Fortin
Hi Molly! I’m so happy you liked the recipe, it’s become a classic in our house too! I use brown lentils most of the time, but it works with Puys lentils/green lentils as well. I hope this helps! Del
Gerbeau Agathe
Humm…. à tester rapidement! Merci pour cette recette! Pour parenthèse, ma maman avait l’habitude, quelque soit les ingrédients utilisés dans ses curry, de servir un pot de tomates fraîches coupées en dés mêlé à de l’oignon frais, lui même coupé menu, que chacun se rajoutait selon l’envie, comme un achard .. Un met tout bête qui remplacera à merveille les tomates cerises cuites de votre recette.. Merci encore..
Rosenoisettes
Je raffole aussi des curry, ça se fait plutôt rapidement, c’est simple, et une fois qu’on a sa recette fétiche on ne s’en lasse pas.
Tu me donnes envie d’en faire avec cette belle assiette.
Bises