Sweet Potato Lentil Curry

In the cooler months this Sweet Potato Lentil Curry will warm you up. Sweet potatoes, vegetables and lentils are simmered in broth, coconut milk, warm spices, and finished off with fresh herbs. This is an easy curry dish to make and perfect for a weeknight meal with a salad and naan bread.

SWEET POTATO LENTIL CURRY

We love a good curry in our house.

I make a lot of variations of curry dishes but today’s Sweet Potato Lentil Curry Recipe is a favorite in the cooler months of the year. It is perfect for a chilly day.

It is a hearty, and very comforting dish that can be made as part of your meal prep and served throughout the week.

I think the flavors are even better the second or third day after making this.

This curry uses sweet potatoes that are simmered with warm spices, curry paste, lentils, vegetables, coconut milk and broth to create a delicious lentil curry.

I like to serve this with Homemade Naan and a big Arugula Salad.

If you like curry dishes you have to try this Chickpea Curry, Cauliflower Curry, Easy Eggplant Curry, Easy Shrimp Curry, Red Lentil Curry, and this Pumpkin Curry.

Why you should make Sweet Potato Curry Recipe

Easy to make: If you are looking for an easy meal this is for you. Just chop, sauté, simmer, serve – it really is that easy.     

Low cost: With a mixture of vegetables and store cupboard ingredients, this dish is also wallet-friendly. Perfect for weekday dinners, or affordable entertaining.  

Healthy: This curry is healthy and packed with sweet potatoes, vegetables, spinach and lentils. The lentils will fill you up with protein and keep you feeling full. You will love this cozy recipe!

Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions:

• Olive oil: if you want to give your dish some real authenticity, you could swap the olive oil for ghee, a type of clarified butter often used in Indian cookery. It’s not as healthy, but it is delicious!
• Garlic & onion: the garlic and onion adds flavor to the curry. I like to use fresh garlic but you could sub in jarred garlic or garlic powder. For onion you can use red onion, sweet onion or shallot.
• Tomatoes: you can use canned tomatoes if you’re short on time, they’ll taste just as good! 
• Curry Paste: there are so many different types of pre-made curry paste, from mild to super spicy! I recommend trying a few to find one you really like.
• Spices: the spices in this curry are warm and robust. It uses ground coriander and ginger. You can use ground ginger or fresh ginger. I also like to add cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, paprika or garam masala sometimes.
• Sweet Potato: this curry uses a whole sweet potato. Make sure to peel it and cub it into small chunks that are the same size so they cook through. You can sub in butternut squash.
• Lentils: I like to use red lentils in this curry because I feel the texture is best and they cook nicely but you could also use another type of lentil like yellow lentils, brown lentils or green lentils if you prefer.
• Spinach: I added fresh spinach but you can skip that. Add it at the end and let it wilt. You also could use kale or swiss chard.
• Coconut Milk: the coconut milk helps create a more creamy curry and a nice sweet coconut flavor. You can use full-fat coconut milk if you can find that.
• Broth: I suggest vegetable broth or vegetable stock but you also could use chicken broth if you are ok with the curry not being a vegetarian curry. You could use my Homemade Chicken Broth Recipe here. For a tangy flavor you can also add a squeeze of lime juice or lemon juice.

How to make Sweet Potato Lentil Curry

Make the sauce base

1. Heat a medium sized pan, over a medium heat. Add the olive oil, and sauté the garlic and onion for 1 minute.
2. Add the tomato and a splash of water to loosen. Cook for a further 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the curry paste, coriander and ginger, as well as a dash of salt and pepper to taste, and stir well.

Add the main ingredients

1. Add the sweet potato, lentils and coconut milk.
2. Bring the curry to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the broth

1. Remove the lid and pour the vegetable broth into the pan with the other ingredients.
2. Stir well, re-cover, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender.

Add the spinach

1. Stir in the spinach and let it wilt – this will only take a minute or so.

Serve

1. Scoop into bowls, pre-loaded with rice or quinoa.
2. Top with fresh cilantro, a dollop of yogurt, and chilli flakes with a piece of warm naan on the side.

Tips for making this Sweet Potato Lentil Curry:

Rinse your lentils: Before cooking, make sure you rinse your lentils well in cold water and pick through them. This is to remove any shriveled lentils and unwanted dust or debris (because of how they’re grown, it’s not unusual to find a little stone lurking!)

Turn up the heat: Everybody’s different when it comes to spice – you might like it mild, but some like it hot! So remember to adjust the spice level to your taste. You can add/remove fresh chili or dried spices, and use a curry paste with a heat level you’re comfortable with.    

Play with spices: Indian food is known for its incredible array of spices. I’ve kept this recipe simple, but you could compliment the dried coriander with dried cumin and turmeric. Or experiment with whole spices – cumin, coriander, and mustard seeds all make delicious additions to a curry, as do star anise and cardamom (just remember to remove these before serving). 

Leftovers – Once cold, transfer any leftover Sweet Potato Lentil Curry to an airtight container. It keeps well, and can be stored for up to five days in the refrigerator.

Reheating – To reheat the Sweet Potato Lentil Curry, gently warm up in a pan over a medium heat (no need to bring it all the way up to boiling), or heat up in your microwave.

Modifications for Sweet Potato Lentil Curry:

Add more vegetables: You can pack out this curry with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Cauliflower and green beans go particularly well in a Sweet Potato Lentil Curry, but you could also add red bell peppers, carrots or peas – have fun experimenting!

Add meat: If you have a friend or relative that loves a nice curry, but isn’t as keen on eating vegetarian food, you could add a protein – I recommend chicken thighs, which have lots of flavor and will stay nice and juicy when simmering in the coconut broth.

Swap paste for powder: If you don’t want to buy an extra ingredient, and you have curry powder already in the store cupboard, it’s absolutely fine to use that instead of curry paste. But make sure to start by adding about half the amount, and work up from there. You don’t want to accidentally over-spice your dish!

What to Serve With This Curry

A lot of times when I eat this soup it stands great on its own. I will often warm up a piece of pita or naan to go with it and make a simple salad. Here are some other ideas:

• A Mediterranean Bean Salad or Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts is always a great partner to this lentil soup.
• This Roasted Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower or these Simple Garlic Parmesan Green Beans are a nice addition.  
• A big bowl of this traditional or lemon hummus is a great side dish to the soup.

Other Lentil Recipes You Might Like:

Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup

Lebanese Lentil Soup

Italian Style Lentil Soup

Turkish Lentil Soup

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

Lemon Lentil Soup