Cozy and nourishing dal made with yellow moong dal, warming spices, creamy coconut milk and a boost of veggies from fresh spinach. This beautiful dal recipe is packed with plant-based protein and fiber for the perfect, satisfying meal!
Recipe by Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com on January 31, 2022
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT60M
Total time: PT90M
Rating
4.85 stars (57 reviews)
Keywords
dal recipe, yellow lentil dal
Ingredients
1 cup yellow moong dal or red split lentils
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 (2-inch) knob fresh ginger, grated
5 garlic cloves, sliced
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can diced or crushed tomatoes with their juices
1 (13.5-ounce) can reduced fat coconut milk (or feel free to use full-fat if you prefer a richer dal)
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
To garnish:
Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, for garnish
For serving:
Naan, flatbread, quinoa, or rice for serving
Categories
Dairy Free
Dinner
Gluten Free
Grain Free
Lunch
Vegan
Vegetarian
Cuisine
Indian
Steps
Place the lentils in a medium bowl and cover them with water. Wash the lentils with your hand, tip out the water, and repeat this process until the water runs clear. Cover the lentils with fresh water and soak 30 minutes to 1 hour (this will allow them to cook faster).
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the onions, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until they start to become tender and translucent. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook with the onions for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until everything starts to brown slightly.
Stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt and black pepper. Sauté the masala for 2 to 3 minutes until it smells aromatic and darkens in color.
Add the tomato paste and cook until it deepens in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Now pour in the tomatoes. Continue to cook until the tomatoes reduce slightly, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and vegetable broth to the pot. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Now add the drained lentils. Cover the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the curry is thick. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts.
Add the lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, so the dal continues to thicken and become luscious. Feel free to simmer further to reach your desired consistency. Taste again and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Garnish the dal with chopped cilantro and serve with naan, flatbread, quinoa, or rice.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving (based on 4)
Calories: 429 kcal
Carbohydrates: 44.5 g
Protein: 15.7 g
Fat: 21.4 g
Saturated Fat: 11.2 g
Sugar: 6.1 g
Reviews
Rose on 2026-06-03 (5 stars): I loooooove this recipe! I hate lentils but I’m trying to expand my palate and this was very good! I realized too late that we didn’t have turmeric do I subbed half the amount in mustard. Then used frozen spinach because mine was a bit old. Very good! Going on the short list.
Lorna on 2026-05-17 (5 stars): This is a staple in our house, especially in winter. I usually make it exactly as written but I've left out the spinach when I didn't have it on hand and it's still beautiful. I've also made it successfully with chana dal though of course it takes longer to cook. Amazing recipe!
HelloWorld on 2026-04-17 (5 stars): Have made this recipe a lot of times, also with different veggies when I don't have spinach, always delicious
Sam on 2026-03-24 (5 stars): This was so darned delicious you had an Old Cowboy going back for (generous) seconds. We're on the meatless Mondays scheme and this recipe hit every YES button. Made as per recipe but added in a palmful of both oven roasted tomatoes and fennel. What a great recipe to try out on this cold snowing day on a remote farm on the edge of the Canadian Rockies. Thank you.
Sigrid on 2026-02-07 (5 stars): This recipe is insanely delicious, I make it almost every week! I use regular lentils, and also add potatoes, carrots and peas. Turns out great every time! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe, and I really appreciate how the instructions are super clear and easy to follow.
Rene on 2025-12-16 (5 stars): Nice, easy, fragrant, tasty....
Brooke on 2025-10-20 (5 stars): I hate lentils. Always have. That being said, I LOVE this recipe!! My husband is vegetarian and I've been trying to find more plant based protein recipes and this one is absolutely a keeper. Based on the other reviews I decided to double the batch off the get-go. I didn't have two cans of coconut milk so I used one can and then filled the empty can with heavy cream (no longer vegan I know but we don't care much about that haha) I also used one can of diced tomatoes and one can of crushed tomatoes and the mixture of having both chunky tomato bits but also blended tomato was absolutely divine!!! Will 100000% be making this recipe again! Thank you!
Hope on 2025-08-25 (5 stars): Really super yummy. I changed it to a sweeter versiom by usung original organic ricemilk. Fresh chopped tomatoes. No canned. Cilantro not coriander powder. Carrots instead of spinach. Soooo good
