Name: Sweet Potato Curry
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee, or olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1-inch fresh ginger, grated or minced; 1 1/2 cups red lentils, dry; 2 teaspoons curry powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed; 1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk; 3 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water; 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped; Cilantro, chopped, to serve

Made with coconut milk, red lentils, and spinach, and ready in less than 30 minutes, this one-pot sweet potato curry is full of flavor, while being quick and easy to prepare. Not to mention, it’s a well-balanced meal that is packed full of fiber and vegetarian protein and makes great leftovers too!

Bowl of rice with sweet potato curry on top and a sprinkle of cilantro

It’s no secret that I love curry, as I shared many recipes on the blog before. From chickpeas to lentils and Thai to Indian, I’m always looking to try different styles of curry. This particular recipe was inspired by pantry items and is a bit of a cross between an Indian curry and a dal.

Dal, sometimes spelled dhal, dahl, and daal, is both an ingredient and a dish; it is the term used for dried split peas or lentils and is also the term used for a thick lentil soup very common in Indian cuisine. The dal inspiration is what influenced the heavy use of lentils, along with the sweet potatoes, in this recipe. Not only are lentils easy to cook with but they are a wonderful source of fiber and a good source of vegetarian protein, which helps to make this quick and easy curry a more well-balanced meal.

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While I’ve been enjoying this dish for dinner, it works equally well for lunch, and it keeps very so it makes a wonderful meal prep idea. Just whip up a batch of this spinach lentil sweet potato curry tonight, store it in the fridge or freezer, and you’ll have hearty and healthy vegetarian meals ready to go whenever you need them.

Ingredients for sweet potato curry; broth, garlic, ginger, coconut oil, coconut milk, red lentils, onion, turmeric, curry powder, cumin, salt, spinach, sweet potato

What You’ll Need

You’ll need the following ingredients for this sweet potato curry recipe:

Sweet Potatoes: You can add them peeled or unpeeled, it’s completely up to you!
Lentils: While you can technically use any color, the texture and flavor of red lentils work best.
Spinach: The recipe calls for fresh spinach, but you can use frozen if needed.
Coconut Milk: Be sure to use canned coconut milk, regular or lite is fine.
Broth: Chicken broth or vegetable broth both work well.
Onion: To build a base of flavor.
Garlic: To add some fragrance.
Ginger: Fresh ginger root works best, however, you can use powdered or ground ginger if needed.
Spices: Some curry powder, cumin, and turmeric to add flavor and color.

In addition to the above, you’ll need some oil, salt, and black pepper and, if desired, some brown rice or white rice and fresh cilantro to serve.

Dietary Adaptions

To Make it Gluten-Free: No adaptations are needed; the recipe is gluten-free.

To Make it Dairy-Free: No adaptations are needed; the recipe is dairy-free.

To Make it Vegan: Use vegetable broth.

Diced sweet potatoes, red lentils, onion, garlic, ginger and spices in a pan

Lentil and sweet potato mixture with coconut milk and broth in a pan

How to Make Sweet Potato Curry

When I say this one-pot vegetarian curry is easy to make, I mean it, here’s what you’ll do:

Cook the veggies. Begin by cooking the onion, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil until tender.
Add the spices. Add the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
Add the lentils. Mixing to combine with the onion mixture.
Add the sweet potatoes. Mixing to combine with the lentil mixture.
Add the broth and coconut milk. Add the liquids and stir everything until well combined.
Simmer the curry. Allow the mixture to cook until the lentils are tender and the sweet potato can be pierced with a fork.
Wilt in the spinach. Once the curry is cooked, stir the chopped spinach, and warm for another few milted until it’s wilted and bright green.

Once everything is cooked, the curry be served immediately or cooled and stored in the fridge for later. You can find the detailed instructions in the recipe card below.

Cooked lentils and sweet potatoes with spinach in a pan

Cooked spinach lentils sweet potato curry in a pan

Red’s Nutrition Tip

This recipe contains a moderate amount of vegetarian protein, however, if you wanted to push the protein content even further, you can serve it with a bit of grilled chicken or grilled steak on top.

Finished sweet potato curry in a pan with cilantro on top and a side of rice

What to Serve With It

While this sweet potato lentil curry is delicious on its own, and I often eat it that way myself, if you’re looking to create larger portions or want to stretch the dish, you can serve it with something to bulk it up a little. I would recommend one of the following.

Rice: I think it works best with white rice but brown rice works well too.
Flatbread: Such as roti, naan or chapati.
Cauliflower Rice: If you want a lower carb or lower calorie option.

To finish the dish, I recommended serving it with some fresh cilantro and some red pepper flakes, if you want a bit more heat.

Side angle shot of sweet potato and lentil curry on rice in a bowl

Storage + Reheating

To Store: Allow the curry to cool completely and then store it in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To Freeze: Once cooled, transfer the curry to airtight containers and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To Reheat: For the best results, reheat the curry in a pan on low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until warmed through. Alternatively, it can be reheated in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. If frozen, allow to thaw it completely before reheating.

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