Stephanie Kay Nutrition

Stephanie Kay Nutrition

Real Food for Real Life

  • recipes
    • all recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Soups & Stews
    • Salads
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Desserts
  • nutrition
    • All Articles
    • Tips
    • FAQs
    • This vs. That
    • How To/Guides
    • Weight Loss
  • resources
    • 7-Day Meal Plan
    • Balanced Meal Guide
    • 5-Ingredient Cookbook
    • Lunch Box Cookbook
  • About
    • About Steph
    • Contact
  • recipes
    • all recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Soups & Stews
    • Salads
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Desserts
  • nutrition
    • All Articles
    • Tips
    • FAQs
    • This vs. That
    • How To/Guides
    • Weight Loss
  • resources
    • 7-Day Meal Plan
    • Balanced Meal Guide
    • 5-Ingredient Cookbook
    • Lunch Box Cookbook
  • About
    • About Steph
    • Contact
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • Meal Prep
  • Nutrition Tips
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest
Home | Recipes | Sweet Potato Curry

Sweet Potato Curry

Published on March 15, 2023 by Stephanie Kay

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

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.

Prefer to watch the video?

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:

  1. Cook the veggies. Begin by cooking the onion, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil until tender.
  2. Add the spices. Add the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
  3. Add the lentils. Mixing to combine with the onion mixture.
  4. Add the sweet potatoes. Mixing to combine with the lentil mixture.
  5. Add the broth and coconut milk. Add the liquids and stir everything until well combined.
  6. Simmer the curry. Allow the mixture to cook until the lentils are tender and the sweet potato can be pierced with a fork.
  7. 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.

More Healthy Curry Recipes:

  • Green Lentil & Spinach Curry
  • Yellow Squash & Chickpea Curry
  • Chickpea Peanut Curry
Print
Bowl of rice with sweet potato curry on top and a sprinkle of cilantro

Sweet Potato Curry

Author: Stephanie Kay

Made with red lentils, spinach, and coconut milk, this sweet potato curry recipe is a healthy vegetarian meal that is rich, creamy, and full of flavor.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Stew
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Indian
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

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

Instructions

  1. In a large pot on medium-high heat, warm the coconut oil. Add onions and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes until translucent.
  2. Add garlic and ginger, and cook for about 1 minute. Add curry powder, cumin, turmeric and salt, and allow to heat for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Add lentils and chopped sweet potatoes to the pot and stir to combine with the spice mixture.
  4. Cover with coconut milk and broth, stir to combine, and bring to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes until lentils are tender and the sweet potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork.
  5. Once tender, add chopped spinach, stir to combine, and simmer until spinach has wilted. At this point, the curry should have thickened and most of the broth absorbed, if not, allow it to simmer for a final 5-10 minutes until the curry is thick and creamy. If you find the curry too thick, simply loosen it up with a bit of additional broth or water. Once cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt to taste.
  6. Serve curry immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 378 calories
  • Sugar: 2 grams
  • Fat: 19 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 41 grams
  • Fiber: 7 grams
  • Protein: 14 grams

Keywords: lentil, coconut, spinach, easy, healthy

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

 

Fennel apple salad with arugula, walnuts, and pecoriono in a white salad bowl with a tea towel and a bowl of shaved pecorino cheese
Fennel Apple Salad PREVIOUS
Sourdough French Toast NEXT
Two slices of sourdough French toast on a white plate with butter, raspberries, blueberries, and maple syrup.

Learn How To Make A Balanced Meal!

Grab a copy of my balanced meal formula guide and learn to make well-balanced meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Comments

  1. Jenn Beyak says

    January 11, 2021 at 3:32 pm

    So easy and delicious and loved by the whole family!! I have made this twice now and double the recipe each time, because the leftovers are so good.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Roslyn Raquel Guzman says

    September 6, 2021 at 12:26 am

    This sounds amazing! I’m wondering if I could make it with regular potatoes. My picky family hates sweet potatoes whomp whomp

    Reply
    • Stephanie Kay says

      September 6, 2021 at 9:31 am

      Absolutely! You could certainly swap white potatoes for sweet potatoes, however, they *may* take a few more minutes to cook depending on the style of white potatoes, so just keep an eye on that. Butternut squash would also work if your family happens to enjoy it. 🙂

      Reply
Stephanie Kay Nutrition

Hey, I’m Stephanie

– AKA RED –

I’m a nutritionist on a mission to change the way you look at food and teach you how to make real food work for real life in a realistic way.

Get to Know Me

Want A 7-Day Meal Plan?

Download my free 7-day meal plan, complete with a grocery list, for a week’s worth of easy healthy recipes that make real food work for real life.

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Shop My Cookbooks

My eCookbooks are filled with quick and easy real food recipes to help make eating well a breeze so you can crush your goals.

Learn More

Recipes

  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • Meal Prep
  • Snacks

Nutrition

  • FAQs
  • Tips
  • This vs. That
  • Weight Loss

Connect

  • Instagram
  • About
  • Cookbooks

About Stephanie

I’m a nutritionist on a mission to change the way you look at food and teach you how to make real food work for real life in a realistic way.

Learn More

Site Credits
2022 © Stephanie Kay Nutrition
To Top