A delightfully simple and delicious take on Madras lentils. They're so creamy, rich, and satisfying that you'll forget that they're vegan and healthy too!
Tasty Bite Madras Lentils are pretty well known for being the yummiest lentils-in-a-packet out there!! This easy copy-cat version is not only just as delicious, but also dairy-free, vegan, and healthy!!
How to make Madras Lentils:
Dice onion and sauté with cumin, ground ginger and red pepper flakes in the bottom of large soup pot for several minutes until onions are almost clear. Add minced garlic and sauté for another minute (Photo 1).
Rinse and add lentils, can of diced tomatoes with green chilis, tomato paste, water and vegan chicken broth seasoning or vegetable broth. (Photo 2).
Bring soup to a boil, then place the lid on the pot and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes or until lentils are soft, adding rinsed and drained canned red beans at about the ½ hour mark.
Just before serving (after the heat is turned off!) add just the cream from a can of chilled coconut milk (you can save the liquid for smoothies later!) and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro (Photos 3 & 4).
What is coconut cream and why use it?
When you chill a can of full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight, the creamy part that solidifies at the top is called the 'cream'. Open your can carefully (ie. don't shake it up!) and scoop the cream out to add ultimate creamy-dreaminess to your lentils - without any dairy!
Make sure to NOT get "Cream of Coconut"—that stuff is really sweet and sugar and meat for desserts and drinks, NOT for savory dishes.
Expert tip - Making the best Broth:
Instead of making or buying vegetable broth all the time, I like to keep vegan chicken-style bouillon on hand and then just add the water and bouillon needed to the pot. Aside from the easy storage, I find the flavor to be far superior to vegetable broth in many recipes. Sometimes I make my own vegan chicken broth, or I often purchase McKay's or Better than bouillon.
Red Beans vs. Kidney Beans:
You can use either, but I prefer canned red beans. They are slightly softer and a bit smaller than traditional kidney beans, and are the perfect complement to lentils is this recipe.
I can totally almost taste these Madras Lentils with:
- Vegan Naan Bread
- A swirl of vegan yogurt on top
Other vegan lentil recipes you will love:
- Creamy vegan lentil soup
- Mediterranean style red lentils and chickpeas soup
- Vegan lentil burgers
- Lentil tabbouleh
- Vegan lentil cakes
If you’ve tried this Madras Lentils recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I LOVE hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food!!!
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Madras Lentils
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 3 tablespoon vegan margarine
- 8 cups water, can replace with vegetable broth if not using vegan chicken seasoning
- 1.5 cups dry brown lentils
- 10 oz canned petite diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 2 tablespoon Mckay's vegan Chickenstyle Seasoning, or other options in notes below
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 15 oz canned red beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup coconut cream, from canned coconut milk (NOT "Cream of Coconut")
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Dice onion and sauté with cumin and red pepper flakes in the bottom of large soup pot for several minutes until onions are almost clear. Add minced garlic and ginger and sauté for another minute.
- Rinse and add lentils, can of diced tomatoes with green chilis, tomato paste, water and vegan chicken broth seasoning or vegetable broth.
- Bring soup to a boil, then place the lid on the pot and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes or until lentils are soft, adding rinsed and drained canned red beans at about the ½ hour mark.
- Just before serving (after the heat is turned off!) add just the cream from a can of chilled coconut milk (you can save the liquid for smoothies later!) and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
What is coconut cream and why use it?
When you chill a can of full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight, the creamy part that solidifies at the top is called the 'cream'. Open your can carefully (ie. don't shake it up!) and scoop the cream out to add ultimate creamy-dreaminess to your lentils - without any dairy! There are also quite a few stores where you can now buy canned coconut cream. No need to chill in order to separate it, just straight up use it! Expert tip - Making the best Broth: Instead of making or buying vegetable broth all the time, I like to keep vegan chicken-style bouillon on hand and then just add the water and bouillon needed to the pot. Aside from the easy storage, I find the flavor to be far superior to vegetable broth in many recipes. Sometimes I make my own vegan chicken broth, or I often purchase McKay's or Better than bouillon.Red Beans vs. Kidney Beans:
You can use either, but I prefer canned red beans. They are slightly softer and a bit smaller than traditional kidney beans, and are the perfect complement to lentils is this recipe.Nutrition
Lynn L
Be careful when buying Cream of Coconut. I've made this recipe a few times before and just used coconut milk because I didn't have the cream of coconut. I just decreased the amount of water accordingly. Turned out fine. This time I found Cream of Coconut at the store. Well, I'm thinking I did something wrong. It was super sweet, gross sweet. I checked the label and contents had sugar. I'm wondering, why? Why isn't it just the cream from coconut milk. Why add sugar? Clearly I bought the wrong thing. This whole batch is ruined, completely inedible. I'm sure I did something wrong and there must be normal cream of coconut out there somewhere. But just a note to be careful with Cream of Coconut. I'm going back to straight coconut milk next time and decreasing the water to 6 cups instead of 8 cups. Love this recipe. But not this batch.
Kate
Yes, good tip!! Coconut cream is NOT the same thing as Cream of Coconut. Avoid Cream of Coconut for this lentils recipe, use coconut cream as the recipe states.
Corey B
What do you do with the rest of the coconut milk after you remove the cream?
Can these be frozen at some point in the process or will that ruin the texture? Thanks!
Kate
I usually just use the coconut milk for other recipes (creamy soups, smoothies), or in coffee. I haven't tried freezing it, but I think it might be OK to freeze the final dish (once it cools to room temp). It might separate a little while thawing but can probably be stirred back together. Let me know how it works out if you try freezing it!
Julie
I made this recipe today and they are THE best Madeas Lentils I have ever made! I didn’t have fenugreek so I left it out this time. This recipe will definitely become a staple at our house! Thank you!!
Kate
I'm so glad to hear that!!