Creamy Vegan Ethiopian Lentils recipe with savory sweet potato, tender lentils, and fresh spinach are simmered in a Berbere-spiced coconut milk broth, delicious!
This is one of my all-time favorites for cold weather and lazy weekends. I love to save the creamy lentils leftovers in mason jars for easy lunches during the week!
Happy Meatless Monday! Spring is *officially* here, but the weather is still terrible and I’m still eating warm meals.
I’ve got a lovely Creamy Vegan Ethiopian Lentils recipe for you today. Just look!
One of the easiest ways to achieve a delicious Ethiopian flavor is to use a traditional seasoning known as Berbere seasoning.
I buy mine from Frontier Co-op on Amazon.
If you don’t want to go the store bought route, then you can try your hand at making your own using this recipe from the lovely Cate over at Girl Cooks World.
Lentils and yams are just so yummy this time of year! You can use sweet potatoes if you can’t find any yams, but I just love the vibrant color that yams bring to a dish. This was really comforting and hearty. Perfect to slurp up next to a cozy fire.
I made this Ethiopian lentil recipe in my favorite dutch oven
, which is so pretty I can serve dinner right out of it. You can order one from Amazon.
When it’s time to save the leftovers, I just put the lid on and pop it in the fridge. It’s enameled cast iron, so it can also go in the dishwasher. Love it!
(Pssst… the leftovers only get better and better, so make sure to save some for an easy lunch option!)
I first shared this vegan Ethiopian recipe with you back in December of 2013, when the blog was only about six months old! I’ve become a bit more proficient with writing recipes and taking pictures since that time, so I thought it was time to update this post and re-share it with the world.
Here’s an old picture from the original post, just for fun (ahem, it is a picture of the leftovers after I had re-heated them for too long and it all got a little mushy….. oops):
Here is the new picture to Pin on Pinterest:
Enjoy your meatless Monday!
Here’s the Recipe!
Creamy Ethiopian Lentils Recipe
RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion - about half an onion
- 1 tablespoon Ethiopian Berbere seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 cups vegetable broth or mushroom broth
- 2 large red yams - peeled and diced
- 1 cup brown lentils - sorted for foreign material and rinsed
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 inch of fresh ginger - grated
- 14 oz can light coconut milk
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- Flatbread and/or cooked basmati rice for serving - optional
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven (or other heavy bottomed pot), heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onions and saute for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
- Add the Berbere seasoning and garlic; toss to coat. Immediately add the broth, yams, lentils, and tomatoes. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender and the lentils are soft.
- Add the ginger and coconut milk. Let the mixture cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or so over low heat, then stir in the spinach. Once the spinach is wilted and the dish is heated through, remove from heat. Serve with flatbread or rice, if desired.
Nutrition
Thank you, Thank you for sharing this awesome and delicious recipe. It is so flavorful and satisfying including for the meat eaters. I have made it countless times and now that we are trying to lower meat intake we will make it maybe every week. I will try your other recipes soon.
.I always make it with red lentils and vegetable broth
.I make it with regular coconut milk
.I use the whole bag/box of spinach-maybe 6-8 C spinach
Cleo
This is delicious! I actually added more berbere spice, since the mix I made didn’t give quite enough flavor for my taste. This recipe is wonderful!
Gorgeous! Pinned this for later!
This looks like a lovely dinner for my family, but my husband is….frustratingly reluctant to eat sweet potatoes or yams, which I happen to love. What would you suggest substituting? Regular potatoes? Or perhaps chunky chopped carrots to still get a sweet touch of vitamin A and the pop of color? Would it just ruin the flavor? Should I just use the yams and let him pick around them? Lol
Hi, Ashley! Isn’t that the worst? My husband isn’t fond of them either… but I say “tough turtles!” Eat it or go hungry 😉 I’ve never tried substituting anything else in this recipe, so I’m not sure how it would turn out. You could try a combination of potatoes and carrots. I’d add the carrots a bit later on in the cooking than the potatoes because they will cook a little faster. You might need to throw in brown sugar, too 🙂