Sweet potato dal is the vegan curry recipe of your dreams (unless you dislike nice things and/or are prone to nightmares involving red lentils). One of my favourite dishes to batch-cook at home, it'll provide a healthy and satisfying meal that's delicious, nutritious, vegan, and gluten-free.
The hearty sweet potato chunks make this a great one-pot meal, with the vibrant flavours of lime zest and juice bringing it all to life. For extra flavour points, throw the grated lime halves into the pan once they've been juiced.
If you like what's going on in this recipe, you might also be interested in this sweet potato and black bean chilli and red lentil and spinach dal.
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What is sweet potato dal?
'Dal' refers to any dried split pulses that cook quickly and break down to create a hearty and healthy meal. Lentils – and in particular red split lentils – are commonly used since they're affordable and widely available.
Sweet potato dal simply builds on this lentil base to create a dish that's even more filling and more nutritious. If you want to learn more about the world of lentils and other legumes, see my beginner's guide to pulses.
Is it healthy?
The two key ingredients in this sweet potato and red lentil curry are nutritional powerhouses full of fibre, plant-based protein, vitamins, and minerals. The lentils in particular are rich in polyphenols, which are known to have strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects.
In one serving of this vegan dal recipe, you'll find:
- Calories: 411 kcal
- Protein: 17 g (34% of RDA)
- Fibre: 21 grams (88% of RDA)
- Vitamin C: 41 mg (50% of RDA)
- Iron: 8 mg (44% of RDA)
(Figures from a third-party nutrition calculator.)
For more healthy meals that use these main ingredients, check out my recipes for vegan stovies, sweet potato and black bean chilli, quinoa and sweet potato stew, and red pepper and lentil soup.
What you'll need
There are quite a few ingredients needed to make this curry, but it's well worth making the effort to throw them in. These include:
- Red split lentils to break down and create the dal base
- Sweet potatoes for flavour, texture, and bulk
- Spices in the form of cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, coriander, and cardamom
- Lime zest and juice to lift all the flavours up to another level
How to make sweet potato dal
Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat and add the chopped onions. Sprinkle with salt and cook for 5-6 minutes or until starting to soften, stirring regularly (1).
Stir in the sweet potato cubes (2), then add the chopped garlic, ginger, and chilli (3). Cook for a couple of minutes until the aromatics start to soften.
Bash the cardamom pods gently with the flat of your knife and add to the pan along with the ground cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, ground coriander, and bay leaves (4). Mix well and cook for a minute.
Give the lentils a quick rinse in a colander (optional) and add to the pan (5) along with the water/stock and tinned tomatoes (6). Cover with a lid, bring to a gentle simmer, then turn down the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring now and then.
After 15 minutes, add the coconut milk, lime zest, and lime juice (7). For more flavour, stir in the squeezed lime halves and chopped coriander stems.
Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the lentils and sweet potato cubes are cooked through (8).
During this time, add a little extra liquid if necessary to prevent the curry from catching on the bottom of the pan.
Once the lentils and sweet potato cubes are soft and cooked through, stir in the garam masala (9) and most of the chopped coriander leaves (not pictured here because someone in my house doesn't like coriander...). Cook for another couple of minutes.
Remove the lime halves from the dal (10), adjust the seasoning to taste, and serve.
Serving suggestions
Enjoy the curry as a one-pot meal or serve with boiled rice or homemade pilau rice. Finish off with toppings such as fresh coriander, chilli, and sliced spring onions.
You could also serve with roasted cauliflower, baked potatoes, potato wedges, or bread such as naan or chapati (gluten-free if necessary).
Recipe FAQ
Coconut milk gives this dal a delicious creaminess, but you could easily swap it for light coconut milk or extra water if you want to reduce the fat amount. The recipe only uses half a can of coconut milk, meaning you can use the rest in a mushroom stroganoff, chickpea cauliflower curry, or pumpkin soup.
For another alternative, try replacing the coconut milk with homemade cashew cream.
This recipe is 100% gluten-free if you use a vegan stock that is labelled as such (or just use water). Sides such as rice are also GF.
You can refrigerate this dal for up to four days. Like many curries, it gets even better after a day or two in the fridge.
You can freeze this for up to six months. Defrost and reheat thoroughly before eating.
Variations and tips for sweet potato dal
- Other additions: Feel free to add in ingredients such as spinach, kale, peppers, or mushrooms.
- Chilli: The heat level will depend on the variety and quantity of chilli you use. If in doubt, start small and add more to taste.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Creamy Jackfruit Curry
- Easy Chana Masala
- Spicy Tofu Jalfrezi
- Vegan Rajma Masala
- Aloo Palak (Potato Spinach Curry)
- Black Bean Curry with Cashew Cream
- Red Lentil and Spinach Dal
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
You can also check out my full list of vegan mains.
Sweet Potato Dal with Lime (GF)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or other cooking oil)
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes (1.5 lbs / 700 g)
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Approx. 2 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
- 2-3 rocket chillies, thinly sliced (more or less depending on how you like your heat)
- 6 cardamom pods
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 bay leaves
- 1½ cups (300 g) dried red split lentils
- 4-5 cups (1-1.2 litres) water or vegan stock (plus more if needed)
- 1x 14 oz (400 g) tin tomatoes
- 1 7 oz (200 ml) tin coconut milk (or half of a standard tin)
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Small handful fresh coriander
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat and add the chopped onions. Sprinkle with salt and cook for 5-6 minutes or until starting to soften, stirring regularly.
- Stir in the sweet potato cubes, then add the chopped garlic, ginger, and chilli. Cook for a couple of minutes until the aromatics start to soften.
- Bash the cardamom pods gently with the flat of your knife and add to the pan along with the ground cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, ground coriander, and bay leaves. Mix well and cook for a minute.
- Give the lentils a quick rinse in a colander (optional) and add to the pan along with the water/stock and tinned tomatoes. Cover with a lid, bring to a gentle simmer, then turn down the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring now and then.
- After 15 minutes, add the coconut milk, lime zest, and lime juice. For more flavour, stir in the squeezed lime halves and chopped coriander stems. Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the lentils and sweet potato cubes are cooked through.
- During this time, add a little extra liquid if necessary to prevent the curry from catching on the bottom of the pan.
- Once the lentils and sweet potato cubes are soft and cooked through, stir in the garam masala and most of the chopped coriander leaves. Cook for another couple of minutes.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve with boiled rice or pilau rice, fresh coriander, and an extra squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
- Creamy Jackfruit Curry
- Easy Chana Masala
- Spicy Tofu Jalfrezi
- Vegan Rajma Masala
- Aloo Palak (Potato Spinach Curry)
- Black Bean Curry with Cashew Cream
- Vegan Red Lentil Dal
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
Nutrition
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Carole S
Haven't actually tried it yet- but will. This looks absolutely great. You made me laugh with "someone" doesn't like Coriander. I also have a couple of those in my house. Never mind, just leaves all the more for me to put on my plate.
Will try soon.
The Pesky Vegan
Good stuff, let me know how you get on!
Carole S
So, I tried it. At first taste, I thought, "well, it's quite nice, I suppose.." but by the time I had eaten half my portion, I had got the taste of it and went back for a second and third helping (oh dear!). 4 out of 6 of us (all non vegans except for me) loved it. Will definitely make it again, not only for the taste but for its nutritional value.
I added a tablespoon of soy sauce in at the end (my hubbie's Japanese, and it's just something they do - a jollop of soy sauce in everything). I didn't have fresh chilies so I used a teaspoon of chili flakes which is not enough but the kids can't handle the heat. I topped up my own serving with a bit of heat using West Indian Hot Pepper Sauce which was very tasty.
Thanks for another great recipe.
The Pesky Vegan
Going for second and third helpings is definitely a good endorsement! Glad you enjoyed and thanks very much for the review!