By Jehan Yusoof  |  Updated October 08, 2026  |  ★ 5.0 (1 review) | 9 comments

A spinach dhal curry cooked in coconut milk and tempered Sri Lankan style.
This is another popular quick vegetarian curry you can try for a healthier meal plan.

★★★★★
If you try this, I’d love to know how it turned out. Just tap the stars in the recipe card; it helps other cooks find this recipe.

Why this recipe works

A Dhal (lentil) dish is the most basic of curries that everyone learns to cook early on.
With just 20 minutes, you can serve this spinach and dal curry over a bowl of rice and poppadams for a quick and simple meatless meal.
It’s a time-saving, versatile dish that comes in handy when you need a budget-friendly yet wholesome meal to feed a family.
Cooked using red lentils, a few tempering ingredients, spinach and coconut milk, this creamy spinach and dal curry makes a perfect budget-friendly side dish for your meals.

Ingredients to make spinach dhal curry

You’ll find exact quantities in the recipe card below.

• Red lentils (masoor dhal): these red lentils cook fast with no soaking involved, but rinse them until the water runs clear.
• Coconut milk: canned or powdered will do.
• Tempering ingredients: Oil, sliced onions, sliced garlic, curry leaves, turmeric powder, black mustard seeds, red chilli flakes (reduce or increase).
• Salt: to season
• Spinach leaves: big leaves can be cut into smaller pieces. You can use frozen leaves as well.
  • Choosing Your Spinach: use a medium bunch of mature spinach. Baby spinach works but wilts to almost nothing, so use a whole bag, and it’s easier for young children to eat; the big leaves in my photos were a struggle for my youngest.

What you will need in the Kitchen.

• Chopping board and knife
• Bowl to wash the dhal and spinach
• Colander to hold and drain the spinach
• Skillet or frying pan
• A pan to cook the spinach and dhal curry

How to make Sri Lankan dhal and spinach curry

photo tutorial

Preparing the ingredients

Wash and drain a bundle of spinach leaves in a colander.
Wash the dhal and strain
Have all the ingredients needed ready

Cook the dhal

Add the washed dhal and put it into a medium-sized pan. Pour in the water and turmeric powder.

Bring to a gentle boil over low-medium heat, then simmer slowly for 5 to 10 minutes until the lentils are soft.
If the water evaporates before the lentils are tender, add a little more water and cook until
The dhal turns soft and leave it on the stove.

Make the tempering

Place a small skillet or frying pan over medium heat.
Pour in the oil, add the curry leaves (a sprig), followed by garlic slices, sliced onions, and turmeric powder.
Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the onions turn golden brown. 5 minutes.

Include the mustard seeds and red chilli flakes last.
Sauté further until the mustard seeds splutter, making sure the chilli flakes don’t burn. 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside

Add the coconut milk to the dhal

Switch on the stove and set the flame to low.
Pour in the coconut milk and gently stir with the dhal and continue to cook for a minute or two.
Add the tempering to the cooking dhal and stir to make sure the ingredients are mixed.
Taste and season with salt as needed.

Wilt the spinach

Add the spinach leaves and cook over very low heat until the leaves just wilt.

Remove curry from the fire and serve warm.

What to serve with Sri Lankan spinach dhal curry

• Rice
  • How to cook rice on the stove
  • Sri Lankan Yellow Rice (turmeric rice)
• Meat curry
  • Sri Lankan chicken curry
  • Sri Lankan beef curry
  • Kalupol-Sri Lankan chicken curry(spicy black chicken curry)
• Seafood curry
  • Canned mackerel fish stir-fry(Sri Lankan)
  • Sri Lankan red chilli fish curry(Thalapath malu mirisata)
  • Devilled prawns(Sri Lankan)
  • Sri Lankan prawn curry

• Sambols and salads
  • Sri Lankan pol sambol (Coconut Sambol)
  • Bitter gourd fry (Sri Lankan karawila sambol)
• Search for more options by browsing through the blog.

Storage and reheating spinach and dhal curry

• Refrigerate
  • Once the curry is cool, store it in glass or plastic containers. Best consumed within 24 hours.
• Freezing
  • Avoid freezing, as the texture of spinach and dhal will be affected.
• Reheating
  • Heat over low-medium heat on a stovetop or microwave for 2-3 minutes, but cover to avoid splatter. Heat over a low-medium fire.
• Stop food waste by…
• This spinach and dhal curry goes a long way, so cook only as much as you need.

More Dhal and spinach recipes

• Sri Lankan dhal curry (parippu)
• Spicy Sri Lankan chilli dhal fry
• Pressure cooker dal tadka (Indian dhal fry)
• Spinach and coconut stir-fry
• Creamy spinach curry with coconut milk

Watch more Sri Lankan recipes on my YouTube channel

Continue to Content

Sri Lankan Dhal and spinach curry

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

A creamy spinach dhal recipe cooked Sri Lankan style.

Dhal and spinach is another popular quick vegetarian curry you can try for a healthier meal plan.

5.0 Stars (1 Review)

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Ingredients

To cook the dhal

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 cup (200g) red lentils
• 1 cup (240ml) water, more if nedded
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• Bundle of Spinach washed and leaves picked.

For tempering

Toggle ingredient group

• 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil
• A handful of curry leaves (7 to 8 leaves, optional)
• 1 large onion finely sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds

Instructions

Prep work

1. Wash and drain a bundle of spinach leaves in a colander.
2. Wash the dhal and strain.
3. Have all the ingredients needed ready

Cooking the Dhal

1. Add the washed dhal and put it into a medium-sized pan.
2. Pour in the water and turmeric powder. Rinse the Dhal (1 cup/200g), and strain.
3. Bring to a gentle boil over low-medium heat, then slow simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the lentils are soft.
4. If the water evaporates before the lentils are tender, add a little more water and cook until the dhal turns soft and leave it on the stove.

Tempering

1. Place a small skillet or frying pan over medium heat.
2. Pour in the oil (3 to 4 tablespoons), add the curry leaves(a sprig, optional), followed by sliced garlic (3 cloves), sliced onions (1), and turmeric powder (1/4 teaspoon).
3. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the onions turn golden brown.
4. Include the mustard seeds and red chilli flakes last.Sauté further until the mustard seeds splutter, making sure the chilli flakes don’t burn. 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside

Add the coconut milk to the dhal

1. Switch on the stove and set the flame to low.
2. Pour in the coconut milk and gently stir with the dhal and continue to cook for a minute or two.
3. Add the tempering to the cooking dhal and stir to make sure the ingredients are mixed.
4. Taste and season with salt as needed.
5. Add the spinach leaves and cook over very low heat until the leaves just wilt.
6. Remove the spinach and dhal curry from the fire and serve warm.
   Made this spinach and dhal curry?
   I'd love to know how it turned out.
   Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and a comment; I read every one; it helps other visitors trust the recipe and helps them find me too.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 310Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 13gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 164mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 8gSugar: 2gProtein: 8g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JEHAN
Recipe creator. Food Blogger. Video creator
I’ve been cooking and sharing Sri Lankan recipes, along with other dishes I love making at home on Island Smile since 2015. I’ve tested every recipe on this site more than once in my own kitchen before it goes on the blog.
I grew up eating this food, and I still cook it the same way my family taught me, just written down clearly enough that you can follow it too.
If a recipe doesn’t work the way I say it will, tell me in the comments; I read every one, and I’ll help you fix it.