It’s mung bean curry time! Fetch that bag of mung beans. Gather a few Indian spices, grab a can of tomatoes and another of coconut milk, mince some ginger and garlic, and don’t bite into the red chili. Save it for this easy, healthy, and flavorful vegan curry.
If you aren't familiar, mung beans, also known as moong beans, are small, round, green legumes used extensively in Southeast Asia. Hence, the other name for this delicious dish is green moong bean dal (or whole moong dal).
Now, I make a lot of vegan curry recipes, and I can't be asked to choose between black lentil dal makhani, kidney bean rajma masala, red lentil spinach curry, or easy curried black beans. But this is my only mung curry recipe, and so far, I've not been tempted to create another. It's that good!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Make this mung bean curry recipe on the stovetop or Instant Pot.
- Skip the coconut milk if you like. Use plant milk with a few drops of coconut extract, or check out my vegan coconut milk substitutions list.
- If you are new to curry or Indian cuisine, this is an easy recipe to start with. And it's so delicious, you'll be hooked.
- Legumes, like mung beans, are great sources of plant-based proteins; you need to toss them in the pot.
Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions
Mung beans. Dry mung beans resemble light French (puy) green lentils. Whole mung beans don't break down like the split kind (green gram). If you use these, the curry will have a different texture, similar to red lentil dahl.
Cumin and black mustard seeds. Start the cooking process by toasting cumin and mustard seeds. If you add ground cumin powder, add 1 teaspoon with the rest of the spices. Black mustard seeds can be tricky to find. Substitute with brown mustard seeds, yellow (white) mustard seeds, or ½ a teaspoon of yellow mustard powder.
Cilantro. Fresh cilantro (coriander) is available at most grocery stores, but some folks don't like it. It's added to the curry, so it's not as pungent as when it's a garnish. If that doesn't fit your taste preferences, leave it out.
Garlic. 9 cloves is a lot of garlic, so grab your garlic press. You can also use 2 - 3 tablespoons of prepared minced garlic.
Red chili. Fresh chili adds a little heat plus flavor. No red chili? Use a jalapeno. Green chilies are usually less spicy (even milder if you remove the seeds). You can always skip the fresh chili and add extra cayenne pepper or red chili flakes.
Tomatoes. This is a curry for canned tomatoes in juice. Crushed or diced tomatoes work best. You can also run whole or cherry tomatoes through a blender if you use them.
Lime juice. I like the sweet flavor of lime juice, although you can use lemon juice or a mix.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Recipe Variations
- This recipe doesn't use curry powder or garam masala, but a pinch of either can be used if you want a little if you have it on hand.
- Ginger-garlic paste is a great time saver. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more if needed.
- Citrusy, dried curry leaves are popular in Indian cooking but can be challenging to find. I'm using lime juice to accentuate the flavor. You can also use lime zest, or if you have them, add 2 curry leaves.
- Add chopped spinach at the end of cooking. Frozen spinach should be thawed and pressed so no excess water dilutes the flavor.
- Instead of water, use vegetable broth or a couple of vegetable stock cubes. I usually make this curry recipe without it because there's already a lot of flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Over medium heat, toast the cumin and mustard seeds for 30 seconds. Then, add the garlic, ginger, and fresh chili.
Step 2: Add the ground spices and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add water and mung beans. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30-35 minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode with normal heat. Add the cumin and black mustard seeds and toast them, stirring for 30 seconds.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeno and mix them with the seeds for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomatoes and ground spices. Let the tomatoes simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Turn the Instant Pot off. Add 3 ¾ cups water and stir the bottom of the pot to clean it.
- Stir in the mung beans and place the lid on the Instant Pot. Close the steam handle and cook the mung beans on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Allow about 20 minutes for natural pressure release.
- Remove the lid, then stir in the coconut milk, cilantro, and lime juice.
Pro Tips
- Toast the spices for only 30 seconds to a minute. Stir them constantly. Same for the garlic, ginger, and chili. You're just giving them a warm-up.
- When you add the tomatoes, stir the bottom of the pot (or Instant Pot).
- The cooking time may vary depending on the age of your mung beans.
Denise's prep tip: Measure out the ground spices and put them in a small dish before you start cooking. This is a huge time-saver; you don't want to dig for spices as your dinner burns.
Serving Suggestions
Serve mung bean curry with a flavorful rice like jasmine or basmati. I was never a huge fan of healthier brown rice until I tried brown basmati rice. Now, that's all I make!
Garnish with extra lime slices and chopped cilantro. Side with naan bread, homemade sweet potato flatbread, or my special baked veggie pakoras with pineapple chutney. A healthy feast fit for any occasion!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover mung bean curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
This mung bean curry recipe is freezer-friendly. After cooking, put it in an airtight container and let it cool to room temperature. Freeze for 3 months.
Absolutely! My favorite substitute for coconut milk in this recipe is 1 ½ cups of plant milk with ¼ teaspoon of coconut extract. And you always have the option of leaving out the coconut milk entirely, adding a little cashew cream, or even vegan coconut yogurt.
Mung beans and lentils don't require soaking before cooking them. That's what makes them so handy. Soaking can cut cooking time by 10-15 minutes, so it's something to consider if you have time. Because mung beans aren't technically beans, they are easier to digest, even when not soaked before cooking.
If you discover the curry is too thin, the best course of action is to continue simmering it for another 10 minutes. Another option is to remove a cup of the curry, blend it, and return it to the pot. The curry will thicken a little as it cools.
More Vegan Curry Recipes
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If you make this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating. It’s much appreciated!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Mung Bean Curry (Green Moong Bean Dal)
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds - (see notes)
- 9 cloves garlic - crushed (3 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons ginger - minced or grated
- 1 medium red chili - or jalapeno, chopped
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 14 ounces diced or crushed tomatoes - 1 can
- 2 cups mung beans - rinsed and picked through to remove any stones
- 5 cups water
- 14 ounces light coconut milk - 1 can
- 1-2 medium limes - juiced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro - chopped
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cumin and mustard seeds. Toast them for 30 seconds, stirring them constantly.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and red chili. Continue to stir them for another 30 seconds.
- Mix in the tomatoes and ground spices. Break up any large pieces of tomatoes. Stir the bottom of the pot to clear it. Simmer the tomatoes for about 5 minutes.
- Add 5 cups of water and clear the bottom of the pot again. Add the mung beans. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cover the pot.
- Add 5 cups of water and the mung beans. Stir them about so they are not just in one place. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.
- Cook the mung beans for 30-35 minutes until they are tender.
- Stir in coconut milk, chopped cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime.
- Simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and add more lime juice if desired.
- Taste and add more lime juice or salt to taste.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode with normal heat. Add the cumin and black mustard seeds and toast them, stirring for 30 seconds.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeno and mix them with the seeds for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomatoes and ground spices. Let the tomatoes simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Turn the Instant Pot off. Add 3 ¾ cups water and stir the bottom of the pot to clean it.
- Stir in the mung beans and place the lid on the Instant Pot. Close the steam handle and cook the mung beans on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Allow about 20 minutes for natural pressure release.
- Remove the lid, then stir in the coconut milk, cilantro, and lime juice.
Video
Notes
- Black mustard seeds can be tricky to find. Substitute with brown mustard seeds, yellow (white) mustard seeds, or ½ a teaspoon of yellow mustard powder.
- Be sure you have all the ingredients ready through the point where you add the water and mung beans. You don’t want to risk burning the spices.
- If you use whole rather than crushed tomatoes, you may need to dice or puree them before adding them to the pot. Be sure to add the juice.
- The total cooking time for the beans may vary depending on the age of the mung beans and the cooking heat. Mung beans do not require soaking.
- Add a few cups of fresh or frozen spinach to green up this dish. Thaw and press excess water from frozen so it doesn't dilute the curry flavors. Add it with the coconut milk.
- I’ve not tested this recipe with split mung beans (green gram). If you use them instead of whole beans, the texture will be different.
- Store leftover mung bean curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This is also a freezer-friendly recipe.
- If you discover the curry is too thin, the best course of action is to continue simmering it for another 10 minutes. Another option is to remove a cup of the curry, blend it, and return it to the pot. The curry will thicken a little as it cools.
- Instead of coconut milk, add 1 ½ cups of plant milk with a few drops of coconut extract, or see my list of vegan coconut milk substitutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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Virginia
Very tasty. I made a few adjustments (I always do!)...Cut coriander powder to 1 Tbsp, increased turmeric to 3 tsp, extra ginger (about 3 Tbsp) and used 8 oz of coconut milk (I had a partial can to use up). The lesser amount of coconut milk made it rich and creamy enough for my taste. I soaked the mung beans overnight, and also substituted 1/2 cup yellow lentils for 1/2 cup of the mung beans (I only had 1 cup mung beans). Finally, I added a 10 oz bag of frozen cut spinach at the end for more veggies. The basic recipe is very flexible, and the texture of the lentils fit well with the mung beans. I'm sure split mung beans would also be good.
Denise
Love your spinach addition! What a great idea and one I'm going to try. I'm so happy you were able to make adjustments to suit - that's what cooking should be about. Recipes are the guides, but you get to make it how you like it. Cheers, Denise
Rachel
I just made this mung curry and it was delicious! I added spinach instead of the cilantro and ginger powder instead of fresh as I did not have these ingredients at home. I found it a bit to watery for my taste so next time I’ll add less water.
Denise
I love your idea about spinach! This is the perfect curry for that. I sometimes cut the liquid back when I don't place to serve this with rice too. Thanks for trying this recipe - I'm excited that you liked it. It's one of our favorites.
Connie
No mention of oil. Do you start with a tablespoon of oil in the pan? 5 star if you answer!!
Denise
Hi, we don't use added oil in any of our recipes. That's why there's no mention of oil 🙂
Rachel
Love this recipe! Made it twice so far! First time I used spinach instead of cilantro and today I used beetroot leaves (Swiss chard) both versions were pretty good!
Denise
So glad to hear that you love this curry as much as we do. It's a great one for adding greens - especially when they are in season.
Belu
Just made it. It's absolutely delicious. The coconut milk and lime juice make an incredible touch. I'm looking forward to trying out other Indian cuisine dishes 💖
Denise
Thanks so much for your kind review. I appreciate it! Indian cuisine is probably our favorite too. Amazingly versatile too! They are a great way to enjoy food and healthy food at that 🙂
Michael
Great recipe. As some have mentioned, it is a bit watery, but the flavor came out great. Next time I might cook the mung beans separately to reduce the water. Used a dried, toasted chile de arbol ion lieu of the red chili, gave it a great smoky heat.
I was nervous how much water there was, but the beans actually quickly soaked it up (still a tad too watery for my liking).
Denise
Thanks for commenting. I think I'll adjust the recipe per your recommendation and adjust the amount of broth. The nice thing about stovetop cooking is that you can always add more liquid. There's an Instant Pot version of this recipe coming soon and that required less liquid too. Cheers, Denise.
Avie
Loved your recipe. I am from India and my family is vegetarian. Am eating this since childhood and couldn't resist this recipe when I read the title. Sharing with you another portal where all recipes are vegetarian and you can try some more - https://www.tarladalal.com/
Ruth Anne Henault
Hi Denise - liking your site! I too found this very soupy - 5 cups water to only 11/2 cups beans but I made as is first time / reduced coconut milk, added some cooked pintos I had, will add greens - chard or Brussels sprout leaves I have . It is still a soup 🙂 thank you
Denise
Hi, thanks for the review - I redid this recipe last night (it's so yummy). After a little experimenting, I used 2 cups of mung beans. I started with 4 cups of water but ended up at 5 by the time the beans were done. After adding the coconut milk, it makes a creamy but less watery texture. I'll be updating the recipe soon (with pictures) to reflect this.
Asha
This recipe was delicious- I had a bag of mung beans in the pantry and this was a great way to use them. I switched up the spices and used curry powder and garam masala. I also had curry leaves so I used some of those as well. Was delicious served with garlic naan and sautéed cabbage. Thanks!
Denise
So happy you enjoyed this - it's still a favorite around here. Great suggestions on substitutions too. I love garam masala in spinach curry, so I'm sure it's great with mung bean too. Thanks for the kind comments. 🙂
Lentil Louie
This is the 5th time I have made this recipe with some variations each time.
Added onions one time. Some potato another time. Once I used a premed Sambhar Masala premade powder.
Always turns out great! Thanks. This is my keeper.
Denise Perrault
I am thrilled this is a keeper recipe for you. And I sincerely want you to know that your kind comment is much appreciated!