Home » Recipes » Salads » Best Ever Lentil Salad Recipe
By Taylor Stinson | 2 Comments | Posted: | Updated:
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This is the ultimate lentil salad recipe! It's a plant-based lunch that's super satisfying thanks to the crunchy veggies and lemon dressing.
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Lentils – use either dry brown or green lentils for this recipe.
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice is best but bottled lemon juice can be used in a pinch.
- Red wine vinegar – apple cider vinegar would be the best substitute here.
- Dijon mustard – try using stone-ground mustard instead.
- Garlic – use freshly minced or jarred minced garlic.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Red onion – you can substitute for white onion, but it has a milder flavour.
- Celery – substitute for another crunchy veggie, or add more pepper or carrot.
- Red pepper – or any colour bell pepper of your choice.
- Carrot – swap out for more celery instead.
- Parsley – fresh basil or oregano would be the best substitutes here.
How to make lentil salad
Step 1: Cook the lentils.
Cook the lentils in a pot on the stovetop until the liquid has absorbed.
Step 2: Chop up the veggies.
Meanwhile, prepare the veggies and toss all the other ingredients together in a large bowl.
Step 3: Toss everything together.
When the lentils are done cooking, let them cool then toss with the remaining ingredients.
Step 4: Serve and enjoy!
Let the salad sit for at least 1 hour to let the flavours combine, then serve and enjoy!
Lentil salad variations
There are a few different ways you can customize this recipe to make the best ever lentil salad:
- Add in more veggies like olives, sundried tomatoes, cucumber or roasted red peppers.
- Sprinkle in some goat cheese or feta cheese for added flavour.
- If you want to up the protein content, throw in some chicken breast or even salmon.
- Cook the lentils in vegetable or chicken broth instead of water for added flavour.
- Swap out the parsley for basil, dill or mint.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you cook lentils for salad?
You can cook lentils on the stovetop for about 20 minutes until the water has been fully absorbed or make them in the Instant Pot.
What are the best kind of lentils to use?
I'd recommend using either brown or green lentils for this salad. I wouldn't recommend using red lentils, since they'll get soggy and mushy as they sit in the dressing.
What goes with lentil salad?
This lentil salad is a complete meal on it's own, but you could also pair it with a delicious soup or sandwich for a yummy lunch combo. You could also cut down on the portion size and serve this salad as a side dish with Greek hasselback chicken, stuffed zucchini or salmon.
Do you eat it cold?
Yes, like most salads, this lentil salad is best enjoyed cold. You'll need to let it sit for about an hour after making it, so it'll be chilled in the fridge anyways.
Can you use canned lentils?
You can definitely use canned lentils for this recipe. Just make sure to drain and rinse the lentils before adding them to the salad.
Storing this salad
This lentil salad recipe will last in the fridge for 4 to 5 days in glass bowls, meal prep containers or even mason jars. In fact, it might even taste better the next day because the lentils have had more time to soak in all the yummy flavours! Since it’s a salad, you don’t need to worry about reheating – just pull it out of the fridge and dig in.
Can you freeze lentil salad?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this entire lentil salad, as the other veggies won’t defrost well. That being said, you can cook and freeze the lentils up to 3 months in advance. Freeze them in a Ziploc bag, then just let them defrost in the fridge overnight before using them to make a fresh salad.
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Best Ever Lentil Salad Recipe
This is the ultimate lentil salad recipe! It's a plant-based lunch that's super satisfying thanks to the crunchy veggies and lemon dressing.
5 from 4 votes
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Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 198kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Resting time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry brown or green lentils rinsed well
- 3 cups water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice preferably fresh squeezed
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 2 stalks celery finely diced
- 1 red pepper finely diced
- 1 carrot grated
- 1/3 cup parsley finely chopped
Instructions
Cook lentils in 3 cups of water in a pot on the stove until liquid has absorbed and lentils are fully cooked, about 20 minutes. This can be done up to 2 days in advance, or you can use drained and rinsed canned lentils to skip ahead.
Meanwhile, prepare veggies and toss other ingredients together in a large bowl. When lentils are done cooking, let cool for 1 hour then toss with remaining ingredients.
Let sit for at least 1 hour to let the flavours combine, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Brown or green lentils are best for this salad. Don't use red lentils, as they'll get mushy and fall apart.
Cook the lentils in the Instant Pot beforehand.
Add in some chicken breast or salmon for extra protein.
Mix in any extra veggies of your choice like olives, sundried tomatoes, cucumber or roasted red peppers.
Store this lentil salad in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Cook and freeze the lentils for up to 3 months. Let them defrost in the fridge overnight, then use them to make a fresh salad.
Nutrition
Calories: 198kcal (10%)Carbohydrates: 24g (8%)Protein: 9g (18%)Fat: 8g (12%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 429mg (19%)Potassium: 472mg (13%)Fiber: 11g (46%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 2675IU (54%)Vitamin C: 36mg (44%)Calcium: 40mg (4%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
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Created by Taylor Stinson
Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!
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The Girl on Danforth says
Fantastic easy recipe with amazing results. I did add some extra veggies (one extra carrot as mine were small, a 3rd celery stalk, might have made a bit extra dressing 😉 ) I was low on lentils so threw in about a half cup of leftover brown rice to make up for… These salads usually taste better the next day, though I cannot stop eating this before packing up. Thank you!!Reply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!! And love the name hahaha, amazing!
Reply
