Best Lentil Salad

Lentil salad eaten with a fork on a white plate.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: gluten-free, vegan

Keyword: lentil salad

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 214kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

This Lentil Salad is loaded with veggies and plant-based protein and will make your taste buds do a happy dance! It's an easy make-ahead meal you can eat straight from the fridge.

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups dry green or brown lentils (or 4 ½ cups pre-cooked lentils)
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
2 small cloves garlic , minced
1 ½ to 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cucumber , diced (about 1 ½ cups)
1 red onion , diced (about 1 ¼ cups)
1 red bell pepper , diced (about ¾ cup)
3 celery stalks , diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup golden raisins (optional)
1 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Instructions

To cook the lentils, combine 1 ½ cups of dry lentils with 4 ½ cups of water. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan that is large enough for the lentils to triple in size as they cook. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender, but still firm, about 20 minutes.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the dressing. In a large bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper, then whisk well to combine.
When the lentils are tender, drain any excess liquid and rinse the cooked lentils under cold water to stop the cooking process and help them cool down faster.
While the lentils cool, you can dice the cucumber, onion, bell pepper, and celery if you haven't already. The smaller you dice them, the more flavor you'll get in each bite. Add the chopped vegetables to the large bowl of dressing and toss to combine. Add in the cooled lentils, and stir again.
Add in the raisins and sliced almonds, if desired, then season with additional salt, as needed. Serve right away with a slotted spoon to let the excess dressing drip away, or transfer the salad to an airtight container to chill in the fridge. Shake or stir before serving again to make sure the dressing is evenly distributed.

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Notes

Nutrition information is for roughly 1 heaping cup of salad, assuming you get 8 cups from this recipe. This information is automatically calculated and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.

Lentil Note: This recipe works best with brown or green lentils, which don't get too mushy. If using store-bought cooked lentils, you can get away with using just 3 cups of cooked lentils (which is 2 cans drained or a 1-pound vacuum-sealed pack). In that case, you won't need more than 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt for this recipe.

Nutrition