Lentil salad is a perfect side dish or light meal that everyone can enjoy! This one would be great for all the spring and summer potlucks and cookouts, and it happens to be vegan friendly.
There is just something about cold salads with tons of veggies and layers of flavor. Once the weather warms up, I just start craving them all the time.
This particular lentil salad has a Mediterranean flare, and it is super nourishing and satisfying. It has tomatoes, cucumber, olives, green onion and tons of herbs, all tied together with a simple (yet tasty!) vinaigrette.
You can use canned lentils, if you can find them. However! Lentils are super cheap and easy to cook yourself. Just be sure and allow time to cool before assembling the salad.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are basic, yet super nourishing.
And the sum of these ingredients is definitely greater than its parts.😉
Assembling lentil salad
Once you have your lentils cooked and cooled, and your produce chopped, all there is to do is assemble the lentil salad. Just add everything to a big mixing bowl, and pour on the vinaigrette.
Then give everything a good toss to make sure that dressing gets evenly distributed.
Top with extra herbs for garnish, if you wish.👌🏻
Other salads you may enjoy
Here are some similar cold salads you may also enjoy!
- Corn salad with tomato and avocado
- Tortellini pasta salad
- Caprese orzo pasta salad
- Asian ramen slaw
- Quinoa black bean salad
- Classic potato salad
- Greek potato salad
Lentil salad recipe
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Lentil Salad (vegan)
Lentil salad is a perfect side dish or light meal that everyone can enjoy! This one would be great for potlucks and cookouts, and it happens to be vegan friendly.
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups cooked green lentils
- ½ cup diced cucumber
- ½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced dill
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice - optional
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the lentils according to package instructions and let cool completely.
-
Add lentils, cucumber, tomatoes, olives. Scallions, dill, parsley and feta to a medium to large sized mixing bowl or serving bowl.
- Make the dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to a small mixing bowl or mason jar and either whisk or shake well to emulsify into a creamy dressing.
- Pout the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat all salad ingredients in the dressing. Top with more chopped herbs if desired.
- Serve cold or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Each serving is approximately one cup.
Recipe Tips
Brown or green lentils work best in this recipe. Red lentils get too soft when cooked and will not work in this salad.
Modify this to make it your own, or use what you have on hand. Some suggestions:
- Switch up the veggies. You can use diced bell peppers, diced red onion or even diced carrots in this recipe.
- Add some more protein. Add in some chickpeas or protein of choice
- This recipe vegan. Feel free to add your favorite vegan cheese. Also, dairy eaters: feta cheese is fantastic on this salad.
- Diced avocado would be awesome in this too
Arkirbtitvegan says
Is there a way to make the dressing oil free?
Nancy Farmer says
I’m wondering what adding Avocado will compliment these ingredients.
T says
Absolutely delicious, I added some pickled banana pepper rings for a little punch of heat.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
So glad you enjoyed it! And your addition sounds delicious.
Gina says
Hi Marjorie, thank you for this incredible recipe!! I’m so excited to make it!! I was wondering if you would be so kind to let me know if I can use canned lentils or does the recipe require for them to be dryed to cook? Thanks again:)
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Gina! Yes, canned lentils work great in this recipe. Enjoy!
Maria says
Can this be made a day ahead of time? It looks delicious!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Maria! Yes, this can be made ahead. Enjoy!
Margaret says
just a quick question. how much of this is a serving just for those who want to track calories. Thank you
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Margaret! The nutritional info is for 1/4 of the total recipe, which would be around a cup (about 7/8 of a cup, to be exact).
Joellen Shaw says
Absolutely delicious! It has become a staple in our recipe lineup. So healthy and the vinaigrette is the bomb!
Brittany says
Great recipe, but just wanted to point out that honey is not vegan! Maybe a maple syrup or agave would work?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yes, maple or agave would work. My mistake, thanks for the feedback!
Angie Casey Miller says
Made this for my girlfriends and it’s delicious! Super fresh and easy to make.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay, Angie! I am so happy to hear that💖