Crispy, crunchy, and packed with protein, these roasted lentils are the ultimate snack or soup and salad topper—easy, delicious, versatile, and totally addictive!
Why You Need to Try This Recipe
Move over, crispy chickpeas and homemade air-fried potato chips, and welcome my newest light and crunchy snack obsession! These crispy roasted lentils are a perfect balance of flavor, texture, and nutrition for a satisfying high-fiber, high-protein snack or meal topper—perfect for satisfying crispy, salty cravings and avoiding highly processed alternatives (yay!).
Whether you roast them in the oven or use an air fryer, these crispy lentils only require a handful of ingredients. They are quick, versatile, and really easy to customize with your favorite spices and seasoning blends—smokey, salty, savory—whatever you crave. Even kids enjoy them!
Looking for even more simple, savory snacks? You might enjoy air fryer zucchini chips, baked or air-fried plantains, and/or homemade Doritos (tortilla chips).
The Ingredients
- Lentils: Use dried or canned brown lentils or green lentils (black lentils should also work, though I haven’t tried). Avoid red lentils for this crunchy lentil recipe, though, as they’re too mushy.
- Oil: Any neutral oil – avocado, olive oil, etc.
- Seasonings: The sky is the limit! This time, I used a simple savory spice blend of onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and sea salt.
Seasoning variations: You can experiment with individual spices or spice blends, such as cumin, chili/cayenne, ginger powder, turmeric, black pepper, nutritional yeast (for cheesiness), Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, curry powder, BBQ seasoning, and coconut sugar.
For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information read the recipe card below.
How To Make Roasted Lentils
Step 1: Cook The Lentils
If you’re cooking lentils from dry, keep reading. If you’re using canned lentils, skip to the next step.
- Rinse and sort through the lentils (¾ cup/150 g), removing any debris.
- Bring a saucepan of 2 ¼ cups (520 ml) of water (with a little salt or vegetable bouillon powder) to a boil.
- Add lentils, reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes until tender but NOT mushy.
Step 2: Season them
- First, drain the lentils and pat them thoroughly dry using a clean kitchen towel.
- Preheat the oven to 380F/190C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Spread the lentils across the tray, add the oil and seasonings, and toss to coat evenly.
Step 3: Roast the Lentils
- Spread the lentils in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, stir/flip, then return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until crispy.
- Let the roasted lentils cool completely at room temperature (they become crispier as they cool). Enjoy!
For Air Fryer lentils: Spread in a single layer and air fry at 400F/200C for 10-15 minutes, shaking every few minutes, until crispy.
Storage Instructions
Oven-roasted lentils are at their crispiest, fresh from the oven (once cooled). However, leftovers will store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days (3-4).
If you live in a dry climate, storing them loosely covered can maintain crispiness, possibly for up to a week. If the crispy lentils soften a little, pop them back in the oven for a few minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Not only do roasted lentils make for a delicious, savory, protein-packed snack, but they’re perfect for adding crouton-like crunch (and a protein boost) to:
- To garnish soups (roasted cauliflower soup, vegan tortilla soup, carrot ginger soup, etc.)
- As a salad topper (for Mexican avocado salad, vegan pasta salad, side salads, etc.)
- Over dips (like lentil hummus, white bean dip, etc.)
- In Buddha bowls/grain bowls (vegan Buddha bowl or Hasselback potato bowl)
- In a savory trail mix (with nuts/seeds, dried fruit, etc.)
- For texture in sandwiches and wraps (like air fryer falafel wraps, etc.)
FAQs
Can I use red lentils?
I don’t recommend it, as they break down and become mushy when cooked.
Can I roast lentils without oil?
Technically, yes, but a little oil goes a LONG way for crispy baked lentils.
Recipe Notes and Top Tips
- Don’t overcook the lentils: If they’re mushy, they won’t crisp up in the oven.
- Using canned lentils: This saves time, but they might not be quite as crispy.
- Dry lentils thoroughly: This ensures they become crispy.
- For the crispiest results: Don’t skip the oil, avoid overcrowding the tray (allow airflow), and leave the baked lentils to cool completely before using.
- Baking time varies: Based on your oven and lentil moisture. Monitor and adjust as needed.
More Vegan Lentil Recipes
Or any of these 24 must-try vegan lentil recipes.
If you try this crispy roasted lentil recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram Or Facebook with @elavegan #elavegan – I love seeing them.
Roasted lentils
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (150 g) dry brown lentils or 1 (15 oz) can lentils, drained and rinsed
- 1 Tbsp oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
Step 1: Cook The Lentils
- If you're cooking lentils from dry, keep reading. If you're using canned lentils, skip to the next step.
- Rinse and sort through the lentils (¾ cup/150 g), removing any debris.
- Bring a saucepan of 2 ¼ cups (520 ml) of water (with a little salt or vegetable bouillon powder) to a boil.
- Add lentils, reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes until tender but NOT mushy.
Step 2: Season them
- First, drain the lentils and pat them thoroughly dry using a clean kitchen towel.
- Preheat the oven to 380F/190C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Spread the lentils across the tray, add the oil and seasonings, and toss to coat evenly.
Step 3: Roast the Lentils
- Spread the lentils in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, stir/flip, then return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until crispy.
- Let the roasted lentils cool completely at room temperature (they become crispier as they cool). Enjoy!
Notes
- For Air Fryer lentils: Spread in a single layer and air fry at 400F/200C for 10-15 minutes, shaking every few minutes, until crispy.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
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Could you cook the lentils in an instapot instead of a saucepan for quicker cooking?
Yes, you can absolutely cook the lentils in an Instant Pot instead of a saucepan to save time — and it’s very convenient! Tip: Use less water than stovetop cooking to avoid soggy lentils — they should be cooked but not too wet, especially since you’ll be roasting them to get crispy.
How do you store them? And for how long are they good? Thank you
Hi Isabel! All the storage info is actually included in the blog post 😊 But in short – they’re crispiest fresh from the oven, but you can store them at room temp for a few days. And if they soften up, a quick trip back into the oven helps!
Looks delicious! How much is one serving though?
Hey AD! Great question! It makes 4 servings total. You’re starting with 150 g dry lentils or one 15 oz can (both yield around 300–375 g cooked lentils).
After roasting, due to moisture loss, you’ll likely end up with about 200–250 g of crispy lentils total. So, one serving is roughly: 50–65 g of roasted lentils, depending on final yield.
In volume, that’s about ¼ to ⅓ cup per serving – perfect as a snack, salad topper, or crunchy side! Hope this helps!