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top shot of lentil salad on gray plate with tahini dressing
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Best Lentil Salad Recipe

This lentil salad combines fiber and protein-dense lentils with fresh, crunchy veggies, and a creamy, zingy tahini-lime dressing. Simple, tasty, nutritious, and filling, perfect for potlucks, picnics, BBQs, and meal prep!
Course Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine German
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author Michaela Vais

Ingredients

Salad:

  • 1 cup (200 g) dried brown lentils (see notes)
  • 3 cups (720 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth or water
  • 2 (220 g) Persian cucumbers
  • 1 (100 g) sweet pepper (color of choice)
  • ½ cup (100 g) cherry tomatoes
  • 1 small (60 g) red onion
  • ⅓ cup (8 g) fresh parsley
  • 2 oz (60 g) arugula
  • 2 small radishes
  • ¼ (50 g) apple
  • ⅛ cup (20 g) sunflower seeds or chopped nuts of choice

Dressing:

Instructions

Salad:

  • You can watch the short video for visual instructions.
    Add the dried lentils, vegetable broth, and optionally 1-2 bay leaves to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft, but not mushy! Drain the lentils using a colander and rinse them with cold water.
  • While the lentils cook, dice the cucumbers, sweet pepper, onion, radishes, and apple. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half, and also chop the parsley and arugula.

Dressing:

  • Add all dressing ingredients to a bowl and stir with a whisk, adding water gradually, depending on how thick/thin you want the dressing to be.
  • Taste it and add more lime juice or seasonings, if needed.

Assemble:

  • Add all salad ingredients to a large plate or bowl, then pour over the dressing.
  • Toss to combine, then enjoy!

Notes

  • Lentils: I used brown lentils. Green lentils are also fine.
  • Feel free to add a little hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the dressing.
  • Check the blog post for all step-by-step photos, storing instructions, tips & FAQs.
Nutrition Facts
Best Lentil Salad Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
362
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
2
g
10
%
Sodium
 
85
mg
4
%
Potassium
 
877
mg
25
%
Carbohydrates
 
48
g
16
%
Fiber
 
19
g
76
%
Sugar
 
10
g
11
%
Protein
 
18
g
36
%
Vitamin A
 
1897
IU
38
%
Vitamin C
 
60
mg
73
%
Calcium
 
102
mg
10
%
Iron
 
5
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.