qicooking

Lentil Salad

I like to keep a few healthy, ready-to-eat options in my refrigerator for the week ahead, and this easy Lentil Salad is one I come back to again and again. I throw together some of my favorite flavors, including garlic, lemon, and feta, with tender brown lentils, juicy tomatoes, red onion, and plenty of fresh parsley. This lentil salad is ready in about 30 minutes, and makes a great side dish on its own. OR you can pack it away for meal prep or bulk it up in a number of ways to turn it into its own meal!

“This one was such a hit! Meal preps like a dream, takes about half an hour to prepare, and, of course, is delicious! One of my housemates, who normally isn’t much into meatless dishes, texted me at work to say that it was “EXTREMELY good.” As with any dish involving lemons, using Meyers really takes it to the next level. I’ve been waiting all year to make this until the really fresh tomatoes come in, and I’m so glad I did! This is fresh and zippy, but also hearty and filling.”
Rose

One Batch, Days of Easy Lunches

I’m much more likely to keep up with meal prep when it’s THIS easy. Cold meal-prep lunches like this lentil salad are the real MVP because I can pull one straight from the fridge, give it a quick stir, and eat without cooking or reheating anything. It’s bright, tangy, fresh, and layered with different textures, and is something I’m actually excited to eat several days into the week.

I also just really love lentils in general. They’re an affordable source of plant-based protein and fiber that helps keep me full and satisfied. I use brown lentils here because they’re easy to find and hold up well in a chilled salad (as long as they aren’t overcooked). My biggest tip is to start checking them a few minutes before the package suggests, since cooking times can vary. Catching them early helps them become tender without turning mushy once they’re tossed with the dressing. Plus, the flavors only get better as the lentils and vegetables marinate in the tangy homemade lemon-garlic dressing!

Use brown or green lentils. They hold their shape after cooking and are the best choice for this salad. I use brown lentils, which only take about 20 minutes to cook in boiling water. Green lentils take much longer, about 45 minutes. Start checking them a few minutes early and stop cooking once the centers are tender. I don’t recommend using red, yellow, or orange lentils, as they become too soft for a salad like this.
Drain and cool the lentils well. I don’t love warm lentils in this salad. After cooking, always drain them thoroughly and let them cool before assembling the salad. Warm lentils can wilt the parsley, soften the vegetables, and dilute the dressing. I personally think cooled lentils keep everything tasting fresh.
It’s even better later. If you can make this salad even 30 minutes ahead, do it! The dressing has more time to coat every ingredient, and the overall flavor becomes brighter and more balanced after a little rest.
Budget saving tip: The most expensive ingredient in this salad for me was the grape tomatoes. They can be quite pricey, so if you want to cut costs even further, just replace the grape tomatoes with about 3 diced Roma tomatoes, or whatever variety of tomato is least expensive at your grocery store. I tend to like Roma the best as a second choice here because the flesh is firm and they hold up well to the salad.

This lentil salad tastes great right after mixing it all up, but it gets even better with time in the fridge (leftovers FTW!), which makes it perfect for meal prep! It keeps well for about 3-4 days, and it’s meant to be eaten cold, so there’s no reheating needed! Just remember to give it a quick stir before eating to redistribute that wonderful dressing.

My usual choices to pack up with this salad are sliced cucumbers with a scoop of homemade hummus or tzatziki. I’ll sometimes swap the cucumber for some naan for dipping when I want something more filling. But either way, I’m always happy with a dip-and-scoop lunch! If I want to make it even more substantial, I’ll add sliced baked chicken breast and some extra greens. Each of these sides keep pretty well in the fridge. I use airtight containers with dividers to keep anything fresh (see the photo below).

Overhead view of four meal prep containers with lentil salad, tzatziki sauce, cucumber slices and grilled chicken.

There are plenty of easy ways to bulk this salad up, too. You can stir in a few easy extras and pop the whole thing straight into the fridge instead of prepping separate sides (ideal when time is short!). Try chopped rotisserie chicken, canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed), diced cucumber, sliced bell pepper, or cooked and cooled rice.

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Marinated Lentil Salad

This easy Lentil Salad is bright, flavorful, and infused with bold flavors like garlic and lemon. Eat it as a side dish, meal prep it, or make it a meal!

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Total Cost $7.29 recipe / $1.22 serving

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings (1 cup each)

Calories 234kcal

Author Beth Moncel

Equipment

Medium Pot
Zester
Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

LEMON GARLIC DRESSING

1 lemon juice and zest, $0.64
¼ cup olive oil 2oz., $0.70
2 garlic cloves minced, (1 Tbsp) $0.12*
½ Tbsp dried oregano $0.11
½ tsp salt $0.02
¼ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.04

SALAD

1 cup dry brown lentils uncooked, (200g) $0.85**
½ bunch fresh parsley chopped, (50g, ½ cup) $0.49
10 oz. grape tomatoes halved, $2.78
¼ small red onion small dice, (80g, about ¼ cup) $0.23***
2 oz. feta crumbled, $1.31

Instructions

Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Cook the lentils according to the package directions. For most brown lentils, bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a pot, add the lentils, and continue boiling for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water until they are cooled.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the lemon garlic dressing. Use a microplane, zester, or small-holed cheese grater to remove about 1 Tbsp of the lemon’s zest (the thin, yellow, outer layer of the peel). Set the zest aside. Juice the lemon and measure ¼ cup of the juice to use for the dressing.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.
Rinse the parsley well, shake off as much water as possible, then pull the leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Cut the grape tomatoes in half. Finely dice the red onion.
When the lentils are cooked, cooled, and well drained, transfer them to a large bowl. Add the chopped parsley, tomatoes, red onion, crumbled feta, lemon zest, and the prepared dressing. Stir to combine the ingredients and coat everything in dressing.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat. Always stir the salad just before serving to redistribute the dressing and flavors.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*Garlic cloves can vary quite a bit in size. Two medium cloves should yield about 1 tablespoon minced. Use one clove instead for a milder garlic flavor.

**This recipe works best with lentils that hold their shape after cooking, such as brown, green, or even black lentils. Rinse and sort the dried lentils before cooking to remove any debris. There’s no need to soak the dried lentils first. If using canned lentils, rinse and drain them well before adding them to the salad. They’re a convenient shortcut, but the texture will be much softer than using freshly cooked lentils. Avoid red, yellow, and orange lentils, as they become too soft for this salad.

***If you prefer a milder onion flavor, stir the finely diced red onion into the dressing and let it sit for about 10 minutes before assembling the salad. You can also briefly rinse and drain the diced onion under cold water to soften its sharp bite.

Nutrition

How to Make Lentil Salad Step-by-Step Photos

The ingredients to make a lentil salad with labels.

Gather the salad ingredients: You’ll need 1 cup dry brown lentils, ½ bunch fresh parsley, 10 oz. grape tomatoes, ¼ small red onion, and 2 oz. feta.

The ingredients to make a lemon garlic salad dressing with labels.

Gather the dressing ingredients: You’ll need 1 lemon, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, ½ Tbsp dried oregano, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.

Cook the lentils: Begin by cooking 1 cup dry brown lentils. Lentils are incredibly easy to cook. It’s a lot like cooking pasta! Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium pot, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or according to the package directions. Start checking them a few minutes early. You want the lentils tender through the center but still holding their shape, not soft or mushy.

Drain and cool: Drain the cooked lentils in a colander and rinse them briefly with cool water until cooled. Give the colander a good shake, then let the lentils drain thoroughly to avoid the salad getting watery.

Lemon juiced and zested on a wooden cutting board.

Prep the lemon: While the lentils are cooking, prepare the lemon garlic dressing. Remove about 1 Tbsp zest from the lemon using a microplane, zester, or small-holed cheese grater. Set the zest aside for later. Juice the lemon and use about ¼ cup for the dressing.

The ingredients to make a lemon garlic dressing in a bowl.

Make the dressing: Add ¼ cup olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves (about 1 Tbsp), ½ Tbsp dried oregano, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper to the bowl of ¼ cup lemon juice.

Whisk everything together until well combined. Set the dressing aside so it has a few minutes to blend.

Chopped tomatoes, parsley and redd onion on a cutting board.

Prepare the vegetables: Rinse ½ bunch parsley (50g) well, shake off as much water as possible, and roughly chop enough to make about ½ cup. Halve 10 oz grape tomatoes and finely dice ¼ small red onion (about ¼ cup).

I really don’t like including small amounts like “¼ red onion” in recipes, but red onion is one of those ingredients that is very potent and you really only need a small amount. To avoid wasting the rest of the onion, consider adding it to salads, pizzas, frittatas, or pickling the onions for longer storage!

Dressing being poured into a bowl with tomatoes, feta, parsleyy, red onion and cooked lentils.

Assemble the salad: Once the lentils are cooked, cooled, and well drained, transfer them to a large bowl. Add the 1 Tbsp lemon zest, ½ cup chopped parsley, 10 oz halved grape tomatoes, ¼ cup finely diced red onion, and 2 oz crumbled feta. Pour the prepared lemon garlic dressing over everything.

Mix and serve: Gently stir everything together until the lentils and vegetables are evenly distributed and coated in the tangy dressing. Serve the lentil salad right away, or refrigerate it until you’re ready to eat. I prefer it after a rest in the fridge (about 30 minutes) because it gives the flavors time to mingle and get even more delicious. Give it another good stir before serving to redistribute the dressing. Enjoy!

Overhead view of a bowl of marinated lentil salad and grilled chicken.

Serving Suggestions

This lentil salad never lasts me long…I can never stop scooping forkfuls into my mouth! In reality, though, this marinated lentil salad makes about 6 cups, so depending on how you serve it, it’s about six servings. It’s made to be served cooled, or chilled after resting in the fridge.

Most of the meal prep ideas I shared above work just as well for dinner, too. You can enjoy it as a hearty salad, serve it with your favorite protein (like the baked chicken I mentioned), or stuff it into a warm pita bread. I especially love making hummus bowl with a generous scoop of hummus (try our white bean hummus for a different option!), this lentil salad, and some lemon wedges for squeezing. For a summery vegetarian meal, I’d pair this lentil salad with BBQ grilled tofu or black bean burgers. Both are easy to prepare while the salad rests in the fridge! Or if you’re in the mood for something heartier, my beef kofta meatballs lean into the same Mediterranean flavors as the salad and make an especially satisfying meal!

A hummus bowl with lentil salad and a lemon wedge.

Storage Instructions

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The lentils and vegetables hold up well, and the flavor gets even better after a little time to marinate. Give it a good stir before serving to redistribute the dressing. Drain off any excess liquid if the tomatoes release a lot of juice.

Freezer

I don’t recommend freezing this lentil salad. The lentils themselves freeze well, but the tomatoes, parsley, feta, and onion can become watery or lose their texture once thawed. For the best results, I always enjoy it fresh from the refrigerator!

Other Lentil Salads to Try:

This Lentil and Cranberry Salad combines tender lentils with dried cranberries, crunchy walnuts, and a tangy balsamic dressing that’s great for lunches AND holiday tables!
For another fresh way to enjoy lentils, our Summer Lentil Salad is full of sweet corn, juicy tomatoes, basil, and a light vinaigrette that’s perfect for warm-weather meals.
My Wilted Kale and Lentil Salad is a heartier option made with earthy lentils, tender kale, and a warm bacon vinaigrette.

Overhead view of of a vegetarian lentil meatloaf with half cut into slices.

Our Lentil Salad recipe was originally published 10/10/16. It was retested and republished to be better than ever 8/5/26.

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