Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

This vegetarian lentil salad is packed with fresh & healthy ingredients and comes together in just 30 minutes! Complete with a flavorful honey mustard vinaigrette, it's perfect for meal prep lunches or as a side dish.

Recipe features

• Dietary-features: vegetarian, gluten-free optional, vegan-optional
• Filled with fresh veggies and plant-based protein from chickpeas and brown lentils
• Ready in just 30 minutes
• Tossed in a simple but flavorful honey lemon vinaigrette
• Great for meal prep or as a side dish

It's the season for all things fresh veggies and salads, which is why I'm adding this vegetarian lentil salad to the collection alongside my couscous salad and black bean corn salad. This salad can be made with brown, green, or French puy lentils.

What type of lentils should I use?

This vegetarian lentil salad can be made with brown lentils, green lentils, or French lentils. I always cook lentils from dry, but you can use canned lentils if you're short on time.

The main difference between lentil types is cook time and texture. Green lentils and French lentils have a slightly firmer texture than brown lentils. Brown lentils cook most quickly, whereas green lentils take up to 30 minutes to cook.

When in doubt, check the lentil packaging for cook time. The lentils are ready when soft but not mushy. Always drain the lentils before cooking.

Red, orange, and yellow lentils are not a good option for lentil salads because they become mushy quickly. These lentils are better in softer recipes like red lentil burgers or red lentil curry.

Lentil salad ingredients

• Lentils: I usually use brown lentils, but green lentils and French lentils also work.
• Sweet corn: Shuck corn kernels straight off the cob for a sweet pop of summer flavor and texture. Thawed frozen corn can also be used.
• Kale: I slice curly kale into thin ribbons, but lacinato kale would also work. Try using spinach if you don't like kale.
• Red onion adds crunch and zest. White or yellow onion also works. You can soak the red onions in cold water for 10 minutes to make their flavor more mild.
• Grape tomatoes are my go-to, but cherry tomatoes also work.
• Honey-lemon vinaigrette is made up of honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil and apple cider vinegar. It adds a great punch of acid and helps to tenderize the ingredients.
• Feta adds saltiness and creaminess. Goat cheese would also be delicious here.
• Hazelnuts are entirely optional. I have trouble finding them at the store sometimes so they aren't required, but they add a great toastiness and depth to the salad. Toasted sunflower seeds or pecans are a great swap.

Step by step instructions

This recipe is as easy as:

1. Make the lentils. Combine 1 cup dry brown lentils and 2 cups water in a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until lentils are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid.
2. Prep the veggies while the lentils are cooking. Add them to a large serving bowl.
3. Make the vinaigrette by whisking together all vinaigrette ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
4. Toss all ingredients together to make the lentil salad. Enjoy immediately or cover and chill until cooled, about 2-3 hours (see below for tips to chill the salad faster).

Expert tips

• One cup of dry brown lentils makes about 2 and ½ cups cooked lentils.
• Kale slicing tip: If using a bunch instead of pre-sliced kale, ½ bunch of kale will yield ~3 cups of kale ribbons. To cut, carefully use a knife to remove the woody stem. Stack kale leaves on top of each other, then slice into ½" ribbons. 
• To make gluten-free lentil salad: Use tamari in place of soy sauce in the honey mustard vinaigrette.
• To make a vegan lentil salad: Omit feta cheese or replace with a vegan feta alternative. I like Follow Your Heart's vegan feta. Use agave in place of honey in the vinaigrette.
• To serve warm: Transfer all salad ingredients, except for the vinaigrette and feta, to a large sauce pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until warmed through. Toss with the vinaigrette and feta just before serving.

How to quickly cool lentils

I think that lentil salad is best served chilled, but that requires cold lentils and patience. You can speed up the chilling process by quickly cooling lentils in an ice water bath.

Option one: Place cooked lentils in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse with ice-cold water until cooled. This method may break apart the lentils if they're overcooked, so be careful.

Option two: Fill a large bowl or container with ice cubes. Add the lentils to a smaller metal or glass bowl, then set that bowl in the ice. This should cool the lentils more quickly than if you were to just refrigerate them.

Recipe FAQ

More easy vegetarian salads

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Note: This recipe was originally shared June 2019. It was updated April 2021 with new photos, a video and more tips. The recipe is the same.