If you’re after a simple, yet delicious vegan lentil salad, you’ve come to the right place!
This recipe has only a handful of ingredients, and not only is it easy and quick to make (10 minutes!), but this flavour combination is pure bliss. The crunch and freshness from the pomegranate and walnuts balance out the beautiful earthy texture and flavour of the brown lentils.
The easy and simple dressing also compliment the flavours without overpowering them, as some dressings can.
Kitchen tools needed to make this vegan lentil salad
The items that you’ll need to execute this salad are super basic!
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Large bowl
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
That’s it! How simple is that?!
Using pomegranate arils (aka seeds) in this salad
The pomegranate arils are the perfect pairing with the lentils, walnuts and coriander in this salad. It adds bursts of fresh and sweet flavour and beautiful colour.
I normally buy whole pomegranates and deseed them myself. I do the whole one in one hit to have fresh seeds in the fridge for when I’m ready to use them.
If you’re pressed for time or don’t want the fuss of deseeding a whole pomegranate, you can sometimes buy the seeds in a packet all ready to use! Alternatively, they can be found in the freezer section of your supermarket.
However, I find that the nicest and freshest is when you do the deseeding yourself.
To remove the seeds, use your paring knife to remove the flower from the top. Cutting at an angle, remove a cone of pith from below the flower without cutting into the seeds. Score the sides and open it up. You should be able to remove all the seeds with ease.
These antioxidant-rich seeds really make this salad, so please don’t be tempted to trade them out for something else.
What should I serve with lentil salad?
There are plenty of dishes that this would make the perfect side for. I also love to serve this as an appetiser in baby lettuce leaves. That way, the leaf is used as a spoon to get that gorgeous salad into your mouth within a couple of bites.
Some other ideas to serve this salad alongside:
- Spiced Quinoa and Eggplant Rolls (GF)
- Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
- Black Rice Salad with Spicy Toasted Sesame Dressing
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Easy Stuffed Mushrooms
- Roasted Pumpkin, Hazelnut, and Fig Radicchio Cups
- Corn and Zucchini Fritters
- Chickpea Pancakes With a Creamy Pesto Dressing (GF)
This list could go on and on, but these are just a few of my favourites!
How do I cook dried brown lentils?
I have a mix of both in my pantry, some in cans and some dried. It depends on the dish that I’m making and how short on time I am, to which lentils I’ll use. For soups and stews, I’ll generally cook them from scratch like in this lentil stew.
If you’d prefer to cook your lentils from scratch, here is a simple way to cook them.
- 1 cup of dried lentils
- 6 cups of water
- Pinch of salt
- Soak your lentils overnight in 3 cups of water.
- The next day, rinse them well and add the other 3 cups of water and pinch of salt.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook until the lentils are tender. This normally takes around 20-25 minutes.
- Drain any excess water, and now they’re ready for use.
- If you’re using them in this cold salad, run them under cold water after cooking to cool them down and stop the cooking process. Make sure to drain all the excess water before using.
Once you see how quick and easy it is to whip up this salad, you’ll be making it all the time. It’s perfect as a last-minute healthy lunch, addition to a meal as a side, or a beautiful plate to take to a gathering.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. If you’d like to see the video of me making this salad, you can find it over on our YouTube channel.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- One-Pot French Lentil, Mushroom and Sage Stew
- Easy Vegan Brown Lentil Stew
- Spiced Carrot & Millet Salad
- High Protein Vegan Salad with Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Satay Tofu
- Simple Potato and Radicchio Salad
If you try this recipe, let me know! I’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
Print
Quick & Simple Vegan Lentil Salad
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 as a starter
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This gluten-free and easy vegan lentil salad makes the perfect appetiser or side dish to take to any get-together. Full of flavour and colour, it’s a wonderfully healthy dish!
Ingredients
- 2 cans / 400g / 14.10 ounces x2 brown lentils, drained and rinsed*
- ¾ cup pomegranate arils/seeds* (1 small pomegranate)
- 1 cup / 100g walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup / 20g coriander/cilantro, chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and toss well to combine.
Notes
Brown lentils: This is 2½ cups cooked lentils. See instructions above if using dried lentils. For the cans, make sure you drain them well so that you don’t have a soggy salad with a diluted dressing.
Pomegranate: To remove the seeds, use your paring knife to remove the flower from the top. Cutting at an angle, remove a cone of pith from below the flower without cutting into the seeds. Score the sides and open it up. You should be able to remove all the seeds with ease.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
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I am making the lentil from scratch but have never soaked them overnight. Why do you think its best. There is also much controversy over soaking, say, black beans overnight. I’m really confused…thank you for your wonderful recipes!!!!!!!
Hi Marna, I haven’t heard the controversies around soaking beans and lentils? It really helps to speed up the cooking process, and not only that, but it helps you to digest them better. I would do 1 cup of dried lentils for this recipe. There are further instructions earlier in the post for this 🙂