Lentil Salad

Add this lentil salad recipe to your lunch rotation ASAP! Packed with fresh veggies, olives, and feta, it's super flavorful and great for meal prep.

Lentil salad

This lentil salad recipe is helping me ease into a new lunch routine. After a summer filled with picnic leftovers and impromptu farmers market meals, I’m trying to get back in the rhythm of doing at least a little meal prep at the start of the week. That way, at lunchtime, I’m not totally stumped by what to eat.

Luckily, this lentil salad recipe is simple to make, so it’s a breeze to put together on a Sunday. It also tastes so good that I don’t mind eating it for a few days on repeat. I douse al dente lentils, juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp veggies, briny olives, and feta in a zingy lemon dressing. And, because I believe that fresh herbs make any salad better, I toss in mint and parsley for a cooling, refreshing finishing touch.

If you’re looking for new lunch ideas right now, I can’t recommend this lentil salad highly enough. It’s intensely flavorful and super satisfying. It won’t be leaving my lunchtime rotation anytime soon. I think you’ll love having it in yours too.

Lentil Salad Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this lentil salad recipe:

  • Lentils, of course! I like to use French lentils for this salad. They hold their shape nicely when cooked, and they don’t get mushy like brown or red lentils do. Find my guide to cooking the lentils here.
  • Grape tomatoes – I love their sweet flavor and juicy texture in this salad. Any type of cherry or grape tomatoes will work here, but I think yellow ones are especially pretty.
  • Cucumbers and radishes – For crunch.
  • Red onion – For sharp, savory flavor.
  • Lacinato kale – I always like to sneak greens into lunch salads when I can. I use kale here because it holds up well under the dressing even when I make this salad in advance.
  • Green olives – They add delicious briny flavor. Not a green olive person? Feel free to use kalamata olives instead.
  • Feta cheese – For saltiness and tang.
  • The dressing – It’s a zingy combo of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. To add complexity to the salad, I also mix in ground cumin and either Italian seasoning or za’atar. Use whichever you keep in your pantry.
  • And fresh mint and parsley – For cooling, aromatic flavor.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Lentil salad recipe ingredients

Whisk together the dressing ingredients at the bottom of a large bowl.

Then, add the salad ingredients on top. Toss to coat and season to taste.

That’s it!

Hand whisking lemon dressing at the bottom of glass mixing bowl

Lentil Salad Serving Suggestions

This lentil salad recipe keeps well for up to 4 days in the fridge, so it’s perfect for making ahead for lunches. Enjoy it on its own, or serve it as a side dish with a Caprese sandwich, chickpea salad sandwich, or healthy lunch wrap.

I also love to include this lentil salad on a mezze platter if I’m putting together a light dinner or making lunch for friends. It pairs nicely with tabbouleh or a tomato salad and a few spreads like muhammara, whipped feta, baba ganoush, or hummus. Round out the meal with lots of fresh pita bread!

How do you like to serve this lentil salad? Let me know in the comments!

Lentil salad recipe ingredients segmented in glass mixing bowl

More Favorite Lunch Salads

If you love this lentil salad recipe, try one of these packable lunch salads next:

Lentil salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, olives, kale, and feta cheese

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Lentil Salad

rate this recipe:
5 from 21 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
This lentil salad recipe is a perfect make-ahead lunch or healthy side dish! It's filled with fresh veggies, feta, olives, and a zingy lemon dressing. It keeps well for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Ingredients

Dressing

For the Salad

  • cups cooked French green lentils, from 1 cup uncooked
  • 3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced into half-moons
  • ¾ cup yellow grape tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup diced red onion
  • 4 lacinato kale leaves, stemmed, leaves torn
  • 4 red radishes, thinly sliced
  • Heaping ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • Heaping ½ cup green olives, pitted and halved
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ¼ cup fresh mint leaves

Instructions

  • Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, Italian seasoning, salt, cumin, and several grinds of pepper.
  • Assemble the salad: Add the lentils, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, kale, radishes, feta, and olives to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Add the parsley and mint and toss again. Season to taste and serve.

21 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. mahniah
    09.02.2023

    Do you chill the lentils first?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.05.2023

      yes, they should be cold or at room temp (not hot).

  2. Sher
    08.28.2023

    5 stars
    Great and easy to make salad. I just used normal red cherry (vine ripened tomatoes), I also took the pulp out of the cucumber to add some crunch.

  3. Heidi
    08.09.2023

    5 stars
    This was really good! But I am curious is this suppose to be cold or hot? Thanks

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.11.2023

      Hi Heidi, it’s supposed to be a cold salad. So glad you enjoyed it!

  4. Phyll
    05.29.2023

    I thought I was the only person in the world that doesn’t like olives – hooray, capers it is then!!! Thank you so much for your recipes.

  5. Sophia
    05.12.2023

    5 stars
    Loveeee this salad! I omitted olives (I don’t like them) and it was delicious!!! So happy I found this recipe to switch up my side salads

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.13.2023

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  6. Michelle
    04.30.2023

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe! I couldn’t help but have seconds. I’ve tried so many different lentil salads and nothing is as good as this one. Definitely a keeper!! Thank you!!!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.01.2023

      Hi Michelle, great to hear! I’m so glad you loved the salad.

  7. Claire Van Konynenburg
    04.04.2023

    5 stars
    I made this as written. I highly recommend this salad. It is so tasty and healthy!!! Yum!!!!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.07.2023

      Hi, I’m so glad you loved it!

  8. Abby Brown
    01.10.2023

    Can I sub capers for olives. Not a fan of olives

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.13.2023

      Yep, you can!

    • Jamie
      04.02.2023

      I would do that too….dislike olives but love capers!

  9. Laura
    11.22.2022

    5 stars
    This salad is so yummy! I used French lentils. I loved the combination of ingredients.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.22.2022

      Hi Laura, I’m so glad you loved it!

  10. Lisa
    10.18.2022

    Oh Yes!
    Where do I start!!
    Thank you so very much…
    and no lack of superfoods here!!

  11. Katie
    09.21.2022

    5 stars
    Made this as is except subbed a shallot for the onion since that’s what I had. This was delicious for lunches and kept well in the fridge for a few days. Loved the combo of tart, salty, crunchy textures and flavors. Love that the lentils have a lot of protein too. Thank you!

  12. vivian
    09.19.2022

    5 stars
    Lovely salad! Delicious and not difficult to put together. The colour combinations are stunning. I had a taste, but I made it for my daughter, who is a very busy young mother. I’m sure she will love it. Thanks for a great recipe!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.19.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.