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.
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.
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!
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!
More Favorite Lunch Salads
If you love this lentil salad recipe, try one of these packable lunch salads next:
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Three Bean Salad
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Orzo Salad
- Kale Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
- Or any of these 41 Healthy Lunch Ideas!
Lentil Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or za'atar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
- 2½ 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.
This tastes fabulous! Made for eclipse road trip so I wouldn’t be at the mercy of fast food joints along the way. Thanks!
Ha, I hope you enjoy the road trip!
What a great way to finally use up the bag of lentils in my pantry that have been calling my name for too long! I love the salty combination of feta and olives. Since cumin is my favorite spice and mint my favorite herb, this was a perfect recipe for my taste buds
Hi Gail, I’m so glad you loved it!
Obsessed with this recipe!!! I made this as part of a mezze spread with friends and it was a huge hit. I can’t wait to make it again!!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
So glad to have done April’s recipe challenge! This lentil salad is hands down one of my all-time favorite salad recipes, and trust me, I’ve had many, many, salads. The dressing is absolutely delicious – the cumin is a nice touch. The crunchiness of the cucumber is delightful. This recipe is now in permanent rotation in my house. Thank you!
Hi Nicole, I’m so glad you loved it!
I never had any much of an interest in lentils. Until now. This salad is a lovely spring meal all on its own. So happy that I stepped outside my comfort zone for your April Challenge. Soooo happy that I made this dish. Better that than never! ?
Happy Spring!
Kristina M.?
Hi Kristina, yay! I’m so glad you loved the salad.
Love this recipe! Made it for family & friends & everybody wanted the recipe. The only problem, I’m designated to make it now for EVERY event! ?
Haha, amazing! So glad the recipe is such a hit!
Yum! This was so good and easy to make! The leftovers were even better!
Hi Erin, I’m so glad you loved the salad!
Just made it today for the april challenge and its so delicious! I love this great salad for a great winter to spring transitional meal. Im not a fan of mint so i left it out and it still tasted amazing.
Hi Ahuva, so glad you loved the salad!
Do you chill the lentils first?
yes, they should be cold or at room temp (not hot).
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.
This was really good! But I am curious is this suppose to be cold or hot? Thanks
Hi Heidi, it’s supposed to be a cold salad. So glad you enjoyed it!
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.
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
I’m so glad you loved it!
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!!!
Hi Michelle, great to hear! I’m so glad you loved the salad.
I made this as written. I highly recommend this salad. It is so tasty and healthy!!! Yum!!!!
Hi, I’m so glad you loved it!
Can I sub capers for olives. Not a fan of olives
Yep, you can!
I would do that too….dislike olives but love capers!
This salad is so yummy! I used French lentils. I loved the combination of ingredients.
Hi Laura, I’m so glad you loved it!
Oh Yes!
Where do I start!!
Thank you so very much…
and no lack of superfoods here!!
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!
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!
I’m so glad you loved it!