Updated August 10, 2022
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For vegetarians, even wimpy vegetarians like me, dried lentils are a pantry staple. They're loaded with fiber, protein, cook up super fast without pre-soaking, and are budget minded.
But they come in different colors, which can be confusing. Different kinds of lentils have varying cooking requirements, and should not be used interchangeably in dishes. Here's a tutorial how to cook lentils and ways to use them.
Do You Have to Pre-Soak Lentils Before Cooking Them?
Before cooking lentils, always rinse them and remove any debris or damages lentils.
You do not need to soak lentils before cooking, but you can if you wish to. There are two advantages:
- A general rule of thumb is that pre-soaking any lentils reduces the cook time by half. Although in truth, it doesn't take that long to cook them anyway.
- Pre-soaking lentils (and any legume / bean) may reduce the incidence of flatulence after consuming them. This hasn't been definitively proven, but if you have this uncomfortable response to legumes, it might be worth pre-soaking them.
How to Pre-Soak Lentils
There are 2 methods I recommend.
- Pour rinsed lentils into a pan, and completely cover with water by 1 inch. Cover and let sit for 2 - 4 hours. Drain, rinse and cook according the below instructions.
- Pour rinsed lentils into a pan, and completely cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and remove from the heat. Cover and allow to cool for 1 hour. Drain, rinse and cook according the below instructions.
What Are The Types of Lentils?
There are 4 main types of lentils: brown lentils, green lentils, black lentils, red/orange or yellow lentils. Red lentils are different from yellow lentils, but they're very similar, and cook up the same way. Therefore I group them together.
They look different from each other, have slightly different flavors, and require different cooking times. And they offer a broad range of texture when cooked.
The below covers the major types of lentils except red / orange and yellow lentils. Learn all about how to cook red lentils, seasoning ideas, and how to use them by clicking on the link. Red lentils are also called orange lentils, and yellow lentils are included in the post.
Brown Lentils
Brown Lentils are the most common type of lentil beans found. In fact, if you see a bag of lentils at your market only labeled "Lentils" without any other description, you can bet they're brown lentils.
Texture: They can tend to split and slightly fall apart when a little over-cooked, and are great at this stage to thicken soups and stews. But they hold their shape when simmered for 20 - 30 minutes.
Brown Lentils Cook Time (Stovetop): Simmer for 20 - 25 minutes.
Flavor: Mild earthy.
Nutrition Note: ¾ cup of cooked lentils provides more potassium than a large banana.
Best Uses: Soup, veggie burgers, sauces, vegetarian meatloaf, casseroles. For example, this recipe for Vegan Lentil Bolognese Sauce. Or roast them for a crispy alternative to little croutons in a salad. And if you're wondering what to serve with cauliflower steaks, check out this warm lentil salad.
Green Lentils
Also in this family of lentils are French Lentils, French Style Lentils, Le Puy Lentils and Du Puy Lentils. These lentils are generally smaller than Brown Lentils, and the French version (including Puy lentils) is noticeably smaller. Their color ranges from a greenish bean to a mottle darker green (French varieties).
Special Note: Umbrian lentils are small beige lentils similar to the French green lentils. These lentils cook up quickly without becoming mushy and are great used in soups, salads, or as a side dish. I always pick up a bag of them when I see them, to make this Umbrian lentils recipe.
Texture: Green Lentils have a harder exterior in comparison to Brown Lentils, and therefore hold their shape very well when fully cooked.
Green Lentils Cook Time (Stovetop): Simmer for 20 - 25 minutes.
Flavor: Slightly peppery - earthy taste.
Nutrition Note: Green Lentils have a higher protein content than Brown Lentils.
Best Uses: Add to tossed salads, with or without greens - such as this Vegan Asparagus, Potato and Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. Or a bean salad like this Warm Lentil Salad with Cauliflower Steaks. Alternatively, add them to grains or vegetables dishes, or sauces where you want the lentil shape to be easily discernible. I also use them in my lentil sloppy joes!
Black Lentils
Black Lentils are small, resembling caviar, and therefore sometimes referred to as Black Beluga Lentils.
Texture: these lentils hold their shape well, but tend to fall apart if cooked beyond doneness. They have a deep earthy flavor, and are considered the most flavorful and most nutritious of all the lentils.
Black Lentils Cook Time (Stovetop): Simmer for 25-30 minutes. They tend to get mushy at about 40 minutes.
Flavor: Rich earthy taste.
Nutrition Note: Just one serving — ⅓ cup dry, which makes about 1 cup cooked—has 13 grams of protein and an amazing 15 grams of fiber, all for only 180 calories. .
Best Uses: Use as you would use Green Lentils
Special Note: Occasionally I find specialty lentils in my market, and love to try them out. Pictured in the center of the top photo are Umbrian Lentils.
Although they're tan in color, they're more similar to French lentils. They cook up quickly and hold their shape very well. If you see them, I highly recommend them.
This post may contain affiliate links. The Wimpy Vegetarian participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon. This means I earn money from qualifying purchases, which helps to support the cost of running this blog.
How to Cook Lentils
As mentioned above, different kinds of lentils require different cooking times. But what stays the same is 3 cups of water for every cup of dried lentils. And I always add ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. If you're using table salt, keep the added salt amount to ¼ teaspoon.
1 cup of dried lentils equates to about 2 ½ cups cooked lentils.
Below are some of my favorite recipes for cooking lentils with infused flavors. Mix them with rice, soups, or tossed into salads depending on the type of lentil, as suggested above.
How to Cook Brown Lentils (Stovetop)
How To Cook Seasoned Brown Lentils (Stovetop)
Equipment
- fine mesh strainer
- medium pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried Brown Lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 3 cups water
- ½ yellow onion, peeled
- 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or ¼ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Combine the lentils, onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- A little liquid may remain, but the beans will absorb some or all of it as they cool for 5 minutes. Drain, remove the onion and garlic, and add salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve warm by themselves, or dressed with a light vinaigrette of olive oil and sherry wine vinegar.
Nutrition
How to Cook Green Lentils (French or Puy Lentils)
How to Cook Seasoned Green Lentils (Stovetop)
Equipment
- cutting board
- medium pot
- fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup finely diced carrots
- ½ cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed, and thinly sliced
- 1 cup dried French Lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 3 cups water, or vegetable broth
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or ½ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil to a medium pot over medium heat, and add the carrot. Sauté for a couple minutes and then add the celery and onion. Sauté until softened, and add the garlic. Cook another 2 minutes.
- Add the dried lentils, water, bay leaf and salt. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 40 - 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
- Drain any excess liquid and remove the bay leaf. Serve warm, or tossed with a light vinaigrette of olive oil and sherry wine vinegar and sliced tomatoes.
Nutrition
How to Cook Black Lentils (Stovetop)
How to Cook Seasoned Black (Beluga) Lentils (Stovetop)
Equipment
- cutting board
- medium pot
- fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small cinnamon stick, optional
- 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup Black Lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 3 cups water, or broth
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or ¼ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Lightly crush the coriander, cumin and mustard seeds using a mortar and pestle. Warm the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat, and add the crushed spices and small cinnamon stick, and sauté until fragrant.
- Add the onion and sauté until softened.
- Next, add the lentils, water and salt. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 25 - 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Remove from the heat, and drain off excess liquid. Remove the cinnamon stick.
- Serve warm, or cool to add to salads.
Anthony
Great resource. Didn't even know there were black lentils!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! They're perfect in salads!
bakerman
Kosher salt for cooking is dumb. It's a pretentious call-out. Salt is salt. It also is void of iodide, a necessary element to prevent developmental disabilities.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thank you so much for this comment. I'm sure others think the same. What you may think of as pretentious, I call precision. For example, if you add 1 teaspoon of table salt to a recipe when 1 teaspoon of kosher salt is called for, it will be a very very salty dish. They're both salt, you're right, but because of the difference in shape, the grains of salt lay up differently and therefore measure differently.
So when a recipe calls for kosher salt, and you use table salt instead, cut the amount of salt in half to get the same salty-ness. Likewise, when I see a recipe calling for "salt", I assume it's table salt, and double it with kosher salt.
It would be most accurate to say how many grams of salt, because then it wouldn't matter. You could use either table salt or kosher salt. But I'm in the US, and we don't use metric measurements as much here.
The other reason I prefer kosher salt, is because of what I explained above, you don't run the risk of over-salting.
Kosher salt carries only trace amounts of iodine, unlike table salt with iodine added. You're right, we all need iodine in our diets. We don't need much, but we do need it. Luckily, iodine can also be found in fish, enriched grains, eggs, dairy products, and seaweed. Here's a good article on this by Mayo Clinic: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-sea-salt-and-sufficient-iodine-intake/.
Bernadette
Thank you for this blog. Nice to have all this info in one place. I have never been able to make lentils nicely, either under or over cooked. And the disaster Sloppy Lentil Joes that Never softened, cooked in tomatoes. Gross. I used this timing to make brown lentils for a loaf. They came out perfectly.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thank you so much for your note! I'm so happy your lentils came out perfectly. I've had my share of undercooked (and overcooked) beans through the years, and it's awful!!
UJ
thanks to share