This Marinated Lentil Chickpea Salad is bursting with garlicky lemon flavor, layered with texture and loaded in nutrition. Easy to make, vegan, and perfect to serve as a meal or side.
The Perfect Cold Lentil Salad
This salad is easy to put together, with really simple ingredients that compliment each other to create a harmony of lemon garlic goodness. It’s refreshing to eat, filling thanks to the plant protein from the lentils and chickpeas, and equally satisfying on it’s own or paired with other ingredients. This lentil chickpea salad is also easy to customize to your preference. Just swap in your favorite crunchy veggies you might have on hand and you are all set.
Key Ingredients
- Lentils: For the best consistency I recommend using small brown lentils, but small lentils like French lentils or black lentils will work really well. I would not use red lentils as they get too soft as they cook.
- Chickpeas: If you are not a fan of chickpeas, you can replace with cannellini beans or use extra lentils if you prefer.
- Vegetables: I opted to use cherry tomatoes because they are juicy and cucumber for the crunch.
- Garnishes: I used scallions for this salad in place of using diced red onion as it’s mild and compliments the dressing really well. You can also add additional fresh herbs like parsley for extra flavor.
- Dressing: A combination of lemon juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, garlic, ground coriander, and red pepper flakes.
How to Cook the Lentils
The cooking time of your lentils will depend on the type of lentils you are using. The big key is to make sure that you don’t overcook them. Overcooking your lentils will make them mushy.
If you need some guidance for cooking your lentils to the perfect tenderness, I recommend cooking your lentils in a 1:3-4 ratio of lentils to salted water or vegetable broth. Combine your ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer and allow to cook for about 20-25 minutes until al dente.
Again, note that these cooking times will vary depending on the type of lentil you use. This resource provides a deep dive into making the perfect lentils if you need more guidance.
How to Make this Lentil Chickpea Salad
In a small bowl combine all of your dressing ingredients and whisk them well.
In a medium sized bowl add your beans and lentils, diced vegetables and scallions then pour over your dressing. Give everything a quick toss and adjust salt to taste.
Place in the fridge to chill for an hour before serving.
Tips for Making this Salad Delicious
- Don’t overcook your lentils! Cook them until they are al dente. Drain off any extra liquid that may be in the pot as well.
- Make sure to cool your lentils before adding to your salad. Adding in warm lentils will warm up the other ingredients in the bowl and change the texture of the salad.
- Chill before serving. I highly recommend allowing your lentils and chickpeas to marinate as long as they can. Try to let them sit and marinate for at least an hour or even overnight for best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
This salad is intended to be enjoyed cold. I recommend making sure to serve this cold as it will help preserve all of the unique crunch and texture of this salad. If you were going to serve it warm, I would recommend other vegetables to pair with this salad especially in place of the cucumber. You could use grilled zucchini, corn or roasted bell pepper as a means to replace the cucumber or tomatoes.
Canned lentils, can be used in place of cooking them yourself. Just make sure to rinse and drain well similar to the chickpeas and then add them to the salad as directed.
What to Pair your Lentil Chickpea Salad With
To be completely honest, I will happily eat this salad right from the bowl just as is with a spoon. However, if you’d like to balance this salad out with more vegetables or grains for max satisfaction, you can try some of the following ideas to pair with it:
- Crackers
- Rice or quinoa
- Enjoyed with some grilled corn and tofu
- Vegetable Kebabs
- Salad greens
More Lentil Recipes to Enjoy
- Jamaican Inspired Jerk Lentils
- Creamy Lentil Mushroom Stew
- Golden Red Lentil Curry
- Latin Style Lentil Soup
Marinated Lentil Chickpea Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Marinating Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Marinated Lentil Chickpea Salad is bursting with garlicky lemon flavor, layered with texture and loaded in nutrition. Easy to make, vegan, and perfect to serve as a meal or side.
Ingredients
Spicy Garlic Lemon Dressing
- Juice of 1 large lemon (about 1/4 cup juice)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed (I like using a garlic press)
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salad Base
- 1, 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cooked small brown or green lentils
- 1 green scallion, sliced
- 1/2 large cucumber, de-seeded and cubed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add lemon juice, syrup, mustard, garlic, and spices and whisk together well.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add your beans and lentils, diced vegetables and scallions then pour over your dressing.
- Give everything in the bowl a quick toss to coat, then adjust salt to taste.
- Place this salad in the fridge to chill for an hour before serving, and save remaining salad in the fridge to continue marinating overnight. When serving, you can drizzle your salad with some extra virgin olive oil.
Notes
Don’t overcook your lentils! Cook them until they are al dente. Drain off any extra liquid that may be in the pot as well.
Make sure to cool your lentils before adding to your salad. Adding in warm lentils will warm up the other ingredients in the bowl and change the texture of the salad.
Chill before serving. I highly recommend allowing your lentils and chickpeas to marinate as long as they can. Try to let them sit and marinate for at least an hour or even overnight for best results.
Keywords: lentil salad, marinated lentil salad, lentil chickpea salad, lentil vegetable salad
Did You Try This Recipe?
Then let me know what you thought in the comments below! Share your creations by tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #plantbasedrdeats
★ Catherine
Thanks for the salad.