Cauliflower Lentil Salad

Cauliflower lentil salad is a delicious and easy Mediterranean-inspired recipe to add to your salad repertoire.

Packed with wholesome ingredients, this salad, paired with homemade pita bread is excellent for a healthy dinner.

If you like easy salad recipes, you will also enjoy Moroccan carrot salad, quick lentil salad, and cucumber tomato shirazi.

Cauliflower lentil salad is a Mediterranean-flavored vegan salad with tender oven-roasted cauliflower florets, earthy lentils, fresh parsley, and a bold and zesty cumin, lemon, and mustard dressing.

The recipe will remind you of our quinoa lentil salad and sweet potato lentil salad, as it uses the same dressing and fresh herbs, and you can make it in about 30 minutes with simple pantry staples.

Also, like our aromatic Moroccan carrot salad and carrot lentil salad, you can serve cauliflower lentil salad warm or at room temperature.

It is excellent for making ahead; you can use it for meal prep, a quick lunch, or a healthy dinner, and bring it to potluck gatherings and picnics.

As you’ve seen in our tahini cauliflower salad, and lentil tabbouleh, both lentils and cauliflower lend themselves well to salads.

They are wholesome, packed with fiber and healthy plant protein. They are affordable and keep well for days.

Pair them with pita bread, a dollop of Greek yogurt or yogurt tahini sauce, and some quick pickled red onions, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful meal.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Cauliflower: Cut a large cauliflower head into small florets and roast cauliflower in the oven or the make air fryer cauliflower florets with a drizzle of olive oil, a hefty pinch of salt, and a twist of black pepper.

Roasted cauliflower is beautifully tender, slightly charred, almost meaty, and delicious!

We recommend using fresh cauliflower for this recipe, as frozen cauliflower tends to get too soft for salads.

Lentils: You can use canned lentils or dry lentils that you previously cooked in lightly salted boiling water for 15 to 45 minutes or until tender but with a slight bite.

You can use brown lentils, green lentils, black lentils, or French lentils.

Avoid split red lentils as they lose their shape quickly and are not ideal in salads.

Here’s everything to know about how to cook lentils.

Substitute chickpeas, black beans, or white cannellini beans for lentils.

Nuts: Cauliflower and nuts go well together. You can add toasted almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and pistachios.

You can toast the nuts on a pan for a few minutes, moving them around often, or bake them in the oven at 340°F or 170°C for 6 to 8 minutes.

Parsley: Fresh flat-leaf parsley is a staple in Mediterranean cooking and an essential ingredient in this cauliflower lentil salad.

Substitute dill, chives, cilantro, and even green onions for the parsley.

Cumin Mustard Dressing

This dressing is bold, tangy, and creamy enough to hug the lentils and cauliflower perfectly and make them super flavorful. You’ll need:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh lemon juice: substitute apple cider vinegar, lime juice, or red wine vinegar.
• Ground cumin
• Paprika
• American mustard: substitute Dijon mustard.
• Grated garlic: substitute garlic powder.
• Red pepper flakes or chili powder
• Salt
• Black pepper

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

1. Roast the cauliflower

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Wash the cauliflower head, pat it dry, separate the florets, and transfer them onto a baking tray.

Season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, two pinches of salt, and two twists of black pepper.

Toss well and arrange on a single layer without overlapping.

Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the florets are slightly charred and fork-tender but not overcooked.

2. Make the dressing

In the meantime, make the dressing by whisking extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, mustard, grated garlic, red pepper flakes, ground cumin, paprika, salt, and black pepper.

Tip: you can also add everything to a small mason jar, close it, and shake it well.

3. Build the salad

To a large mixing bowl, add the roasted cauliflower, drained and rinsed canned lentils (or cooked lentils), a handful of nuts, chopped parsley, and the dressing.

Mix well until the ingredients are combined, taste, and adjust for salt, then serve in the same bowl or on a serving platter with some more parsley and nuts sprinkled on top.

This cauliflower lentil salad can be a starter with other Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern small dishes. It’s delicious with:

• Eggplant baba ganoush
• Hummus made with canned chickpeas
• Zaalouk (Moroccan eggplant salad)
• Avocado spread
• Tomato Bruschetta
• Tabbouleh
• Moroccan carrot salad
• Tzatziki sauce

Salads

Zaalouk (Moroccan Eggplant Dip)

Dips and Spreads

Baba Ganoush Recipe

Dips and Spreads

Avocado Spread

Starters

Bruschetta

Alternatively, you can have a larger portion of the salad for lunch.

We love mixing in some pasta, such as rotini or fusilli, and turning it into a delicious cauliflower and lentil pasta salad.

You can make it ahead and bring it in an airtight container for a work lunch, picnic, or potluck.

We recommend eating this salad slightly warm or at room temperature.

Make ahead: Cauliflower lentil salad is excellent for meal prep as it keeps well for days. The next day, it will be even more flavorful as the ingredients have time to meld.

Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. After the second day, you might want to add more dressing as the salad will dry up a little.

We recommend taking the salad out of the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before eating it or warming it in the microwave for a short minute.

Freezer: Not suitable for freezing.

More Salad Recipes

• Greek chickpea salad
• Black bean salad
• Creamy pasta salad
• Couscous salad
• Chickpea quinoa salad
• Fennel and orange salad 
• Green Bean Salad
• Sweet potato salad

For more ideas, have a peek at our 45 best salad recipes.

If you tried this lentil cauliflower salad or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!