Split red lentils, often referred to as red lentils, are a delicious, protein-rich, quick-cooking legume excellent for soups, stews, curries, and dal.
Since they lose their shape and become mushy as they cook, they are less suitable to be cooked on their own and used for salads and are better suited to make easy one-pot meals.
In this blog post, we’ll show you how to cook red lentils in water or vegetable broth and share plenty of quick, tasty, and easy one-pot recipe ideas.
Table of Contents
- What are red lentils?
- Do you have to soak red lentils before cooking?
- What is the ratio of liquid to red lentils?
- How to cook dry red lentils
- How to add flavor to red lentils?
- Serving suggestions
- Recipes with red lentils
- Questions
- Storage & Make Ahead
- More cooking basics
- More lentil recipes
- How to Cook Red Lentils Recipe
Dietary Note: red lentils are suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet.
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What are red lentils?
Red lentils are a type of legume like chickpeas and beans.
They are sold dry in most supermarkets and are available in two forms:
- Whole red lentils: they cook in 30 to 45 minutes and look brownish and round.
- Split red lentils: they cook in 8 to 15 minutes, are bright orange, and split in half.
In this blog post, we write about split red lentils (the bright-orange ones) since that’s what most people think of when talking about red lentils.
The main advantage of split red lentils is their quick cooking time. Unlike brown, green, or black lentils, red lentils cook in 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how you like their texture.
Split red lentils lose their shape as they cook and turn into a creamy, almost porridge-like consistency.
That makes them excellent for soups and stews like our red lentil soup and Turkish red lentil soup, and all sorts of one-pot recipes, Indian curries, and lentil dahl.
However, they are less suitable for use on their own in salads and other recipes where you need whole lentils that keep their shape. For that, we recommend using brown, green, black, or whole red lentils.
Here’s our guide on how to cook brown lentils and black lentils if you are interested.
Do you have to soak red lentils before cooking?
Unlike dry beans and chickpeas, dry red lentils don’t require soaking, making them an excellent option for last-minute dinners.
Before cooking red lentils, we advise you to scan them for small stones hiding between them and rinse them under running water to remove small debris and dust particles.
What is the ratio of liquid to red lentils?
The liquid-to-red lentils ratio changes depending on the recipe you use them for.
If you cook split red lentils on the stovetop without other ingredients except liquid, we recommend 1 cup of dried lentils for 3 cups of water or vegetable broth.
If you cook them in a pressure cooker (Instant Pot), reduce the water to 2 cups for each cup of dry red lentils.
However, we don’t recommend cooking them in a pressure cooker as they’ll come out overly mushy, almost liquid.
How to cook dry red lentils
Tip: We don’t recommend cooking split red lentils on their own because, once cooked, they develop a mushy and porridge-like texture that makes them difficult to store and use.
Our advice is to follow a recipe developed for red lentils.
They are all easy and in one-pot. For example:
- Creamy Lentil Curry: A reader’s favorite recipe where red lentils are cooked in a creamy tomato and coconut milk sauce with Indian-inspired flavors.
- Turkish Red Lentil Soup: A beautifully smooth and creamy dish with Mediterranean flavor.
- Lentil Chili: Substitute red lentils for green lentils in the recipe. It’s a hearty Mexican-inspired recipe excellent with red lentils.
- Red Lentil Soup: comforting and hearty Italian flavors meet red lentils in a tasty and nutritious soup.
However, if you prefer cooking red lentils in a liquid, here’s how.
How to cook red lentils on the stovetop
US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Add the red lentils to a plate and scan them for small stones or debris that might hide between them.
Transfer them to a sift and rinse them under running water to remove dust and small debris.
Add them to a pot with water or vegetable broth. Season the liquid with salt and black pepper.
Optionally, add herbs or spices such as bay leaves, cumin, cardamom seeds, and rosemary.
Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the texture you aim for.
The longer you simmer the lentils, the more water they’ll absorb and the mushier they’ll get.
Tip: If you plan to use red lentils for salads (which we don’t recommend since they fall apart easily), cook them for 5 to 8 minutes, then drain them to remove excess water.
If you want to eat them as a soup, cook them for 12 to 15 minutes or until they absorb all water.
How to add flavor to red lentils?
The best way to add flavor to boiled red lentils is to learn from Indian cooking and temper them (combine them) with a hot oil or butter-based liquid (tadka) infused with spices and herbs.
To do that, heat some olive oil – about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon per serving – in a skillet or saucepan.
Add your spices and herbs of choice and sauté them for a few seconds or until you smell their fragrant aroma.
Pour the hot aromatic liquid on the cooked red lentils, stir, and enjoy!
Here are some ideas for spices and herbs:
- Indian-inspired: heat 2 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of coriander, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 2 cloves of grated garlic, 1 inch of grated ginger, and red pepper flakes to taste. You can also add curry leaves, mustard seeds, chili powder, curry powder, chopped onion, and other Indian spices.
- Italian-inspired: heat 2 to 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, then add a sprig of rosemary, 2 to 3 leaves of sage, a bay leaf, a clove of crushed garlic, and fry for about a minute or until fragrant. Top with fresh herbs like parsley.
Serving suggestions
You can make red lentils into a meal by serving them with:
- Basmati rice, brown rice, pasta, toasted crusty bread, roti, naan, or pita bread.
- Greek yogurt or non-dairy yogurt.
- Fresh parsley or cilantro sprinkled on top.
- A squeeze of lemon juice or lime.
- Quick pickled red onions, jalapeños, or other pickles.
Recipes with red lentils
As we mentioned before, the best way to enjoy red lentils is to make a recipe like:
- Creamy Lentil Curry with onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, canned tomatoes, coconut milk, etc.
- Turkish Red Lentil Soup with onion, carrots, celery, garlic, cumin, tomato paste, potatoes, broth, etc.
- Lentil Chili with onion, garlic, bell pepper, paprika, oregano, beans, canned tomatoes, broth, etc.
- Red Lentil Soup with celery, carrots, onion, garlic, cumin, rosemary, bay leaves, canned tomatoes, broth, etc.
Questions
Dry split red lentils generally increase their volume by 2.5 times.
One cup of dry split red lentils yields about 2.5 cups of cooked lentils.
To make one cup of cooked red lentils, you’ll need 1/3 heaping cup of dry split red lentils and 1 cup of water or vegetable broth.
It is advisable to rinse lentils to remove dust, dirt, and debris that might have contaminated them during harvesting and storage.
Nothing will probably happen if you don’t rinse them; however, it is recommended to avoid unpleasant surprises on your plate.
You can cook red lentils in a pressure cooker; however, we don’t recommend doing so. Split red lentils cook fast enough on the stovetop, and using an instant pot doesn’t make a huge difference.
Pressure cookers are excellent for cooking dry brown, black, and green lentils, chickpeas, and various dry beans.
However, the high pressure of the pressure cooked will almost disintegrate the split red lentils, rendering them mushy and porridge-like, even if you only cook them for just a couple of minutes.
You can cook split red lentils in the microwave in a sturdy microwave-proof bowl with 1:3 lentils to water ratio.
For example, for 1/2 cup split red lentils, add 1 1/2 cups water. You can add salt, pepper, and spices, then place the bowl in the microwave and cook at full power for 5 minutes.
Stir carefully, and then cook in increments of 5 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.
When done, the bowl will be scorching, so handle it carefully.
Storage & Make Ahead
Make ahead: red lentils are excellent for make-ahead and meal-prep recipes as they keep well for up to 4 to 5 days in the fridge and for months in the freezer.
Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
Freezer: Let the lentils cool down completely, transfer them to a freezer-friendly container, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw & Reheat: Defrost the lentils in the fridge over several hours or overnight. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop, adding a dash of water. Or do so in the microwave at full powder for a couple of minutes.
More cooking basics
Level up your kitchen skills with these plant-based cooking basics:
- How to cook white beans
- How to cook black beans
- How to cook black lentils.
- How to cook brown or green lentils.
- How to cook chickpeas.
- How to cook couscous.
- How to cook artichokes.
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More lentil recipes
Find more wholesome and delicious lentil recipes with:
- Moroccan lentil soup.
- Curry lentil soup.
- Mujadara or Middle-Eastern lentils and rice.
- Italian lentil pasta.
- Lentil bolognese to use as a delicious pasta sauce.
- Mediterranean lentil and carrot salad.
- 20 easy lentil recipes.
Soups
Lentil Curry
Soups
Red Lentil Soup
One-pot Meals
Turkish Lentil Soup
Collections
25+ Lentil Recipes (easy meals)
For many more dinner ideas, check out our mains category page.
How to Cook Red Lentils
Ingredients
FOR COOKING THE LENTILS
- 1 cup dry split red lentils
- 3 cups water or vegetable broth
- ⅔ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 2 twists black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
TO ADD FLAVOR (optional)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 inch ginger grated
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Spread 1 cup dry split red lentils on a plate and scan them for small stones or debris that might hide between them.
- Transfer them to a sift and rinse them under running water.Add them to a pot with 3 cups water or vegetable broth. Season with ⅔ teaspoon salt, 2 twists black pepper, and 2 bay leaves.
- Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the texture you aim for.If there's water left in the pot and the lentils are cooked, drain them in a sift.
MAKE IT A MEAL
- Serve the lentils in a bowl, topped with hot aromatic oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, a dollop of yogurt, and fresh cilantro.Pair them with pita bread, naan, roti, or rice.To make the aromatic oil: While the lentils cook, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan. Add 2 cloves garlic (grated), 1 inch ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cumin¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Fry the spices for 30 to 60 seconds without burning the garlic.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi! For the microwave directions, should it be 1 1/2 cups of water? Based on the ratio you listed.
Also, thank you so much for this post, has been super helpful for me! I am new to cooking with lentils and I appreciate the info about the specific type of lentil.
I’m very excited to make the lentil chili soon — I have the lentils already, just have to get the rest of the stuff!
Hi Chelsea,
Thank you so much for your message.
Yes, you are right my mistake. I corrected it now to the right ratio.
Thanks again, It makes me so happy you find the post useful 🙂
I hope you have a wonderful day.
Nico