Mujadara is a comforting and delicious lentil and rice dish from the Middle East. It features boiled lentils and rice flavored with warm spices, and caramelized onions.
For more lentil recipes, try stuffed bell peppers, harira soup, and Moroccan lentil soup.
Mujadara, also spelled mujaddara, mejadra, mudardara, or majadra — is a beloved dish made with lentils, rice, and caramelized onions, cherished across the Levant and the Middle East.
Like other iconic regional recipes, such as falafel, hummus, and fattoush, mujadara uses humble, affordable ingredients like lentils and rice to create something truly satisfying.
It’s naturally plant-based, budget-friendly, and packed with protein, fiber, and warm, comforting flavors.
Louise and I love how this dish brings together health, taste, and simplicity in one pot.
For our version, we were inspired by the Lebanese variant known as mudardara. It combines cooked lentils and rice with warming spices. It’s traditionally a seven-spice mix called Bahārāt, and is topped with sweet, crispy pan-fried onions.
While it may not be exactly what you’d find in a Beirut or Baghdad kitchen, our take is colorful, cozy, and easy to make. Enjoy!
How to make Mujadara
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
The ingredients for mujadara are green or brown lentils, basmati rice, and caramelized onions, which you can make with olive oil, onions, sugar, vinegar, water, and salt.
For spices, you’ll need coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and turmeric (not traditional, but recommended for a beautiful golden color).
You’ll also need scallions, garlic, parsley, cilantro (optional), and lemon juice.
1. Caramelize the onions
Peel and cut the onions into ⅕ inch or ½ cm slices and sauté them with olive oil, salt, and sugar in a large skillet on medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir often.
Add water, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid is completely gone and the sliced onions are golden and soft. Stir occasionally.
Set the stove to high heat and add the vinegar. Stir for 2 minutes, then turn the heat off and set aside.
Tip: the onions cook mostly on their own, so you can proceed to the next steps as they simmer.
2. Cook the lentils
Bring a pot with plenty of water to a boil. For 1 cup of dried lentils, consider 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt.
Add rinsed dried lentils and a teaspoon of salt and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, or until they are tender but hold their shape. Drain and set aside.
3. Cook the rice
Bring a small pot with plenty of water to a boil. For 1/2 cup rice, consider 3 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Add rinsed basmati rice and boil it on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until it is cooked but with a bite. Drain and set aside.
4. Mix with spices
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped green onions (save the tops for garnishing) and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add pressed garlic, red pepper flakes, ground cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, paprika, and turmeric powder, and sauté for one more minute.
Stir in cooked lentils and rice, 1/2 of the caramelized onions, chopped parsley and cilantro, salt, and black pepper.
Sauté in the pan for a few minutes until everything is warm and well combined. Taste and adjust for salt.
How to serve mujadara
We recommend serving it as a centerpiece meal on a large platter, topped with the remaining caramelized onions, scallion tops, and parsley.
Serve it with lemon wedges next to a bowl of Greek yogurt or yogurt tahini sauce.
As a side, you can have a refreshing salad like Shirazi salad, fattoush, tahini salad, or cucumber-tomato salad.
Substitutions
- Basmati rice: Substitute brown basmati rice for white basmati rice. You can also use long-grain rice, short-grain rice, or jasmine rice.
- Lentils: You can use dried brown lentils, green lentils, or black lentils. Here’s everything you need to know about how to cook lentils and how to cook black lentils.
- You can substitute canned lentils for dried ones. They don’t need to be cooked. Drain and rinse them before adding them to the skillet with the spices.
- Caramelized onions: Substitute store-bought crispy fried onions for caramelized onions.
- Scallions: You can substitute onions for spring onions.
- Spices: Feel free to add or remove spices based on your preference, and if you have them in your pantry, substitute the Lebanese seven-spice mix (Bahārāt) for our recommended spices. Turmeric is not usually added to mujadara. We like to add a small amount to dye the dish with a gorgeous golden color.
- Fresh herbs: Try to use a mix of fresh flat-leaf parsley and fresh coriander or cilantro. You can also add fresh mint.
Questions
Mujaddara is an Arabic word that can be translated into English as “pockmarked” because the lentils mixed with rice vaguely resemble pockmarks.
Mujadara is pronounced /muˈdʒɑdəɹə/.
Lentils and rice are staple foods throughout the Middle East and the Arab world.
The first written recipe for Mujaddara was found in an Iraqi cookbook called Kitab al-Tabikh and written in 1226.
However, it is believed that the recipe was already popular during the Middle Ages across Arab countries.
Storage
Make Ahead: You can cook lentils, rice, and caramelized onions up to 3 days in advance and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also make mujadara for meal prep because it keeps wonderfully in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Refrigerator: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes or in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil.
Freezer: Let the mujaddara cool down completely, transfer it into a freezer-friendly container, and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Thaw & Reheat: Defrost for several hours in the refrigerator. Warm it in the microwave for a few minutes or on a pan with olive oil.
More lentil recipes
- Lentil stew
- lentil curry
- lentil pasta
- lentil bolognese
- lentil patties
- Turkish lentil soup
- lentil salad
If you tried this Mujadara recipe 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!
Mujadara (Lentils and Rice)
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 4 large onions white or yellow
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar apple cider or balsamic
Other Ingredients
- 1 cup dried lentils green or brown + 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to cook them
- ½ cup basmati rice + 3 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt to cook them
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 scallions finely chopped (reserve green tops for garnish)
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or grated
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder optional, not traditional
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped, optional
Serving Suggestions
- 4 wedges lemon
- 1 cup yogurt tahini sauce or plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
- CARAMELIZE ONIONS: Slice 4 large onions thinly (1/5 inch or 1/2 cm).Sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil with ¾ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar for 5 minutes.Add 1 cup water, reduce heat to medium-low, simmer for 20 minutes until liquid evaporates.Increase heat to high, add 1 tablespoon vinegar, and stir for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
- COOK LENTILS: Boil water (4 cups per 1 cup of lentils). Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup dried lentils (rinsed).Simmer for 15-30 minutes until tender but intact. Drain and set aside.COOK RICE: Boil water (3 cups per 1/2 cup of rice). Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add ½ cup basmati rice (rinsed). Boil on low heat for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- MAKE FLAVOR BASE: Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet. Add 4 scallions (chopped, save the tops for garnishing) and sauté for 2 minutes.Add 2 cloves garlic (pressed), 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and sauté one more minute or until fragrant.Stir in lentils, rice, ½ of the caramelized onions, 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, and 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped), ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.Sauté in the pan for a few minutes until everything is warm and well combined. Taste and adjust for salt.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: We recommend serving it as a centerpiece dish on a large platter, topped with the remaining caramelized onions, scallion tops, and parsley.
- Also, add lemon wedges and a bowl of Greek-style yogurt or yogurt tahini sauce to pair it with.As a side, you can have a refreshing salad like fattoush, Shirazi salad, or cucumber-tomato salad.
Video
Notes
- Basmati rice: substitute brown basmati rice, long grain rice, short grain rice, jasmine rice, or regular brown rice.
- Lentils: You can use brown, green, black, and French lentils. You can substitute canned lentils for dried ones. They don’t need to be cooked. Drain and rinse them before adding them to the skillet with the spices.
- Caramelized onions: Substitute store-bought crispy fried onions.
- Scallions: Substitute one onion.
- Spices: Add or remove spices based on your preference, and if you have it in your pantry, substitute the Lebanese seven-spice mix (Bahārāt) for our recommended spices.
- Cilantro (fresh coriander): Substitute fresh mint.
- Make ahead: The dish is suitable for meal prep due to its good storage properties. Lentils, rice, and caramelized onions can be prepared 3 days in advance.
- Refrigeration: Keeps for 4-5 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing: Can be frozen for up to 3 months after cooling.
- Thawing: Defrost in refrigerator, then reheat as above.
- Reheating: Use microwave (2 minutes) or stovetop with olive oil.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
I made this for dinner last night, it was fantastic, I made the tahini sauce too….served it with sauteed spinach and lemon wedges…so good
What a wonderful dish! Yet, I recently developed diabetes and should like to replace both rice and sugar. Do you have an alternative suggestion for both? I’d be ever so grateful.
Hi Pat! Thank you so much — I’m really glad you enjoyed the dish. We are not health professionals, but happy to give advice. For a diabetes-friendly version, you could try with wholegrain rice or farro. Regarding the sugar, I would omit that entirely 🙂 I hope that helps — feel free to reach out anytime!
Kindest,
Louise
Thanks very much, Louise. I shall try that.
Kind wishes, Pat
I made it tonight. It was fantastic!! I used leeks instead of yellow onions. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing.