Red Lentils
Red lentils are small, split, hulled lentils that cook quickly and break down into a soft, creamy texture, making them a workhorse in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Ethiopian cooking.
How to buy
Look for lentils that are uniformly orange-red, dry, and free of dust or small stones. They need no presoaking, so any reasonably fresh bag will cook in about 15-20 minutes.
How to store
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry pantry, where they'll keep for a year or more. Cooked red lentils keep in the fridge for about 4-5 days and freeze well for a few months.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Mild, slightly sweet, and earthy, with less peppery bite than green or brown lentils. They readily absorb spices like turmeric, cumin, and garlic.
- Texture
- Cooks down quickly into a soft, creamy, almost pureed texture rather than holding a distinct shape, which makes red lentils ideal for thickening soups and dals.
- Aroma
- Mild and faintly earthy while cooking, becoming warmly spiced once combined with tempered garlic, cumin, or berbere.
How to prepare
- Simmered into dal — Cooked with turmeric and other spices until soft, then finished with a hot ghee or oil tempering.
- Pureed into soup — Cooked until fully broken down, then blended smooth for a thick, warming soup.
- Stewed with vegetables — Cooked alongside onion, tomato, and greens so the lentils thicken the stew as they soften.
- Cooked into fritters — Ground and shaped into small fried cakes, as in Indian masoor vada.
Classic dishes
American
- American red lentil soup — A simple, warming vegetarian soup leaning on red lentils for body and protein.
Indian
- Masoor dal tadka — Red lentils simmered with turmeric and finished with a sizzling garlic and cumin tempering.
- Palak masoor dal — Red lentils cooked with spinach into a thick, iron-rich dal.
- Masoor khichdi — A soft, porridge-like dish of rice and red lentils cooked together with mild spices.
- Masoor vada — Spiced red lentil batter shaped into patties and fried until crisp.
- South Indian coconut lentil curry — Red lentils simmered with coconut milk, curry leaves, and mustard seed.
- Red lentil and rice porridge — A soft, well-cooked blend of rice and red lentils, often given to children or eaten as comfort food.
Mediterranean
- Moroccan-style red lentil soup — A cumin- and harissa-spiced red lentil soup finished with fresh cilantro.
Middle Eastern
- Shorbat ads — A smooth, lemony Levantine red lentil soup often finished with cumin.
- Mercimek çorbası — A Turkish red lentil soup pureed smooth and finished with butter and paprika.
- Egyptian red lentil soup — A cumin- and lemon-scented soup popular across Egypt, often topped with crisp croutons or fried bread.
Caribbean
- Trinidadian red lentil dhal — Red lentils simmered with garlic, cumin, and scotch bonnet, served alongside rice or roti.
Ethiopian
- Misir wot — A spicy Ethiopian red lentil stew simmered with berbere and served over injera.
- Misir alicha — A milder, turmeric-forward version of the Ethiopian red lentil stew, without the heat of berbere.
British & Irish
- British red lentil and vegetable soup — A thick, vegetarian comfort soup of red lentils, carrot, and onion.
Substitutions
- Green Lentils — Holds its shape instead of breaking down, so expect a chunkier result and a longer cook time.
- Split Peas — A close textural match once fully cooked, though slightly earthier in flavor.