French lentil salad is a cold or hot salad dressed in a tangy dressing with an array of vegetables served on a bed of arugula and topped with vegan tofu feta cheese. This quick and easy French lentil salad recipe is perfect for a weeknight night.

I made a beautiful French lentil salad yesterday because summer arrived early in Arizona this year. Usually, 100-plus temperatures hold off until July, but not this year. I love lentils, so this quick and easy French lentil salad tastes fabulous on a hot summer night. And this French lentil salad recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients.
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Although I chose to serve French lentil salad cold, so people prefer it warm, even though most French lentil salads don't contain greens and a variety of vegetables, my unique recipe adds a few ingredients for an extra special tasty salad.
Now and then, I create a combination of flavors that wow my family! So, today's French lentil salad recipe disappeared without leftovers for tomorrow.
What Kind of Lentils Should be Used?
To ensure the lentils stay firm and maintain their shape, choose green or brown lentils. Cooking lentils, however, sometimes presents a challenge for some people. Mushy lentils, for instance, ruin a salad. As a result, knowing how to cook lentils properly is vital.
When cooking lentils on the stove, I always choose green lentils, Lentils de Puy, brown lentils, or black lentils. Though excellent for stews, soups, Indian Dals, and curry recipes, red lentils don't work well for salads or other meals with lentils. Unfortunately, red lentils are more delicate and become mushy.
How to Cook Lentils
- Rinse the lentils in a mesh sieve or colander under the cool water, removing any debris or stones. While rinsing, pick out any bad lentils, debris, or small stones often found in a bag of lentils.
- Add four cups of water per cup of lentils to a pot.
- Bring the pot to a boil. Then reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and cook the lentils on simmer for the designated time (based on the type of lentils chosen).
- Green Lentils: 18-20 minutes
- Lentils de Puy: 25-30 minutes
- Brown Lentils: 20-25 minutes
- Black Lentils: 25-30 minutes
- Drain the water from the lentils.
- Serve warm or cold depending on the recipe (for this recipe, serve warm or cold; I served cold)
Or one of my personal favorites is Trader Joe's prepared, steamed brown lentils.
Salad Ingredients
- Brown, Black or Green cooked lentils: I used Trader Joe's steamed lentils for a quick and easy shortcut. Or prepare the brown, black, or green lentils and chill thoroughly before adding them to the salad.
- Red Onion: I love red onion because of its sweetness. It works perfectly with this lentil salad recipe.
- Carrots: Not only do carrots add beautiful color to a salad, but did you know carrots aid the liver in detoxification by carrying the toxins away via carrot fiber?
- Celery: Celery adds a fresh crunch to the lentil salad and a great taste.
- Thyme: Choose fresh herbs when possible for the best flavor profile. Thyme has an earthy, minty, slightly lemony flavor.
- Parsley: parsley has a bright, herbaceous, and slightly bitter taste that serves as a contrast to emphasize the other flavors in a dish, similar to lemon zest
Other Ingredients(Optional)
- Arugula: Arugula is best described as having a "peppery" and slightly spicy taste.
- Tomato Slices: A few tomato slices provide a sweet, tart, tangy, or balanced taste to the salad.
- Cucumbers: Cucumbers provide additional freshness and color to the plate.
- Tofu Feta Cheese: I make tofu feta cheese, one of my favorite ingredients to sprinkle on salads. This ingredient, however, is optional.
Salad Ingredient Substitutions
- Choose Romaine, spinach, or other green of choice if making an entree salad.
- Instead of serving with tomato and cucumber slices on the side, add chopped cucumber and tiny grape tomatoes cut in half.
- If you don't care for red onions, try yellow, white, or green onions.
- Instead of making vegan tofu feta, choose a store brand of vegan feta chees.
Salad Dressing Ingredients
This french lentil salad dressing is simple yet delicious. Although the amount seems very small, it goes a long way in flavoring the salad ingredients.
- Lemon Juice: Use fresh lemon juice when possible. The fresh citrus taste brings freshness to the salad and herbs in the salad.
- Dijon Mustard: I love dijon mustard in salads because of its tanginess and flavor.
- Red Wine Vinegar: I chose red wine vinegar to enhance the flavors in the dressing and because it works so well with red onion in a salad.
- Maple syrup: I always use maple syrup or date syrup when adding a sweet component to a salad dressing.
Salad Dressing Ingredient Substitutions
- If you don't have fresh lemon juice, use bottled lemon juice instead.
- Stoneground mustard is an excellent substitute for dijon mustard.
- Use balsamic or white vinegar instead of red wine vinegar.
- Try agave nectar or date syrup if you don't have maple syrup.
How to Make the Salad
To make this french lentil salad, place cooked, cooled lentils in a bowl. Then add the vegetables and herbs to the bowl.
Or, choose to serve the lentil salad warm after preparing the lentils.
Additionally, I prepared a small dressing to toss into the lentil salad mixture to enhance the flavors of the vegetables, lentils, and herbs.
Once the lentils cook (if serving cold), place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss gently.
Now add the simple dressing, and stir again. Because I planned to serve the French lentil salad cold, I covered it and placed it in the refrigerator to enhance flavors while chilling.
If serving the salad warm, serve after tossing in the dressing.
Salad Variations
Begin by placing arugula in the center of a plate or bowl. Then, form a well in the center, and put a generous portion of lentil salad.
As a result, the peppery flavors in the arugula work perfectly with the hearty lentil salad dressed in the tangy dressing.
You don't need any additional dressing because the flavors taste fabulous together.
Top with tofu feta cheese, a few tomatoes, and cucumber slices.
Despite its simplicity, this lentil salad explodes with flavor. Hearty and filling, this lentil salad recipe checks all the boxes for a weeknight night meal.
Recipe FAQs
4-5 days, but keep it separated from the arugula in a separate bowl to avoid making the greens soggy.
By all means, yes! The longer the lentil salad marinates in the dressing, the more enhanced the flavors become.
Cook lentils with a piece of Kombu, which helps reduce stomach sensitivity when eating legumes.
Tips
- Buy prepared lentils that are steamed and vacuum sealed or canned prepared lentils as a shortcut.
- Use green, brown, or black lentils because they are sturdier in texture. Do not use red lentils for this french lentil salad.
- Cook lentils in advance and refrigerate them for best results.
- If eating the salad warm, toss immediately after cooking the lentils.
- If meal prepping, I suggest chopping vegetables and storing them in containers in the refrigerator to make cooking easier.
If you are looking for a fresh, healthy summer salad, give this French lentil salad a try!
More Vegan Salad Recipes
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📖 Recipe
French Lentil Salad
Ingredients
Lentil Salad
- 2 ½ cups cooked brown or green lentils 1 cup dry yields 2 ½ cups cooked
- 1 large carrot finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery finely chopped
- ½ small red onion diced (½ cup)
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 3 Tablespoon fresh thyme
Other ingredients (Optional)
- 8 ounces arugula
- 3 tomatoes sliced thin
- 1 English cucumber sliced
- 3 ounces vegan tofu feta cheese
Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or date syrup
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
Lentil salad
- Rinse the lentils in a mesh sieve or colander under the cool water, removing any debris or stones; While rinsing, make sure to pick out any sour lentils, debris, or small rocks often found in a bag of lentils.
- Add four cups of water per cup of lentils to a pot.
- Bring the pot to a boil. Then reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and cook the lentils on simmer for the designated time (based on the type of lentils chosen).
- Drain the water from the lentils.
- Serve warm or cold depending on the recipe (for this recipe, serve warm or cold; I served it cold).
- The cooking time is determined by the types of lentils chosen (see blog post).
- Place lentils in a bowl and add the chopped vegetables and herbs.
- Stir to combine.
Dressing
- Combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk together.
- Pour over the lentil salad and stir.
- If serving cold, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- If serving warm, serve immediately.
Entree Salad
- Place arugula on the base of the plate or in the bowl and form a well in the middle.
- Then, add a generous portion of French lentil salad.
- Sprinkle with vegan tofu feta cheese.
- Arrange cucumbers and tomatoes for garnish.
- Salt and pepper as desired.
Notes
- Brown, green or black lentils are best. Do not use red lentils for this salad.
- For an easy shortcut, buy lentils already prepared. For example, I use Trader Joe's steamed vacuum-sealed lentils.
- If making an entree salad, add green to the base of the bowl and top with the french lentil salad.
- I suggest adding cucumbers and tomatoes.
- I also enjoy tofu feta cheese on top.
- Although the dressing is not a lot in terms of amount, it goes a long way. You want the salad lightly dressed because the ingredients stand alone in flavor.
- Dress the lentil salad in advance, but do not add the greens when dressing.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Charlene
Can you use Trader Joes steamed lentils?
Kathy Carmichael
Charlene, I did! I mention it in the post. It literally takes minutes when you use Trader Joe's steamed lentils. I love them! I hope you enjoy the salad.