Lemony Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Radish and Herbs
A filling vegan and gluten-free bean salad flavored with lemon, fresh mint and dill. Ready in under 20 minutes.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 3, 2024
Do you all watch “Scandal”? I rarely watch TV, but I found that show on Netflix the other day and I’m hooked. It’s dramatic, even soap-opera silly sometimes, but I can’t stop hitting play. I also can’t stop admiring the main character’s wardrobe. Ms. Olivia Pope always looks so perfect and polished. She makes me want to strut around in classy coats and elbow-length leather gloves. I don’t care if it’s seventy degrees outside! Where are my fancy cashmere coats? Where are my red-soled stilettos?
Sigh. Even if I could afford such gorgeous apparel, I’d twist my ankles in those four-inch Louboutins and drip ketchup down my white silk blouses. No doubt about it. Fortunately, this blogging gig doesn’t require a fancy wardrobe. I could be working in my pajamas for all you know. (Maybe I am! Ok, I am.)
We’ve just struck on the primary reason I love posting about food, rather than fashion or interior design or even travel—because I get to promote something that’s actually attainable. And good for you. You could stop at the grocery store on the way home and have this healthy salad for dinner tonight.
I always say this, but this salad is definitely my new favorite. It’s bold and brightly flavored, similar to my Mediterranean bean salad. The radishes lend a lovely, spicy crunch and the mint and dill make the salad taste alive. It’s a fun alternative to classic lentil salad.
I’ve made this salad a few times now, with both freshly cooked lentils and Trader Joe’s steamed lentils. It’s great both ways, but I’d suggest using pre-steamed lentils if you’re in a hurry. It’s a prime candidate for potlucks and work lunches, as it packs well and keeps for a few days in the refrigerator. Dare I call it a new classic?
Watch How to Make Lemony Lentil and Chickpea Salad
Lemony Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Radish and Herbs
A fresh and filling bean salad flavored with lemon and fresh mint and dill. Use steamed lentils and canned chickpeas for a meal ready in under 20 minutes. This salad keeps well for a few days in the fridge and packs great for lunch! Recipe yields about 5 ½ cups (4 to 6 servings).
Ingredients
Lentils (cook your own, using the ingredients below, or use one 17-ounce package of steamed French lentils instead)
- 1 ¼ cups dried black beluga lentils or French green lentils
- 1 large garlic clove, halved lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Lemon dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons’ worth)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salad
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 big bunch of radishes, sliced thin and roughly chopped
- ¾ cup chopped fresh, leafy herbs, chopped (combination of parsley, mint and dill recommended)
- Optional garnishes: sliced avocado, crumbled feta or goat cheese, handful of fresh leafy greens
Instructions
- To cook the lentils: Pick over the lentils to remove any bits of debris. Rinse the lentils under running water in a mesh colander. In a medium pot, combine the lentils, garlic, olive oil and 4 cups water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the lentils are cooked through and tender, which will take somewhere between 20 to 35 minutes. Drain the lentils and discard the garlic cloves.
- To make the dressing: Whisk together the ingredients in a small bowl.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the lentils, chickpeas, chopped radishes and herbs. Drizzle in the dressing and toss to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve with avocado, crumbled cheese or fresh greens if you’d like.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Deb’s lentil and chickpea salad.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of the honey.
2024 edits: I reduced the amount of dried lentils to match the store-bought option, which yields a more balanced salad. I increased the olive oil and herbs as well.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This salad was amazing. On a day when I seriously didn’t feel like cooking because it was 100 outside and 90 inside, it was definitely a savior for me! I added extra lemon juice and extra herbs. Will absolutely be making this again – my husband had thirds!
Thank you, Trish! Stay cool this summer!
I made this for lunch today. Super yummy.
Thanks, Patty! Glad to hear it!
Loved the salad! Made it twice in one week, once cooking the lentils, once using Trader Joe’s steamed lentils. While definitely more convenient, I found the TJ lentils to be salty, and would suggest omiting the salt from the dressing and then seasoning to taste. Thanks for a new, heathful recipe on my permanent rotation!
Thanks, Desiree! That’s a great tip on the salt. I hadn’t noticed that when I used TJ’s lentils.
So any alternative herb ideas? I don’t like Dill and mint sometimes make me sick feeling. I was thinking cilantro maybe but I’m not sure. — my kids love your recipes my daughter is 9 and she loves making them with me!
I’d go with cilantro and parsley, maybe!
Tried a version of this today and really liked it. The lemon dressing made it taste really fresh. Two garlic cloves was a little too much for me so I will reduce to one next time.
Thanks Kate for sharing
Thank you, Carol!
This. This was what I wanted tonight. Thank you for an amazing dinner!
Excellent flavor! Also good with some goat cheese on top :) But I had trouble with the lentils – they came out a bit mushy. I tried them throughout the cooking process and at one point, they seemed tender, but also still had a bit of a bite – is that what we are striving for? I decided to keep on cooking and then got mushy. I used green lentils.
Delicious! The combinations of flavors and textures were fantastic.
Very tasty! My 4 year old son approved as well!
WOW!!! Found this site by googling Quick Easy Vegetarian no tomatoes & boy, am I happy about that!!! I made this for a dinner party for 8 & it was a total success! I even had to send every couple home with some ;) I LOVE it when I find a recipe whose ingredients all sound perfectly lovely & then it turns out fabulous . . . and it was easy to throw together for an impromptu Thursday night dinner party. Normally I’d make the lentils & chickpeas from scratch, but my work day had other plans, so Trader Joes had both steamed lentils & cans of tasty chickpeas & they worked very well! All the guests commented that it was a wonderful, filling & different meal.
Thanks a million for posting a great recipe – I forgot to take a pic, but, I’m having leftovers tomorrow & I’ll try to take one then.
A few mods (cuz that’s what I do . . . use recipes as jumping off points:
Ii added 6 cloves of garlic to a little oil, cooked it enough, on a low heat, to get aromatic & a bit soft & then tossed in the cooked lentils & chickpeas, to warm them a bit. After they had a chance to get well-acquainted, I added some of the lemon juice, and the radishes (a GREAT touch, by the way) and let everything sit while we had “apero” (I was feeding a bunch of French friends.)
Then I added almost 1/4 more of both the fresh dill & fresh mint, chopped up quite small (so it was well distributed throughout the tripled dish), and then added some more of the herbs to the top as garnish when I plated the dish. I also added about 1/3 C extra lemon juice when I made the dressing, and 2 extra garlic cloves. Topped it all with crumbled feta. Although the feta was tasty, for vegans, it would not been out of balance, or missing flavor at all. I may try adding finely shredded carrots next time for color.
I served it on an undressed bed of a mix of butter lettuces, arugula & red leaf lettuces.
Thanks again for a delightfully special, midweek friendly recipe!
This is the first recipe I have made from your blog and it is delicious. I have several others bookmarked to come back to over the next few weeks. Your blog is fantastic–thank you for providing healthy vegetarian recipes!
Thank you, Kenzie! I’m so glad you found my blog. :)
My favourites mint, dill, lemon and chickpeas in one recipe? Yes, please! I love this salad <3
I love the sound of this but I’m not really a fan of radishes. What might be a good substitute?
The radishes add a nice crunch and bite to the salad. Maybe some thinly sliced green onion for bite and some diced carrot or celery for crunch?
Oh my goodness gracious is this salad ever tasty and filling! I made this for my lunches this week and have it on some baby spinach. I divided into 4 servings and it keeps me full for hours. I did cut back on the calories a bit by omitting the oil in the lentils while cooking halving the oil in the dressing. Even with less fat it’s STILL delicious. The fresh mint and dill are so so good. Will definitely make this again. :)
Just made this, delicious! I tossed the lentils in while they were still a bit warm (and potentially overlooked!) so next time I’ll cool them well before adding to the radishes and chickpeas. So excited to have this in the fridge for quick lunches! Thank you :)
This is so gorgeous! I’ve been craving lentil salad lately and this seems like it could do the trick :). Also looks like an amazing potluck/bbq dish *love*
This is the second recipe I have tried, and it tasted really good. Thank you Kate!
Wonderful! Thanks, Cindy.
I made this over the weekend and am really enjoying it for lunch this week! All my local stores couldn’t source radishes, so I used diakon instead and am really happy with the result. Goat cheese was a great add-on suggestion! Thanks Kate!
Daikon is a great swap-out for the radishes, Allison, thanks for including that detail! I’m glad it worked out so well.
Loved it!! Added cucumbers & dill because I had them on hand. This will be one of my staples to make on the weekend and take to work for my lunch. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!
xoxo
Frida
I’m so glad you loved it, Frida! Let me know which others you try.
Mmm, this looks so perfect for summer nights. I love lentil salad and that lemon dressing sounds so fresh and refreshing! Thankssss! and yay for working in pajamas ;)
You’re welcome, Deryn! I hope you love it.
Okay, i have feeling your blog is going to be my new favorite reading. I’ve tried two recipes now and both have come out so good my sister even loves them – and i’m usually not the best cook. I’ve recently had to change my eating habits and have been dying to make tasty food that doesn’t have sugar or gluten (doctors orders). I have a feeling your recipes are going to help me through this difficult time since they actually make me want to eat well if this is what healthy tastes like :)
I left out the mustard since i didn’t have any and used lentils from a can, but it was still awesome. I need to by more greens!!! :D Thanks Kate for putting in your time to share these!
You’re welcome, Margaret! You don’t have to sacrifice flavor in order to stay on track with your health. I’m glad you found my blog!
I’ve made this recipe several times as it is so delicious!!! The dressing ties everything together beautifully. Love your blog and your recipe book!
This recipe is great! I loaded on the dill, and had it with quinoa and spinach after a tough gym session. Very very tasty with a sprinkle of feta cheese. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! Will try it with parsley next time to change it up.
You are welcome! I am happy it was able to satisfy after a hard workout.
We have made this recipe several times. It is easy to make and tastes delicious. The leftovers go great with salmon.
Thank you for the comment and review! I’m so glad you love it.
Yes! I was looking for a topping for my lentil salad and this is it!
Great! Sounds delicious.
Love this! I’ve made it about 6 times in the past month, since I first found it! I bring it to pot lucks and barbecues, or I prep it on the weekend and use it on top of spinach (with balsamic and oil) for lunch salads. I often use parsley + cilantro because I’m more likely to have it on hand, and I’ve subbed celery or green onions for the radishes. Any way I make it, it’s always turned out great!
You must really like it, Gabrielle! I don’t blame you. Thanks for comment and review!
Kate,
This salad is absolutely fabulous! I whipped it up yesterday as the week’s lunch prep, and although it isn’t nearly as pretty as yours, I was shocked by how delicious it was. I would never have thought to combine all these things. Likewise as a vegetarian I rely heavily on legumes, but sometimes get bored with my go-to methods. So I turn to your wonderful blog to guide healthy and delicious cooking. No pressure intended, but I have so much trust in your work and recipes. I love your creativity in meshing flavors and your scientific approach to optimizing. You remind me of a vegetarian, healthier, modern, female Alton Brown! Thank you for working so hard so your readers can eat so well!
Thank you so much! I love to hear that you enjoy the recipes and are successful. I really appreciate your comment and review, Natasha! :)
Sorry, I always love 90% of the recipes. Didn’t love this one. Didn’t like the dressing
I’m sorry to hear that! Thanks for sharing your experience, Tom.
Sure. And this isTom’s better half, Lynne. Hey, nobody’s perfect. And that’s why they make chocolate and vanilla!
This was absolutely terrific and husband loved it too. Packed nicely for lunch the next day (no water in it to leak). I used sugar instead of maple syrup (because we were out) and kept it vegan. I added less olive oil to save a few calories, but did add sliced avocado and leafy greens. Thanks, this was so fresh tasting I would make it again for sure.
You’re so welcome, Heather! Those all sound like great adaptions to make it fit your needs. I appreciate the review!
Thanks for the great recipie, made it for a girls summer lunch on Sunday and it was a great hit. Also keeps well, i’m still eating the left overs.
You’re welcome, Emma!
I love it! Made this tonight and keep creeping back to the fridge for more. However, my boyfriend said it’s “soggy” and he would “never need to have this again.” lol can’t win them all! :) I did use the Trader Joe’s steamed lentils, so that made it a bit mushy — made it a lot easier to make though. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad you like it! So funny when one person loves it and the other doesn’t. That could make a difference. Thanks for sharing, Nicole!
Delicious and filling, but I found that some of the measurements didn’t make sense. I boiled 2 cups of dried black lentils and ended up with probably twice the amount of lentils needed for the salad. Will definitely only use 1 cup next time!
I’m sorry it seemed confusing! I will take a look. Thanks for your review, Patricia!
My husband and I swear by your recipes, and I decided to try this one for my work lunches. I’m eating it as I type. The only thing I might do differently is up the quantity of dressing as I found it a little bland. The goat cheese helped (goat cheese helps on everything….) and I also put it on a bed of arugula, which I love and found its peppery-ness complemented the radishes well. Anyhow, other than the need for a bit more dressing, it is quite delicious. Thank you.
I wish you could have loved this just like I did, but I do appreciate your feedback, Gayle! Thanks for sharing.
The moment I saw this salad on Pinterest, I knew it would be right up my alley. I just made it for dinner and I was even happier with it than expected! It was perfectly delicious! Such a light, fresh dinner – perfect for Summer – but still filling and satisfying, too. Thank you for the lovely recipe! We’ll for sure be repeating this one all season long!
I love to hear when that happens, Rachel! You’re welcome. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Seriously loving this recipe! Just made it to take to a last minute family picnic and I might have eaten half of it myself -oops! I may just leave it at home so I can eat it for lunch this week.
I love this recipe, the fiber and protein content is probably amazing.
This is so good! Just made this as a last-minute lunch for today, and eating it right now! I didn’t have any red bell peppers, so I added tomatoes instead, and used frozen corn and canned black beans. I’m sure it’d taste even better fresh, but this is great for a quick meal! Thanks for sharing.
This dish is so good that I’ve made it 2x in the past two weeks. I absolutely love this salad and look forward to making it again. I added the mixed greens, feta and avocado without hesitation. This is the first time I’ve cooked with beluga lentils and I felt they had a very nice, desirable texture and flavor. Of course, I cooked them in vegetable broth for added flavor. Wouldn’t change a thing. Simply amazing.
Loved it! I Also added some wilted spinach, chopped celery along with butter beans. Then topped with feta cheese.
I shall add this recipe to my favourites- thank you Kate! x
No other words but “INCREDIBLE”. Super simple and quick to make and the dressing packs quite a lot of flavor. I add arugula to this salad and it was simply superb. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thank you! I love your excitement about this recipe, Gaby. Thanks for your review!
I LOVE Cookie and Kate recipes and have made/enjoyed tons over the years. However, this one turned out to be really disappointing for me. The problem was the lentils. I used french green lentils and I cook with them often. I normally abide by the instructions on the package, but yesterday decided to follow this recipe. There was way too much water (despite the fact that I still used less than this recipe recommended) and the lentils were nearly mush after 18 minutes of cooking (which is less than the lowest amount of suggested cooking time). I hate food waste so I am still eating it, but will definitely use the instructions on the packaging from now on. Additionally, while I love lentils, I thought that the ratio of lentils vs. everything else in this recipe didn’t suit what my expectations and I would’ve preferred a few less lentils and more chickpeas. That’s obviously purely preference but less lentils would’ve made my dish look more similar to the pictures in this recipe.
I will say that aside from the lentils, the rest of this recipe was great and easy! If lentils weren’t the bulk of this recipe, I would’ve rated it higher! I particularly loved the flavor of the lemon dressing and will be sure to use that again on other things as well.
Thanks regardless!
Hi, Kate, I just made this and think it is fantastic.While things are in shortage in my area, I did find lentils at my co-op this past weekend and had a stash of radishes in the fridge. While a veggie for 45 years plus, it never before occurred to me to me combine lentils with chick peas. What a winning combination!!
Thanks,
Lynne
Hi I made this salad. I didn’t have lentils but I had lentil soup. I drained it and followed the rest of the recipe. It turned out really well. It was very flavorful and tasty. Would make this again. Added some roasted garlic to it. Thanks
You’re welcome, Sandi! Thank you for your review.
Thank you so much, Kate! This was the perfect dish to serve when I had my mom over for dinner. I added lemon zest along with the lemon juice for a more lemony, even brighter taste. I also paired the dish with a dill & mint yogurt sauce and served with naan – yum!!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed the extra lemon taste, Shannon. Thank you for your review!
This salad is not my favorite. I was thrilled to introduce to the combo of mint a dill (which for me is the highlight of this recipe), so thank you for this! I just found this salad a bit on the bland side for my taste. Feta definitely helped it for me. I thought maybe I left something out, but after several re-reads, I find that I did not.
I’m sorry it wasn’t a favorite, but I’m glad you were excited about the combination. I appreciate your feedback, Lucy!
Me and some buds made this recipe and it was fantastic!
Love,
Jackie, Kelly, and Will
I’ve never commented on a recipe before but I have to say this is the BEST salad I’ve ever had. I added Australian Feta to mine and next time will add some toasted walnuts. Thanks for the fab recipe! xxx
Hey, thanks for sharing this idea! I am really excited to cook this :D But one question, for how many portions are the ingredients in this recipe?
Thanks, greetings from Czech Republic
Lucy
Hi Lucy! The nutritional information is below the notes section. This one serves 6-8.
I am glad that you always show the substitute of cooked chickpeas. Cooking the peas is easy and they become a much better ingredient than canned. I always toss in a couple of bay leaves when I cook mine.
So delicious!
I used trader joes precooked lentils. Omited radish and mint- still yummy without.
I paired it with sliced apple and avocado toast topped with everything but the bagel seasoning.