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Lebanese Lentil Salad has amazing flavors from garlic and fresh herbs, and it’s perfect for anyone who’s a fan of lentils. And if you check the nutritional information you might find it’s lower in carbs than you think!

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Lebanese Lentil Salad in serving bowl

Lebanese Lentil Salad is another recipe showing my long-time fondness for lentils, a nutritous high fiber food. And when it’s summer and I have those fresh herbs growing outside, I love to make herb-loaded salads like this.

Recently I made this lentil salad again and used quite a bit more herbs. And it was so amazing I decided I had to update the blog with this new and improved version. Of course if you don’t have fresh herbs readily available and have to buy them, you can certainly make the salad with fewer herbs than I used and it will still be good!

The recipe was adapted from Garlicky Lebanese Lentil Salad in Saveur October 2010, but I changed the proportions the first time I made it for more lemon, and then changed it again for more herbs. And through the years I’ve made this Lebanese Lentil Salad with several types of lentils and all were good.

When I made this with Jake to take the new photos, we couldn’t stop remarking about how good it was, and all that night I caught myself taking little tastes from the fridge. If you like lentils, garlic, and herbs, I promise you’ll make this lentil salad over and over!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

Is this an authentic Lebanese Salad?

My recipe is adapted from one I found in a food magazine, so I have to say I’m not sure it’s an authentically Lebanese recipe. But the combination with olive oil, garlic, mint, parsley, and lemon is one that’s pretty common in the middle east, so I don’t think it’s too far off.

How low in carbs is the Lebanese Lentil Salad?

Lentils do have some carbs of course, but they’re also high in fiber. This tasty salad has only 8 net carbs per serving and 4 grams of protein!

Lebanese Lentil Salad with Garlic and Herbs process shots collage

How to make Lebanese Lentil Salad:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Rinse lentils in a colander and pick out broken ones and any debris.
  2. Bring lentils to boil in 3 cups water (with a little salt if you like) and then lower heat and simmer until they’re tender 25-30 minutes. Cooking time is dependent on how fresh the lentils are. Older ones that have been on the shelf a while can take much longer to cook.
  3. While lentils cook finely mince the garlic. Then heat 2-3 T olive oil in a large frying pan, add garlic, and cook over very low heat until garlic is fragrant but barely starting to get some color, about 7-8 minutes. (Don’t let it brown!) Turn off the heat.
  4. Wash fresh herbs in a salad spinner (affiliate link) if needed, then coarsely chop.
  5. Whisk together lemon juice, 2 T olive oil, ground cumin and ground allspice.
  6. When lentils are tender, drain well and transfer to a bowl. Turn heat back on under the garlic and add the dressing mixture and heat about 1 minute.
  7. Then pour heated dressing over lentils and gently stir to combine.
  8. Let the lentils cool for a few minutes if they’re really hot, then stir in chopped herbs, season with salt and fresh-ground pepper, and serve.
  9. This can be served warm or at room temperature.
  10. Leftovers of the Lebanese Lentil Salad will stay good in the fridge for a day or two. I’d add a bit more lemon juice when you eat the leftovers.

Lebanese Lentil Salad with Garlic and Herbs found on KalynsKitchen.com

Want more Salads with Beans or Lentils?

This recipe was featured in Favorite Salads with Dried Beans, where you’ll find lots more tasty ideas for salads with beans and legumes.

Weekend Food Prep:

The Lebanese Lentil Salad recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Lebanese Lentil Salad
Yield: 6 servings

Lebanese Lentil Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

This Lebanese Lentil Salad is loaded with flavor from lemon, mint, parsley, and Garlic, and if you like middle-eastern flavors you'll make this over and over.

Ingredients

  • 1 C green lentils
  • 4 T extra-virgin olive oil
  • 12 cloves garlic, very finely minced (use more or less to taste and depending on the size of the garlic cloves)
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint (see notes)
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (see notes)
  • 4 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Rinse lentils and pick out broken ones or any small stones.
  2. Put lentils in small pan with 3 cups water, bring to a boil, then simmer gently until lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes. (Actual cooking time will depend on the freshness of the lentils. Older lentils will take longer to cook.)
  3. While lentils cook, very finely minced 10-12 fresh garlic cloves.
  4. Heat 2-3 T olive oil in small frying pan, add garlic, and cook over very low heat until garlic is very fragrant but barely starting to get some color, about 7-8 minutes. Turn off heat.
  5. While garlic cooks, finely chop desired amount of fresh mint and parsley.
  6. Whisk together lemon juice, other 2 T olive oil, ground cumin and ground allspice.
  7. When lentils are tender, drain well and transfer to a bowl.
  8. Turn heat back on under pan with the garlic, add lemon juice dressing mixture and heat about 1 minute. Pour heated dressing over the lentils, then gently stir to combine so all the lentils are well-coated with the dressing. (You can let it cool a little at this point if the lentils are pretty hot.)
  9. Stir in fresh herbs, then season the salad well with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  10. This Lebanese Lentil Salad will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but leftovers will taste best if you let them come to room temperature. You may want to add some fresh squeezed lemon juice to brighten the flavor when you eat it again.

Notes

You can use brown lentils for this salad if you prefer, which will cook a bit more quickly.

Use more or less herbs to taste, depending on availability and how much you like fresh herbs.

You can use less lemon juice if you're not a huge lemon fan like I am.

Recipe adapted from Garlicky Lebanese Lentil Salad in Saveur October 2010.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 136Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 0mgSodium 105mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 3gSugar 1gProtein 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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© Kalyn Denny
Category: Salads

Square image for Lebanese Lentil Salad shown on serving plate.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The Lebanese Lentil Salad is mostly lentils, which are high in fiber but do have some carbs. I’d keep that in mind and make serving sizes small if you’re following a carb-conscious diet.. This salad probably wouldn’t be suitable for extremely low-carb diet plans. Salads made with dried beans or lentils are a great choice for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. However, for phase one, portions should be limited to 1/3 to 1/2 cup dried beans. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Lentil Salad recipe was first posted in 2010, and I’ve made it many times since then! It was last updated with more information in 2025.

Pinterest image of Lebanese Lentil Salad

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