These easy vegan lentil bowls make a delicious, high-protein meal! Serve this Mediterranean-inspired recipe for lunch or dinner, and enjoy tons of flavor from quick marinated cucumbers and red onions, arugula, fresh herbs, and lemon tahini dressing. It’s a great way to use leftover lentils to make a veggie-loaded, power bowl meal!
Bowl meals are so popular right now and for good reason! They’re easy to prep, either in advance or in the spur of the moment. Plus, you can switch up the ingredients however you want!
These easy lentil bowls are particularly delicious and a great vegetarian/vegan and gluten free option if you’re looking for more plant-based meals that are still rich in protein. I always feel so energized after eating one, thanks to all of the veggies, fiber, and healthy fats.
I hope you enjoy this exciting new way to eat lentils. With marinated cucumbers, spicy arugula, fresh herbs, or tahini dressing, there’s so much to love about this one! Or if you want something different, check out the Greek Lentil Salad while you’re here.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Lentils: You’ll need about 4 cups of cooked lentils. Green or brown lentils work best. If you want to save time, look for pre-cooked options at the store. Trader Joe’s has delicious steamed lentils in the produce section, and lots of other grocery stores carry cooked lentils like Melissa’s brand. You can use canned lentils too! This recipe is also a great way to use leftover lentils.
- Cucumbers and red onion: These add a crisp bite and delicious flavor since they are marinated in a vinegar mixture while you prep the other ingredients. You can sub other types of pickled veggies, like Pickled Red Cabbage or Pickled Celery (Quick and Spicy), if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.
- Red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, sugar, red pepper flakes: This is what you’ll need for the veggie marinade. You can sub apple cider or white wine vinegar and use honey or maple syrup in place of granulated sugar.
- Baby arugula: Swap in baby spinach or kale if you don’t like arugula in your lentil bowls.
- Pistachios: Use another nut or seed of your choosing for added crunch! Walnuts or almonds, especially my Maple Roasted Almonds, would be delicious.
- Herbs: Fresh mint and dill are superb additions here, but feel free to add or swap in basil or parsley as desired.
- Tahini: I’m a big fan of Soom or Mighty Sesame Co. squeezable tahini. If you don’t want to make your own tahini dressing, sub hummus.
- Lemon juice, maple syrup, kosher salt: These are the other ingredients for the dressing. Substitute apple cider vinegar for lemon juice if that’s what you have.
Instructions
The full recipe card for lentil bowls is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps to guide you in the kitchen.
If you are not using pre-cooked lentils, prep those before completing the other steps. Then, chop the veggies and herbs.
Marinate the red onion and cucumber in the vinegar mixture while the lentils cook and you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Put together all of the ingredients in a bowl (or multiple bowls depending on how many people you are serving).
Whisk together the tahini dressing, and drizzle on top of the bowls!
Variations
You can easily create new variations of lentil bowls depending on your preferences. Here are some ideas for additions or substitutions:
- Cheeses: feta or goat cheese crumbles, shaved parmesan, or smoked gouda
- Fruit: diced apples, dried cranberries, or sliced dates
- Whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, farro, or pearled couscous
- Other veggies: Add roasted squash or root veggies in the fall or winter or tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini in the summer. My Pickled Asparagus and Sautéed Snap Peas would be great replacements for the cucumber and red onion too!
- Meat, fish, or tofu: Try shredded chicken, ground beef, canned salmon, or my Crispy Panko Tofu.
Make Ahead and Storage
The components for these lentil bowls keep well in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days. Keep them separate for best results, and then put the bowls together and add the dressing just before serving.
More Bowl Recipes
Love these easy lentil power bowls? Check out some of my other bowl meals while you’re here:
📖 Recipe
Lentil Bowls with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
Lentil bowls
- 4 cups cooked lentils - brown or green work best
- 1 large cucumber - peeled, seeded, and sliced into ½-inch half moons
- ½ small red onion - thinly sliced, about ¼ cup
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups baby arugula
- ½ cup pistachios - shelled, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Lemon tahini dressing
- ⅓ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice - from ½ large or 1 small lemon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 to 4 tablespoons water - to thin
Instructions
- First, prep the lentils if you are not using pre-cooked ones. I like to use steamed lentils available at most grocery stores in the produce section or even canned lentils. The cook time for lentils is not included in the overall recipe prep time, so you will need to allot more time if you are cooking them. However, they usually only take 15 to 20 minutes to cook. Follow package instructions for cooking and use about 1.5 cups dried to yield 4 cups cooked. You can also cook them in advance and store in the fridge until you want to make the rest of the recipe.
- Next, prep the marinated cucumbers and red onions so that they have time to sit while you get the rest of the ingredients together. In a large bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Add the sliced cucumbers and red onions. Let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often (or however long it takes you to make everything else).
- Gather the arugula, prep the pistachios, and chop the herbs. In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, and salt. Add water, a tablespoon or so at a time, to thin to your desired consistency.
- When everything has been prepared, assemble the bowls. Divide the cooked lentils, marinated veggies, arugula, pistachios, and herbs evenly between 4 bowls (or more or less depending on how many you are serving). Drizzle the tahini dressing over them. Serve and enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- It’s easy to prep the components of these bowls in advance and keep in separate containers in the fridge. Assemble right before you’re ready to eat. Everything should last for 3 to 5 days.
- Possible additions and swaps include cheese, different pickled veggies or greens, fruit, and meat, fish, or tofu.
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