This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Greek Lentil Salad is a must-make for a healthy, light dinner or an easy side dish! With protein-packed lentils, tomatoes, feta, cucumbers, and mint, you’ll be serving this easy-to-make salad on repeat all summer!
Full of protein and nutrients, this salad is also gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and nut-free.
Greek Lentil Salad with Tomatoes and Feta
When I think of lentils, cozy recipes like lentil soup typically come to mind. However, they’re incredible in refreshing recipes like this Greek lentil salad, too! Loaded with veggies and fresh herbs, this salad tastes as fresh as it looks.
Quick and easy to make, it’s perfect as a light dinner or to serve as a side dish with your favorite meals. It also works well as a meal prep option, meaning you can prep once and enjoy delicious meals for several days. With a base of nutritious protein-packed lentils, this hearty salad is hype-worthy and so delicious you’ll find yourself craving it all year long!
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
*Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and ingredient list!
- Lentils: You can use brown or green lentils for this recipe. Keep reading to learn how to make lentils perfectly every time.
- Tomatoes: I like cherry tomatoes, but grape tomatoes also work.
- Cucumbers: I recommend using Persian or English cucumbers. They have thinner skin and fewer seeds than other varieties, meaning they’re easier to eat.
- Red Pepper: Yellow or orange bell pepper will also work.
- Red Onion: Adds a nice crunch and satisfying tang.
- Feta Cheese: For the best taste and texture buy a block of feta, and crumble it yourself. Goat cheese also tastes great! Feel free to use your favorite vegan cheese, or omit the feta completely to keep this recipe vegan-friendly.
- Fresh Herbs: You can use any combination of fresh herbs you like best or have on hand. Fresh mint, parsley, and basil are our favorites!
- Red Wine Vinegar: This adds a subtle sweetness and a delicious tangy taste. If needed, feel free to substitute sherry vinegar.
- Olive Oil: This acts as a dressing and adds a rich, slightly peppery taste. The healthy fats also make it easier for our bodies to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in the veggies!
Customize Your Lentil Greek Salad
What I love about this salad is that it’s so easy to customize! Feel free to mix and match different ingredients to make it your own.
Don’t have fresh bell peppers but have roasted red peppers? Swap them! Don’t have tomatoes? Leave them out! Or, add additional ingredients like kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, or chickpeas.
You can also add some extra protein here if you want. Leftover shredded chicken would be great here as would canned tuna or salmon!
How to Make a Greek Lentil Salad
- Cook the lentils: Add the lentils and water to a medium pot. Turn on the heat, and bring the lentils to a rolling boil. Once boiling, cover, and reduce the heat, allowing the lentils to simmer for 20-30 minutes or until they’re tender but not mushy. Check the lentils occasionally as they cook, and add more water as needed!
- Strain: Remove the pot from the heat, and strain the lentils. Then, add a teaspoon of salt to season them.
- Cool: Transfer the lentils to the fridge to chill overnight. Or, arrange them in a single layer on a sheet pan, and let them rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then, transfer them to the fridge for another 10 minutes or until they’re completely chilled.
- Combine: Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl, and mix together. Season to taste, and enjoy!
Chill The Salad
I recommend letting the salad sit and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows all the ingredients to blend together and absorb the dressing!
Serving Suggestions
Thanks to the lentils, which provide a good source of plant-based protein you can easily enjoy this salad on its own as a complete meal. I like to add a side of pita chips or crusty bread, too!
Or, serve it as a side dish with main courses such as:
FAQs
This recipe is best served cold. The chilling time allows all the flavors to blend together for a cohesive dish.
When stored in an airtight container in the fridge leftovers will stay fresh for up to 3 days. Just be sure to give it a good stir before serving!
More Salad Recipes to Try
- Chopped Antipasto Salad with Chicken
- Israeli Salad
- Mediterranean Tuna Salad with No Mayo!
- Gluten-Free BLT Pasta Salad
- Melon Salad with Prosciutto
- Cold Asian Noodle Salad
Greek Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup green or brown lentils picked through and rinsed
- 2 cups water or broth more as needed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 red pepper diced
- ½ red onion diced fine
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup fresh herbs mint, parsley, basil are our favorite picks here
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To cook lentils: Add lentils, and water to a medium pot. Turn on heat and bring lentils to a rolling boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to let simmer gently for 20-30 minutes until lentils are tender but not mushy. Occasionally check lentils to see if the water has evaporated, adding more water as needed. Remove from heat and strain lentils. Once strained, add 1 teaspoon salt to lentils to season them. Let lentils chill overnight in the refrigerator, or place on a sheet pan and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes, until lentils are well chilled.1 cup green or brown lentils, 2 cups water or broth, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix together. Season to taste.1 pint cherry tomatoes, 1 cup diced cucumber, 1 red pepper, ½ red onion, 1 cup crumbled feta cheese, 1 cup fresh herbs, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, Salt and pepper
- Salad is best served on the day it is made, but will keep for up to 3 days.
Notes
- For more information on how to cook lentils, including how to cook them in the Instant Pot, check out this Guide to Cooking Lentils.
Loved how fresh and vibrant this salad is – makes me feel like spring even with snow on the ground! Also super nutritious and easy. I used pre-made Trader Joe’s lentils to save on time and added lemon juice and garlic powder to the dressing. I served it with chopped arugula mixed in and left out the feta to be dairy-free. Love it, thanks!
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit ! The recipe is so quick and easy. It was such a nice change from the usual cookout foods and I didn’t feel guilty eating it !
great salad, like the lentil for lettuce swap, or at least that’s how I see it, and love all of the other ingredients of a Greek salad, and so a really nice change and a good source of protein as you write, so thank you!