With walnuts, celery, and grapes, this lentil salad is reminiscent of a Waldorf salad. Eat it for lunch or dinner as a vegetarian main course, or serve as a side dish.
Isn’t this salad beautiful? I could eat this every day. It is so tasty! Perfect meal or side dish.
When I think lentils, my mind automatically goes to delicious health food. Lentils are a versatile powerhouse and so tasty. Did you know that there are different varieties of lentils? They’re usually classified by color and each variety has unique properties and taste quite different.
I love using red lentils to make a smooth, comforting red lentil soup. Brown lentils are the base for this delicious lentil soup with pasta. My go-to use of green (or French) lentils has always been in salads because they hold their shape well and stand strong in a salad. I love this recipe for green lentils with sweet potatoes and kale or this lentil salad full of feta and bright, fresh flavors. Brown or green lentils also make a great stand-in for meat, like they do in my vegan bolognese.
Aren’t those lentils pretty? I want to decorate my house with them. Pretty lentils = pretty salad, right?
About this lentil salad
Lentils are easy to cook and can be made ahead. Dry lentils should be rinsed and sorted to remove any foreign material. After you’ve drained them, add them to water and simmer for about 30 minutes, depending on what variety of lentils you use. Drain and cool before adding the rest of the ingredients.
This lentil salad is made with a red wine vinaigrette dressing. Whisk together red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, honey, dried thyme, and olive oil. This dressing is fantastic for most any salad. Make a double batch if you want and save half for tomorrow’s salad.
Toast the walnuts for best flavor. You won’t believe the difference it makes!
Chopped celery, feta cheese, and red grapes complete this lentil salad. I like red grapes but really, any variety would be fine. Use what you have available.
Enjoy!
Make it your own:
- Don’t have any grapes? Try chopped apples or pears. Almost any kind of fruit would be great.
- Replace the walnuts with almonds, pistachios, or pecans.
- Instead of feta cheese, try crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese. Gorgonzola would be yummy.
- Don’t want to bother with homemade vinaigrette? Use bottled store bought vinaigrette. Anything that’s tangy and slightly sweet would work.
- Add greens. Finely chopped kale or spinach would add a nice green punch.
Make ahead and storage tips:
You can easily make this salad ahead and have it in the fridge for lunches. In fact, it would be great for lunchboxes. Prepare the salad, put it into airtight containers, and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you want, leave the walnuts out, and stir those in right before serving so they don’t get soggy.
If you want, make the lentils a day ahead and store them in the fridge so you can quickly whip up the salad when you’re ready. Or you can used canned lentils, rinsed and drained well.
Looking for main dish salads?
- Taco salad – always popular!
- Tortellini pasta salad
- Kale sweet potato salad with quinoa (vegetarian)
- Moroccan salad with carrot noodles, chickpeas and walnuts
- Southwestern quinoa bowl with chicken
- Chickpea salad with yogurt, dill, and lemon (video included)
Lentil Waldorf Salad
Ingredients
For lentils:
- 1 ½ cups small green lentils, rinsed and any debris removed (may be called French or Puy lentils)
- 4 cups water
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
For dressing:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
For salad:
- 1 ½ cups seedless red grapes, halved (or green grapes, if you prefer)
- 1 cup thinly sliced celery (about 2 stalks)
- 1 cup chopped apple
- ¾ cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted (see note)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring water, and ¾ teaspoon salt to a boil. Add rinsed lentils, cover, and reduce to simmer. Cook for 22 to 25 minutes or until just tender (don’t overcook). Drain well, and set aside to cool while you prep the rest of the salad.1 ½ cups small green lentils, rinsed and any debris removed, 4 cups water, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- To the bowl with the dressing, add grapes, celery, apple, and apple. Stir lightly, then fold in the cooled lentils until ingredients are combined. (If desired, reserve walnuts until ready to serve so they stay crunchy.)1 ½ cups seedless red grapes, halved, 1 cup thinly sliced celery, 1 cup chopped apple, ¾ cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted
- Taste and season the salad with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Walnuts: Toasting the walnuts enhances their flavor. Learn how to toast walnuts (3 different methods).
- Variations: You could add feta, goat cheese, or blue cheese crumbles to the salad, if desired. Instead of walnuts, coarsely chopped almonds are great, too. Green grapes could be substituted for red grapes.
- Storage: Refrigerate the salad in a covered container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
What a refreshing combination of ingredients.
Your new blog style looks quite lovely!
LL
Thank you so much!
Admiring the dedication you put into your website and detailed information you offer. It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed information. Wonderful read! I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.
This salad look great! I love the addition of sweet grapes. I think Artie might have a hard time eating it though. He would probably be searching for the meat…haha.
I saw this in Everyday Food and wanted to make it–I am loving lentils lately! Glad to hear it was good, I’ll have to make soon!