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Easy to make Crispy Roasted Lentils are a delicious smokey flavored snack, salad or soup topper, healthy addition to any meal! And I have oven roasted and air fryer roasting instructions for you!
I first posted about these delicious vegan lentils in 2011 in my Orange-Shallot Tofu + Roasted Lentils recipe. It has a title I think I could massively shorten in the future! But recently a friend of mine posted a recipe for Cauliflower steaks on lentil salad which totally reminded me of these lentils, and I thought that I need to share them as their own recipe because they are so good!
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Prepping canned lentils
To prevent gas from lentils, try avoiding canned lentils that are high in sodium. The salty brine in canned legumes is often the culprit of gas complaints.
The canned lentils I buy are actually salt free. I looked on Amazon for you, but I don’t see them on there. {Amazon affiliate links} They do carry no salt black lentils, and low sodium lentils both of which would also work for this recipe.
Make sure to drain the canned lentils and then rinse them well even if they are salt free. Rinsing canned lentils helps reduce the amount of indigestible carbohydrates.
How to cook dried lentils
Sure, canned lentils are quick, but what if you want to make roasted lentils from scratch? Don’t worry, cooking dried lentils on the stove is nice and easy. Just follow the steps below to get great cooked lentils.
Rinse the lentils
Just like any other dried bean, give the lentils a rinse in water. Rinsing them removes and dust and debris, it also helps reduce those carbohydrates that might cause gas.
And always examine and sort as you rinse to ensure maximum wholesomeness. You’re looking to remove any shriveled lentils, any little stones, or anything that doesn’t quite look right.
I’ve been cooking dried lentils for many years, and I’ve never seen any of those stones that are mentioned on the packaging, but I always feel that it’s better safe than sorry.
Do you have to soak dried lentils before cooking them?
Lentils to do not require soaking, but they can be soaked in order to reduce cooking time by about half.
Soaking may also help in decreasing any gassiness that’s experienced after eating lentils. To get these benefits, cover them in cool tap water for 2 to 4 hours, and drain well. Rinse them once more with fresh, cold water before using them.
Cooking on the stove top
In a large pot, for each pound of lentils (about 2 cups dried lentils), add 6 to 8 cups hot water. Simmer gently with lid tilted until desired tenderness is reached, about 15-20 minutes for unsoaked lentils and 7 to 10 minutes for soaked lentils. Drain any excess liquid from the pot.
How to roast lentils
For detailed instructions and ingredient amounts, be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below.
Now that you have your lentils all prepped, you’re ready to oven roast or air fry those little nuggets of yuminess. And, my recipe isn’t fussy at all, it’s just 3 simple ingredients mixed together and cooked.
Roasted lentils in the oven
Mix everything together in a bowl (this goes for oven roasting and air frying.
When I oven roast my lentils, I like to cook them in a large cast iron skillet, but they can also be roasted on a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper or a Silpat style mat.
Roasted lentils in the air fryer
I decided to create my own little baking sheet for the lentils out of aluminum foil. That way everyone has an air fryer safe tray they can use. Make sure the “tray” is small enough for the air to move around it when it’s in the air fryer drawer.
Fold the sides of the tray up about an inch or so. And, once you place the tray in the drawer of the air fryer, feel free to move it around a bit if it doesn’t fit perfectly.
Have the lentils spread out in a as much as possible in the tray; don’t crowd them too much. And, you may need to cook these in batches depending on how large your air fryer is.
How to use roasted lentils
You can use these lentils in so many ways.
Think of them as small protein filled croutons, and use them as a salad topper. They’re terrific in my Lentil sweet potato salad.
On top of Buddha bowls: you know how you see Buddha bowls with roasted chickpeas? Well, these lentils can take their place so there’s a nice change to your fresh and healthy bowl. Try them in place of the chickpeas in my Garbanzo and avocado salad bowl.
They’re great just on their own as a crunchy healthy snack.
Build your dinner using them as a base or part of the meal like I did with this Sausage, broccoli and lentils dinner. They could even be used in Spinach Lentil Lasagna.
How do I store these cooked lentils?
Roasted lentils will last quite a while in your fridge in a tightly covered container, about 3 weeks or so.
Can they be frozen?
Yes, if you would like to store your cooked lentils for up to 3 months in an airtight container in the freezer, they will do well. They taste great, but do lose their crispiness. To crisp them back up, simply pop them in the oven at 425° or in the air fryer at 400° for about 5 minutes.
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Crispy Roasted Lentils Recipe
Crispy Roasted Lentils
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked lentils canned or from scratch cooked lentils. Drained and rinsed if using canned lentils.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chipotle paste or 1 & ½ teaspoons adobo sauce from a can or 3/4 teaspoon dried chipotle powder
Instructions
Oven roasting:
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- Combine lentils with oil and chipotle in a medium bowl, and toss gently to combine. Place coated lentils in a cast iron skillet or on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and roast at 425° F until lightly crisp, about 20 minutes.
Air fryer roasting:
- Preheat air fryer to 400° F.
- Combine lentils with oil and chipotle in a medium bowl, and toss gently to combine. Spread coated lentils on a small sheet of aluminum foil, and fold up the sides of the foil to create a tray. You may need to cook these in batches depending on how large your air fryer is.
- Roast at 400° F until lightly crisp, about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
susan | the wimpy vegetarian
I LOVE this recipe. I roast chickpeas, quinoa and rice, but have never roasted lentils. I have to try this! And thanks so much for the lovely shout out!!
Julie Menghini
I love lentils and these crispy lentils are so addictive that I was eating them by the handfuls. They add a great crunch to salads too.