Mujadara (Lentils and Rice) - The Plant Based School (2024)

Mujadara is a comforting and delicious lentil and rice dish from the Middle East. It features boiled lentils and rice flavored with warm spices, caramelized onions, and fresh herbs.

You’ll love our Mujaddara recipe because it’s easy to make with simple ingredients; it’s also packed with flavor, nourishing, and satisfying.

Table of Contents

• What is Mujadara?
• Mujadara video
• How to Make Mujadara
• Serving Suggestions
• Tips
• Questions
• More Lentil Recipes
• Mujadara (Lentils and Rice) Recipe

Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet. It’s low in cholesterol and saturated fat.

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Mujadara – also spelled Mujaddaram, mudardara, mejadra, majadra and megadarra – is a lentils and rice recipe cherished in most Levantine and Middle Eastern countries.

Like other recipes from the region – think of falafel, hummus, fatteh, and spinach stew – mujadara relies on legumes such as lentils for nutritious plant protein and spices such as cumin and coriander for a beautiful fragrant flavor.

The taste and ingredient combination of mujadara will remind you of other Mediterranean recipes like Moroccan lentil soup, Harira soup, stuffed bell peppers, and stuffed tomatoes.

Its warm flavor and texture pair perfectly with cold, creamy dressings like tahini sauce, yogurt tahini sauce, and tzatziki sauce.

For our mujadara version, we took inspiration from a Lebanese variant called mudardara.

The cooked lentils and rice are tossed with spices (traditionally, a Lebanese seven-spice mix called Bahārāt is used) and pan-fried onions.

And while our recipe might not be the original you would find on the streets of Beirut or Baghdad, it’s a delicious interpretation you’ll love because it’s colorful, tasty, and easy to make.

This lentil mujaddara will become one of your favorite dishes because:

1. You can make it with simple pantry staples, and it keeps well for days.
2. It packs incredible flavor thanks to the spices, onions, and yogurt on top.
3. It’s healthy, wholesome, and nourishing, packed with protein, fiber, and healthy carbs.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Rice

We use white basmati rice for Mujadara. It cooks fast, and it tastes delicious with lentils.

Substitute any other type of white or brown rice, such as long grain rice, short grain rice, or Jasmine rice, for basmati, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time accordingly to what’s written on the rice package.

It’s easiest to cook the rice and lentils in separate pots to prevent them from overcooking. You can cook rice and lentils in the same pot if you are an expert cook.

Lentils

Make mujadara with dried black, green, or brown lentils.

Dry lentils are uncooked, so you’ll need to boil them until tender. Depending on the variety, this takes about 15 to 45 minutes. Soaking is not required for lentils.

Here’s everything to know about how to cook lentils and how to cook black lentils.

You can use canned lentils if you must. They don’t need to be cooked. Drain and rinse them before adding them to the skillet with the spices.

Avoid split red lentils as they won’t keep their shape in mujadara.

Caramelized onions

Caramelized onions are a crucial ingredient in this recipe. We make them with white onions, olive oil, sugar, salt, water, and vinegar.

You’ll need to slow-cook the onions for about 30 to 40 minutes to get them soft and tasty, so we recommend starting with them or making them a day in advance.

The timing works well because the onions can cook while the lentils and rice boil.

Substitute store-bought crispy fried onions with caramelized onions; this is not authentic, but it’s a quick alternative to add that onion flavor.

Flavor base

We make a quick flavor base with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and spring onions, gently fried together and then mixed with spices, lentils, and rice.

Substitute white onions for spring onions.

Spices

Our go-to mujadara spices are cinnamon, coriander, ground cumin or seeds, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt, and black pepper.

We also like to add turmeric (although it is not traditional) to give the dish a beautiful golden color.

Feel free to add or remove spices based on your preference, and if you have them in your pantry, substitute the Lebanese seven-spice mix (Bahārāt) for our spices.

Fresh herbs

Try to use a mix of fresh flat-leaf parsley and fresh coriander or cilantro. You can also add fresh mint.

Topping

Mujaddara is traditionally topped with caramelized onions, lemon juice, and parsley. We also add green onion tops, thinly sliced, and a pinch of paprika.

We recommend serving mujadara with plain Greek yogurt, yogurt tahini sauce, tahini sauce, or tzatziki. As a side, you can have a refreshing salad like Shirazi, fattoush, or a quick cucumber tomato salad.

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Note: you can cook the onions, lentils, and rice (steps 1 to 3) up to 3 days in advance and store them in airtight containers in the fridge.

1. Start with the caramelized onions

Peel and cut the onions into ⅕ inch or ½ cm slices and sauté them with olive oil, salt, and sugar in a large skillet on medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir often.

Add the water, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the liquid is completely gone and the sliced onions are soft, shiny, and sticky. Stir occasionally.

Set the stove to medium-high heat and add the vinegar. Stir for 3 minutes, then turn the heat off and set the onions aside.

Tip: the onions cook mostly on their own, so you can proceed to the next steps as they simmer.

2. Cook the lentils

Rinse the dried lentils and add them to a pot with plenty of lightly salted water.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 to 45 minutes or until tender with a slight bite.

Cooking time varies depending on the lentil type and is often written on the package. If not, taste them at the 15-minute mark and adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Tip: For 1 cup of dried lentils, add 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Drain the lentils and set them aside.

3. Cook the rice

Rinse the basmati rice, then add it to a pot with lightly salted boiling water. For 1/2 cup of rice, you’ll need 3 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Boil gently on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked but with a bite.

Drain the rice and set it aside.

4. Mix all ingredients

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.

Add finely chopped green onions (only the white and light-green parts; save the tops for garnishing) and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add pressed garlic, red pepper flakes, ground cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, paprika, and turmeric powder and sauté for 1 more minute.

Toss in lentils and rice, 1/2 of the caramelized onions, chopped parsley and coriander, salt, and black pepper.

Stir and fry in the pan for a few minutes until everything is warm and well combined.

Taste and adjust for salt and spices.

Mujadara is a gorgeous centerpiece meal.

Transfer it onto a serving platter and top with the remaining caramelized onions, the green top of the scallions, some chopped parsley, and a pinch of paprika.

Give your guests lemon wedges to squeeze on before eating and a bowl with Greek-style yogurt, yogurt tahini sauce, or tahini sauce to add to their plate.

Because it’s so nutritious and fulfilling, you can serve mujaddara as a main dish, sided with a simple side salad or a spread. We recommend:

• Fattoush
• Shirazi salad
• Tahini salad
• Cucumber tomato salad
• Greek cucumber salad

Or serve it with a variety of dips and sauces to add on top, and let your guests choose their favorite:

• Tzatziki or cucumber yogurt sauce
• Zaalouk
• Hummus
• Roasted red pepper hummus
• Muhammara
• Mutabal
• Baba Ganoush

Tips

Prep ahead

To save time in the kitchen, you can cook the lentils, rice, and caramelized onions ahead of time (they keep well for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge) before making mujaddara.

This way, all you have to do is mix them with the spices, and your mujaddara is ready for a delicious everyday dinner in less than 10 minutes.

Vary the spice mix

The three traditional mujadara spices are cinnamon, coriander, and cumin.

However, feel free to customize the dish based on your preferences. For us, turmeric is an excellent addition because it makes this lentils and rice dish look gorgeous.

If there’s a spice you don’t like, keep it out. If there’s one you like a lot, double it!

Make Ahead: You can cook lentils, rice, and caramelized onions up to 3 days in advance and store them in an airtight container in the fridge ready to use. Also, you can make mujadara for meal prep because it keeps wonderfully in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.

Refrigerator: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes or in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil.

Freezer: Let the mujaddara cool down completely, transfer it into a freezer-friendly container, and freeze it for up to 3 months.

Thaw & Reheat: defrost over several hours in the refrigerator. Warm it in the microwave for a few minutes or on a pan with olive oil.