Substitutions
Small flat pulses that cook in 20 to 30 minutes without soaking and hold a gentle shape, softening at the edges into the liquid around them.
What it does in a recipe: Fast plant protein that thickens its own cooking liquid as it goes. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Green lentils, Continental lentils
Quick answer
Puy or beluga lentils
1 cup dry brown lentils = 1 cup dry Puy or beluga lentilsAll substitutes, best first
1 cup dry brown lentils = 1 cup dry Puy or beluga lentilsThe same pulse in a firmer variety — they cook in a similar time but hold their skins better, so they stay as distinct lentils rather than softening into the sauce.
Trade-offWill not break down to thicken a soup, which is exactly what you want in a salad and exactly wrong in a dal.
1 cup dry brown lentils = 1 cup dry red lentils, with about 20% less cooking liquidRed lentils are hulled and split, so they have no skin to hold them together and collapse completely into a purée within about 15 minutes.
MethodWatch them closely and stir — they catch and scorch on the bottom of the pan far more readily than brown lentils.
Trade-offNo individual lentils at all in the finished dish. Excellent for a thick soup or dal, wrong for anything that wanted texture.
1 cup dry brown lentils (about 2.5 cups cooked) = two 15 oz cans chickpeas, drainedSimilar protein and fibre from another pulse, already cooked, which makes it the fastest route when you have no time to simmer anything.
Trade-offMuch firmer and far larger, and they release almost no starch, so the surrounding liquid stays thin.
1 cup dry brown lentils = 1 cup dry split peas, cooked about 20 minutes longerAnother quick-cooking pulse with a similar starch load, so it thickens a soup much as lentils do, just over a longer simmer.
Trade-offSweeter and much starchier — the result is a thick pea soup in character, whatever else is in the pot.
Salt and acid slow lentils down. Add tomatoes, vinegar or lemon after they are tender, or you will be simmering them for an hour and wondering why.
At a glance
| Category | Proteins |
|---|---|
| Job in a recipe | Fast plant protein that thickens its own cooking liquid as it goes |
| Suits | Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free |
| Swaps available for | Dairy-freeEgg-freeGluten-freeNut-freeSoy-freeVeganVegetarian |
| Number of substitutes | 4 |
Related
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.