Avocado Lentil Salad with Cilantro Curry Dressing

Not Another Boring Salad

This avocado lentil salad will quickly become part of your regular lunch or dinner rotation. The combo of creamy avocado, fresh veggies, and bold cilantro curry dressing is hard to beat. And if you think lentils aren’t exciting, this recipe will change your mind. The dressing has a ton of flavor and the fresh veggies and avocado keep it interesting. It’s a healthy salad that you’ll look forward to eating.

Pull Up A Chair

Rachel: Whenever we get asked what our favorite Cooking with Conks recipe is, this one is always in our top 5. It’s incredible. I never get tired of making and eating it.

Emily: I love lentils, they’re so easy and healthy, and this is such a great way to use them. This recipe is so satisfying with all the different veggies and textures and the super flavorful dressing.

Why You Should Make This Avocado Lentil Salad

• No-cook recipe. We use pre-cooked lentils from the store, so there’s no need to heat up the stove or your oven.
• Ready in less than a half hour. Just a couple minutes to blend the sauce and a few more minutes to chop the veggies. Use a vegetable chopper to make it even easier (just don’t cut the avocados with one).
• Healthy and nutrient-rich. This lentil salad recipe is full of protein, fiber, B vitamins, and vitamins A, C, K, as well as others.  
• Great for easy dinners, lunches, and meal prep. Except for the avocado, everything in this dish can be cut and prepared ahead of time. This makes it ideal for potlucks, office parties, bring-to-school or work lunches, and even casual holiday gatherings.
• Complete meal in one bowl. This salad can be served as a side, but it also has everything you need to fill you up for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients in the Avocado Lentil Salad

• Steamed Lentils – using pre-cooked French lentils makes this recipe super easy and no-cook. We like Trader Joe’s steamed lentils or Melissa’s steamed lentils.
• Avocado – a ripe Hass avocado adds creaminess and balances the crunchy vegetables. Mix it in at the end to keep them from getting too mushy. 
• Carrots – for  a little sweetness and crunch.
• Cucumbers – we prefer using Persian cucumbers for their small seeds and crisp texture, but English cucumbers work well too. 
• Bell peppers – red, orange, or yellow bell peppers are sweeter than green peppers and add a nice pop of color. 
• Red onion – adds just the right amount of bite. If red onion feels too strong, a sweet or yellow onion is a perfectly good substitute. 
• Cilantro Curry Dressing – olive oil, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, fresh cilantro, curry powder, honey or maple syrup, spicy brown mustard, and salt and pepper.

How to Make Our Favorite Lentil Salad Recipe

1. Add the dressing ingredients to a high sided container and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Alternatively, you can blend everything in a regular blender.

2. Add the lentils, carrots, cucumber, bell peppers, red onion, to a large bowl.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to combine. 

4. Gently mix in the avocado. Note: if you’re making this salad ahead of time, cut and mix in the avocado right before serving so that it doesn’t oxidize and turn brown. 

Our Tips For Cold Lentil Salad With Avocado

• Use pre-cooked lentils. This keeps the recipe easy and no-cook.
• Chop the veggies roughly a similar size. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but having the veggies similarly sized ensures you get balanced flavors in every bite.

• Chop and add the avocado last. Chop the rest of the veggies first, then cut and mix in the avocado into the lentil salad right before you serve it. Otherwise, it may get mushy and brown.

Lentil Salad Variations

We love this version, but you can absolutely make it your own but changing up the mix-ins. Here are some suggested variations:

• Change up the veggies. Add corn, chopped roasted broccoli, or cauliflower.
• Miss the lettuce? Serve this lentil salad on top of arugula or butter lettuce for added nutrients and texture.
• If you want even more protein and bulk, serve this salad with a simple white fish, like cod, or even something meatier like salmon. You can even have it with tofu.

Serving and Storage Suggestions

Serve this vegetarian lentil salad with avocado cold. It’s hearty enough to be a main dish, or you can serve it with your favorite protein. We also sometimes like to spoon some of this salad onto a piece of toast or flatbread for a hearty, savory breakfast or lunch.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 to 3 days. After a couple of days, the colors will start to blend together, the lentils will get mushier, and the avocado will brown. 

Avocado Lentil Salad with Cilantro Curry Dressing

This healthy avocado lentil salad with cilantro curry dressing is full of fiber, protein, vitamins, and bright flavors. It’s made with pre-cooked lentils, creamy avocado, crunchy vegetables, and a bright and earthy vinaigrette. This salad is easy to make and great for meal prep, making it an excellent option for weekday lunches or light dinners.

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Prep Time:25 minutes mins

Total Time:25 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American, California

Keyword: Easy, Quick, Weeknight

Servings: 6

Ingredients

Lentil Salad

• 1 pound pre-cooked lentils we use store-bought steamed lentils
• 1 cup diced carrots about 2 carrots
• 1 cup diced cucumbers about 2 to 3 Persian cucumbers
• 1 diced yellow, orange, or red bell pepper diced (about 1 cup)
• ¼ red onion diced
• 1 avocado diced

Cilantro Curry Dressing

• 1 cup cilantro
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (use maple syrup to keep this vegan)
• 1 tsp spicy brown mustard
• 1 tsp curry powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Add the dressing ingredients to a high sided container and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Alternatively, you can blend everything in a regular blender.
  1 cup cilantro, ⅓ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup, 1 tsp spicy brown mustard, 1 tsp curry powder, ½ tsp sea salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
• In a large bowl, add the lentils, carrots, cucumber, bell peppers, and red onion.
  1 pound pre-cooked lentils, 1 cup diced carrots, 1 cup diced cucumbers, 1 diced yellow, orange, or red bell pepper, ¼ red onion
• Mix the dressing into the salad, then fold in the avocado.
  1 avocado

Notes

If making ahead of time, dice the avocado and mix it in right before serving so that it doesn’t turn brown.

You Gotta Try This Lentil Salad

When people ask us what our top 5 recipes are, this veggie-packed dish is always one of them. It’s hearty, fresh, bold, bright, and overflowing with nutrients. We’re completely obsessed with it and we’re hoping you will be too!

Other Veggie Forward Dishes To Try

• Roasted Vegetable Couscous
• Easy Miso Soup with Veggies & Tofu
• 10 Minute Cucumber Avocado Salad
• Skillet Potatoes and Fennel