Mujadara (mujaddara) is a signature Middle Eastern dish of lentils, rice, and deeply caramelized onions. A bold and comforting dish that’s typically served with a topping of crispy onion rings and a side of plain yogurt with a fresh Mediterranean salad such as cucumber and tomato salad, fattoush salad, or shirazi salad.
Mujadara or Mujaddara!
Literally means “pockmarked” in Arabic, Mujadara is a signature Middle Eastern dish made of three key ingredients: lentils, rice, and loads of onions! The seasoning is often very simple-a dash of kosher salt, pepper, and cumin. Sometimes, coarse bulgur wheat is used instead of white rice, an equally delicious variation.
This simple vegan lentils and rice dish is known throughout the Middle East, and particularly the Levant including, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, as a “poor man’s” meal. But take one bite, and you’ll be surprised by how comforting and flavorful mujadara is!
When I need something meatless but hearty, mujadara is one of my go-to meals, thanks to satisfying, protein and fiber-packed black lentils. In fact, Egypt’s Copts (Christians) often serve lentils and rice during the Great Holy Fast in the spring, when “fasters” are required to eat a mainly vegan diet for 55 days!
The secret to authentic mujadara!
The secret to an authentic mujadara recipe is in the onions! This dish starts and ends with onions. First, deeply caramelized chopped onions are cooked with the rice and lentils, imparting flavor and the deep, golden hue this dish is known for. And to finish your mujdara, you’ll top the cooked rice and lentils with thinly sliced, crispy onion ring! Comforting and bold in the best way.
What kind of lentils to use for mujadara?
I use these all-natural black lentils for mujadara. These petite lentils cook fairly quickly, and they have a wonderful earthy flavor and good texture that they don’t lose their shape when cooked with the rice. Brown lentils will also work, but I prefer black lentils here. Browse all our all-natural lentils.
The rice
You can use long grain or short grain white rice to make mujadara. It’s important to rinse the rice well until the water runs clear, then soak it for about 20 minutes or so in cold water until you are able to easily break one grain of rice. This will ensure that the rice cooks quickly and evenly, and it will help avoid mushy rice. If you want to use brown rice instead, you’ll extend the cooking time a bit.
As mentioned earlier, coarse bulgur is also another option for mujadara. If you want to use it instead, the cooking process is similar. Just give the grains a good rinse and allow them to soak for a few minutes before cooking until the bulgur is somewhat tender.
How to make mujadara
Here is the step-by-step tutorial for how to make authentic mujadara (the print-friendly recipe with ingredient measurements):
- Par-cook the lentils. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of rinsed black lentils with 2 cups of water and a dash of salt. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the lentils are par-boiled (10 minutes). Remove from the heat, drain the lentils and set them aside.
- Caramelize the chopped onions. In a large, deep sauté pan with a lid, heat about 1/4 cup of extra virgin oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and a dash of kosher salt and cook until the onions are caramelized and deeply golden brown (but not burned). This will give the rice a comforting flavor and a beautiful golden brown hue.
- Cook the lentils and rice. Carefully pour the remaining 2 cups of water in the large pan with the caramelized onions. Stir the rice and par-cooked lentils into the onion mixture and bring to a boil. Add a dash of kosher salt, black pepper, and about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cumin. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice and lentils are both cooked through (about 20 minutes).
- Make the crispy onion rings. Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to a large pan and cook over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. To test the oil, add one thinly sliced onion ring and see if the oil vigorously bubbles, if it does, the oil is ready. Add the remaining onion slices and cook over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until the onions are crispy and deeply colored. If you need to, do this step in batches to make sure your onion rings are properly cooked (you don’t want them soggy).
- Let the Mujadara rest then serve. When the rice and lentils are fully cooked, let them sit for about 10 minutes undisturbed, then garnish with parsley and serve with a bit of the crispy onion rings on top.
What to serve with mujadara?
To serve mujadara lentils and rice the traditional way, you’ll dish it in bowls and add the crispy onion on top. For sides, we typically add some plain yogurt and a big fresh Mediterranean salad such as cucumber and tomato salad, tomato and feta salad, fattoush salad, balela salad, or shirazi salad.
More lentil recipes to try
Browse our top Mediterranean diet recipes. All Mediterranean recipes.
Mujadara: Lentils and Rice with Crispy Onions
Ingredients
- 1 cup black lentils, sorted and rinsed
- 4 cups water, divided
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil, more for later
- 2 large yellow onions, diced (4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- 1 cup long-grain white rice, soaked in water for 10-15 minutes and then drained
- black pepper
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cumin
- Parsley, for garnish
For the fried crispy onion garnish (optional)
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion cut in very thin rings
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a small saucepan with 2 cups of the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat and simmer, cover until the lentils are par-boiled (10-12 minutes). Remove from the heat, drain the lentils and set them aside.
- In a large saute pan with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and cook until the onions are dark golden brown, darker than typical caramelized onions (about 40 minutes), sprinkle the onions with a teaspoon of salt as they cook.
- Carefully pour the remaining 2 cups of water, bring the water to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir the rice and par-cooked lentils into the onion mixture. Add a good dash of kosher salt, black pepper, and the cumin.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice and lentils are both cooked through (about 15 to 20 minutes).
- If you are adding the the fried onions, work on them while the rice and lentils are cooking. In a large skillet, heat about 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. When a small piece of onion bubbles vigorously, the oil is ready. Fry the onions in batches until they are crispy and deeply golden brown. Transfer the crispy onion rings to a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of excess oil.
- Let the rice and lentils rest covered for about 10 minutes undisturbed, then garnish with parsley and transfer to serving bowls. Top each bowl with the crispy onion rings.
Video
Notes
- Black lentils are the best option for mujadara, but brown lentils will work as well
- Rinse the rice well and soak it in water for 15 minutes or until you are able to break a rice grain easily. This will help it cook quickly and evenly
- If you choose to add the crispy onion garnish (highly recommended), to save time, you can start this while the rice and lentils cook (as I do in the video).
- Visit our Shop to browse our lentils, olive oil, spices and more!
Can I use canned black lentils?
Hi, Veronica. I’ve seen Mujadara recipes that call for canned black beans, so that may work, but it’s not something I’ve tested with this recipe. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Hi! Looks delicious. Do you think it would be good to make in an instant pot?
Hi, Erika. Sure! I think that could work.
This recipe was so easy to make and so good! It’s just my husband and I in my home, so we had plenty of leftovers and had them every day till we ran out… it is safe to say I will be keeping this one in my recipe book!!
Yay! Thanks, Christina!
Just made it for lunch. Great flavour! I loved it with plain yogurt and shiraz salad. Thank you!
So glade you enjoyed it!
I know this recipe will be really good, but I do have a question before I make it. I have red lentils and would like to use those instead of black. Your thoughts?
Hi, Ruth Anne. I have seen mujadara recipes out there that call for red lentils. They are not my preference here, though, as I feel red lentils will fall apart and you will have more of a sticky rice situation happening. You may be able to use brown or French green lentils, though. Enjoy!
Suzy, I finally made this recipe tonight after buying the Black Lentils from your web site. Grocery stores don’t carry them. We loved this recipe! My husband even had seconds!! Thank you so much for sharing this!
My pleasure, Ruth Anne! Glad you enjoyed it!
I made this for the first time tonight and am just amazed: it doesn’t seem possible that so few ingredients–and simple ones, at that–can combine to create such incredible flavours and textures. Even more astonishing, I had to omit the cumin because my husband is allergic, and it was STILL delicious!
It takes time, but is in no way complicated to prepare, and the resulting dish is well worth the effort involved. It’s perfect for Lent, and even my highly-skeptical-of-ethnic-cuisine American husband requested it be added to the rotation. High praise, indeed! Thank you so much for posting this!
Thank you so much, Sian!
Great effort on the recipe, BUT this is MOUDARDARA and NOT Moujadara. Also, both for us in the Middle East considered a main dish with salads and bread or even yoghurt with cucumber replacing the salad.
Appreciate your hard work!
Good luck
What is the serving size?
Hi, Marciy. The whole recipe can be divided by 6 to get the “serving size”. The exact serving size measurement (by cups, etc) is another layer that’s harder for us to precisely calculate at this time. The nutrition info here is our best effort and we use a program that calculates that for us based on the ingredient list.
I love this dish! Instead of rice I use freekah!
Very interesting, Jeri! Thanks for sharing!
Hi – I haven’t made this yet, but iwould like to use brown basmati rice. What adjustments would you recommend?
Hi, Christine. In many cases, I’m all for using brown rice if you prefer, but in this particular recipe, it does not provide the same results. That said, you can use brown rice if you need to. Keep in mind that it does take more liquid and longer time to cook. I would use the directions on your rice package for guidance.
Such a simple dish but yet so full of amazing flavor!!! This was outstanding – oh those fried onions on top Mmmmmmm- thanks Suzy!
I made this a few days ago. WOW, was it good! My husband LOVED it! The addition of the crispy onions on top, with the side of Greek yogurt, really enhanced it. I can’t wait to make it again!!! Thank you, Suzy!
My pleasure, Terry! So glad you enjoyed it!
I plan on making this recipe tomorrow and wanted to double it. when you type in 2x on the recipe it shows all ingredients are doubled but in the printing of instructions it still says cook lentils in 2 cups of water . Then when adding the rice says 2 cups more water. Shouldnt
‘t it be 4 cups each time?
Hi, Carol! I’m so sorry I’m just seeing this. I’m not always able to get to the comments right away. The “double function” on the recipe is a bit of an automatic feature and that’s why it does not take everything into account. Sorry for the tech issues there :). For future reference, when I double a recipe like this that involves rice, I prefer to make two of the same recipe in two different pans to ensure the rice doesn’t get too mushy or sticky when doubling things.
I have prepared this dish from my mother’s recipe who grew up in Lebanon. It has been my experience that the onions significantly affect the taste of the dish. The longer you sauté the onions the flavor of the dish becomes “stronger. “ Also the onions turn very dark very quickly so you have to keep a keen eye on them. I prefer slightly browned onions rather than the very dark ones you show In your photos. First time cooks should be aware of this and try the recipe both ways. Nearly burnt onions may be distasteful to novices. They are and were to my mom.
Thanks for sharing, John!
I was so good, I could eat the whole thing on my own. I served it with tomatoes and added bay leaf when it was simmering. Also I used green lentils. Would recommend it 10/10
I have tried other versions and this one is the best. So simple and delicious and comes together perfectly following your directions exactly.. The onions take a while but are easy enough to babysit while you do other things. Perfection. Probably not traditional but I like to serve it with Zhoug on the side instead of something creamy. Last time I made it, I threw in a few whole garlic cloves when the onions were almost done and that was a nice addition. This week I plan to make your pitaa, kofta kebabs, spanikopita and lemon cod with garlic in addition to this mujadara. Yum! Thank you for the wonderful recipes
Thanks, Sara! Can’t wait to hear what you think about the other recipes!