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    Ethiopian Berbere Spiced Lentils

    May 11, 2022 by Sara Tercero 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    image Berebere Lentils
    Berebere Lentils

    The best red lentil recipe

    These vegan Ethiopian berbere spiced lentils are amazing! The tangy flavors are distinct and mildly spicy. If you have never tried Ethiopian food, you must! This recipe was inspired by the Ethiopian dish Misir Wot. It's easy, relatively quick to make and so tasty! This is a super satisfying meal when teamed up with rice or bread and a salad.

    What is berbere spice?

    Berbere spice is a spice blend that originates from Ethiopia. Like curry spice or ras el hanout, it is a combination of multiple spices that produce a very distinct flavor. Berbere usually contains a mix of chiles, ginger, paprika, garlic, fenugreek, cloves, allspice and cinnamon. It is not exactly spicy but does have some heat. I find berbere to be pleasantly warming and tangy with a slight hint of citrus. It gives these Ethiopian berbere spiced lentils a truly different and delicious flavor.

    The best Ethiopian Food

    If you have never visited an Ethiopian restaurant, you should. My first experience with Ethiopian Food was in the mid-nineties in North Oakland, Ca. I was smitten with the large platters of various flavorful dishes perched atop a round platter of teff. Teff injera is an unleavened flat bread made from teff flour. It is soft, fluffy and very thin and you use it to scoop up the food into your mouth like a tortilla. The platters were like mezze in that they had several small samplings of dishes so you could have a variety of tastes and textures. I still daydream about visiting Cafe Colucci again on Telegraph Ave to have a delicious veggie platter on their patio with the sun on my shoulders.

    INGREDIENTS FOR BERBERE SPICED LENTILS

    The ingredients for this recipe are pretty basic and easy to find. The only one that is a specialty item is the berbere spice, but McCormick and Frontier make one that is readily available.

    • split red lentils
    • water
    • garlic
    • onion
    • olive oil
    • tomatoes
    • berbere spice
    • cayenne pepper
    • salt
    • tomato paste

    HOW TO MAKE ETHIOPIAN BERBERE SPICED LENTILS

    Making this dish is fairly easy. I like to boil the lentils on the back burner while sautéing the garlic, onions and tomatoes on the front burner. Once combined, I put on some rice to cook and mix my salad.

    • Boil lentils in water for 20 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, fry the garlic and onions in oil until toasty 3-5 minutes.
    • Add chopped tomatoes, salt and cook until tomatoes release juices.
    • Add berbere spice, salt and tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes.
    • When lentils are soft, add spiced tomato and onion mixture to the lentils and simmer for 10 minutes to combine.
    • Taste for salt and adjust if needed.
    • Serve with salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, tomato, avocado and cabbage mixed with lemon juice and rice.

    Tips for making the best Lentils

    • Red lentils do not hold their shape well once cooked. Rather, they make a pleasantly creamy and mushy texture. This is how you know they are finished cooking.
    • When storing soups and hot dishes like this one, be sure to let it cool completely before covering. If you cover it too soon it risks trapping the heat, making condensation and causing premature spoilage.
    • This dish will last for 5-6 days when properly refrigerated and covered. It will freeze well for up to 3 months when sealed.

    Other tasty lentil recipes

    • Easy French Lentil Bolognese
    • Spicy Moong Dal
    • Quinoa and Lentil Tabbouleh Salad
    image Berebere Lentils

    Ethiopian Berbere Spiced Lentils

    These Ethiopian berbere spiced lentils are amazing! The tangy flavors are distinct and mildly spicy.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Course dinner, lunch, Main Course, mezze
    Cuisine california, Ethiopian, fusion, vegan
    Servings 6
    Calories 265 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups dried split red lentils
    • 5 cups water
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 onion diced
    • 1 tsp olive oil
    • 5 tomatoes chopped
    • 4 tbsp berbere spice
    • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp tomato paste

    Instructions
     

    • Boil lentils in water for 20 minutes.
    • Meanwhile,in a deep sauté pan over medium heat, fry the garlic and onions in oil until toasty 3-5 minutes.
    • Add chopped tomatoes, salt and cook until tomatoes release juices.
    • Add berbere spice, salt and tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes.
    • When lentils are soft, add spiced tomato and onion mixture to the lentils and simmer for 10 minutes to combine.
    • Taste for salt and adjust if needed.
    • Serve with salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, tomato, avocado and cabbage mixed with lemon juice and rice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 265kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 17gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 756mgPotassium: 908mgFiber: 21gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1055IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 8mg
    Keyword berbere, dairy-free, lentils, plant-based, soup, vegan
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chris Clark

      July 25, 2022 at 12:33 pm

      5 stars
      I made this dish Saturday night. I normally substitute spices though I wanted to try a new ethnic recipe and I was amazed with this spice and dish. Such a simple and delicious recipe. I had soaked my lentils the night before so I just cooked it longer in the pot with the garlic and onions and then put the tomatoes in it.
      I just had some for lunch with noodles and they are still amazing.
      Thank you so much.

    2. Sara Tercero

      July 30, 2022 at 8:25 am

      I am so pleased that you liked it! I love this one so much too and agree that the depth of flavor is so surprising for how simple it is. Thanks for the feedback!

    3. Linda

      November 04, 2022 at 12:50 pm

      Hi. Just checking…”4 tbsp berbere spice”. That’s 4 Tablespoons? (1/4cup) ? I want to be sure because berbere is pretty spicy!
      Thanks

    4. Sara Tercero

      November 08, 2022 at 1:15 pm

      Hello Linda you are correct that Berbere is spicy. I have found over time that some brands are spicier than others. I originally developed this recipe with McCormick brand Bereber and 4 tbsp was perfect. Recently I made the recipe using Frontier Coop spice and 4 tbsp was pretty fiery. I will edit the recipe to reflect this and advise you to start with 2 tbsp and increase to 4 depending on your tastes.

    5. Linda

      November 09, 2022 at 4:19 pm

      Thank you Sara. I used Frontier and skipped the cayenne. It was really fiery! I appreciate your response 🙂

    6. STELLA INGBERG

      March 09, 2024 at 3:57 pm

      Fresh tomatoes are pretty yucky this time of year. I'm going to try to substitute a can of Diced Tomatoes (15 oz) and measure the juices in with the required water. Hope it turns out good anyway!

    7. Sara Tercero

      March 11, 2024 at 6:46 pm

      That will come out great!

    8. Theresia

      April 04, 2024 at 11:46 am

      This had exceptionally good flavor, in my opinion. And really easy to prepare! I tried it with 2 different brands of Berbere spice blend. One of them was REALLY hot, so I omitted the cayenne. The other's heat level was just right, but needed a couple extra shakes of cinnamon, coriander and cumin. So as always, cook to your personal taste. I also found that these lentils TASTE GREAT served with a cup-shaped corn chip. I completed that meal with a side salad.

    9. Sara Tercero

      April 08, 2024 at 9:19 pm

      Thank you Theresia! I am a big fan of seasoning to your own tastes. So happy you liked this one!

    10. STELLA INGBERG

      April 13, 2024 at 11:19 am

      I did make this using a 15 oz can of Fire-roasted diced tomatoes. I was very happy with it! I want to make it again using the fresh tomatoes called for in the recipe, just to see if there is a huge flavor difference. However, my experiment with the canned tomatoes made me glad there is a viable alternative. (I REALLY liked these lentils!!!)

    11. Sara Tercero

      April 23, 2024 at 1:10 pm

      Awesome feedback Stella! I love this recipe so much and I bet the rice roasted tomatoes were excellent!

    12. Stacy

      May 13, 2024 at 9:32 pm

      This recipe sounds fantastic! But what else can I use beside the Berbere? I have a couple of people in the house hold that cannot take food that is to spicy. Which means very little spice!😆

    13. Sara Tercero

      May 14, 2024 at 3:08 pm

      Hello Stacy, well, you can add in ginger, garlic and smoked paprika. That would taste good but def not be spicy. Or use some Berbere but not all of it. Maybe just a teaspoon so that it has the essence but is not fiery.

    14. Kim

      May 27, 2024 at 11:43 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious and healthy! Easy and loved trying a new spice blend. The Frontier Co-op brand definitely has a kick so I won’t add any extra cayenne next time. I will be making this again and sharing your recipe with friends who are trying to eat less meat. Tasty and satisfying. Canned diced tomatoes this time because that’s what I had on hand.

    15. Sara Tercero

      May 28, 2024 at 8:11 am

      So happy you liked it! I agree it can be quite spicy. Thank you for trying the recipe and the great feedback. Also the 5 star rating means so much to me and my friend Google!

    16. Linda

      September 10, 2024 at 8:03 pm

      5 stars
      I had been planning to make this dish for several weeks. When I work up too early this past morning (2:30 am!), I decided to make it! I had ordered organic split red lentils and they were here. I had just made the ginger salad dressing and shredded the cabbage. I had avocados. And all the ingredients for the lentils! Oh, and brown jasmine rice! The lentil dish was organized and easy to make. I found it helpful to have everything ready and measured as I began to cook each part of the dish. This is a perfect recipe!! It is so flavorful! I used Vidalia onions, so a little sweeter. The garlic was chopped instead of minced. But very good! It all went so well with the brown jasmine rice and the salad with avocados, red cabbage, green leaf lettuce, shredded carrots, and diced cucumbers. Thank you for such a well-tested recipe. I’m definitely going to make more of your recipes!! My thanks!

    17. Sara Tercero

      September 12, 2024 at 8:19 am

      Thank you so much Linda! What a wonderful review on this recipe. It is certainly one of my favorites.

    18. Jennifer Kimpler

      October 06, 2024 at 6:22 pm

      5 stars
      Wow!!! I cannot say thank you enough! I followed the recipe exactly and we love it! I used the Frontier brand spice from Amazon and the dish turned out SOOOO good!

    19. Sara Tercero

      October 13, 2024 at 11:13 am

      That's wonderful! SO happy you liked it!

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    image Sara Tercero

    Hi, I am Sara Tercero, the Chef behind BetterFoodGuru. It is my mission to prove that plants are delicious and to help others cook and eat their way to health and happiness. My recipes are inspired by global flavors and my love for eating the rainbow. Reach out on social media or leave a review with feedback!

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