Brown Lentils

Brown Lentils are the brownish-green or khaki-coloured lentils that are common in grocery stores.

Cooking Tips

Brown Lentils will cook in about 30 minutes, and after that turn to mush, so test them as they approach the 25 minute mark and if you need them to stay intact for what you are making, be ready to whistle them out of the water. Don’t overcook unless you are aiming for a purée.

If you do want to soak them first before cooking, soaking them for an hour or two will allow you to reduce the cooking time afterward to about 20 minutes. But with the cooking time saved being only 5 to 10 minutes, most people don’t bother.

Equivalents

1 pound dry lentils = 450g = 2 1/3 cups dry lentils = 7 cups cooked and puréed

2/3 cup dry lentils = 5 oz = 150g

Language Notes

These are called both “Brown Lentils” and “Green Lentils”.