Dairy Free Pomegranate & Mint Lentil Salad with Cucumber

Total time50 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time25 min

4.6

(14)

Dairy Free Pomegranate & Mint Lentil Salad with Cucumber

This salad is a vibrant, feel-good bowl that hits every note — earthy lentils, juicy bursts of pomegranate, cool cucumber, and a bright lemony dressing spiked with cumin and turmeric. It's the kind of dish that looks stunning on the table without requiring much effort at all. Every single ingredient here is naturally free of dairy, so there's no swapping, substituting, or label-scanning required — just whole, clean food that comes together beautifully. The dressing is built on good olive oil and fresh lemon juice, which means it's rich and satisfying without needing any cream or cheese to carry the flavor. Cooking the lentils until they're just tender but still holding their shape is the key move — it gives the salad real texture instead of turning into mush when you fold everything together. Fresh mint and scallion greens add a herby lift that makes the whole bowl feel lively and refreshing. It works equally well as a light main or a generous side, and it only gets better as it sits and the dressing soaks in.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the lentils

1 cup green or french lentils, rinsed
2 ½ cups water
½ tsp salt

For the dressing

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp salt

For the salad

1 english cucumber, diced (about 2 cups)
¾ cup pomegranate arils
½ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
3 scallions (green tops only), thinly sliced
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)

Instructions

1
Combine the rinsed lentils, water, and ½ tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 20–25 minutes. Drain any remaining water and spread the lentils on a large plate or sheet pan to cool for 10 minutes.
2
While the lentils cool, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and ¼ tsp salt in a small bowl until the dressing is uniform and slightly thickened.

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