I prep legumes from scratch often in my kitchen, and when it comes to lentils, I prefer cooking them in a rice cooker. It’s not only convenient and hands-free, but it also uses gentle heat, which is perfect for cooking this semi-firm legume without turning it mushy
Whether your recipe calls for cooked lentils, you’re prepping lentils for a salad, or you’re batch cooking lentils for the week, using a rice cooker to cook lentils does not require long steps.
Table of Contents
- Best Lentils to Cook in a Rice Cooker
- Tools needed to cook lentils in a rice cooker
- Perfect lentils and water ratio
- How to cook lentils in a rice cooker
- How to store cooked lentils to last longer
- Flavouring option
- Additional ingredients to spice up your rice cooker lentils
- What can you eat cooked lentils with?
- Related Legume Recipes
In my experience cooking lentils over the years, there are two important things to consider when using a rice cooker for the best results. The type of lentils, and the rice cooker setting to use (For both basic rice cookers and multifunctional ones).
Best Lentils to Cook in a Rice Cooker
Cooking times vary depending on the type of lentil. And since many legumes are often mistaken for lentils, it’s important to know which variation of lentils fits this rice cooker method, so you don’t end up using the wrong kind, which might result in an undesired outcome.
4 common types of lentils
- ✅ Brown lentil – This type is widely available in many supermarkets. Brown lentils have a thin skin just like onion. It is commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking, especially in Dolma (stuffed grape leaves), lentil soup, and lentil rice.
- ✅ Green lentil – Also written French or Puy lentil on the packaging. These lentils are smaller in size, but they have a thicker skin than brown lentils. As it is known to hold its shape better than brown lentils and red lentils, this type is commonly used in salads, and can even be eaten on its own.
- ✅ Black lentil – Also called beluga lentils because the shape and color resemble beluga caviar. Like green lentils, they are small and hold their shape better. You can sprinkle it on a salad, add it to a grain-based food, or even add some texture and heartiness to soup. However, they are less common than the rest and can be on the pricey side.
- Red lentil – Sometimes comes in a split form. This lentil is flatter than the other 3. It takes much shorter time to cook red lentils due to their soft texture. It’s one of the famous types of lentils, the common recipe is Greek lentil dip.
The types marked with ✅ are what’s best for a standard rice cooker method.
Note: I wouldn’t recommend cooking red lentils in a rice cooker with the standard setting, as it can result in mushy unless your rice cooker has a manual setting, then you can set the timing for shorter (15 minutes-20minutes)
Avoid using Yellow Split Peas, Yellow Mong Daal, and Yellow Split Chickpeas. They will take longer to cook and are not ideal in this rice cooker method.
Tools needed to cook lentils in a rice cooker
- Rice cooker — Both a basic rice cooker and a multifunction rice cooker work well.
- Measuring cup — I’m using a rice cooker cup or a standard measuring cup.
- Fine mesh strainer
Perfect lentils and water ratio
The ideal lentils-to-liquid ratio for perfectly cooked lentils in a rice cooker is 1:2. Like other grains, dried lentils absorb liquid as they cook and expand in size.
How to cook lentils in a rice cooker
- Pour the dried lentils into a fine-meshed strainer and run tap water through the lentils to rinse. While at it, lightly rub the lentils with your fingers and remove any small stones, debris, or dried, rotten lentils.
- Transfer the lentils to the rice cooker pot and add the liquid and salt. You can also add other flavoring ingredients at this stage. Scroll below to see flavoring options.
- Set the rice cooker on the standard white rice setting. Alternatively, if you use a multifunction rice cooker and it has a manual setting, set it for 30 minutes.
- Once cooked, strain the lentils and rinse them with tap water to stop the cooking process while also washing away excess starch. (Avoid rinsing if you’re using stock and additional herbs and flavoring).
- You can use them right away in your dishes. For storage, let the cooked lentils sit in a strainer for a while to dry.
How to store cooked lentils to last longer
- Once lentils are cooked, let them cool and dry completely before storing. For best results, leave the lentils on a strainer to dry for at least 15 minutes
- Spread them on a tray lined with a clean cloth and place them under a fan until fully dry.
- Transfer the lentils into containers. I recommend portioning them into individual containers to avoid thawing and refreezing the whole batch. So you can grab 1 whenever you need without messing up the rest.
NOTE: If you’re using them within 3 days, you can keep them in the fridge. But if you’re not sure, keep everything in the freezer, it can hold up to 2 months. Whenever you need them, take out the frozen lentils to thaw at room temperature for 1–2 hours. Or transfer a portion to the refrigerator the night before so it’s perfectly thawed by the next day.
Flavouring option
Adding good quality stocks expands the lentils’ flavor and nutritional value from the liquid. Use low-sodium stock or omit the salt from the recipe.
Depending on how deep you want the flavor to be, swap 50% of the water with stock for a subtle taste, or use 100% stock for a richer flavor. If you go with the first option, gently mix everything before turning on the rice cooker to ensure even flavor distribution.
Stocks choice
- Chicken stock – Collagen rice choice
- Vegetable stock – Vegetarian/Vegan option
- Meat stock – Flavor it the Italian way
- Bone broth – A Nutritious Choice!
Additional ingredients to spice up your rice cooker lentils
- Garlic: Add some savoury flavour to your lentils with a touch of garlic. I like to use it as a flavor infusion rather than consuming it.
Crush the garlic with the flat surface of your knife until it is partly flattened before adding it to the rice cooker pot. Once the lentils are cooked, remove them from the pot.
✏️ If you like the flavor stronger, you can also grate the garlic.
- Bay leaf: Cooking legumes with bay leaf is said to help with digestion when consuming legumes, especially for those with a sensitive gut toward the phytic acid in legumes. I like that it gives legumes a subtle minty aroma.
Add 2 pieces of bay leaves to the mixture before you hit the rice cooker power button. Once cooked, discard the leaves.
✏️ Fresh bay leaves make a richer flavor than dried ones.
- Thyme, rosemary, oregano, and sage: using one or a combination of these herbs adds a touch of Mediterranean flavor to the lentils. It also boasts nutritional value as herbs are generally rich in polyphenols – anti-inflammatory compounds.
Adding a sprig (or a teaspoon of the dried version) each time you prep the lentils to see which one or which combination you like more.
What can you eat cooked lentils with?
- Make crispy lentils and sprinkle them on your salad.
- Eat it as a side dish
- Mix with other legume-based foods.
- Sprinkle in a porridge for an added protein.
- As a filler when making stuffed veggies
- Make a lentil patty.
- Add to your rice. Check out my Persian lentil rice recipe
Can you cook lentils in a rice cooker?
Absolutely. You can cook lentils in a rice cooker, especially common varieties like brown, green, and black lentils. These types of lentils cook well using the standard rice setting.
Which types of lentils can you cook in a rice cooker?
You can cook brown, green, black, even red lentils in a rice cooker using the regular rice setting. Just note that red lentils are softer and tend to break down easily, so they won’t hold their shape as well as the others.
Do you soak the lentils first before cooking?
There is no need to soak lentils before cooking. Lentils are a semi-hard legume and won’t take that long to cook. For some people who are sensitive to legumes, soaking legumes might help reduce digestive issues such as bloating.
How to store cooked lentils?
Once the lentils are cooked, let them sit on a strainer or spread them out on a clean cloth in a wide tray to cool and dry completely. This helps prevent freezer burn. Then, transfer them into individual or small containers for storage.
How long can you store cooked lentils?
Cooked or boiled lentils can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If frozen and packed properly, they can last for up to 2 months.
Related Legume Recipes
How to Cook Lentils in a Rice Cooker
5
cups30
minutes300
kcal35
minutesA simple guide on how to cook lentils in a rice cooker.
Ingredients
2 cups Brown lentils (green lentils and black lentils works too)
4 cups Water
1/4 tsp Salt
Refer to the flavoring option above
Directions
- Scoop the dried lentils into a fine-mesh strainer and run tap water to rinse. Lightly rub the lentils with your fingers and remove any small stones, debris, or dried, rotten lentils.
- Transfer the lentils to the rice cooker pot and add the liquid and salt. You can also add other flavoring ingredients at this stage.
- Set the rice cooker on the standard white rice setting. Alternatively, if you use a multifunction rice cooker and it has a manual setting, set it for 30 minutes.
- Once cooked, strain the lentils using a fine mesh strainer and rinse them with tap water to stop the cooking process while also washing away excess starch. (Avoid rinsing if you added stock and additional herbs for flavoring)
- You can use them right away in your dishes.
- Storage
- Let the cooked lentils sit in a strainer for a while to dry.
- Spread them on a tray lined with a clean cloth and place them under a fan until fully dry.
- Transfer the lentils into containers. I recommend portioning them into small containers to avoid thawing and refreezing the whole batch. So you can just grab the needed portion without messing up the rest.
🥣 Did you make this recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
