Mujadara (Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)
Mujaddara is a classic Arabic recipe featuring cooked lentils and rice, caramelized onions, herbs and yogurt. It's a delicious vegetarian main dish!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
Are you familiar with mujadara? It’s a beautiful dish layered with lentils and rice at the bottom, followed by caramelized onions (the more, the better), and hopefully a couple of creamy or spicy sauces on the side. It’s one of my favorite items to order at Middle Eastern restaurants, and this recipe tastes just like it.
Mujadara is served across the Middle East in various forms and goes by differing names, depending on where you are. It has many spelling variations: mujadarra, mujadarah, majadra, mejadra, moujadara, mudardara, and megadarra.
Mujadara is a seriously inexpensive vegetarian meal that would make a statement at your next get-together.
It’s also special diet-friendly, since it’s gluten free and easily vegan/dairy free (simply serve hummus or tahini sauce on the side instead of yogurt).
Lastly, mujadara is fun to make! Want to learn how?
I’ve been wanting to master this recipe for quite a while. When the March-April issue of Milk Street arrived in my mailbox with mujaddara on the cover, it seemed like a sign. I got really excited when I read that their recipe cooks both the rice and the lentils in the same pot—genius.
For my version, I started with Milk Street’s recipe and made several changes to suit my own preferences and make the recipe a little more nutritious. I substituted brown rice for the white rice, which was simple once I adjusted the cooking times. Brown rice makes this mujadarra recipe extra hearty and flavorful.
I also cooked my onions in extra-virgin olive oil instead of peanut oil, and it worked great. Finally, I added more fresh herbs to liven up the finished dish.
How to Cook Mujaddara
Here’s what you should know before you get started:
This mujaddara recipe is awesome because you can cook the rice and lentils in the same pot! The trick is to let the rice cook for about 10 minutes before adding the lentils. This easy cooking method is a game changer, and I’m sure you’ll see it again soon.
While the lentils and rice simmer, you’ll start caramelizing the onions. Whether you want soft caramelized onions (shown in photos) or more crispy caramelized onions (more traditional), your mujaddara will turn out great.
For softer onions, just reduce the heat to medium-low after 10 minutes at medium-high. For more crisp onions, leave the heat at medium-high the whole time and stir minimally, just every few minutes when the onions are starting to brown. With either method, cook until the onions are deeply caramelized and loaded with flavor. You can’t go wrong!
Once your components are done, spread them across a large serving platter. Serve with a bowl of yogurt on the side. Its creamy, rich texture and tangy flavor unites the pilaf and onions.
I also love serving my mujaddara with a fresh and spicy sauce, such as shatta (shown in photos) or zhoug. Those are both made with jalapeños and fresh herbs. Store-bought chili-garlic sauce is a good option, too. If you want a more mild flavor boost, try a handful of sliced cherry tomatoes.
Watch How to Make Mujadara
Important Notes & Tips
This recipe is designed for specific, easy-to-find varieties of rice and lentils.
If you choose a different variety, you will need to adjust the cooking times and method. The easiest workaround is to cook the lentils and rice separately until tender, drain well, then stir them together.
This recipe is written for brown basmati rice, not white rice, not quick-cooking rice. Any type of regular-cooking brown rice will theoretically work, but brown basmati rice is most traditional. If you want to use white basmati rice, you’ll find guidance in the recipe notes. Otherwise, you’ll want to cook your preferred variety of rice separately.
It is also designed for standard, uncooked brown or green lentils (not canned lentils or red/yellow/black beluga/French green lentils). Want to substitute canned lentils? You can—rinse and drain two cans of lentils and stir them into the cooked rice. Want to substitute another variety of lentil? Your best bet would be to cook it separately and stir it into the cooked rice. Here’s my guide to cooking lentils.
Wondering what to serve with your mujaddara? I’ve got you covered:
- Fattoush Salad, or a simple green salad topped with Fresh Mint Dressing
- Ultra Creamy Hummus, Baba Ganoush and/or Tahini Sauce
- Crispy Baked Falafel
- Mediterranean Tomato & Feta Dip
View all Mediterranean recipes here or read my guide to cooking lentils if you’re interested in incorporating more lentils in your diet.
Please let me know how your mujaddara turns out in the comments! I hope you absolutely love it.
Mujadara (Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)
Mujadara is a classic Arabic recipe featuring cooked lentils and rice, caramelized onions, herbs and yogurt. It’s a delicious vegetarian main dish! This version calls for brown rice instead of white (if you want to use white, see recipe notes). Recipe yields 4 generous servings.
Ingredients
- 4 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup brown* basmati rice (regular, not quick-cooking), rinsed and drained
- 1 cup regular brown or green lentils**, picked over for debris, rinsed and drained
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium-to-large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- ½ cup thinly sliced green onions (from 1 bunch), divided
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, divided
- Plain whole-milk or Greek yogurt, for serving
- Spicy sauce, for serving (optional): shatta or zhoug or store-bought chili-garlic sauce or even sriracha
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, combine the garlic, bay leaves, cumin, 1 ½ teaspoons of the salt and about 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper. Add the water and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, stir in the rice and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a controlled simmer, for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the lentils and let the mixture return to a simmer. Cover again, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice and lentils are tender, about 20 to 23 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s warm enough that a slice of onion sizzles on contact, add the remaining onions. Stir to combine.
- Stir only every 3 minutes or so at first, then more often once the onions at the edges of the pan start browning. If the onions are browning before they have softened, dial down the heat to give them more time. Cook until the onions are deeply caramelized and starting to crisp at the edges, about 20 to 30 minutes. In the meantime, line a large plate or cutting board with a couple paper towels.
- Using a slotted spoon or fish spatula, transfer the onions to the lined plate and spread them evenly across. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt over the onions. They’ll crisp up as they cool.
- When the lentils and rice are done cooking, drain off any excess water (if there is any) and return the mixture to the pot, off the heat. Lay a kitchen towel across the top of the pot to absorb steam, then cover the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid, discard the bay leaves, and smash the garlic cloves against the side of the pan with a fork. Add about ¾ths of the green onions and cilantro, reserving the rest for garnish. Gently stir and fluff the rice with a fork. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Transfer the rice and lentil mixture to a large serving platter or bowl. Top with the caramelized onions and the remaining green onions and cilantro. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, with yogurt and spicy sauce (optional) on the side.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Milk Street.
*Brown rice notes: This recipe is specifically designed for regular (not quick-cooking) brown rice. Any variety of regular brown rice will theoretically work, though basmati is the most traditional choice. You can find brown basmati rice (Lundberg brand) at most well-stocked grocery stores, or you can buy it at Trader Joe’s (they sell both regular and quick-cooking brown basmati, so be sure to buy the regular).
*To make this recipe with white basmati rice instead: Cook the lentils in the boiling water first for about 10 minutes (until somewhat softened on the outside/still firm in the middle), then add the rice and cook until both lentils and rice are tender, about 25 minutes.
**Lentil notes: You want to use standard-issue uncooked brown or green lentils, not red or yellow lentils or fancy French green or black beluga lentils or canned lentils. Those all have different cooking times, which won’t work with these instructions. If you want to use a different type of lentil for this recipe, cook it in a separate pot from the rice, then stir them together before serving (canned lentils would simply need to be rinsed and drained before using).
Make it dairy free/vegan: This is easy! Replace the yogurt with something similarly creamy and tangy, like classic hummus or tahini sauce.
Prepare in advance: This recipe is a great candidate for making ahead. You could gently reheat the lentil and rice mixture and onions (reserve fresh herbs for the end), or just let it warm to room temperature.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
So glad I came across this recipe! Cold rainy day today and this was perfect for dinner! Like several others I toasted my spices olive oil and coated the rice in the mixture for about a minute before adding the water. Rice and lentils turned out perfect. I did cook them about an additional 5 minutes. Served with cilantro, green onion, Greek yogurt, and some hummus. Will definitely make again!
Hooray! Thank you for your review.
We made this with brown lentils and white basmati because that’s all we had. It was good but I did buy brown basmati and green lentils to try it again!
Thank you for sharing, Tess! I appreciate your review.
I followed the directions & everything came out perfectly! Thank you for an easy weeknight vegetarian meal option!
Wonderful to hear, Susan! Thank you for your review.
Great recipe. My Mom always browned her onions in the pot and then added the rice and lentils. This gave a slightly smoky flavor.
Made for the first time tonight – trying to find recipes that are high in iron and omega 3 for my pregnancy. Delicious!!
That’s great to hear!
I made this tonight and overall is was very good. I would use less water, maybe 4 cups instead of 5 as it was too soft for us. I tasted it and thought it was using something so I added about 1/2 tsp of sumac and the same of allspice. I also added both parsley and cilantro. This recipe generously serves at least 6 people and I am not a stingy cook! We will have leftovers for a few days. For the next serving I will make one of the suggested sauces.
Great to hear, Astrid! I appreciate your review.
I made this for “Meatless Monday” tonight. I had everything on hand, lovely. This is an easy, if not necessary quick, dinner. I did cook rice and lentils separately to avoid either being mushy. I served with harissa, plain Greek yogurt, and the cuke, tomato, and red onion “salsa” mentioned in the comments. My partner went back for seconds! Yum
Soo good! I did add a bit of chicken bouillon to the boiling water for a bit of extra flavor, I cut back on the salt and I used jasmine brown rice. The rice and lentil texture were perfect! I will definitely be making this on a regular basis. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Julie!
This is incredibly good! I think it’s probably my favorite lentil recipe so far, and I feel like I’ve tried a lot! I didn’t have brown basmati rice so I followed the recipe notes for white basmati rice and it turned out great! I think I burnt the onions slightly but they still added incredible flavor! I made your tahini sauce and also added greek yogurt. Just so good! My 3yo and 7yo even liked it, which is rare that they just like rice and lentils! Will definitely be making this again.
I love to hear that, Felishia! I appreciate your review.
Fantastic recipe. I like lentils and stumbled across this recipe when looking for another way to cook them. This will definitely be added to my meal roster. Flavorful, cheap, healthy, and easy! The only change I made was to use regular long grain brown rice, since that is what I had on hand.
Great to hear, Paige! I appreciate your review.
Followed this recipe exactly and it was fabulous!! I was concerned because the cooking directions on the basmati rice and the lentils were a little different, but I cooked it all in one pot as the recipe called for and it worked beautifully. Served it with some pita bread on the side.
Wonderful to hear, Bonnie! I appreciate your review.
I cheated because it is all I had in the house and used Trader Joe’s brown rice and then packaged cooked lentils.
it was amazingly delicious.
Cant wait to try it the way it is supposed to be done!
I made this last minute. We are wimps with hot sauce.
For a sauce I sautéd celery chopped fine with leaves, a chopped garlic clove, and then added a small can of tomato paste with a pinch of dried oregano. Thinned with a half can of water.
The rest of the recipe I followed (yummy) I had just harvested my parsley, so I used: chives, Mediterranean oregano, and a bit of parsley I could scrounge from my herb garden.
It was delicious! I have plain Greek yogurt but totally forgot to put it out!
Thank you for sharing, Suzanne! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This was AMAZING!!! Thank you – this has become a weekly meal everytime I host a Sabbath meal :)
You’re welcome, Max! Thank you for your review.
Can you freeze this?
You could try it. Let me know if you do!
I expected to enjoy this, but honestly was surprised by how much I loved it! Really tasty. I omitted the spicy sauce and my onions were more basic caramelized than crispy, but otherwise made exactly as written and served with yogurt, green onions, and cilantro. Thanks for another great recipe!
I’m glad you loved it, Michelle! Thank you for your review.
I am really sorry I am not a critic, no garlic is needed and no bay leaves, definitely extra virgin olive oil, but lentil need to be double the rice it’s mainly lentils, and you definitely cook the lentil first because it takes longer to cook then rice, otherwise the rice will be mushy, when the lentil is almost done you add the rice, this is a Lebanese dish.
This was such an easy recipe and so delicious. I did brown my rice (as Rena suggested)prior to placing in the liquid. I simply fried the rice for about 2 minutes until my brown rice was a nice golden brown. Stirring constantly as not to burn. I always wash my rice and lentils as well prior to cooking. While I was preparing for the simmering to occur of the spices and water, I soaked the lentils (total time 30 minutes). The timing on everything was perfect.
This was a wonderful dish. Thank you so much for a great recipe that I will make again!
I am so happy that I found your post!
I’m glad you found my post too! I appreciate your review.
We were recently in Morocco and the Arabic influence there inspired me. I made the recipe exactly as printed and it was delicious! The onions really made it! I served it with a chili/garlic sauce and it was a perfect level of “spicy!” Thank you for this keeper!
You’re welcome, Laura!
Wondering if anyone has made the fried onions in an air fryer?
This mujadara is delicious!! This is my second time and I can’t wait to eat later with those crisp salty onions! Following exactly. Serving with full fat FAGE and zhoug. It’s slightly ambitious for a week night after work but worth your time on a day off ❤️
Thank you for your review, Christine!
Another delicious recipe from your website! I followed your instructions for white Basmati rice and it worked perfectly. I also made the zhoug (so yummy) using your recipe and served that on the side with Greek yoghurt. It was a big hit. Next time is I will double the onions (my family loves onions). I served it with lightly fried Kale which was a great combination. Thank you for the recipe.
So many great recipes on thos site. I always come back to try more. Ive made this dish a few times and it is quite delicious, but I found for best results cook the lentils separately. Combining the rice and lentils to cook together doesn’t really work, at least not for me. The lentils are either undercooked and rice overcooked. For me, the best outcome was to cook rice and lentils separately.
I’m sorry this didn’t work out great, but happy you found something that works well!
I found your recipe when I was searching for what to serve with BROWN basmati rice. This recipe looks very tasty. Can you tell me if brown basmati rice can always be substituted in place of white basmati or is there a reason why it can’t be?
I prefer brown. You can use white, but it would change the cooking instructions.
Followed recipe exactly as written. Excellent! 10/10
Great to hear you loved it, Natalie!
Wow. Might look a bit strange, but it sure tastes great! Will definitely make this again.
I really appreciate this wonderful recipe! Trying to learn to cook and like lentils and this came out just perfectly with your cooking directions. Served it with the green shaata sauce, so spicy and yum! Doubled the onions, they are so tasty. I also threw in some cubed firm tofu that I toasted up in the air fryer first. A delicious nutritious meal that we always look forward to :)
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Christine! I appreciate your review.
Just a heads up that this actually took an hour and 15 minutes from start to finish for me! I should have gone through and added up all the times (10 min for rice, 23 for lentils, 10 for setting off the heat, plus prep and boiling times) instead of going by the 35 minutes estimate at the beginning.
We really enjoyed this dish. I made it exactly as the recipe said and had no problems. Yes, I had to drain off some liquid at the end (from the rice/lentil mixture), which I did, and then placed the towel over the pot for another 10 minutes. The mixture was perfectly moist and chewy and delicious and not soggy at all. I made the zhoug sauce–a nice addition. Thank you, Kate!
You’re welcome, Sina!
I love this dish. I have added it to my ‘meatless meals’ rotation. It was easy; all of the ingredients are staples in my pantry. I have shared the recipe with my vegan friends, and they appreciate a meal that everyone can eat.
Great to hear, Frances!
This is a great recipe and definitely don’t skimp on the onions, they are so yummy when they get crispy. We like to top our Mujadara with a lebanese salata (like they do at Aladdin’s Eatery). Chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers (optional), and tossed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and Zaatar Seasoning.
Great to hear, Janelle!
I made this tonight in solidarity with and in memory of the 7 people who tragically died while working to feed people in Gaza. I used calrose brown rice (because that is what l had), and used only 3 cups of water because l have an induction cooktop and l know from many years of experience it requires only 1.5 cups of water to cook 1 cup of rice or lentils. It turned out perfectly – not mushy or gluey, nothing to drain, really satisfying. Would use 1/2 tsp. less salt next time.
I’ve made mujadara before but this recipe appealed to me because the flavours sounded interesting and a mostly one pot meal. So many NOPES here: I used the recommended types of lentils and rice and had to cook the whole mixture for an extra 45 minutes for the lentils to soften at which point the rice was mush. Aside from the resulting lack of texture, the flavour was bland and tasteless, although I did make your shatta recipe which helped to finish eating a small bowl of this very lacklustre mujadara. I used a mandolin to slice the onions thinly and they not only didn’t crisp (even after repeated layering on paper towels) they were sodden greasy knots of onion that further made this dish headed to the bin after 2 hours of prepping and cooking. So disappointed!
I’m sorry to hear you were disappointed. I appreciate your feedback.
Further to my previous comment, I just couldn’t throw away all that food (this recipe makes enough mujadara for a family of 5-6) So with some heavy doctoring with zatar, hot paprika, SALT, and more cumin, 2 eggs (which no longer makes this dish vegan), panko bread crumbs mixed into 2 cups of the leftover mujadara and then fried as small patties, falafel size. The shatta totally compliments them and I’m pleased I didn’t have to throw away a great deal of food. I still have about 1/3 of the recipe packed away in the freezer.
I followed the recipe with the white basmati instructions, and it was total mush – any help here? I love the idea of this recipe…
Hi Melanie, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you cook the lentils in the boiling water first for about 10 minutes (until somewhat softened on the outside/still firm in the middle), then add the rice and cook until both lentils and rice are tender, about 25 minutes? The time could vary slightly.
I also have been wanting to learn to make mujadara and have generally produced brownish mush, so I was excited to try this recipe. Cookie and Kate did not fail me! Cooking the lentils and rice together was fun and efficient, and after the draining and resting (the resting is *so* important), the grains were tender but still distinct. I served with yogurt with some grated cucumber and a green hot sauce made in Queens, NY. I might add a splash of lemon for serving next time as well.
Thank you for sharing, Laura!
Is it possible to cook the rice & lentils in instant pot? :-)
I haven’t tried it for this recipe, sorry!
Can it be frozen, in serving size?
I haven’t tried it. If you try it, let me know!
I made the recipe as directed but feel the amount of water is way too much. Had to add vegetable stock cubes to impart any flavour into the rice. I am still waiting for the water to cook out and the rice texture just feels waterlogged and I cook perfect, fluffy rice often.
I made this tonight and it was so good! I used chicken stock to cook the lentils and curry powder instead of cumin. We loved it!
Hot hot hot! Not sure why as I used more lentils than the recipe called for. I’d try it again with 1/3 of the spice. Loved the carmelized onions, think we are not against spicy, but this is -whoa!!
I’m sorry to hear, Jody. I appreciate your feedback.
I think you have a typo in your recipe for the amount of cumin! I think it should be 1 tsp not 1TBS.
How much is 20 twists of your pepper grinder at the setting you have it on, in tablespoons and teaspoons?