✦ Fastest cooking legume: 15-20 min
✦ Breaks down: creamy texture
✦ Plant protein and folate
✦ Iron and manganese
Dried red split lentils are the fastest-cooking legume — ready in 15-20 minutes with no soaking. They break down during cooking into a smooth, creamy consistency, making them perfect for thick dals, soups, and sauces. They provide concentrated plant protein, folate, iron, manganese, and soluble fibre.
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Preparation note
No soaking needed; rinse and simmer in 3 parts water, stirring as they thicken. Add turmeric and cumin during cooking, then finish with a tarka of mustard seeds and garlic in hot oil.
Sources:
NHS Beans and pulses · CoFID 2021
Where Lentils, red, split, dried, raw Stands Out
Macronutrients per 100g
1,321
kJ
Energy
25.6
g
Protein
51.2
g
Carbs
4.90
g
Fibre
1.80
g
Fat
1.30
g
Sugars
0.28
g
Saturates
Vitamins & Minerals
| Nutrient | Per 100g | % Daily Value* | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potassium | 717 mg | 36% | |
| Phosphorus | 349 mg | 50% | |
| Folate | 164 µg | 82% | |
| Chloride | 59.0 mg | 7% | |
| Magnesium | 59.0 mg | 16% | |
| Selenium | 34.0 µg | 62% | |
| Calcium | 33.0 mg | 4% | |
| Iron | 7.00 mg | 50% | |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 5.00 µg | 1% | |
| Zinc | 3.30 mg | 33% | |
| Niacin (B3) | 3.00 mg | 19% | |
| Manganese | 1.34 mg | 67% | |
| Pantothenic Acid (B5) | 1.29 mg | 22% | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-TE) | 1.11 mg | 9% | |
| Copper | 0.720 mg | 72% | |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.570 mg | 52% | |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.320 mg | 23% | |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.160 mg | 11% | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Iodine | 6.00 µg | 4% | |
| Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) | 0.690 g | — | |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.280 g | — | |
| Sucrose | 1.30 g | — | |
| Cholesterol | 0.000 mg | — | |
| Beta-carotene | 60.0 µg | — | |
| Biotin (Vitamin B7) | 2.80 µg | 6% | |
| Retinol (vitamin A) | 0.000 µg | 0% |
* % Daily Value based on EU Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs). — indicates no EU NRV established.
Primary data source for this entry:
McCance & Widdowson's Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID 2021), Public Health England. Source record tag: CoFID 2021.
All values are per 100g fresh weight unless stated.
% Daily Values based on EU Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs) per Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.
Nutriofia is a research and information resource — nothing on this page constitutes medical advice.
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