Black Lentils substitute

Best substitute

French green lentils (lentilles du Puy)

Use the same amount as the black lentils you are replacing

Best for lentil salads

Close match

The closest match in behaviour and the swap most cooks make. Same small size, same firmness, same 20 to 25 minute cook, and they stay in separate grains just as reliably. Two things change. The colour goes from glossy near-black to mottled slate green, so a plated dish loses the caviar effect entirely. And the flavour turns more peppery and mineral rather than the slightly deeper, meatier note black lentils have.

Other black lentils substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Green or brown lentils
Different texture
Use the same amount
Perfectly usable and available everywhere, with one real caveat: they are twice the size and considerably softer, so a delicate beluga lentil salad becomes a rustic lentil salad.
What changes
They also have a narrow window, maybe five minutes, between tender and split open, and once they split the dish looks muddy. Flavour is milder and earthier, less savoury depth.
Best for
salads, soups, stews, side dishes
Cook them in plenty of water like pasta, start tasting at 18 minutes, and drain and cool them the second they are tender. Dress them while warm so they absorb the vinaigrette.
3Whole black gram (whole urad dal) or whole brown masoor lentils
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount with 10 to 20 extra minutes
Whole urad dal is genuinely black and about the same size, so it is the best match for the look if you have an Indian grocer nearby.
What changes
It behaves differently, though: it turns sticky and slightly glutinous as it cooks, which is exactly what makes dal makhani creamy and exactly what you do not want in a crisp salad. Whole brown masoor lentils hold their shape better but are brown, not black.
Best for
warm lentil dishes, braises, soups, stews
Soak whole urad dal for a few hours if you can, and rinse the cooked lentils under cold water to wash off the sticky starch before dressing them.
4Canned or pouch-cooked green or brown lentils
Different texture
One 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed, replaces about ⅔ cup dry black lentils
The five-minute answer when guests are already sitting down.
What changes
They are noticeably softer than black lentils and they are brown, so the dish loses both the bite and the drama, but the flavour after a good rinse and a hot dressing is fine. Treat them as cooked: warm them briefly rather than simmering, or they break up.
Best for
quick warm salads, adding at the end of a soup, lentil patties
Cut the recipe's liquid by roughly the amount the dry lentils would have absorbed, about two and a half cups per cup of dry lentils.
5Cooked wild rice or black barley
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by cooked volume
The best answer when the black colour and glossy separate grains were the whole point, as in a plated restaurant-style side.
What changes
Wild rice is dark, chewy and holds its shape indefinitely, and it looks close enough on the plate. It tastes nutty and grassy rather than savoury and earthy, it is chewier, and it brings none of the protein or starchy body of a lentil, so it works as a bed but not as the substance of a vegetarian main.
Best for
plated sides under fish, cold salads, stuffing vegetables
Wild rice takes 40 to 50 minutes. Barley contains gluten; wild rice does not.
6Red or yellow split lentils (the honest no)
Taste and texture differ
Not recommended for this
There is no version of this that works.
What changes
Split red and yellow lentils have been skinned, so nothing holds them together and they turn into a smooth orange puree in about fifteen minutes. Black lentils are chosen precisely because they do the opposite. If red lentils are all you have and the dish must happen tonight, change the dish: make a lentil soup or dal rather than a lentil salad, and nobody will be disappointed.
Best for
nothing that black lentils are used for
The same warning applies to any lentil sold as split, dhuli or skinned, whatever the colour.

What is Black Lentils?

Black Lentils is Black lentils are tiny, round, glossy dark lentils sold as beluga or caviar lentils because they look like fish roe, and they cook in about 20 to 25 minutes while staying firm and separate.

Cooking tips

Cook black lentils and their substitutes in plenty of salted water and drain, rather than measuring the liquid exactly. That is the only reliable way to catch the moment they are tender but still whole, which is the entire reason a recipe specified them.
Black lentils bleed a purple-grey dye. Rinse the cooked lentils briefly under cold water before mixing them with yoghurt, goat cheese or anything pale, or the whole plate turns the colour of wet slate.
Keep tomatoes, vinegar and lemon out of the pot until the lentils are tender. Acid keeps the skins tough, and with the firmer lentils in this family that can mean twice the cooking time.
They need no soaking and cook faster than most people expect, sometimes in 18 minutes. Set a timer for 18 and taste, because even beluga lentils will eventually break.
For a salad, drain the lentils and toss them with the dressing while they are still hot. Hot lentils drink vinaigrette; cold ones just wear it, and the difference in flavour is bigger than the difference between lentil varieties.

Frequently asked questions

What is the closest substitute for beluga lentils?

French green or Puy lentils, 1:1, with the same cook time and the same firm texture. The only real loss is the colour, since Puy lentils are mottled green rather than glossy black. If the black look matters more than the exact bite, whole urad dal from an Indian grocer or cooked wild rice will get you closer visually.

Are black lentils the same as black beans?

No. Black lentils are tiny flat-round pulses that cook from dry in about 20 minutes with no soaking, and they stay firm and separate. Black beans are much larger, need soaking or a can, and cook to a soft creamy interior. Swapping black beans into a beluga lentil salad gives you a completely different dish; it can still be a good one, but it is not the same recipe.

Can I use black lentils instead of green lentils?

Yes, and it is usually an improvement in texture, since black lentils hold their shape better than green ones and are more forgiving if you overshoot the timer. Use them 1:1 and expect a slightly deeper savoury flavour and a much darker dish. In a soup, they will not break down to thicken the broth the way green lentils do, so mash some against the pan if you want body.

Can I just leave black lentils out?

Only if they were a garnish or a bed under something else, in which case swap in any cooked grain or simply serve the main element with the sauce. If the lentils are the protein and the substance of the dish, leaving them out gives you dressing and herbs. Any other lentil, or a can of small white beans, will keep the meal intact.

How much do black lentils yield when cooked?

About two to two and a half cups cooked per cup of dry, similar to other lentils. They are small, so a cup of dry lentils goes further visually than it sounds and will serve four as a side.

Related substitutes

More legumes substitutes

Black Lentils substitute

Other black lentils substitutes

2Green or brown lentils

3Whole black gram (whole urad dal) or whole brown masoor lentils

4Canned or pouch-cooked green or brown lentils

5Cooked wild rice or black barley

6Red or yellow split lentils (the honest no)