Loaded Masoor Dal (Red Lentil) Hummus

From Sapna Punjabi’s beautiful book Dal Chawal, here’s a tasty variation on traditional chickpea hummus. Loaded Masoor Dal hummus, made with high-protein red lentils, is fantastic served as a dip or spread with vegetables and breads of all kinds.

Sapna Punjabi writes:

“We love all kinds of hummus in our home and always have a couple of different varieties in our fridge to use as a spread for sandwiches or a dip with chips and veggies.

While a classic hummus with chickpeas is super delicious, it can be a bit heavy to digest. Over the years I have made hummus with a variety of split dal, but the one with masoor dal is our favorite.

Carrots and beets bring a mild sweetness and add to the vibrant color of this light-to-digest dal hummus. Load it up with herbs, microgreens, and chopped veggies and you now have a fancy dip to impress any crowd.”

According to Sapna Punjabi, “Dal Chawal celebrates Indian comfort food — simply put, pulses and rice.” And further, “dal (also spelled daal, dhal, and dahl) is a a Hindi word commonly used to describe all forms of pulses, including dried beans, lentils, peas, and whole and split legumes … Chawal, the Hindi word for rice, is the perfect soulmate for dal.”

In Dal Chawal, Sapna puts the spotlight on the endless versatility on these two economical and nourishing foods, often together.

Variations

• Replace split red lentils with yellow split moong dal and cook with ground turmeric and golden beets for a yellow-hued hummus.
• Change the garnishes according to the seasons and/or personal preference.

Dal Chawal is available on Bookshop.org* and wherever books are sold

Excerpted with permission from Dal Chawal: 85 Vegetarian Indian Recipes Combining the Power of Dal and Rice by Sapna Punjabi published by Hardie Grant North America, April 2025, Photo at top: Nitya Jain.

AYURVEDA NOTES

• VATA Use cucumber, pumpkin seeds, sumac, and cumin as toppings, with an extra drizzle of olive oil.
• PITTA Skip the Kashmiri powder garnish. Opt for a garnish of cucumbers and microgreens.
• KAPHA Skip cucumbers as a topping.

Explore more …

• Red Lentil Dal and Rice Bowls
• Red Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Greens
• Curry Coconut Red Lentil Soup
• Homemade Hummus, 12+ Easy and Delicious Ways

Continue to Content

Yield: 6

Loaded Masoor Dal (Red Lentil) Hummus

Print

Here's a tasty variation on traditional chickpea hummus. Loaded Masoor Dal is a red lentil hummus that is fantastic served as a dip or spread with vegetables and breads of all kinds.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• ½ cup (90 g) masoor dal (split red lentils)
• 1½ cups (360 ml) water
• ½ medium beet (60 g), cubed
• ½ medium carrot (40 g), cubed
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled but whole
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Optional toppings

• ¼ cup (40 g) finely chopped Persian or English cucumber
• ¼ cup (40 g) halved cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup (40 g) finely chopped red radishes
• ¼ cup (10 g) microgreens
• ¼ cup (10 g) finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• 1 teaspoon ground toasted cumin
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

Instructions

1. Rinse the red lentils in a fine-mesh sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear, about a minute. 
2. Transfer to a medium bowl, add water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm), and soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain. 
3. In a 3-quart (3 L) pot, combine the lentils, water, beet, carrot, and salt. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam. Reduce the heat to medium, partially cover, and cook until the dal and vegetables are soft and mushy and most of the liquid is reduced, 20 to 25 minutes. 
4. Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender along with the garlic, olive oil, tahini, and lemon juice and puree until smooth. 
5. Spoon the hummus onto a plate and garnish with optional toppings of choice. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Notes

Variations

• Replace split red lentils with yellow split moong dal and cook with ground turmeric and golden beets for a yellow-hued hummus. 
• Change the garnishes according to the seasons and/or personal preference.

See lots more tasty vegan appetizers & snacks.

*This is a Bookshop.org affiliate link. If a product is purchased after linking through, TheVeganAtlas.com receives a modest commission, which helps us to keep growing.