Mujadara: Lentils and Rice With Crispy Onions

Mujadara is brown or green lentils and rice (or bulgur) simmered, often with cumin, and crowned with slowly fried, deep brown onions, a staple of home cooking in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. This mujadara recipe serves 4 as a main course or 6 as a side: the lentils get a 10-minute head start, then finish cooking with basmati rice in the pan of onions. Allow about 1 hour 25 minutes, including 30–40 minutes for the onions.

What is mujadara?

Also spelled mujaddara or mjaddara, mujadara is described by the University of Saskatchewan as a Middle Eastern staple of rice, lentils and caramelised onions, and Lebanon's Food Heritage Foundation counts it among the most common vegetarian recipes in Lebanon and the Arab world. The name is often said to mean "pockmarked" in Arabic, after the lentils dotted through the rice, though its origin is uncertain. Early versions appear in medieval Arabic cookbooks.

In Lebanon, mjaddara can also mean a smooth version in which the lentils are puréed; when the lentils and rice stay whole and separate, as in our recipe, many Lebanese cooks call it mudardara. Bulgur is the other traditional grain: writing for SyriaUntold, Dellair Youssef notes a preference for bulgur mujaddara in the countryside and for rice in the big cities. Mujadara is eaten warm or cold, usually with yoghurt (laban) or a salad, and often with pickled turnips.

Arab Christians traditionally cook it during Lent. Cheap, meat-free and easy to make in a big batch, it is also a simple choice for iftar in Ramadan, which in 2027 is expected to begin in the UK around Monday 8 February, depending on the moon sighting: see our Ramadan 2027 UK guide.

Which lentils, rice and onions to use

Lentils: brown lentils are a common choice. Our Sara Brown Lentils (sabut masoor) are mild and earthy, keep their shape and need no soaking, just a good rinse; they simmer in 20–30 minutes, and Lebanese mujadara is one of the uses our product page suggests. Green lentils work the same way, with a firmer, more peppery bite. Avoid red split lentils, which break down to a purée: they belong in shorbat adas, a smooth red lentil soup. Our guide to types of lentils compares them all.

Rice: long-grain basmati cooks to separate, fluffy grains that sit well among the lentils. Unique Super Kernel Basmati Rice 5kg cooks up soft yet separate, our product page says. Sella (parboiled) basmati also works, but our sella rice pages say it usually needs a little more water and time than white basmati (see our sella basmati guide). For the bulgur version, use medium bulgur wheat (see the FAQs). Our lentils, rice and bulgur are all in our pulses, rice and grains range.

Onions: you need plenty, fried slowly until deep brown; half are stirred through the lentils and rice and half go on top. For extra crunch, or as a shortcut, top the dish with ready-made crispy fried onions: Greenfields Crispy Fried Onions (125g), which contain wheat, or Sara's Crispy Fried Onions (75g to 5kg), whose product page suggests them for mujaddara. Check the Sara pack label for allergens, as fried onions are often coated in flour. Both are ready to eat.

Spice and oil: ground cumin is a common seasoning, and our Ground Cumin (Jeera Powder) page suggests frying it briefly in oil to bring out its flavour. Fry the onions in olive oil, then finish the dish with a drizzle of Al Quds Palestinian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which has a fresh, fruity flavour and a gentle peppery finish; our page says it also suits everyday cooking such as sautéing.

How to make mujadara: Lebanese lentils and rice (serves 4–6)

Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: about 1 hour 10 minutes, including 10 minutes' resting. Total: about 1 hour 25 minutes. Serves 4 as a main course or 6 as a side. You need a saucepan and a large, wide, heavy pan or casserole (about 28cm across) with a tight-fitting lid.

Ingredients

• 200g brown lentils (or green lentils)
• 200g basmati rice
• 4 onions (about 800g), halved and thinly sliced
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra virgin olive oil to finish
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
• 1 litre water, for the lentils
• To serve: plain yoghurt, a tomato and cucumber salad, pickles, and 40g ready-made crispy fried onions (optional)

Method

1. Fry the onions. Heat the oil in the large pan over a medium heat and fry the onions, stirring often, for about 10 minutes until soft. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 20–30 minutes more, stirring every few minutes, until deep brown. If they catch, turn the heat down and add a splash of water.
2. Start the lentils. Meanwhile, rinse the lentils well, put them in the saucepan with the water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, until part-cooked but still firm in the middle. Drain over a heatproof jug and keep 500ml of the cooking water, topping it up with boiling water if needed.
3. Rinse the rice. Rinse the rice 2–3 times in cold water until the water runs almost clear, then drain well.
4. Lift out the topping. When the onions are ready, lift half of them out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper, leaving the rest and the oil in the pan.
5. Toast the cumin and rice. Stir the cumin into the onions for 30 seconds, then add the rice and stir for 1–2 minutes, until every grain is coated in oil.
6. Simmer. Add the lentils, the 500ml of cooking water, the salt and any pepper. Bring to the boil, cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. If the rice is still firm, add 3–4 tablespoons of boiling water, cover and cook for 5 minutes more.
7. Rest. Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes, then fluff gently with a fork and taste for salt.
8. Serve. Pile the reserved onions on top and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Add any crispy fried onions just before serving so they stay crunchy. Serve warm, with yoghurt, salad and pickles.

Shortcut: fry 2 onions instead of 4, skip step 4 and top the finished dish with 40g of ready-made crispy fried onions.

Allergens: our lentil pages say the lentils contain none of the 14 major allergens but may contain traces of other pulses and cereals containing gluten. Greenfields Crispy Fried Onions contain wheat (gluten), and Sara's show allergens in bold on the pack label. Yoghurt contains milk. Always check the labels.

How to store and reheat mujadara safely

Mujadara is a rice dish, so follow the Food Standards Agency's advice on rice. The FSA explains that "uncooked rice can contain spores of a bacterium called Bacillus cereus", which "can survive being cooked", and that "it's not the reheating that causes the problem, but the way the rice has been stored before it's reheated".

• Cool it fast: "chill it as quickly as possible, ideally within one hour". "Dividing it into smaller portions can help with this", and "don't leave rice in the rice cooker, steamer or pan to cool down".
• Fridge: "Keep rice in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating." "Rice may be eaten cold if it is cooled down quickly. Put the rice in the fridge and consume within 24 hours."
• Reheat once: "you should never reheat rice more than once", and check the dish is "steaming hot all the way through". Add a splash of water, cover and stir halfway.
• Freeze: cool it quickly and make sure it "goes in the freezer within an hour of cooking"; then "defrost your rice in the fridge and then reheat it until it is steaming hot before eating immediately".
• Onions: keep crispy onions apart, in their resealed pack, and add them after reheating so they stay crisp.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use brown or green lentils for mujadara?

Either works: both keep their shape, need no soaking and take 20–30 minutes on our product pages. Brown lentils are mild and earthy; green lentils stay firmer, with a peppery bite. Our green lentil page advises adding salt only in the last few minutes, as the skins can toughen, so with green lentils add half the salt with the rice and the rest when you fluff it.

Can I make mujadara with bulgur instead of rice?

Yes: bulgur mujadara is traditional in parts of Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. Swap the rice for 200g of medium bulgur wheat, rinsed, and follow the same method; our bulgur page says it simmers, covered, in about 15 minutes, the same time the rice gets here. It has a mild, nutty flavour and keeps a little bite. Bulgur is wheat, so it contains gluten.

Why do you fry the onions for so long?

Slow frying drives the water out of the onions and browns their natural sugars, so they turn sweet, with a savoury, slightly bitter edge. With so few ingredients, the onions carry much of the flavour, which is why cooks take them so dark: Milk Street's recipe fries them until "almost burnt". Mississippi State University Extension allows 30–40 minutes for caramelised onions.

Is mujadara vegan?

Yes, as written: it is lentils, rice, onions, olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper and water. The yoghurt served alongside contains milk, so choose a plant-based yoghurt, or serve it with salad and pickles instead. If you top it with ready-made onions, our product page lists Greenfields Crispy Fried Onions as vegan (they contain wheat); for Sara's, check the pack label.

Is mujadara the same as koshari?

No, but they are close relatives. Egypt's koshari (koshary) also brings lentils, rice and fried onions together, and adds pasta. UNESCO, which added koshary to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2025, describes it as rice, pasta, black lentils and fried onions, with vinegar, garlic and hot sauce added to taste. Mujadara is simpler: lentils, rice or bulgur, onions and spice, eaten with yoghurt or salad.