What is the difference between lentil colors

Red lentils refer to the orange to red color lentils, most commonly used in Middle Eastern and Indian food dishes while green lentils refer to gray-green color lentils with a firm texture.

Red lentils are usually available in the split form while green lentils come with their seed coats. Red lentils take less time to cook around 30 minutes while green lentils take comparatively long time to cook around 45 minutes. Red lentils are cooked as dhal, baby food, soups, and casseroles while green lentils are used in warm salads, side dishes, stuffing, and casseroles.

Red lentils are the split lentils mainly used in Middle Eastern and Indian dishes. They take around 30 minutes to cook.

Red lentils become mushy when cooked and have a sweet flavor. On the other hand, green lentils come with the seed coat. Therefore, they take a longer time to cook.

So, next time you want to make a lentil dish, don't be intimidated by the different colors and varieties. Just apply the "red vs the rest" rule, and you won't go wrong. Please note: Neither Veg World nor its contributors are qualified to give medical or nutritional advice. If in doubt, always consult a suitably-qualified professional.

This page is printer-friendly. All rights reserved. Home What is Veg World? For all things vegetarian and vegan. Understanding different types of lentils If you're confused by the different types and colors of lentils, read on. It's all a lot easier than you think. If you found this article helpful, please tell your friends:. Some red lentils are red, as you have probably observed. These take about 20 minutes to cook, and when the skin of the red lentil splits, it breaks down quickly, turning mushy.

This is exactly what you want when dealing with daal or sauces in need of thickening, and are more or less interchangeable with the brown and green ones. Again, when you want a thick, soothing mush, these will do you fine. French confetti lentils , earning their name. This means that these speckled, greenish-bluish-greyish orbs, also called green French lentils or lentilles du Puy, retain their shape when cooked and have a pleasant, poppy texture.

This lack of mushiness makes them ideal for non-soup applications. Though they're great if you want a brothier soup with more distinct textures. Green lentils are similar in size to red lentils. They come in one complete non-split form, unlike red lentils. They have one outer covering which is generally glossy in appearance.

After cooking, these lentils are known to retain their shapes and not deform or dissolve like red lentils. Due to their compactness and earthly texture, these lentils take time to cook approximately 45 minutes , making them a good option for salads. Green lentils provide for vitamins, minerals , fibres and protein to your diet. But primarily it is a rich source of protein. For vegan people, green lentils can be a good supplement for meat. It reduces the risk of heart diseases and provides good amount of protein to the body if taken in right quantity.

Studies have discovered that the presence of magnesium, calcium and potassium in lentils can prevent the body from high blood pressure too. So lentils do not only function for high quality protein, but it also saves the body from the risks of blood pressure. Lentils are also known to be full of polyphenol.

A substance which helps the body to fight against germs entering our body on but a daily basis, through ultraviolet rays. Lentils are also a good source of iron. One average cup of lentils can provide up to 6.