The Turkish pantry

Lentils (red)

Choose split red lentils for a soft soup or lentil patties, and learn why whole green lentils behave differently.

Last updated: 17 October 2026

This guide focuses on dried, peeled split red lentils—the small orange-red pieces pictured here. Green and brown lentils are separate shopping choices, not mixed into this ingredient.

Small dry orange-red split lentils in a blue-patterned shallow dish and steel spoon on a sunny coastal table

Types & forms

Split red lentils

Peeled halves soften and break down readily; useful when a soup or patty mixture needs a soft base.

Whole red lentils

Whole and split describe form. Check the packet rather than assuming every product called red lentils cooks identically.

Green or brown lentils · comparison

Whole lentils with their skins tend to keep their shape. They are not a direct replacement in a recipe relying on split red lentils breaking down.

What to look for when buying

Choose a pack clearly identifying red lentils and the split or whole form. For the linked recipes, choose split red lentils.
Look for dry, clean lentils in intact packaging; avoid moisture, visible mold or insect damage. Older lentils may take longer to soften.

Prepare & cook

Spread out and check for stones or debris, then rinse in a sieve. Lentils generally do not need soaking.
Simmer until fully tender using the recipe's liquid amount; top up if they remain firm and the pan is drying out. Judge the texture as well as the time.
For mercimek köftesi, follow the order in the recipe: soften the red lentils before hydrating the fine bulgur in the hot mixture.

Store it well

Store dry lentils sealed in a cool, dark, dry place. About a year is a quality guide, not a guarantee for damaged or damp food.
Refrigerate cooked lentils promptly in shallow containers at 40°F or below and use within 3–4 days. Discard perishables left out over two hours, or one hour above 90°F.

Substitutions depend on the dish

In red lentil soup

Whole green or brown lentils change the color, cooking time and texture. Choose a recipe written for them rather than copying the red-lentil timing.

In lentil and bulgur patties

Keep the specified split red lentils and fine bulgur. A different pulse may not produce the same soft binding mixture; no universal replacement ratio is established.

Nutrition

Dried pink or red lentils, uncooked ^[1]

Per 100 g edible portion
Nutrient	Amount
Energy	358 kcal
Protein	23.9 g
Total fat	2.17 g
Saturated fat	0.38 g
Carbohydrate	63.1 g
Dietary fiber	10.8 g
Total sugars	Not reported
Sodium	7 mg
Cholesterol	0 mg
Calcium	48 mg
Iron	7.39 mg
Potassium	668 mg
Vitamin D	0 µg

USDA’s pink-or-red raw lentil record; not generic green lentils and not a cooked portion. It does not separately analyze every split product or cultivar. Cooking adds water and changes the values per 100 g. Values are rounded for readability; “not reported” does not mean zero. A “<” value is below the source’s measurement limit.

Nutrition values come from the reference source named above. They are published reference values, not our own measurements. Actual products and cooking methods may change the values.

At the Turkish table

Mercimek çorbası and mercimek köftesi show two uses for red lentils: a soft soup and a mixture that can be shaped with fine bulgur. The Ministry of Culture documents red lentils with bulgur in lentil balls; this is a culinary connection, not an exclusive-origin claim.