Gluten-Free Mujadara (Lebanese Lentils, Rice & Caramelised Onion)

Mujadara is the dish people mean when they call lentils and rice “peasant food” — and then go quiet after the first bowl. The trick is entirely in the onions: three of them, cooked slow and patient until dark, sweet and almost jammy. Half melts into the pot; the rest goes on top. Lentils, rice, onions, olive oil and cumin are all naturally gluten-free — with exactly two traps to know: the stock, and shop-bought crispy fried onions.

Gluten-Free Mujadara (Lebanese Lentils, Rice & Caramelised Onion)

A Lebanese comfort classic — brown lentils and rice under a mountain of slow-caramelised onions. Naturally gluten-free and vegan; the only checks are a gluten-free stock and making the onions yourself instead of the wheat-dusted shop kind.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 200 g brown or green lentils
• 150 g long-grain rice or basmati
• 3 large onions thinly sliced
• 60 ml olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon optional
• 1 L water or gluten-free vegetable stock see notes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Green salad or plain yoghurt to serve — naturally GF, check the pot

Method

 

1. Cook the lentils: Rinse the lentils, then cook in boiling water about 15 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Caramelise the onions: Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the sliced onions gently 20–25 minutes, stirring, until deep golden and sweet. Lift out about two-thirds and reserve for topping.
3. Combine & season: To the onions left in the pan, add the cumin (and cinnamon, if using) and stir until fragrant. Add the drained lentils, the rice and the water or GF stock. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Simmer: Cover and simmer ~20 minutes, until the rice and lentils are cooked and the liquid is absorbed. Rest a few minutes, fluff, and pile the reserved onions on top. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes

Coeliac notes
• Stock is trap number one. Many stock cubes are thickened with wheat or contain barley — use one labelled gluten-free, or just use water and season well.
• Skip shop-bought crispy fried onions — the tubs sold for topping are almost always dusted in wheat flour before frying. Caramelising your own sidesteps that entirely.
• Lentils and rice are naturally gluten-free; use plain sealed packs (loose bins and "rice/lentil mix" packs can carry cross-contact).
• Pure ground cumin and cinnamon are GF, but pre-mixed spice blends can hide wheat — check any blend.
• Naturally gluten-free by design — when a label is unclear, treat it as "not for me".

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!